guest blogger: claire of culinary goddess

I'm swishing away on the slopes of Park City UT, so many thanks to Claire for being my first-ever guest blogger! Now on to her scrumptious post...

When Beth asked me to do a guest post, I was both shocked and honored. Me? Why me? I am always in awe of Baking Therapy's delicious creations! She always makes everything look so good that I sometimes find myself wishing I was a few blocks from her apartment so I could come over and indulge in the food. It is probably a good thing that California is on the opposite side of the country than New York for that reason :)

So, here we go. This is my first guest post. Ever! Who am I? I'm a recent, well I guess no SO recent, college graduate who lives and works in the city by the bay. San Francisco is full of inspiration. I love all of the farmers markets, coffee shops, and eateries. I love to cook and bake but am super new to it all. My boyfriend is my personal vacuum and cheerleader. Oh and I absolutely am obsessed with eggs.

Being that this is a baking blog, I decided to share a baking recipe. I browsed through some of my cookbooks and came across this yummy apple custard bar recipe. I've had a recent obsession with apples so it only seemed fitting that I would try and tackle this recipe. The only problem I had was having the wrong size pan but everything still worked in the end. Success! I hope you like them!

Apple Custard Streusel Slice
adapted from Kitchen Classics' Picnic Hamper

Crust Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 tablespoon caster sugar

4 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

1 egg yolk

Apple Custard Topping Ingredients:

3 green apples

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/3 cup caster sugar

2 eggs

3/4 cup whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Crumble Topping Ingredients:

1/2 cup all purpose flour

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

4 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed and softened

1. Lightly grease a 7x11 inch pan or tin.

2. Sift flour and sugar into a bowl. Add the butter, egg yolk, and 2-3 tablespoons of water. Mix to form a ball. Roll out the dough between two sheets of baking paper. Remove top sheet of baking paper. Place bottom sheet and dough in the base of the pan. Cut edges of dough along the edges of the bottom. Make sure baking paper is hanging over the two long sides.

3. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

5. Line pastry with baking paper and fill with uncooked rice/baking beads. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove rice and paper.

6. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake the pastry for 5 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool.

7. Peel, core, and chop the apples and put in an saucepan with the butter, half the sugar, cinnamon, and 2 tablespoons water. Cover and cook over low heat for 15 minutes, or until soft.

8. Uncover and simmer for a further 5 minutes to reduce the liquid. Use a wooden spoon to break down the apples until they have a smooth texture. Allow to cool.

9. Whisk together the eggs, cream, remaining sugar, and vanilla extract.

10. Spread cooled apple mixture over pastry and then carefully pour over the custard mixture.

11. Bake for 20 minutes or until the custard has half set.

12. For crumble, mix flour, sugar, and butter until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over the custard and bake for 15 minutes. Cool in the tin before slicing into pieces.

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Next time, I will use the right size pan. They turned out thinner than I wanted but they still tasted delicious :)

indulgence: chocolate cake

People blow off the stress of being professional and maintaining social etiquette in many ways. Some people drink martini's at a karaoke bar. Some people drink beer at a sports bar. I drink wine and indulge in a 'tween saga like a high-schooler that broke into her parents liquor cabinet (not that I endorse that or anything). It's no secret - I've been honest with you in the past, and if that made you question my sanity you might want to skip the rest of this post. Because friends, I indulged. And I took my like-minded friends with me :)

I mean, have you ever thrown a birthday party for someone who didn't attend the bash? I didn't think so. Let alone someone who lives 2,500 miles away and doesn't know your name. But if that's what it takes to make a group of grown women giggle like teenagers on Prom night, I'm in. And I'll host.

So I did! Some of you might know that Twilight's now-famous werewolf "Jacob Black" (Taylor Lautner) had an important birthday this month. You might know that because his 18th birthday was celebrated in the tabloids with highlights on E! News. I know that because it was the day that my girlfriends and I could stop feeling creepy about wanting to touch his rock hard abs. The idea for a birthday party came after about 3 bottles of wine one night and I grabbed hold and ran with it. The result included formal invitations, a $75 PartyProducts.com order, and an unforgettable trip to Michael's puffy paint department.

