Tag: cookies

a little peanut butter connection…

the other day alegra and i made peanut butter cookies and read some great bedtime books on instagram…

live instagram, facetime, houseparty, zoom… these have all be hugely important tools for us during these times of self-isolation and social distancing.  honestly, if you had told me two months ago i would be doing at least one live video on instagram every day i would have thought that you had lost your mind!

i am actually terribly shy and really pretty self-conscious too; so the idea of being live daily in front of an audience, even a virtual one, would have been something hard for me to believe.

but i have to say that i am enjoying it immensely. i have reconnected with a lot of old friends and their children, students from my lola days have been hugely supportive, and new followers have found us too!

here is the recipe for the cookies, it is a basic peanut butter cookie recipe that is pretty much foolproof… feel free to add in the chocolate chips at the end like alegra did, or use chunky peanut butter instead of smooth. i am thinking about trying almond butter next time to see how that works- i will keep you posted!

ingredients-

  • 1 cup organic peanut butter
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 large organic egg (or 1 flax egg)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • pinch of salt
  • optional add ins- chocolate chips, raisins, shredded coconut

instructions-

  • preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius
  • line a baking sheet with parchment paper
  • mix all ingredients together- adding in extras if you want
  • form dough into small round balls and place on baking sheet
  • cook for 5 minutes and make cross shapes using the back of a fork
  • cook for another 7-8 minutes depending on how crumbly you like your cookies- (cook shorter for chewier cookies)
  • remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes of baking sheet before transferring to cooling rack

serve with milk or tea for a perfect afternoon snack!!

sharafat abla’s every day cookies…

we have been baking up a storm over here these days… and with the terrible rainy day we had this week we really needed a bit of a pick me up!

rain or shine, these delicious cookies ALWAYS do the trick. they are perfect in the afternoon for tea, and equally wonderful as a breakfast treat with a lovely cup of coffee.

as far as i know, their origin comes from the turkish seaside town of izmir; a close friend taught us how to make them nearly twenty years ago; and we have been experimenting with them ever since! the original recipe calls for regular flour and white sugar- but we have adapted them in various stages; first swapping brown sugar for white, and then opting to use gluten free flour.  our latest iteration is the most delicious as of yet- and i have to admit they taste pretty good on sunny days too!

ingredients-

  • 1 pound lor cheese (this is a soft uncured goat cheese that is similar to strained cottage cheese)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup butter
  • 3 cups flour
    • we used 1.5 cup buckwheat flour and 1.5 cup gluten free flour
  • 3 tsp baking powder

instructions-

  • preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius
  • mix dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately
  • combine and knead until mixture is moist and “doughy”
  • adjust flour as necessary; add a small amount of milk if dough is too crumbly
  • (roll cookies in sugar for an extra treat if desired)
  • form into small ball shaped mounds and place on parchment paper lined baking sheet
  • bake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean