SWEET SKILLET COOKIE OF MY SOUL

I love to bake but boy do I love not following recipes so much more. I generally only cook things that don't involve recipes. Which works nicely for a lot of things but baked goods, let alone gluten free baked goods, don't always blend well with such an abstract approach.

I knew this recipe was going to be a keeper when I made it and realize HOW EASY it is. I've made it several times from memory now and each time I pop it in the oven, my recipe hating heart rejoices! No longer am I chained to a recipe or a website or a precious cookbook. This is living, friends!

Not only is it gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free and GOOD, but it's also already in my mental recipe book and I'm pretty excited about that. In case you're curious to see the other desserts I've Made/been obsessed with (one in the same), here's the dessert tag.
(ALSO THE OG MUFFIN RECIPE. Oh my heart, 2012 was good to me)

// (sweet) SKILLET COOKIE (of my soul) //

i n g r e d i e n t s :

1 cup almond flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/3 nut butter (almond, cashew, sunflower, coconut, peanut, whatevs!)

1/4 cup melted coconut oil

1 egg

3 tbsp maple syrup

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

chocolate chips, amount is up to your sweet tooth

STEP ONE:

mix everything.

STEP TWO: 

Bake at 325 (I use an 8x8 well greased pan)

for about 19-25 minutes.

(it's technically supposed to be made in a cast iron skillet

 but we city folk have to improvise.)

STEP THREE: 

(the most difficult step)

let it cool before eating.

(i know, ugh)

e x t r a  n o t e s :

*you can swap out the flour for any gluten free flour

 Tapioca flour, coconut flour, almond flour, whatever.*

*make it vegan by substituting the egg for a chia egg*

*use dairy free chocolate and you've got yourself a delish dairy free dessert*

*chopped up fancy chocolate works well too!*

*I normally add extra flour. I like my cookies to 

match my makeup, nice and cakey.*

*bake time varies, keep an eye on it.*

*in case you were worried or curious, it is totally acceptable to eat a 

cookie for breakfast, lunch and dinner.*

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BACON ME CRAZY

I don't care if your valentine is a boy, a girl, a puppy or 10 seasons of your favorite show, Valentines of all shapes and sizes deserve to know that they are as loved as a large 3 topping pizza

Survival Essentials (senior year edition)

After 4 weeks of nothing but assignments, volleyball games and stress dreams, I finally decided to ignore my homework for a few hours and do my things. The things that make me happy and that don't involve wearing athletic clothing. I took photos of pointless things, I cooked my favorite dinner  and walked my puppy around the neighborhood.

It felt really, REALLY GOOD. Way better than reading 100 pages of Moby-Dick.

10 classes, Volleyball, Theater productions and just the general stress that comes from being a 17 year old girl has been a lot. But God is good and all is well and I ate bread today for the first time in three weeks so heck yes.

(in case you're wondering, this is the 2015 version of this post...a post that I published two months after I wrote it. #casual)

This book by Natalie Holbrook has been my procrastination method of choice. It's an easy afternoon read with just enough photos and doggone good puns. If you're in the mood for it, throw it into your amazon cart next time you order a months supply of crew socks or ramen noodles (or both!)

This Mexican blanket (which Ironically enough, I didn't buy in Mexico) is life. I walked across the street to the drugstore to buy it one day, wondering if it was worth the effort, the money and the awkward way I left in the middle of a birthday party. UPDATE: It's worth it. Tubby and I can both vouch for that.

A new to me makeup brand is ColourPop, with lipsticks only five dollars a tube! Needless to say, I stocked up. It's a good thing too, because sometimes the only way I can accomplish my least favorite subject is with a bold lip....it's girl logic ;)

And finally, the source of my joy and stamina...TEA WITH CAFFEINE! I take a cup of earl grey around 11 every night and it gets me till at least 2 am with no problems. Great for when the boys wanna chat ;)....and when you have 40 assignments due for class the next morning.

(mom, grandma: there are no boys. because boys are not nutella)

Tell me how you are friends! Tell me if your dying under a stack of textbooks or thriving. If you're thriving well, chances are, I hate you just a little. ;)

But the chocolate was good...

