Date Cookies: Peanut Butter and Chocolate

So I'm in a love affair, a love affair with sugar. I just love anything sweet, and the more sweets I eat, then more sweets I want. I've been trying to break it off for some time now. This recipe is my goodbye letter to refined sugar. Dates provide an all natural way to get my sweet fix. No one would guess these sweet cookies are good for you.

Peanut Butter Cookies
13 dates
1 tbs peanut butter (no salt)
1/3 cup oats

Chocolate Cookies
13 dates
1/2 tbs peanut butter (no salt)
1 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup oats

Place dates in food processor on high until dates are in little pieces. In a mixing bowl add dates, peanut butter/or peanut butter and cocoa powder, and oats -mix until combined. Roll batch into 4 balls, and place in-between wax paper. Press down until cookies are thin, about 2 1/2 inches across. Remove cookies from wax paper and enjoy!

Nutritional Analysis of Dates
Dates: help fight constipation because they are high in fiber and easily digestible. Dates also give you a lot of energy because they are high in natural sugars and carbohydrates. They are also full of potassium, and contain calcium and iron.

Chokladbollar (Chocolate Balls)

This is probably my favorite dessert of all time. It reminds me of my childhood, as a little girl in Sweden.

Makes about 15 balls

-1 dl sugar (.42 cups)
-3 dl quick oats (1.36 cups)
-3 tablespoons cocoa powder
-50 g butter (room temperature)
-2 tablespoons coffee
-1 tablespoon milk
-Pearl sugar (buy at Ikea)

In a large bowl mix together top 5 ingredients. Roll oat mixture into small balls. Pour pearl sugar into a bowl and coat each chocolate ball. Store in the fridge or freezer.

Julpepparkakor (Christmas Gingerbread Cookies)

God Jul! Merry Christmas!
This is a traditional Swedish recipe for gingerbread cookies, and it is amazing! Please, please, don't ever make ginger bread cookies with molasses! The syrup in this recipe can be found inexpensively at Ikea (called Ljus Sirap by Dan Sukker).

150 g butter
5 dl sugar (about 2.1 cups)
2 dl syrup (about .85 cups)
2 dl water (about .85 cups)
1 tabelspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon baking soda
1.4 liters all-purpose flour (5.92 cups)

Mix butter, sugar, and syrup together. In a separate bowl mix together water and the spices. Add water to butter mixture. Slowly stir in flour until a uniform dough ball forms. Wrap dough in foil and let settle overnight in the fridge.
Preheat oven to 392 degrees f (200 C.) Spread a light layer of flour over a large portion of the counter. Take one third of the dough and roll it thin with a flour dusted rolling pin (roll it very, very thin, just before it seems so thin it will tear). Using cookie cutters cut shapes and place on a greased baking sheet. Cook for five minute in the oven.

*If dough sticks to counter top simply lift dough as you roll it out and place more flour on it. Likewise, if the rolling pin sticks to the dough simply dust it with flour
*This dough can be used for a ginger bread house if you add .42 cups of flour to original dough.

German Chocolate Brownies

These brownies are so amazing!!!

Try this great German chocolate cake topping on top of a rich brownie base. It is by far one of the best cookies I've ever had!

1/3 cup butter
3 squares unsweetened chocolate
2/3 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Topping:
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup light cream
1 cup flaked coconut

Directions:
Brownies:
Melt butter and chocolate together. Set aside to cool.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.

In a large bowl beat eggs. Blend in sugar. Add chocolate mixture and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture.

Pour into a greased 8 inch square pan. Bake at 325 degrees F. for about 20 minutes. Cool.

Topping:
Cream butter and sugar together. Stir in cream and coconut.

Spread over the cooled cake. Preheat broiler.

Place brownies under broiler for 2 to 4 minutes, until topping is bubbly. Cool and cut into squares. Store in refrigerator.

