These soft chewy peanut butter cookies are a favorite in our home. Trust me, you will be hooked from the first bite. It’s a wholesome treat for all ages.
Makes 1 dozen
Ingredients 1¼ cups brown rice flour ½ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon Himalayan pink salt ½ cup organic creamy peanut butter ½ cup maple syrup ¼ cup olive oil ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a medium-size baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium-size bowl, stir the flour, baking soda, and salt together.
In a separate bowl stir together the peanut butter, maple syrup, olive oil, and vanilla extract. Make sure your peanut butter is soft and almost runny to start. If it’s not, warm it up for a couple of seconds in the microwave.
Pour the flour mixture over the peanut butter mixture and stir until barely combined. It will still look a bit dusty. Let the dough sit for 5 minutes, and then give it one more quick stir.
Drop the dough by heaping tablespoons onto the parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Gently press down on each one gently with the back of a fork to get a crisscross effect. If your fork sticks to the dough, just run it under hot water before each crisscross.
Bake for 10 minutes. Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes before removing them from the baking sheet.
Back in November a few friends and I were discussing the holidays. The talk of writing seasonal cards, decorations, travel and more gave way to gifts. None of us seemed excited about shopping and we all said the same thing, that there isn’t one thing we want for Christmas.
Later that evening, during dinner, I was sharing the story with Dean – and he agreed that there is nothing he wants for Christmas. We decided then that we would set an amount and stick to it, and we would get each other something meaningful to open on Christmas morning.
Having a set amount, and promising not to exceed it, made me put a lot of thought into the perfect gift for Dean. I’m pretty excited about the three little things I got for him, and cannot wait for him to open them on Christmas morning. He will be so happy.
I just glanced over at our tree, it is usually stuffed with gifts underneath, but instead there are 5 beautifully wrapped presents – and it truly feels like Christmas.
Feeling that others may feel this way too, I thought I would share a few gift ideas – but the list was so endless I cut it down to a few kitchen gadget ideas that will fit under the tree or in a stocking.
Digital Food Thermometer
Cooking meat to the right temperature can be a bit of a guessing game. Help your recipient avoid this stress with an instant-read or digital thermometer from Cuisinart or Kizen that gives a fast, accurate read of internal temperatures. They’ll be able to quickly check the temperature of steaks, chicken breasts, or whole turkeys, gaining peace of mind that these meats have reached the right level of doneness.
Beeswax Food Wraps
Plastic wrap can serve many purposes, but it’s also a single-use item that soon finds its way into the trash. This holiday season, consider gifting beeswax food wraps, the reusable alternative to plastic wrap that can seal jars and bowls and protect half-used fruits and veggies. You can find ones in different shapes and sizes from companies such as Bee’s Wrap and Goldilocks Goods.
Garlic Press
From pasta to wings to potatoes, garlic adds a wonderful flavor that enhances any dish. And a garlic press like Zulay’s two-in-one version, which can mince and slice the cloves, makes using the staple ingredient that much easier.
Meat Chopper
You may be scratching your head wondering what this chopper is for, but it’ll soon become your loved one’s new favorite kitchen gadget. This spatula-like tool from brands like GoodCook, OXO, and Farberware has multiple blades that easily chop, blend, or mash meat or vegetables while they cook in a pan on the stove.
Electric Spice Grinder
Preground spices are very convenient, but nothing compares to a fresh grind since it makes the flavors and aroma more powerful. Gift an electric spice grinder like Cuisinart’s electric spice-and-nut grinder, and your loved one may never go back to preground again.
Take gift giving back to what it was – a little gift that will mean something to ones you love.
There are plenty of ways to cook a turkey, but brining seems to give me the most flavorful and delicious results. The process is more simple than you think:
Ingredients
2 cups apple-cranberry juice
1 apple, diced
3 large sprigs rosemary
1 small bunch fresh thyme
4 bay leaves
½ cup fresh cranberries
½ cup kosher salt
¼ cup packed brown sugar
½ teaspoon peppercorns
2 oranges, sliced
Instructions:
Place 1 quart of water and salt in large pot. Bring to simmer, and then add in all the other ingredients. Continue to simmer on low for a half hour. Set the mixture aside, and let cool completely.
Put the uncooked turkey into the pot, brining bag, or container of your choice. Cover and place back in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours until it’s time to prepare and cook the turkey. Make sure to turn the turkey over a few times during the brining period.
Tip: the brine is salty, so there’s no need to salt the turkey when you prepare for baking.
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