Our time in Germany was...interesting, to say the least. It was at that point in the trip where we were exhausted and had been on enough public transportation systems to catch every kind of European Cold that ever existed. And it's also kind of challenging to buy cold medicine when you can't read the label. Heck, German is was starting to look like Japanese or something! (Germanese, let's get it trending!)

We ended up not getting medicine and instead roughing it in the rainy town of Hamburg. Basically all we did was eat (Frau Moller was DELISH but be prepared to wait a few hours or a few days, in our case. Also on their website, they wish you Happy New Year! I do too.) and look at trains (Miniatur Wunderland was weirdly bizarre but fun- but I have ZERO photos. So take my word for it!) and sleep (Hotel Wedina was one of the nicest of our entire trip, German Breakfasts are unreal and the first photo proves it.)

All in all, it was good. But I was really happy to head home...to Paris. ;)

(#snoblife)

THE FRENCH SUMMER OF MY SOUL

There's a reason bliss and baguette begin with the same letter....

Cheers to summer days in France!

HALLO HAARLEM

If you equate Amsterdam to New York the Haarlem is the Brooklyn of this situation. Haarlem (though different from New York's Harlem, I'm assuming!) was amazing. All kinds of amazing cafes and shops and REAL people. Like families and babies and puppies and people who look like they're doing more with their life than tasting pastries.

Which is basically all I do so um...

LEVI'S WINKEL

So what a coincidence that I'm talking about pastries next! (Is Pie a pastry? Or its own category? Carry on.) This cafe is unique because It's owned by a 14 year old boy, who we saw in the flesh and I was tempted to ask for his autograph. Just because, you know! There's a video on it here (all in dutch, granted) but I will tell you that Levi has had a haircut, thankfully, and now looks as good as that pie. Well....almost, because pie.

TEN BOOM MUSEUM

Everyone and their second cousin has read the Anne Frank Diary, which is fine and all, but that means its way more popular. Instead of waiting in the 3 hour long line at the Anne Frank House we went to the Corrie Ten Boom house in Haarlem. It was incredible and in my opinion, better than the Anne Frank House simply because the tour was lead from a Christian perspective (and the wait was probably 15 minutes so basically Ten Boom>Frank House. But suit yourself.)

Grote Markt and Ons graan jouw brood
After the house tour we walked around Haarlem and explored the Grote Markt and the smell from Ons Graan guided us in. It was a nearly divine experience. Forget boys, fresh bread is the way to my heart.

On another note, I can't figure out why my clothes are a little tighter.
The two can't be related. ;)

3 THINGS ABOUT SAN FRAN

Alrigthy peeps! (speaking of peeps, time to rifle through the clearance bins at Publix for our favorite marshmallow chicks! Two second tangent, over and out.) I'm writing this post mostly as future reference for myself (since San Francisco hasn't seen the last of me, that's for sure!) But if any of you find yourself in the Bay area anytime soon (or in 20 years, I'm not picky.) maybe you could take note of my sage advice and heed my wisdom. Or read this post at least.

 ONE: Whatever you do, WALK DOWN FILLMORE! Like, I can't stress that enough. Not only will you be overwhelmed with flower shops and cupcake stores (need I say more?), but it's got the cutest houses and the best views of the bay. Don't forget this one peeps!

TWO: A few of my favorite fashion bloggers live in SF, and their hair is always perfect. Naturally I assumed that SF had good hair vibes and that I too, would have nice hair on my trip. NOT THE CASE. SF is windy like you wouldn't believe! As my friend Sarah said after I sent her this, "I think it's ponytail day?" Ponytails, braids, buns, or baldness. Whatever you do, don't leave your hair down or you will regret it for the rest of eternity.

THREE: The food at the ferry building is really good. Like, really, really good! In my humble opinion, anyway. I had a grilled cheese with some kind of wildly exotic cheese, and it's safe to say since then, every grilled cheese has left a lot to be desired. So anyway, Ferry Building it is!

Really you guys, San Fran was probably one of the coolest cities. And I've been to a stinking lot of places, but SF was just the greatest. A hippie haven, nonetheless. Obviously I support that.

And on that note, Peace to you!

