The Fat Girl's Guide to Living

Sweet tooth. Most of us have one. Some of us (okay, it’s me) have an insatiable one. This is why I’m always on the lookout for sweet treats that I can make in small portions, individual servings, or that keep well so I can stash the leftovers away for future sweet tooth moments. And this is why I love to freeze cookie dough.

I’ve learned enough over the years to know that if I bake a big batch of yummy cookies that they’re as good as gone if I don’t shuffle them off to work, dole them out to the neighbors, or find some other way to get them out of the house. If I know they’re in the kitchen, I’ll find any excuse to go in and snag one after another until there’s nothing left but crumbs (and I just may snag those, too). Makes for a happy sweet tooth, but not such a happy waistline. Enter the sage compromise of freezing cookie dough. Whip up a full batch, bake enough to make the sweet tooth happy, freeze the rest of the dough on a cookie sheet until solid, and then remove to a freezer bag. Throw the bag into the deep freeze and you’ve got cookies ready to bake anytime you want them! Bake them from frozen at the regular temp — just adjust your cooking time by a few minutes to allow for the defrosting process.

For those of you who love the sweet-salty flavor combination, this one’s for you. Sweet butterscotch and flaky sea salt is a marriage made in heaven and the oats back it up by delivering a nice, chewy texture.  Bake the whole batch and share with your family and friends, or bake just a few and freeze the remaining dough for future cravings or drop-in guests!

Salted Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies
(adapted from Poppytalk)
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup skim milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup wheat or white-wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups oats (regular or quick cooking)
2 cups butterscotch chips
flaky sea salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine flours, baking soda, and the first salt measurement in a medium bowl.
In a second bowl, beat together butter and sugar until fluffy. Add milk and vanilla until combined. Slowly add in flour mixture and mix until just blended. Add oats and butterscotch chips until incorporated.

Spoon large tablespoons of dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat, leaving about 2 inches of space between each cookie. Lightly press down on each cookie to slightly flatten and sprinkle a flake or two of salt on each cookie. Bake for 12 – 14 minutes, or until cookies are golden brown. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

Yield: 24 – 30 cookies

Looking for more great recipes? Visit my blog at
http://culinography.wordpress.com

My friends, today is World Nutella Day. A day all about decadence. Decadence and Nutella, that wonderful hazelnut spread that makes people all over the world* swoon in delight. Perfectly nutty and chocolatey, I can eat the stuff straight from a spoon. I try not to though (okay, not much) and, instead, channel my Nutella love into something at least a bit more nutritionally responsible. A teeny, tiny bit.

These Nutella oatmeal thins are a nice balance of yummy decadence and portion control. They’re light and thin, so they don’t pack a gazillion calories in each bite; but they’re also wonderfully rich with just the right combination of chewy and crispy, so I know I’m indulging in something great!

The cookies are easy to pull together, but do require just a little bit of patience. They’re quite soft fresh out of the oven and need to cool on the baking sheet for 10 or so minutes to firm up before being removed to a wire rack to cool completely. Using multiple pans will definitely make your life easier (and get you to the finished product more quickly)! Store the finished cookies in an airtight container and they’ll be great for several days after you bake them. Want to take it to a whole other level? Pair them up with some vanilla ice cream!

*I’ve heard rumors that there are people among us who’ve never had Nutella and, therefore, don’t understand its joy. If you are one of those people, I beg you…try it! Can’t find it? Don’t want to indulge in processed foods? Make your own! Come on over to Culinography later today for a great recipe!

Nutella Oatmeal Thins
(recipe courtesy of Baking Bites)
1 cup plus 2 tbsp all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
6 tbsp Nutella
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup quick-cooking oats (not instant or regular)

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, cream together butter, Nutella and the sugars until mixture is fluffy. Beat in the egg and the egg yolk, followed by the vanilla extract.

Working at a low speed or by hand, gradually blend in the flour mixture and the oats (if you don’t have quick-cooking, pulse whole rolled oats in the food processor to chop them up a bit). Drop teaspoonfuls of the batter (1/2-inch balls) onto prepared baking sheet, leaving at least 2-inches between cookies to allow for spread. Bake for 10 minutes, until cookies are set.

Cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Yield: 6-7 dozen cookies

Looking for more great recipes? Visit my blog at
http://culinography.wordpress.com

Many of us have a lot to be thankful for this holiday season. We here at FGG are thrilled to have the opportunity to get to know our community of new friends, and we hope you’re having as much fun as we are! As the year comes to a close and we take stock of our good fortune, it’s also important to remember that there are many people in our communities who are struggling through difficult times and need a little help. That’s why this year I chose to get involved with a great non-profit called Drop In & Decorate (more on my party tomorrow over at Culinography).

Drop In & Decorate was founded by a fellow food blogger, Lydia Walshin. Their mission is to help people build bridges of caring and respect between groups within their own communities . . . with cookies! Set aside a little time, gather a few co-workers, kids, friends or family, and before you know it, you’re ready to donate cookies to a nonprofit agency serving basic human needs in your community. What a great way to send a little good out into the world–during the holidays or any other time of year!

This experience has given me something I’d been missing out on until this year: the joy of decorating sugar cookies. I’m amazed at the fun I was missing. Not only are sugar cookies easy to whip up (and using things most of us have in our kitchens), but you can also let your creativity run wild with the shapes, icing colors, and decorations. Each one can truly be an original work of art.

Why not spend a little time this weekend decorating cookies? And, if you’re so inclined, consider making someone’s day a little brighter by donating some or all of your creations as part of the Drop In & Decorate initiative. And have fun making, savoring, and sharing your goodies!

Sugar Cookies
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 egg
2 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. In a large bowl/bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until fully combined. Add the flour mixture in three parts and beat until just combined, scraping down the bowl occasionally.

Roll out dough on a floured surface to approximately 1/4 inch and cut into shapes. Place on parchment lined baking sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes. Let sit a few minutes on the sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Yield: 3-4 dozen cookies, depending on size

Royal Icing
(courtesy of Lydia @ The Perfect Pantry)
1 lb + scant 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
5 Tbsp meringue powder
1/2 cup cool water (add more, a teaspoon at a time, if needed for desired consistency)
A few drops of paste food coloring

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, combine first three ingredients and mix on low speed until glossy and fluffy, 7-8 minutes. To color, place some icing in a small bowl or plastic cup, and stir in a few drops of food coloring until desired shade is reached. Royal Icing hardens quickly when exposed to air, so use immediately, or transfer to an airtight container; it will keep overnight at room temperature. Beat well before using.

Yield: 2-1/2 cups, enough for one batch of large cookies.

Looking for more great recipes? Visit my blog at
http://culinography.wordpress.com

Welcome, friends, to the first weekly installment of FGG’s Foodie Fridays! I’m Michelle, and I promise this space will not… I repeat… will not be about low-fat/low-cal tips and tricks. You can get those almost anywhere you can point a web browser. Sure, we’ll exercise reason where it make sense, we’re all responsible adults, right? But the core principal behind Foodie Fridays is mindful decadence. That means if you’re going to have the calories… make it count. Indulge. Savor. Enjoy.

Speaking of enjoyment, is there anything better than the combination of peanut butter and chocolate? These flourless cookies are so easy to pull together, there’s no need to wait for butter to soften (because they don’t contain any) or drama when you discover you’re out of flour (none of that here, either). And: you can even make them a little more healthy by using natural peanut butter and unprocessed cane sugar. But don’t feel obligated to – they’re great either way.

These rich little beauties pack enough of a punch that it only takes one – okay, maybe two – to satisfy my sweet tooth craving. Pair them with a glass of cold milk and I’m in heaven. They keep nicely covered in an airtight container at room temperature, and are perfect for snacking throughout the weekend and on into the workweek (if they last that long).

Go ahead… bake yourself a batch and enjoy.

Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 cup peanut butter (regular or natural / creamy or chunky)
¾ cup granulated sugar (regular or cane)
1 large egg
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottoms of two 12-by-18-inch sheet pans with parchment paper or silpat.

In a large bowl, stir together the peanut butter, sugar, egg, baking soda and salt until well combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Using a tablespoon-sized scoop (or 2 small spoons), measure out the dough in tablespoon-sized balls and place 2 inches apart on the prepared pans.

Bake until lightly golden, about 12 to 14 minutes. Cool completely on the pans on wire racks. Remove and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to week.

Yield: approx. 24 cookies

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