Like I said, we indulged in the crazy. Here's a breakdown of the evening:

7pm: Guests find my apartment by the "Team Jacob" poster hung on my front door and choose from a selection of New Moon pins to fasten to their shirts

7:30pm: New Moon bootleg I bought for $5 on the subway is popped into the DVD player and t-shirt making begins, complete with sparkles and fabric paint

8pm: "Pin-the-kiss-on-Jake's-face" game takes place, winners receive beaded rings inspired by the Quileute tribe

8:30pm: Dinner and birthday cake (yep, we sang)

9pm-? Multiple corks popped and wine imbibed like we'd been thirsting for it for 100 years

I know you wish you could have been there! We had a fabulous evening and the cake was a real winner. After throwing out a red velvet cake that was more brown than red, a quick Google-search brought me to Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate cake recipe. It was perfectly moist, not too dense, and had a deeply rich chocolatey flavor that will make it my new go-to chocolate cake. And the edible cake-topper I ordered from Gogo Cake was a real crowd pleaser! I used a cream cheese frosting and the combination was as tasty the night of the party as it was for breakfast, lunch and dinner the following 2 days that I ate the leftovers.

What makes me grin ear-to-ear like Alice Cullen on a shopping trip is the fact that several of you actually requested this post - I love you guys! Sometimes it just takes a little silliness to make you smile.

And guess what! You're in for a treat. I'm heading west for a ski trip for the next few days and Claire of Culinary Goddess will be my very first guest blogger while I'm away! I'm always salivating over her culinary creations so I can't wait to see what she has to share. If you haven't checked out her blog hop on over - she's a darling San Francisco-based food blogger with sweet stories, inspiring photos and tasty recipes. You'll love her!

"Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake

by Hershey's

2 cups sugar

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup Hershey's cocoa

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water

Heat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.

Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk oil and vanilla. Beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes, remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Pinch My Salt

16 oz. cream cheese (2 packages), softened

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), softened

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

pinch of salt

With an electric mixer, blend together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Turn mixer to low speed and blend in powdered sugar, salt and vanilla extract. Turn mixer on high and beat until light and fluffy. Use immediately or refrigerate, covered, until ready to use. If refrigerated, the frosting will need to be brought to room temperature before using.

go world: haiti cupcakes

Ok I have a confession. I am completely and irrevocably obsessed with the Olympics. Maybe more than Twilight... ok, maybe not. But every two years my TV is taken over, my couch cushion gets a dent in it and my eyes go bloodshot from consecutive late nights with Bob Costas. I love everything about the games - the music, the competition, the athlete spotlights, the parents, the commercials, the camaraderie and respect, the fact that I get chills when they play the national anthem and tear up when athletes cry on the podium. I love the short track and snowboarding and ski jumping and downhill skiing and figure skating - and that there's a whole new set of sports to watch just two years from now. It's one of the only times the world peacefully comes together (usually) and intermingles for a common goal.

And it's easy to forget while tuning into the latest Lindsey Vonn injury or Bode Miller wink that there are places outside of Vancouver that don't have time to follow the medal count - like Haiti. But instead of forgetting, this past weekend was filled with fundraisers, events and volunteers giving what they could. Go world!

The weekend began with a 4-mile race for Haiti hosted by New York Road Runners in Central Park, and 100% of the proceeds went to New York City's Haiti Relief Fund. More than $400,000 was raised with over 10,000 runners participating, including my friends Emily, Bennett, Jeff, and Tom (photo by Emily Webster).

The next day I got up early and got busy in the kitchen. I mentioned StirIt 28 in my last post and I was thrilled to offer my services for a good cause. With a buffet-style dinner, I chose cupcakes for dessert, thinking they'd be easy to pick up and more appetizing than a pile of cookies or cut cake. After my last cupcake post my Mamma offered to buy me a pastry bag and tips (hooray!) so I picked up a Wilton set at N.Y. Cake and got baking.

