Good Ol' Chocolate Chip Cookies!

When I ask people what their favorite kind of cookie is, I'd say at least 8 times out of 10, the answer is chocolate chip. It's a classic. It has chocolate. and it is the perfect sweet treat!!

I like to mix things up a little bit and make things that aren't exactly what is to be expected. So, when I made these chocolate chip cookies, I made them with 100% Whole Wheat flour!! The results?? DELICIOUS! No one had any idea they were whole wheat. Packed full of semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips, these babies are high in fiber and whole grains too!

Recipe? You bet!

Rachel's Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

3 cups Whole Wheat Flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

3 T milk

2 tsp vanilla

1 12-oz bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 11-oz bag milk chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, baking soda, and salt.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugars with electric mixer until well combined and fluffy. Add in the 2 eggs, milk, and vanilla. Beat until mixed. Then, add in the flour mixture and the chocolate chips (I put them in at the same time). Mix with the mixer just until combined, or fold in by hand.

Scoop onto baking sheet (I always line with parchment paper. and I used a small-sized cookie scoop). Bake 7-9 minutes or until just starting to brown around the edges.

Let cool on baking sheet for about 2 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.

SO GOOD warm out of the oven!! Also delish with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or fro yo!

Enjoy!!

Update #2! Cookies, Muffins, and Homemade Nutella!

Hello again!

This is update #2 of my spring break baking adventures!

Midweek, I made these cookies!

They are soft toffee cookies with milk chocolate chips. I hadn't made anything with toffee in awhile, but let me tell you, these were addicting!! Brought some into work and froze the rest for when my roomies come back from break!

Later in the week, I had even more overripe bananas, and I had just made those 3 mini banana breads! So, I decided to make Chocolate Banana Muffins. They are 100% Whole Wheat, and have applesauce in place of the oil. The only fat comes from the cocoa powder. They are yummmmy!

155 calories per muffin too, in case anyone was curious (I did the math)!

Lastly, I made Chocolate Hazelnut Spread, aka homemade nutella!! Now, I am not someone that really buys nutella, and I don't love it as much as some people do, but I had bought hazelnuts and never used them, and I wanted something chocolaty to go with the other two mini banana breads (from update #1). This worked out perfectly!! Not quite as smooth as the stuff you'd buy at the store, but the chocolate-hazelnut-iness is tastttyyyy! Definitely a good topper for the banana bread, and lots of other things! My favorite is to eat it with pretzels-- salty-sweet, right?!

Now break is over and it's time to shift back to classes! Baking will continue of course, just not quite as much as this week! :)

Have a wonderful week!

Enjoy!

Oat-banana-chocolate protein super healthy "cookies"!

HEALTHY SNACK!

Yes yes, they are. I had some bananas that were perrrfect for baking, and I wanted to use them to make something healthy...a healthy snack!

So check these out, I might even eat them for a quick breakfast on-the-go!

What makes them healthy you ask? Here are the ingredients:

Bananas

unsweetened applesauce (just a little)

Old Fashioned Oats

dried figs, cut up

2 scoops chocolate protein powder (no added sugar)

cinnamon

vanilla

That's it!

The oats for a slow-digesting carb, high in fiber from the figs and oats, protein from the protein powder, a little healthy fat from the protein powder and the oats, and the taste of chocolate!

They were an experiment, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but they actually taste pretty good!! The touch of sweetness from the bananas melds really well with the oats and protein powder! And they're chocolate!!

I wouldn't really call them a cookie, but that's what they look like...I think I'll try them with peanut or almond butter spread on top too :)

Healthy "treat" = success!

I'd love to know what healthy recipes/treats other people make! I love experimenting!

End of the Week Treat! V-day themed!

Happy Friday!

This week's End of the week treat = cookies!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip M&M Peanut Butter Cookies, to be exact!!

With Valentine's Day M&Ms of course, because, well, you can never have too much love...right?

The base is made up of about half flour and half oats, and I decided to use whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose. Why? Why not?! Certainly can't call them healthy cookies, but might as well add nutritional benefits where I can!

High in protein and fiber, soft, chewy, and chocolaty! I'll take it! :)

End of the Week Treat!

Happy Friday!!

I'm totally on a chocolate peanut butter kick!

SO, I made chocolate peanut butter cookies with chocolate chips and peanut butter chips. Bringing them to work, to a reunion potluck, to a sorority retreat...lots of places to bring along baked goods for peeps!

Have a great weekend!

Chocolate & Peanut Butter AND Coconut, Walnuts, & Chocolate...

Peanut butter, chocolate, oats, Reese's pieces, and dark chocolate chunks...what's not to love?! Soft, thick, chewy, flavorful, addicting, and perfect for any chocolate-peanut butter lover. They explode with peanut butter and chocolate flavor! They are truly my favorite and absolutely addicting!

I brought them into work at LivingSocial today! Excellent response. I'm glad everyone liked them as much as I do!

Oh, and did I mention they have zero calories? Ha, I wish. Only kidding. But they are made with all oats (no flour), more peanut butter than butter (healthy fat), and dark chocolate (antioxidants). Totally healthy, right? :) Enjoy!

The week before making the chocolate peanut butter cookies, I made these puppies and brought them into LivingSocial on my first day! They are oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with coconut & walnuts. Sweet treat = smiles. Yum!

My goal is to bake one treat per week! Feel free to send suggestions my way! rachellovesbaking@gmail.com

Finals time = early Christmas baking!

