So, check the recipe out after the break and let me know what you think. Oh, and this time I remembered to take pictures of everything!

Oatmeal Spent Grain Cookies

 
Makes 20 – 24 large cookies

3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup brown sugar (I used dark brown)
1 large egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups spent grains
1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup walnuts or pecans, toasted and chopped
1 cup dried cranberries, raisins, or chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Cream the butter and sugar until creamy and smooth. Add the egg and vanilla and beat to combine.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and ground cinnamon. Add flour mixture to butter mixture and beat until combined. Stir in spent grains, oats, nuts and cranberries/raisins/chocolate chips (if using).

 
 
 
 
Using an ice cream scoop, measure out and place the cookie batter on a slightly greased cookie sheet, leaving about 2″ between each cookie. Once you’ve filled the sheet, wet your fingers and gently press the batter down until the cookies are about 1/2″ thick.
 
 
 
Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies is golden brown and the center is still a bit moist and soft. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the cookie sheet a couple of minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely.
 
 
 
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 171 Calories; 11g Fat (56.8% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 16g carbohydrate*; 1g Dietary Fiber; 29mg Cholesterol; 92mg Sodium.

Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch)*; 0 Lean Meat; 0 Fruit; 2 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.

* The carbs from the spent grains aren’t included because I have never really been able to find out a general “rating” for spent grains, as there are so many variables.

I was in a real predicament yesterday. My son’s school is having a bake sale on Saturday to raise money for Aid In Milan, a charity that helps people in need in our city. I was going to bake two loaves of sourdough bread for them, but unfortunately, something nasty got into my starter and infected it. I figured better safe than sorry and threw it all out, but that means I have to get the starter going again from scratch. Without the starter, I couldn’t make the sourdough bread. And worse, we’re out of shortening, butter and margarine (or at least in the quantities needed for baking). So what was I going to do?

I’ve seen recipes for making brownies out of a cake mix, so I wondered if it was possible to make cookies out of boxed cake mix. As you may have guessed by now, it is possible.

This recipe (below the break) made 50 small cookies, after the obligatory tasting during the baking of them. It could easily be adapted to use with just about any cake mix out there. I’m considering trying it with a spice cake recipe and using pumpkin puree instead of oil, and sending those to my kids’ classes for their Hallowe’en parties. You can find the original recipe at AllHomeMadeCookies.com (it’s Cake Mix Cookie #2).

Devil’s Food Cake Cookies

Yields about 4 dozen cookies

1 box Devil’s Food Cake mix
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup old fashioned oats
1 /2 cup oil
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients, blending well. If the mixture is too stiff, add a little water. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes or until set. Cool 1 minute before removing from the cookie sheets.

I made a double batch, and both loaves turned out beautifully. I can hardly wait to hear what Matt and the kids have to say about it!

Pecan Pear Quick Bread

 
Serves 16

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 large egg — 0.5
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups peeled and grated fresh pear, with the juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and spray a 9″x5″ (8 cup) loaf pan with non-stick spray.

Whisk together the first 5 ingredients in a large bowl.

Whisk together the remaining ingredients – except the pecans – in another large bowl.

Fold the flour mixture into the egg mixture until it’s about 3/4 mixed. Add in pecans and continue to fold the mixture until just combined. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and spread evenly.

Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes or until a toothpick stuck into the middle comes out clean.

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Per Serving: 216 Calories; 12g Fat (50.1% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 25g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 13mg Cholesterol; 150mg Sodium.

Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Fruit; 2 1/2 Fat; 1 Other Carbohydrates.

Sugar Free Slow Cooker Apple Butter

 
Makes 36 – 1 tbsp servings

4 pounds apples
1 cup apple cider
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves

Spray your slow cooker liner with non-stick cooking spray.

Peel and core the apples, and cut them into large chunks. Pour apple cider over top. Cover the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 10 hours.

Mash up the apples, or puree them with an immersion blender. Stir in cinnamon and ground cloves. If you want your apple butter thicker, let cook for another hour on high, or until it reaches the thickness you like.

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Per Serving (1 tablespoon): 31 Calories; trace Fat (4.9% calories from fat); trace Protein; 8g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; trace Sodium.

Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Fruit; 0 Fat.

Pretzels

Ingredients:

 
1/8 c. hot water
1 pkg. dry active yeast
1 1/3 c. warm water
1/3 c. brown sugar
5 c. flour
extra flour
coarse kosher salt
baking soda

Directions

Heat the oven to 475 degrees. In a large bowl mix the hot water and yeast until the yeast dissolves. Stir in the warm water and the brown sugar. Slowly add 5 cups of flour to the mixture, stirring constantly. Continue stirring until the mixture is smooth and doesn’t stick to the sides of the bowl. Put the dough on a lightly floured board. Dip your hands in the extra flour. Knead the dough until it is stretchy and smooth. Push it down and away from you with the palms of your hands. Turn the dough as you work.