I made two dozen chocolate and two dozen vanilla cupcakes, iced each dozen differently, and took a very bumpy cab ride downtown to drop them off at the event - many thanks to my friend Heather for joining the ride with her steady hands!



Christy organized a lovely evening and guests gave a $30 donation to Haiti charities to sample sweets and treats from over 10 NYC-area food bloggers. And like the Olympics, it was inspiring to see strangers come together to support a great cause - and in this case sample culinary achievements.

Oh, and I found these wonderful edible stars at N.Y. Cake! How cute are they? I can't wait to use them again soon. After all (here comes the Bob Costas cheese), we're all stars in the Olympics of our lives!

momentum

Lots going on at Baking Therapy lately so I thought I'd share some fun things before a bigger post tomorrow.

My friend Camilla of Champagne Bubbles was kind enough to post my list for her "When I Grow Up" series - such a fun idea! And I've loved reading about everyones goals and dreams. Pop over here to get inspired.

Dorie Greenspan posted a behind-the-scenes wrap up of her CookieBar pop-up shop from last week. Love her and love that she mentioned me! Read about the sweets here.

Baking Therapy is proud to participate in STIR IT 28 NYC tomorrow, a food bloggers fundraiser for Haiti. 100% of proceeds go to Share our Strength and Yele Haiti, so get tickets/info here and come by for a tasty cupcake from Baking Therapy!

friday with dorie

Here it is, the post I alluded to and have been so excited to share. To be honest I needed a few days to soak it all in and just enjoy the fact that it really happened. OK, ok... here goes :)

Two weeks ago, the NYC food blogging community was abuzz about Dorie Greenspan's CookieBar shop that popped up just in time for Valentine's Day. If you're not a food blogger or avid home baker, you might not know Dorie - here's a quick recap: she's a long-time contributor to Bon Appetit magazine, she's written 9 cookbooks (including the Cafe Boulud Cookbook with Daniel Boulud and Baking with Julia with... um... Julia Child) and won 5 James Beard awards for them. Oh, and someone named a blog after her. With her 10th cookbook Around My French Table on the way, she and her son Josh decided to give Manhattan cookie fans a treat with some of her famous recipes (including sables and world peace cookies) ready for purchase.

My co-worker and I made the trek uptown last Tuesday at lunch to pick up some tasty treats and I was thrilled when we walked in the door and spotted Dorie (and her tall, dark and handsome son) behind the counter. I waffled through my cookie order and my less star-struck and more charming friend finished our order and got me out the door before I embarrassed myself with any "OMG! I'm such a faaaan!!!" moments.

I followed @cookiebarnyc on Twitter and noticed a link posted on Wednesday morning from a blogger who helped a short-staffed Dorie & co. bake on Tuesday night. I read the article, almost started hyperventilating, and immediately tweeted to the CookieBar that I would LOVE to help and could come out whenever they needed me. Like all tweets, it went into the Twitterverse and I hardly expected to hear back from them. BUT I DID.

We made the arrangements and I ended up on the R train to Queens last Friday night to lend a hand. What happened over the next 6 hours was this Baking Therapist's dream. 5lbs of cashews chopped, 1200 cookies baked, 1 take-out veggie taco eaten, 5 new friends made. What kept amazing me was how many times they thanked me for being there! The Greenspan's are the loveliest people and Dorie was so gracious - especially on almost no sleep (they'd been baking/selling cookies non-stop since Monday)!

I don't think I stopped smiling from the time I stepped into the commercial kitchen until I stepped out of the Greenspan's Prius around 1:30am on Saturday morning, with my newly signed Baking: From My Home To Yours cookbook under my arm.

I also scored almost 5lbs of "scrap" cookie dough from the CookieBar kitchen and chose tonight to bake sables (pronounced SAB-LEY's - they're French), espresso-chocolate shortbreads, and coconut-lime cookies (pictured below from top to bottom). Can I just tell you that my entire apartment smells like glorious BUTTER right now? Julia (and I hope Dorie) would be proud. Many thanks to the Greenspan's for a wonderful experience I'll never forget, and hooray for social networking at its best!

be mine: magnolia chocolate cupcakes

Valentine's Day means so many things to many different people. For my recently married friends it's a celebration of their new commitment to one another. To my parents who have been married for 30 years it's a celebration of their dedication and mutual respect. To my dog it's a day filled with extra treats and a long walk in snowy Central Park. And to my single girlfriends in the city I wish it to be a day filled with hope and belief that love will find them.

