Noah’s Kindness Cookies

October 1, 2017 By

Today I am dedicating a cookie recipe to a special sweet baby that God sent for 12 days before needing him back home.  His name is Noah Haskovec and God gave him to parents (Angie and Jarrett) that bravely chose to take their heartbreak and create a tool to encourage others to live out kindness in remembrance of their son.   I am blessed to work with Noah’s mommy and for the second year one of my kindness projects is to feed her at work for the month of October.

What is so great about Noah’s Kindness Project is its simplicity.  You can either plug into a few of the service projects that are listed on the site or you can think of your own.  It can be done on your time schedule (and doesn’t necessarily have to be done in October because goodness knows we can use kindness throughout the year.)  Here is the link to learn more about the program.  Please consider spreading your own unique brand of kindness.  You have been given gifts and talents that can help others.

I like this cookie because it isn’t too sweet and works well with a spelt or gluten free flour so my husband who is wheat sensitive can eat them.  The cookie is very tender and decorated with blue and white sprinkles to resemble the sky and clouds with a little rainbow colored edible glitter.

Noah's Kindness Cookies
Serves 30
A tender almond flavored cookie, dipped in chocolate and decorated with sprinkles
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Prep Time
5 min
Prep Time
5 min
Ingredients
  1. 2/3 cup sugar
  2. 1 cup butter
  3. 1 egg
  4. 1 tsp almond extract
  5. 3 cups of flour (note - spoon into measuring cup and level off)
  6. 1/2 tsp salt
  7. 1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips
  8. 1 tsp of coconut oil
  9. Sprinkles or chopped almonds
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare cookie sheets by lining with parchment paper.
  2. In large mixing bowl, combine sugar, butter, egg and almond extract. Beat until light and fluffy.
  3. Mix in dry ingredients.
  4. Shape into 1 Tbsp balls and then roll into 2 inch log. Place on prepared cookie sheet. Repeat with the rest of the dough placing 2 inches apart. Bake for 9-12 minutes or until set. Cool completely.
  5. In microwave safe dish place chocolate chips and coconut oil. Heat in 30 second increments at 50% power, stirring until smooth.
  6. Dip one end of each log into melted chips, then sprinkle dipped ends with sprinkles or almonds. Place in refrigerator to help set the chocolate before storing.
Adapted from Cookies! A Cookie Lovers Collection
Adapted from Cookies! A Cookie Lovers Collection
Deliciously Inspired http://www.deliciouslyinspired.com/
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Shortbread Cookies

December 14, 2015 By

@DeliciouslyInspired.com-2

This cookie was inspired by a cookbook that a coworker gave me to borrow when she discovered I enjoyed Anne of Green Gables I have enjoyed reading this book and trying a few of the recipes.  Mom and I had fun during Thanksgiving as we made Diana Barry’s Favorite Raspberry Cordial.  Today I took the recipe for Mrs. Irving’s Delicious Shortbread and put my own spin on it.

I was interested in this recipe for several reasons – 

  1. My daughter (yes – I’m shamelessly plugging her site – the workout mama) has a food sensitivity to eggs so it peeked my interest when I saw no eggs were needed.
  2. The cookie recipe only had 5 ingredients.
  3. There was no chill time needed for the dough before rolling and cutting out.
  4. The cookbook is written by the granddaughter of Lucy Maud Montgomery (the author of Anne)

This recipe is a keeper.  Here is what I love about it….

  1. It worked up well using White Spelt Flour.  I will try next time using Gluten Free Flour.
  2. It rolled out so very easy – happiness.
  3. It is easy to add extra ingredients in.  I added 2 fresh vanilla beans into dough.
  4. They are good with or without frosting.
  5. My husband thought they were delicious.

Shortcake Cookies
Yields 24
A cookie that is easily cut out and doesn't require eggs
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Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
20 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
20 min
Ingredients
  1. Cookie
  2. 1 cup butter, softened
  3. 1/2 cup of powdered sugar
  4. 2 cups of flour (your choice) - I used White Spelt Flour
  5. A pinch of salt (1/8 tsp of salt)
  6. 1/4 tsp baking powder
  7. Frosting
  8. 2 Tbsp of meringue powder
  9. 1/4 cup of water
  10. 2 cups of powdered sugar
  11. Sprinkles/Decorations
Instructions
  1. Cookies
  2. 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  3. 2. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  4. 3. Cream the butter. Add the sugar and beat until fluffy, scraping sides often.
  5. 4. Add the vanilla bean and incorporate.
  6. 5. In a separate bowl, mix flour, salt and baking powder together.
  7. 6. Slowly add flour mixture into butter mixture until well mixed.
  8. 7. Dust clean, flat surface and rolling pin with flour. Pat cookie dough into a circle.
  9. 8. Roll out to 1/4 inch and cut into desired shapes. Using a spatula place on cookie sheet.
  10. 9. Prick each cookie twice with a fork. Sprinkle sugar on top, if desired.
  11. 10. Bake for 18-25 minutes - will be dependent on oven until light brown around edges.
  12. 11. Remove from cookie sheet onto cooling rack.
  13. 12. Cookies can be eaten as they are or decorated with frosting and sprinkles.
  14. Meringue Frosting - Note this will make enough for several batches of these cookies.
  15. 1. Place water and meringue powder in small food processor or mixer.
  16. 2. Whip until light peaks form.
  17. 3. Sift sugar. Add in a little at a time, scraping side.
  18. 4. Frosting can be spread on with a knife or using a pastry bag.
  19. 5. Add sprinkles, etc.
Notes
  1. Meringue Frosting (Royal Icing) spreads very smooth and is easy to work with. It will harden and can be time sensitive.
Adapted from The Anne of Green Gables Cookbook
Adapted from The Anne of Green Gables Cookbook
Deliciously Inspired http://www.deliciouslyinspired.com/
Wordpress Recipe Plugin by Recipe Card
 I chose to keep the decorating simple on my shortbread cookies – I used edible glitter, white candy beads, and a little red sugar but the possibilities are endless.  If there is extra royal icing, it can be frozen for up to a month – Read More