I LOVE the Holiday season!
Family, Friends, Relaxation, and Christmas baking!!

I'll do more baking closer to Christmas of course, but finals time at college = festive baking! I finished my finals early and was able to make bake for my roommates, sorority, and friends who were still here! Nothing better than a treat while studying!

First I made Red Velvet Cupcakes! Moist cake with creamy cream cheese frosting, topped off with Christmas sprinkles!

Then I decided to make up a basket of goodies to bring to my sorority's house. Peanut butter cookies with Hershey's kisses is one of my favorite Christmas cookies of all time and are always a hit! Then I made soft chocolate cookies with crushed up peppermint Oreo-type cookies in them. Finished it off with little pretzel-chocolate-m&m bites.

After putting it in the kitchen, the basket was empty in less than an hour.

YUM!

Finally, before leaving to go home for the winter break, I made banana pumpkin bread. Fat-free, whole wheat, reduced sugar, moist, and delicious!

Happy Holidays!! More Christmas baking to come soon!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving!

What a perrrfect time for togetherness & baking! My annual Thanksgiving signature: Apple Pie.

Tried making a new recipe this time and it was DELISH! The key was turning the brown sugar mixture into a sauce, essentially a caramel sauce, and mixing it in with the apples. Then, after arranging the lattice top-crust, I poured more of the sauce over the top. Yummm. Perfectly sweet and amazing topped with vanilla ice cream (or frozen yogurt). No leftovers, which was sad, but at least that means it was enjoyed by my loving family! :)

On Friday I made these peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, in the spirit of giving of course, for my two brothers to bring back to college with them! I brought some back to DC with me for my roommates too!

Next post: December!! Christmas cookies here I come!

Look what you can do with a bottle of wine...

Wine + Baking = AMAZING! Now, I'm not a big cake person...I personally prefer the denseness of a brownie to the fluffy crumb of a cake. BUT this cake, along with the ~2 others posted on this blog, are the exceptions.

First time making this Red Wine Chocolate Cake, and it certainly will not be the last! The wine and chocolate flavors meld well together and create a unique taste that is out of this world! So moist it's like it melts in your mouth. Made some whipped mascarpone topping to go with it and it was the perfect compliment to the cake! Picture it with some fresh strawberries (when the season is right)...mmmmmmm.....

Red Wine Chocolate Cake with Whipped Mascarpone

My first piece :-D

SO the way I got started with baking with Red Wine was with these cookies. I made them for the first time in May and have been doing so ever since! Simple Red Wine Cookies. The flavor of the wine is subtle and the cookie is just sweet enough. You won't be able to eat just one (which is why I make them little)! ;)

Two of my Favs!

2 different treats this week; 1 made for big/little week, and the other made for Halloween! First, for my little and glittle to give to their new littles, I made my super fudgy, chocolate chunk brownies. YUM! Always one of my favorites.

THEN, in the spirit of Halloween, I made possibly my favorite cookie of all time. 100% Oatmeal cookies (no flour) with peanut butter, oreos, and reese's pieces, topped with Halloween sprinkles.

Enjoy!

Some new treats...

Haven't posted in awhile! The pictures say it all- YUM!

The most moist chocolate cake EVER with peanut butter frosting, topped with peanut butter cups. Oh. baby.

Should have taken a picture after cutting into it. Guess I'll have to make another one! :)

Super-thick, gooey, delicious, Oreo brownies. A personal favorite of mine and a sure crowd-pleaser!

Oatmeal cookies with cut-up Hershey's minis (milk chocolate, dark chocolate, Mr. Goodbar, & Krackel) and Hershey Kisses. Eclectic? Perhaps, but a wonderful combo!

And finally, Pumpkin Bread. with 1/3 less sugar than the recipe originally called for actually. Make this one every fall- another fav!

the center is my favorite part ;)

That's all for now!! More to come soon! Recommendations? Shout 'em out!

August Baking = PEANUT BUTTER!

I've been crazy busy! Taste of DC, moving, trip to MA, classes starting up-yikes! But of course, baking doesn't cease! I've been on a serious chocolate and peanut butter kick. Hands down my favorite flavor combination of all time.

Peanut butter-chocolate cookies with Reese's pieces.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Blondie Bars

Oatmeal-peanut butter-hot chocolate- chocolate chip cookies (yeah, these are mindblowing)

Cupcakes & Cookies

Cupcakes & Cookies--> what could be better?!

Who doesn't like red velvet cupcakes?! Moist & delicious, finished with creamy cream cheese frosting. YUM!




And now the cookies! These are oatmeal cookies with chocolate covered toffee pieces and chocolate chips! A touch of cinnamon adds a unique taste to these! They are definitely one of my favorites!

Baking Update: yumyumyum

It's been a little while since I posted, but don't worry- I haven't stopped baking! My photos here aren't fantastic, but the treats were scrumptious! I brought 'em into work at Taste of DC!

Here's a little recap...

Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Classic.

Chocolate cookies with mint chips, dark chocolate chips, and peppermint pattie chunks. SO good. These were truly addicting.

And finally, fudgy peanut butter swirl brownies. I love anything and everything that combines chocolate & peanut butter, and these are no exception! I've made them before- always chocolaty, fudgy, peanut buttery goodness. YUM

Taste of DC: Day 1!

Today was day 1 at Taste of DC! So of course, baked goods were in order. These are peanut butter-oatmeal-chocolate chip-m&m cookies. Definitely one of my favorites, and I think they went over very well :)