I saw the movie "Valentine's Day" on Saturday, and though you could cut the cheese with a knife the overall message of love and friendship was hopeful. I think this day is hard for those of us who have felt love in the past and find ourselves alone on this day dedicated to it. But instead of falling into the single girl cliche of chocolates and despair (a la Jessica Biel in the movie) I would hope for all of those alone on Valentine's day to be inspired by the idea of love. That it's out there. That it's all around us. And that we'll find it again if we've lost it or never felt the joy of it. Because despite a year and a half of singledom (and more than enough weddings attended as a party of 1), I'm somehow still hopeful.

I remembered a Whitman poem I studied in college that fit the feeling.

To a Stranger

by Walt Whitman (Leaves of Grass)

Passing stranger! you do not know how longingly I look upon you,

You must be he I was seeking, or she I was seeking, (it comes to me, as of a dream,)

I have somewhere surely lived a life of joy with you,

All is recall'd as we flit by each other, fluid, affectionate, chaste, matured,

You grew up with me, were a boy with me, or a girl with me

I ate with you, and slept with you, your body has become not yours only

nor left my body mine only,

You give me the pleasure of your eyes, face, flesh, as we pass

you take of my beard, breast, hands, in return,

I am not to speak to you, I am to think of you when I sit alone

or wake at night alone,

I am to wait, I do not doubt I am to meet you again,

I am to see to it that I do not lose you.

I like that he gives love a tangible personality, showing us how we encounter it in our own personal universe - and leaving us with the confidence that we'll undoubtedly "meet" love again.

A (single) friend threw a Valentine's party yesterday that was equally inspirational. It wasn't an "I hate Valentine's Day" party at an Indian restaurant - it was a celebration of love and friends held at her apartment, complete with candy hearts, streamers, couples and pink roses. I volunteered to bring dessert and after seeing Natassia's Valentine's sweets post decided to recreate Scootabaker's signature frosting-filled heart cupcakes for the party. They were delicate and darling (and easier to make than I'd like to admit) and I'm thankful for her inspiration.

I used Magnolia Bakery's chocolate cupcake recipe and added some red food coloring to buttercream frosting for the hearts. Using a sharp knife, I cut hearts out of the center of each cupcake and popped them out. Frosting in a sandwich-sized ziplock with the tip cut off served as a piping bag to fill the hearts and I think they came out lovely and tasty (and they were a big hit at the party).

Magnolia Bakery Chocolate Cupcakes

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

4 large eggs, at room temperature

6 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted

1 cup buttermilk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

To melt the chocolate, place in a double broiler over simmering water on low heat for 5-10 minutes (about; stir occasionally until completely smooth and no pieces remain). Remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes or until lukewarm.

Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers; set aside.

In a bowl, sift the flour and baking soda together; set aside.

In a big mixing bowl, cream the butter, using an electric mixer on medium speed, until smooth. Add the sugars and beat for about 3 minutes or until fluffy.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beat well after each addition.

Add the chocolate, mixing until incorporated.

Add the dry ingredients, in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until ingredients are incorporated but do not overmix.

Scrape down the batter from the sides of the bowl, using a rubber spatula, to make sure the ingredients are well blended and the batter is smooth.

Carefully spoon batter into cupcake liners; fill 3/4 full. Bake in 350 F oven for 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in tins 10 minutes. Remove from tins and cool completely on wire rack. Ice when cool.

Vanilla Buttercream Icing

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

6-8 cups confectioners sugar

1/2 cup milk

2 tsp. vanilla extract

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl.

Add in 4 cups sugar, then the milk and vanilla.

On medium speed of an electric mixer, beat about 3-5 minutes or until smooth and creamy.