Christmas is for cookies!

Happy Eve of Eve friends! After being up for 23 hours yesterday, today seemed like the perfect day to share a cozy cookie recipe. You know, for munching on as you curl up on the couch with cocoa and a sappy movie. Staying up for 23 hours is optional and not advised.

CHOCOLATE MINT CRINKLE COOKIES

Ingredients

• 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 3/4 teaspoon pure mint extract
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions

1. Step 1

   Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring.

2. Step 2

   Whisk together flour, baking powder, and cocoa in a small bowl.

3. Step 3

   Whisk together granulated sugar, eggs, and melted butter in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in melted chocolate and mint extract until smooth. Stir in flour mixture. Refrigerate until firm, at least 3 hours.

4. Step 4

   Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Roll tablespoons of dough into balls using your palms, then roll in confectioners' sugar to coat. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing each 1 inch apart. Bake until slightly firm in the center, about 15 minutes.

5. Step 5

   Let cool slightly on sheets set on wire racks. Transfer cookies to racks, and let cool completely.
   
   
   
   
   
   Serve with a cup of cocoa and and a side of Christmas carols! And share with a fluffy puppy and you'll know what Christmas cheer is.
    

An ode to fruits who've gone before us (watermelon lemonade!!!)

I'm contantly begging to buy fruits for epic desserts. You know, lemon semifredo, blackberry cobbler and the list goes on and on. But the even longer list is all the fruits that have gone bad since I was too lazy to make it.

For the record, this happened yesterday. I have a really bad track record of wasting fruit. Such talent I possess! This is clearly going to take me far in life.


So this lemonade, I USED TWO FRUITS THAT DID NOT GO BAD. Ha! Take that, all you 50 different kinds of exotic fruit that now sit in some lonely dump, decomposing into goodness knows. So then, they were all redeemed by this lemonade that is fab for guzzling when you happen to live in the sweltering state, and your ac is broken....IN JULY.

Watermelon Lemonade. Serves 5 (ahem, or one. But really, I wouldn't know.....)

1 lb watermelon,
2 oz lemon juice
1.5 oz agave &
4 oz water 

To make it:  blend everything together in your blender, then strain it through a fine mesh strainer. Pour into pineapple cups. Striped straws optional but highly encouraged.

Enjoy guzzling/sipping/drinking normally or whatever you fancy! Have you made any fancy lemonades??

XOXO,
Lemonade freakazoid.

(kinda sorta.)

(okay fine, totally.)

Exciting Muffins

 

I know, I know, An exciting muffin? HOW CAN THIS BE? You thought they were boring but ha! You thought wrong. Let me introduce you to the rock star of all muffins...(dun dun dun!)..... The double chocolate banana muffin. (!!!)

Somehow, that didn't sound as profound as I imagined it too?

But let's dive into the muffin - you'll find it's profound-ness sooner or later. My friends mom made these muffins for me once (okay, multiple times) and I've been hooked ever since. I seriously don't think a week has gone by in the past year where I have not had one of these muffins.

I just typed fuffins....I should probably just get to sharing the recipe. 

 They even contrast very well with watermelon nail polish. What a nice quality for a muffin to posses!

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE BANANA MUFFINS

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup sugar
• ¼ cup baking cocoa
• 1 tspn baking soda
• ½ tspn salt
• ¼ tspn baking powder
• 1 1/3 cups mashed ripe bananas (2-3 medium)
• 1/3 cup applesauce (unsweetened)
•  1 egg
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preparation:

1. In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients.
2. In a small bowl, combine bananas, oil and egg
3. Stir into dry ingredients until moistened.
4. Fold in chocolate chips.
5. Fill greased or paper-line muffin cups ¾ full.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until muffins test done.

 Rock star, profound, exciting muffins?

Amen, Amen, Amen.

Unlikely duo

Last year I was positive I was the most crafty person around. I made these little rosettes and at the time, they were the bomb. I made them out of a -get this-  a VINTAGE cookbook! How fantastically hip is that? And naturally, I selected recipes about sausage to be front and center. Sausage and Valentines Day - OH THE ROMANCE!

PS: Say happy birthday to my friend okay?