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I’ll be returning the book to its rightful owner along with a couple of the decorated shortcake cookies as a simple thank you.  It’s amazing when we listen with our hearts what we can lend or give to another to make their heart sing.  

Looking for other desserts to make this holiday season.  Here are a few ideas (you can always give desserts a holiday theme with color and sprinkles.)

Frosted Sugar Cookies

Christmas Cupcakes

Almond Joy Bites

Need a laugh – Here you go.

 

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A Mom Shout Out

November 16, 2015 By

Last week I got to do something very special, something I know a lot of you would love to be able to do.  Believe me –  I don’t take this for granted because each year it becomes more and more precious. You see I spent several hours with my mom celebrating her birthday.  Isn’t she beautiful? 

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Let me tell you a little about my mom – She is a woman who cares deeply for others and that inner beauty radiates.  This year she decided to make some big changes to her nutrition and which increased her energy and memory.   She is an amazing example of how important sound nutrition is to our health and she will tell you it’s never too late to make changes.  In June, she and my dad began to follow the 21-Day-Fix Nutrition Program as well as a daily dose of nutrient-dense Shakeology.  That increased energy allowed her to go for walks and exercise in her pool this summer.  These  changes helped her drop some weight, lose some inches and build muscle. Within weeks we began to notice a positive change.  I get a bit choked up because this was an area that I worried about – my mom has struggled with her health and there have been times when she has been unwell and been unable for us to have a day like we did today.  But this year, we had a blast.

I decided to document our special day together and hopefully let my mom know how much I love and appreciate her.  When I was a child, she lovingly sewed clothes for me, refinished furniture for a bedroom makeover, dried my tears, stroked my forehead when I was feverish, and laughed with me.  As a teenager she bought me my first Seventeen Magazine and told me about Bonnie Bell, took me for my first appointment with a hair stylist and told me I was pretty when everything in the mirror told me I was awkward.  She encouraged me by buying me two high-end dresses when I was hired for my first big-time job, took care of me when I brought my babies home (always magically refilling my glass with Cran-Raspberry juice), and consistently used her talent to create one-of-a kind Halloween costumes for my children each year) and oh so much more.

So back to our day – First we made cookies – not any ordinary cookie but one that has been in our family for generations – a persimmon spice cookie.  Now you need to understand that my mom has embraced eating healthier (except for today at lunch because we believe in celebrating) and knew that several ingredients in the cookie recipe could be improved on so my work began to give my mom a new cookie recipe for her birthday. Persimmons are only available for a short range of time in the fall – ask my mom and dad and they can tell you where and who has the best price.  The cookies can also be made with canned pumpkin.  Learn  more about persimmons – HERE

My mom arrived at 10:00 a.m. with her defrosted prepped persimmons and we were ready to get started.  Now I had tried the recipe with pumpkin as my dry run but now was the true test – would it work with the persimmons?  We got our  ingredients out and started measuring…

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Then there was a knock on the door with a special delivery for Nana.

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 After hugs and kisses we got back to the recipe at hand.  I learned from my mom about what the consistency of the dough should look like.  Mom learned about precut parchment paper and a cookie scooper.

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Then we took a break to capture a birthday photo with 3 of her favorite people.  My grandson was trying to hold the mirror so I could be in the picture also.

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We were pretty happy being in the kitchen together baking those cookies.

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Then it was off to lunch for some crepes.

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Oh and the cookies – here is the recipe in case you want to give them a go using pumpkin or persimmons.  They turned out great.  We added chopped hazelnuts in this batch.  Click HERE

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It is a gift to share our love for candy and instead turn to recreating the recipes of the past making them healthier for the generations to come.  PS – Now my mom enjoys organic fruit-sweetened lollipops.

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I’m not telling my mom’s age but I’m 57 and I hope I have this joy for life when I’m her age, don’t you?

When I asked my mom what was one of the sweetest changes from applying a healthy lifestyle, she said she had thought that she was too old to make changes and now knew that wasn’t true and also that my dad called her cute.  Can you blame him?

Mom and Dad - 9-18-15

 

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