Grease two cookie sheets very well. Sprinkle each with coarse kosher salt. Set the sheets aside. Pinch off a piece of the dough about the size of a golf ball and shape it like a pretzel (or not – whatever strikes your fancy!).

Fill a frying pan the pan, with water. For each cup of water in add 1 tbsp. baking soda. Bring the water to a gentle boil. Use a spatula to lower each pretzel into the frying pan. Count to thirty very slowly, then lift the pretzel onto the greased and salted cookie sheet. Repeat until all the dough is used.

Sprinkle some kosher salt on top of the pretzels and put them in the oven for 8 minutes or until the pretzels are golden.

The first one is Banana Peanut Butter Spent Grain Muffins, based on the Banana Peanut Butter Oatmeal Muffins I found at Eat Me, Delicious. I substituted 1 1/2 cups of spent grains (I believe it was crystal malt) for the 1 cup of quick oats. The muffins are delicious, and extremely moist – almost too moist. Next time, I think I’ll cut the buttermilk back to 1/2 cup.

Banana Peanut Butter Spent Grain Muffins

 
Adapted from Eat Me, Delicious (http://www.eatmedelicious.com/2009/09/banana-peanut-butter-oatmeal-muffins.html)

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups spent grains
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 cup mashed banana (about 2 med.)
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1 cup light buttermilk

Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, spent grains, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a medium bowl, whisk together vegetable oil, brown sugar, eggs, mashed banana, peanut butter and buttermilk until very smooth, making sure all egg has been well-incorporated. Pour into flour mixture and stir until no streaks of flour remain.

Divide batter evenly into prepared muffin tin, filling each just about up to the top.

Bake for 16-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the top springs back when lightly pressed.

Remove muffins from tin and cool on a wire rack.

Makes 14.

NOTE: The batter tastes absolutely horrid, but when baked it’s wonderful!

Double Chocolate Cinnamon Cookies

Makes around 44 cookies

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour (I used white whole wheat)
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2/3 cup cocoa powder
2 cups unsalted butter — room temperature
2 cups brown sugar, packed
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla
10 ounces white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly spray your cookie sheets with non-stick cooking spray.

Combine flours, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and baking powder in a bowl. Set aside.

Put butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in another mixing bowl. Mix on high until well blended and creamy, about 5 minutes.

Beat in eggs and vanilla.

Add the flour mixture and stir until blended. Add in chocolate chips and stir.

Place about 1/3 of a cup of the dough per cookie (or one large ice cream scoop), making sure to leave at least two inches between each cookie because they will spread.

Bake for 12 minutes or until firm to touch. When you remove them from the oven, let them sit for at least five minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring them to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 221 Calories; 11g Fat (43.9% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 29g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 42mg Cholesterol; 140mg Sodium.

Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 2 Fat; 1 Other Carbohydrates.

Snickerdoodle Blondies

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups brown sugar, packed
1 cup butter — room temperature
2 each eggs — room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×13 inch pan.

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together brown sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla extract until smooth.

Stir flour mixture into butter mixture until well blended. It should have the consistence of cookie batter. Spread evenly in baking pan.

Combine granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over batter.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick stuck in the middle comes out clean. Cool completely in the pan.

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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 322 Calories; 13g Fat (36.4% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 48g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 61mg Cholesterol; 337mg Sodium.

Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 2 1/2 Fat; 2 Other Carbohydrates.

One of the sourdough-based recipes the kids love is Sourdough Blueberry Muffins. Below you’ll find the recipe, along with nutritional ino, courtesy of MasterCook Deluxe.

Sourdough Blueberry Muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 each egg — well beaten
1/2 cup sourdough starter (all-purpose, unbleached flour)
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup blueberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Measure flour, sugar, baking powder and salt onto waxed paper.

In a large bowl, beat the egg. Add sourdough starter, buttermilk and oil. Mix well.

Add dry ingredients all at once. Stir until just mixed.

Fold in blueberries.

Fill greased or paper lined muffin tins 2/3 full. Bake at 400 F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 152 Calories; 7g Fat (39.9% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 20g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 18mg Cholesterol; 149mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Fruit; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 1 1/2 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.

This recipe is from Recipe Girl blog.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

 
Makes two loaves, 16 slices each.

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/4 cups mashed banana
1 cup milk, 1% lowfat
3/4 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Grease two 9×5-inch loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugars, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

In another bowl, combined mashed bananas, milk, peanut butter, vanilla and egg. Add to flour mixture, stirring until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

Spoon batter into loaf pans, dividing equally. Bake 40 to 55 minutes, or until toothpick inserted near the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 136 Calories; 5g Fat (32.4% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 20g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 8mg Cholesterol; 136mg Sodium.

Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Fruit; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 1 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.