Zen, Pie and Friends
This page is a mixing and stirring of things that are good from homemade pie to friends. Favorite, time tested recipes, concoctions, whirls of thoughts and ideas, and anything else my friends can dream up.
Toasted Pecan/Oatmeal Cookies
This is just another variation of course, but it is sure is good!
Whisk and set aside:
2-cups fresh unbleached and unbromated, white or mixed flour
1 teaspoon each:
soda
baking power
salt
Cream these guys:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup white with 1/4 or less teaspoon of powdered Stevia, or less white sugar and more Stevia
Stevia is NOT Nutrasweet, or anything like those nasty tasting artificial sweeteners. Check the health food store or health section of your grocery store. Beware of Stevia mixed with sugar, look for pure. Labels are deceptive. :)
OK and 1 lg egg... whole
and 1 lg egg yolk
Plus 2 t. water. (There is a reason for this.)
1 and 1/2 t real vanilla
and here is the kicker....
6-7 drops cinnamon OIL, it must be oil, culinary type. Put it in everything! It is so good. Of course it isn't really cinnamon, because we rarely use the real cinnamon. But that's another story. :)
OK now start to carefully HAND mix your wet and dry ingredients, do not beat. In fact just before it is actually all mixed together add this stuff:
1 cup Toasted pecans bits. Buy the bits, toast them in your oven on a cookie sheet. Cool quickly by maybe shifting to another cooler cookie sheet or on a marble slab. Preferably the one on your counter.
2 cups oatmeal, fresh as you can buy it. Try the bulk section at a good grocery store or health food store. Boxed oatmeal is nasty tasting. Unless you like the taste of a cardboard box.
Raisins and either Cranraisins or dried cherries, raspberries, etc., your favorites: about 1 1/2 to 2 cups combined
Throw some white chips in for fun, not too many. Chocolate will work too, but can drown out some of the other great flavors
Then carefully mix everything together in as few of strokes as possible and yet have everything fairly well spread out and in.
I use a little scooper for quick cookie forming and into the oven at a preheated temperature of 350 degrees.
So watch close, ovens are different. As soon as the cookie is not wet looking and maybe some have a little more color get them out. In other words don't over cook them. If they seem just slightly under, but close, leave them on their cookie sheet for another 5 minutes or so. Slightly toasted in a hotter oven works if you're watching them and not drying them out.
Cool on paper or a wire wrack.
They are good and kind of good for you, too!
This is just another variation of course, but it is sure is good!
Whisk and set aside:
2-cups fresh unbleached and unbromated, white or mixed flour
1 teaspoon each:
soda
baking power
salt
Cream these guys:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup white with 1/4 or less teaspoon of powdered Stevia, or less white sugar and more Stevia
Stevia is NOT Nutrasweet, or anything like those nasty tasting artificial sweeteners. Check the health food store or health section of your grocery store. Beware of Stevia mixed with sugar, look for pure. Labels are deceptive. :)
OK and 1 lg egg... whole
and 1 lg egg yolk
Plus 2 t. water. (There is a reason for this.)
1 and 1/2 t real vanilla
and here is the kicker....
6-7 drops cinnamon OIL, it must be oil, culinary type. Put it in everything! It is so good. Of course it isn't really cinnamon, because we rarely use the real cinnamon. But that's another story. :)
OK now start to carefully HAND mix your wet and dry ingredients, do not beat. In fact just before it is actually all mixed together add this stuff:
1 cup Toasted pecans bits. Buy the bits, toast them in your oven on a cookie sheet. Cool quickly by maybe shifting to another cooler cookie sheet or on a marble slab. Preferably the one on your counter.
2 cups oatmeal, fresh as you can buy it. Try the bulk section at a good grocery store or health food store. Boxed oatmeal is nasty tasting. Unless you like the taste of a cardboard box.
Raisins and either Cranraisins or dried cherries, raspberries, etc., your favorites: about 1 1/2 to 2 cups combined
Throw some white chips in for fun, not too many. Chocolate will work too, but can drown out some of the other great flavors
Then carefully mix everything together in as few of strokes as possible and yet have everything fairly well spread out and in.
I use a little scooper for quick cookie forming and into the oven at a preheated temperature of 350 degrees.
So watch close, ovens are different. As soon as the cookie is not wet looking and maybe some have a little more color get them out. In other words don't over cook them. If they seem just slightly under, but close, leave them on their cookie sheet for another 5 minutes or so. Slightly toasted in a hotter oven works if you're watching them and not drying them out.
Cool on paper or a wire wrack.
They are good and kind of good for you, too!