Sylt Kakor (Jam Cookies)

These are delicious! Perfect for a picnic or at Christmas time.
Makes 30 cookies

4.5 dl flour
175 g softened butter
2 dl sugar
jam (strawberry, raspberry, or marionberry are best)

Mix all the ingredients in a food processor. Divide the dough in two and roll into logs (about the width of your thumb), cut into 7 mm pieces. Use your finger to create a little hole at the center of each cookie (do not go all the way through). Put the cookies on a cookie sheet with wax paper, and place in fridge for about an hour.
Take out your cookie sheet, and fill each cookie with a small spoonful of jam (do not overfill or it will leak out). Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. They should be lightly golden on the bottom, but the top will not get much color. Leave them to cool on the cookie sheet or they will be too soft to move. Enjoy!

Snickerdoodles meet Chocolate and Chai!

I got the urge to use my kitchen aid tonight, as I often do late at night! I went to one of my favorite bloggers, www.annasfood.blogspot.com! She has lots of great recipes you should check out. I found a great recipe on there for Chai Chocolate Snickerdoodles. I modified it a little from the original, as I often do so I don't have to run to the grocery store :). They were delicious! I'm thinking about making just chocolate snickerdoodles next time, I think that would be great too!

Makes

5 dl sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp crushed cloves
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp white pepper
225 butter, softened
1 dl cocoa powder
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract (vanilla sugar is fine too)
5 dl flour
1,5 tsp baking powder

Heat the oven to 350°F. Put baking paper on two cookie sheets.

Mix the sugar and all the spices in a large bowl (could be the bowl of your kitchen-aid, if you use one) and reserve 1 dl for later. Add the butter and beat with the sugar mix until very pale and fluffy.

Add the cocoa powder, and beat until completely mixed in. Add the eggs and the vanilla, keep on beating. Finally stir in the flour and the baking powder.

Roll balls, about walnut-size, and dip them in the reserved sugar-spice-mix. Place on a cookie sheet, and flatten slightly with your hand.
Bake for about 13 minutes, remove and let cool on a rack.

Christmas Dessert: Chocolate Mousse Cakes!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, I know I did! This Christmas I was in charge of dessert at my mom's and at the in-laws. I love chocolate brownies, and I love chocolate mousse, so I thought: chocolate mousse cakes. I browsed online and found a magnificent recipe for mini chocolate mousse cakes!
The recipe was a little complicated, but after two attempts I made some changes that made it way easier, and more visually appealing. At first I tried to hold the cakes together in the cans with parchment paper, but found it easier to cut the cakes, spread the mousse, and just let it sit in the fridge. I also extended the cooking time for the cakes, but my oven runs hot, so adjust accordingly.
Blah, blah, blah, here's the modified recipe!


Chocolate Cake:
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/4 cup buttermilk
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour and cocoa.

In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, melt butter with water and oil; bring to boil. Remove from heat and pour over dry ingredients; mix well. Add egg, buttermilk, baking soda, and vanilla extract; blend thoroughly.

Pour batter into a 10-inch x 15-inch cake pan. Bake approximately 13 minutes or until tester or toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Remove from oven, let sit for a few minutes in pan. Continue cooling on a wire rack.

Chocolate Mousse
11 ounces semi-sweet chocolate*
3 ounces melted butter, unsalted
4 eggs, separated
1 cup whipping cream

* Use a good-quality of chocolate (I used Hershey's!)

In a medium-size saucepan, melt chocolate and butter together.

To the melted chocolate, immediately beat in egg yolks; remove from heat and let cool.

In a large bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. In another bowl, beat whipping cream until stiff peak form; fold into whipping cream. Fold egg white/whipping cream mixture into cooled chocolate mixture. Let cool before using. *Note that this recipe calls for a lot more mousse then you actually need for the cakes, which is great in case extra guests show up and you run out of creations!

To assemble: On a flat surface spread mousse on cake half. Place other cake half on top, smooth any mousse coming out, and your done!

Tips: To melt chocolate and butter smoothly, without ruining it, melt at extremely low temperature. Start at low, and never go above medium-low.
To make good peaks with the egg white use a KITCHEN AID! I love my kitchen aid, it saves so much time and energy.