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

After a week of coffee-and-granola-bar breakfasts, I’m dreaming of spending Sunday morning languishing in bed for as long as possible, only heading to the kitchen when hunger calls to prepare these amazing Whole-Wheat Oatmeal Pancakes. We discovered this recipe one weekend after debating the nutritional merits of pancakes and trying to justify a high-calorie, carb-heavy (but uber-yummy) breakfast that would leave us hungry again within a matter of hours. So, I searched online for ways to improve upon pancakes beyond simply switching to whole-wheat flour.

Happily, this wonderfully nutty, nicely textured recipe from Epicurious was one of the first recipes I came across, and it includes both oats and wheat flour. Know what that means? These pancakes will not only satisfy my occasional pancake craving, they’ll hold me over until lunchtime while helping manage my cholesterol levels–a pretty sweet deal!

We usually top these with bananas and either a drizzle of syrup or a dollop of freshly whipped cream. They’re wonderful either way, and this weekend I’m going try slathering some peanut butter under the bananas for an extra protein boost. I’ll bet these would also be great with blueberries or strawberries, too – I can’t wait to experiment on another relaxing Sunday morning!

Don’t fret if you don’t have buttermilk on hand or are reluctant to buy a big container you’ll never finish -  just make your own!

Whole-Wheat Oatmeal Pancakes
(adapted slightly from Epicurious)
3/4 cup oats (regular or quick-cooking)
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons well-shaken buttermilk, divided (or make your own)
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
sliced bananas

Soak oats in 3/4 cup buttermilk (30 minutes for regular / 10 minutes for quick-cooking).

Meanwhile, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl.

Stir egg, butter, brown sugar, remaining 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk, and oat mixture into dry ingredients until just combined. Do not over-mix.

Heat a griddle or large, heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat until hot and lightly brush with oil. Working in batches, pour 1/4 cup batter per pancake onto griddle and cook until bubbles appear on surface and undersides are golden-brown, about 1 minute. Flip with a spatula and cook other side, about 1 minute more. (Lightly oil griddle between batches.)

Yield: 8-10 pancakes

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