October 31, 2011

pumpkin cookies (with optional chocolate chips!)

These pumpkin cookies are delicious on their own, but I really love the addition of chocolate chips. This recipe makes about 45 cookies.

chocolate chip pumpkin cookies

In a bowl, thoroughly combine
1 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
1 cup oats (quick-cooking)
3/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup chocolate chips (optional)


In a second bowl, whisk
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon flaxseed meal
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup pureed pumpkin
1/4 cup okara
1 Tablespoon molasses
1 tsp. vanilla

until thoroughly emulsified.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until they are thoroughly incorporated. The dough will be quite stiff. Drop by the Tablespoonful onto a cookie sheet that has been lightly misted with vegetable spray. They don't spread out too much; I liked them best when I didn't flatten them out and instead let them stay in little rounded domes.

Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

chocolate chip pumpkin cookies

October 30, 2011

okara pumpkin muffins

pumpkin okara muffins

In a bowl, thoroughly combine
1 1/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup soy flour
1 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. salt


NB: I'm sure you could substitute regular flour for the soy flour. The reason I threw it in is because I have a big bag of it that I'm trying to get rid of!

In a separate bowl, combine
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup okara
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup soymilk
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 Tablespoons molasses

and whisk vigorously until well combined.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until well combined. Fold in
1 cup chopped walnuts

Distribute batter evenly between the wells of a lightly oiled 12-muffin pan, filling the wells completely (there's a lot of batter!). Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes. Allow to cool before removing from tins.

pumpkin okara muffins

Verdict: These are great! There is way too much maple syrup though. Next time, I'll try making it with 2 Tablespoons of maple syrup, rather than with 1/4 cup.

October 22, 2011

chocolate-beet muffins

I had leftover beets, and the obvious choice was to sneak them into some chocolate muffins. This recipe is based on this chocolate-banana muffin recipe, so if you're wary of getting beets in your chocolate I highly recommend trying that one instead! (Or in addition to.)

I'm not sure whether to classify this as a dessert or not. It has a great flavor but really isn't very sweet. Next time I make it I'll add more sugar and maybe even play with some spices, but I think this is a nice recipe as is, and might be especially appealing to people who don't like super-sweet desserts or snacks.

chocolate-beet muffins

In a bowl, mix together
1 1/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup spelt flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

and stir until well combined.

NB: I'm sure you could use all whole-wheat pastry flour instead of a combination of that and spelt flour. The reason I threw in some spelt flour is because I happened to have 1/4 cup of it to use up!

chocolate-beet muffins

In a blender or food processor, mix until completely pureed:
1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
1 cup okara
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup soymilk
1 tsp. vanilla
8 oz. cooked, peeled beets
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted


chocolate-beet muffins

Add chocolate-beet mixture to dry ingredients and stir until just mixed. Distribute batter evenly between the wells of a lightly oiled 12-muffin pan. The wells will be pretty full!

chocolate-beet muffins

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 23 minutes. Allow to cool for at least a few minutes before removing from pan.

chocolate-beet muffins