Gradually beat in the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well (about 2 minutes) after each addition, until the icing is thick enough for good spreading consistency (you may not need all of the sugar).

Add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly.

Use immediately.

Got love yet? For additional inspiration, check out this love-filled post by @tea_austen. It made my heart full.

heartbreaker

Oh friends! I have such good stuff coming up to share with you that I'm almost bursting out of my skin (just like when Jacob Black [Happy Birthday, Taylor!] phases into a werewolf). I can't wait to tell you all about it after this busy weekend but until then here's something that made my day yesterday.

A quote from my boss's darling 4-year old son after he tasted one of these cookies she had brought home from work (that I had baked and brought into the office):

Son: "Who made these?"
Boss: "A woman at my office"
Son: "Well I can tell she's pretty, because these are delicious"

Such a smart little boy ;) And soon to be a total heartbreaker, I'm sure.

Have a good Thursday and Happy Olympics opening ceremonies tomorrow! I'll be back with great stuff sooner than Meredith Vieira can ask another young Olympian how it feels to be in Vancouver.

epic fail: macarons

I hadn't really adopted the trendy phrase "epic fail" yet... in fact, I was actively avoiding it even though I like the word "epic." And then I tried to make macarons this weekend. No, not coconut macaroons. Macarons, the delicate crisp and delicious cookie that Helen of Tartelette is known for. I've been reading about these curious French cookies all over the web - someone even said macarons are the new cupcake! But everyone says they are finicky and tough to get right. And, when my newly adoptive blogger posted about them, I had to give them a shot.

You heard right, Baking Therapy was recently adopted through a wonderful program called Adopt-A-Blogger. I found Dine & Dish a while back, started following Kristen on Twitter, and when she tweeted a call-out for newbie food bloggers to sign up for the 4th edition of Adopt-A-Blogger, I responded immediately. I crossed my fingers and was paired last week with a "veteran" blogger for guidance and a 3-month mentorship - yay! Her name is Deeba, she lives in India, and she's Passionate about Baking.

Here's a 'lil info about Deeba:

"I've been in India all my life, born and brought up here, and I love it. It's a world apart from all yours, and sometimes everyday baking life can be a struggle. We have unannounced power outages, and basic baking ingredients are all we get off shelves. Chocolate chips are on overseas shopping lists, and they jostle for space with bundt and tart pans, candy thermometers, spatulas, cream of tartar...the list is endless! But in the midst of all this mayhem, I love it. I love the challenge of baking with limited ingredients, and love experimenting, pushing my limits.

I am ambitious as far as blogging goes, am addicted to it, enjoying it thoroughly. It has enriched my life beyond belief, put me in touch with beautiful and fun foodies, made me a Daring Baker, and made me look at the camera with new eyes. I have learned that there is more to 'macro' than what I learned in university while doing my honours in economics, and this is certainly more fun! The camera is my best friend, and has escaped many a threatened falls into curries and cakes. I love it! I have a long way to go, and want to write cookbooks, improve my photography skills, learn to make macarons like French pastry chefs...aah I love this life!"

She's already given me some great advice so hopefully you'll notice changes for the better in the coming months. Oh, and be sure to check out her blog for her latest tasty creations.

Back to the macarons. I set some time aside this afternoon and "aged" a few egg whites to get the process started. I found step by step directions from Tartelette's Helen and mixed them with a chocolate macaron recipe by David Lebovitz for my first attempt. Were they pretty? No. Did they look like little turds? Yes. But, they did grow "feet" (which I understand is a difficult thing to accomplish) and they did taste great.

So for my first attempt I guess I shouldn't label them an epic fail. Maybe just a considerable fail. But, having enough powdered sugar for the recipe and using a pastry bag instead of a ziplock with the tip cut off (I know. How does a Baking Therapist not own a pastry bag??) may have helped the cause. Here's hoping we can convince Sweet Tartelette to leave gorgeous Charleston, SC to host a NYC macaron workshop (accompanied by a Manhattan Sugar Coma tour, of course)!

