Skinny Snickerdoodles

I took this recipe from Chocolate Covered Katie after I perused the internet for (semi) healthy cookie recipes. With low butter and flour in this recipe, the unhealthy aspects of traditional baking are minimized, while also creating a tasty treat! The recipe makes approximately 10 cookies so if you are baking them for more than just yourself I would recommend doubling the recipe. Click on "chocolate covered Katie" above for the original recipe! (I changed it slightly, adding a bit more flour because the dough ended up a little too sticky for me, upping the oven temperature, just things based on personal experience with the recipe!)

Skinny Snickerdoodles

• 1 cup ww pastry flour (or white flour) (See below for notes on a gluten-free option)
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt (just under level)
• 1/4 tsp cream of tarter (optional)
• 1/4 tsp plus 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 cup sugar (+ 3 teaspoons for coating)
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons milk of choice
• 1/4 cup “butter” of choice, such as Earth Balance (I haven’t tried a lower-fat butter sub in this recipe, so I don’t know if that would work.)
• Cinnamon (for cinnamon sugar coating)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine dry ingredients and mix very, very well. In a separate bowl, melt the butter of choice, then stir in vanilla and milk. Pour dry into wet and mix again. Put dough into refrigerator (covered) for about fifteen minutes, then roll dough into balls about 3/4" in diameter. Put 3 teaspoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon in a bowl and mix well. Roll the dough balls in the cinnamon sugar mixture and place on cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing them from cookie sheet.

Tuesday Cake

This recipe was given to me by my friend Brigid and dubbed "Tuesday Cake" as she always makes the cake on Tuesdays and eats it the rest of the week. A cross between a pound cake and a traditional lemon cake Tuesday cake is perfect for breakfast, a snack, or an after dinner treat. Shown in the photo below I used powdered sugar as the topping but I also think it would be delicious with a light frosting type of glaze, I will try that next time!

butter for pan

1 cup full-fat ricotta
1/3 cup unflavored apple sauce
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
confectioners sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350, line the bottom of a nine inch springform pan with parchment paper, coat the paper and the sides of the ban with butter or oil

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the ricotta, apple sauce, sugar, and zest. Add the eggs one by one and whisk well. Sift together the dry ingredients and add to the wet.

Pour batter into cake pan and bake for half an hour, or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool for ten minutes and then loosen the cake and flip onto a cooling rack. Place cake on designated plate after sufficiently cooled and sprinkle or spread powdered sugar across the top. 

Margaret's Guacamole

This guac is great with tacos, chips, or pretty much anything. Easy to make and super tasty.

Recipe

Ingredients:
3 avocados
1/2 tomato
2 cloves garlic
1 1/2 limes (juice)
salt to taste
1 teaspoon white pepper
ground pepper to taste

Directions:
-Gut avocado and put insides in bowl. Mash until smooth.
-Chop tomato finely, taking out the seeds and inner liquid in the process.
-Add tomato to the avocado.
-Press Garlic and add to avocado and tomato mixture.
-Add white pepper, salt, and ground pepper.
-Mix together with a wooden spoon until combined.
-Serve with chips, on tacos or however you want!