Cookies and flowers

All 3 of these recipes are based on cookie recipes from an online healthy eating - weight loss site. They are good, basic ingredient cookie recipes that make small batches.

I put some of the cookies in jars for snacks and desserts for the next week , froze half of the dough of one recipe and bagged up single serving size baggies of cookies to freeze for Jeff's lunch box.



Caramel Cookies
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp table salt
1/2 tsp baking soda


Preheat oven to 400°F.
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream butter, sugar, egg and vanilla extract. Add remaining ingredients and beat thoroughly.
Scrape dough out of bowl and onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Roll dough into a log, about 2 1/2-inches wide; completely wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate until firm, at least 20 minutes or up to overnight. (I made mine into 2 rolls, baked one after chilling and froze the other roll for later)
Cut dough into 1/8-inch-thick slices and arrange on several large ungreased cookies sheets about 1- to 1 1/2-inches apart. Bake until lightly browned around edges, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Allow cookies to cool on cookie sheet for about 1 minute and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Yields about 45 cookies



Chocolate Pecan Spice cookies This is a puffy cookie, it does not spread much while baking
pecan halves - 1 for each cookie, about 24-36
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp apple butter
1 large egg white
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder


Preheat oven to 350°F.

Combine sugar and butters in a medium bowl. Beat on medium speed with an electric mixer until soft. Add egg white and vanilla; beat until combined, scraping mixture off sides of bowl as needed.
In a medium bowl, whisk together cocoa, flour and baking powder. Add to butter mixture; beat to combine.
Drop dough by even teaspoonfuls, about 1 inch apart, onto ungreased cookie sheets. Place 1 pecan half on top of each cookie. Bake for 12 minutes; remove from oven and allow to cool on pan for 5 minutes. Remove cookies with spatula to a rack to cool completely.

Yields about 24-36 cookies




Oatmeal Pecan Lace Cookies These spread a lot, leave room between each one on the baking sheets or you might end up with one giant cookie mess.


1 1/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup chopped pecans, finely chopped (or any nut you like)
1/8 tsp table salt
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 large egg - beaten
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350ºF and cover 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or just grease them lightly..
Mix oats, sugar, baking powder, pecans and salt together in a medium bowl until mixed.
Add butter, egg and vanilla to oat mixture; mix well.
Drop teaspoonfuls of batter onto prepared cookie sheets and flatten each out, leaving at least 2-inches between each cookie.
Bake cookies until edges turn golden, about 8 to 12 minutes. Let cookies stand on cookie sheets for 2 minutes before removing from baking sheet.



Yield - about 2 dozen cookies

visit Gayle at the Grocery Cart Challenge for more low-cost recipes.

Changing the subject, here are pictures of my favorite plants that growing in our yard right now.

first iris to bloom this spring

pansies

dianthus

hosta