French Chocolate Macaron Recipe

Adapted from The Sweet Life in Paris by David Lebovitz

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup powdered almonds (about 2 oz sliced almonds, pulverized)

3 tbsp. unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

2 large egg whites, at room temperature

5 tbsp. granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and have a pastry bag with a plain tip (about 1/2-inch) ready.

Grind together the powdered sugar with the almond powder and cocoa so there are no lumps.

In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, beat the egg whites until they begin to rise and hold their shape. While whipping, beat in the granulated sugar until very stiff and firm, about 2 minutes.

Carefully fold the dry ingredients, in two batches, into the beaten egg whites with a flexible rubber spatula. When the mixture is just smooth and there are no streaks of egg white, stop folding and scrape the batter into the pastry bag (standing the bag in a tall glass helps if you're alone).

Pipe the batter on the parchment-lined baking sheets in 1-inch circles, evenly spaced 1-inch apart.

Rap the baking sheet a few times firmly on the counter top to flatten the macarons, then bake them for 15-18 minutes (mine only took 13-15 minutes). Let cool completely then remove from baking sheet.

Spread ganache or filling on the inside of the macarons then sandwich them together.

check up: granola bites

With January wrapping up last week it seems everyone has been checking in on New Year's resolutions to see how we're doing. Seems like a good way to kick off the second month of the year :) So I flipped back to my post in December to check out my progress:

Resolution 1: Climb and camp in Yosemite, check out Joshua Tree and summit Mt. Rainier.

Progress: Planning for Rainier is in motion and I'm so excited! Training will start soon but we're looking at a June or July trip.

Grade: B

Resolution 2: Get west this spring to get back into my ski boots.

Progress: Booked! I head out to Salt Lake City at the end of February for 3 full days of skiing Alta, Sundance, and Deer Valley.

Grade: A+

Resolution 3: Have more dinner parties

Progress: I'm workin' on it! Two girlfriends are coming over this Saturday for a homemade Indian feast (homemade naan!) and five are joining me next Thursday for a special birthday party.

Grade: A+

Resolution 4: Make the Blue Mountains camping trip happen with Sarah and Scott

Progress: Total fail. Haven't made a plan yet or even discussed the trip.

Grade: F

Resolution 5: Get to Brooklyn more often

Progress: Ok so I've been once since the New Year. Just once. But, it's better than nothing? And after reading this post the other day I'm finding more and more reasons to head over the bridge. Holy yum.

Grade: C

As for the resolutions I didn't post? I'm doin' aight:

Lose those 15lbs I gained starting this blog

I registered for the Santa Barbara Wine Country Half Marathon on May 8! Nothing like wine tasting in SoCal to motivate. Grade: B

Take action towards my ultimate goal of owning my own bakery

Reached out and got some great advice from several people who have done just that, including Annie. More to come on this as I learn more... but I'm on a mission! Grade: B

Get better about budgeting and pay off credit card debt

Hired a financial planner and created a debt plan. I'm making dents but there's a long road ahead. But! I'm moving forward and feel good about it. Grade: B

It's good to hold yourself accountable sometimes.

Ok, ok. On to the recipe :) Even though I've been leaning towards health conscious lately (which is so hard for a foodie. I. miss. butter.), I still have major sugar cravings. I found this recipe on Smitten Kitchen ages ago and broke it out the other day to satisfy my sweet tooth.

I modified it a little and named the cookies "Granola Bites" - little drops of wholesome goodness. The addition of almond slices to these cookies made them taste just like my favorite homemade granola. And they ended up being so tiny I didn't mind shoving a bunch into my mouth.

Thick, Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies a.k.a. Granola Bites

Smitten Kitchen

1/2 cup butter, softened

2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 egg

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

3/4 cup raisins

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (I used slivered almonds)

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a large bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together. Stir this into the butter/sugar mixture. Stir in the oats, raisins and walnuts.

Chill the dough for 30 minutes, then scoop onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cookies should be 2-inches apart. Bake them for 10 minutes, taking them out when golden at the edges but still a little undercooked-looking on top. Let them sit on the hot baking sheet for five minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool.