Fudgy Chocolate Wafers (*not*) #CreativeCookieExchange

First off, I am freely admitting that I messed up this month with posting for the #CreativeCookieExchange event. Life has been absolutely crazy since coming back from Christmas break (wonderful, exciting and happy, but crazy!) so good chunks of my former life seem to have evaporated for the time being... including keeping up with Facebook, Twitter and other social media. Now that things are settling back into a rhythm of sorts (if you can have one with toddlers), I'll be crawling back on the ball. Promise!

Anyways, since I did have a post primed for this month's  #CreativeCookieExchange theme (Make Someone’s Day Cookies), I couldn't hold it back. These thin, crispy-chewy, chocolate and coconut treats have become a favourite of one of my co-workers, and like my Sunny Apple Muffins every time they make an appearance in the staff room you can see her grin from across the building. Ironically, I almost threw the recipe out after making them the first time - they didn't look much like the photo on Cooking Light's page at all, even though my changes were relatively minor (using flavourful Gold Label coconut oil in place of the butter, coconut milk yoghurt and whole what pastry flour). Spread thin and flat, I was embarrassed to put them in Christmas baskets so I brought them to the staff room, where treats (regardless of their outward appearance) always seem to be appreciated. 

After the reviews came in, though, I gave another batch a try, but had to stash it overnight in the fridge before baking it off. Lo and behold, I found myself with chewy, thick, still flavourful cookies that retained just the slightest bit of crispy-crunch on the edges. Packed perfectly into their tins, they were prettier than their predecessors but apparently tasted much the same. Lesson learned: chilling time = control over texture = more happy people!

Here's some more info on the #CreativeCookieExchange:

The theme this month is Make Someone’s Day Cookies! We chose someone in our lives that we loved and baked them cookies that they love! Maybe you will feel inspired to bake someone that you love a cookie! If you are a blogger and want to join in the fun, contact Laura at thespicedlife AT gmail DOT com and she will get you added to our Facebook group, where we discuss our cookies and share links.

You can also just use us as a great resource for cookie recipes--be sure to check out our Pinterest Board and our monthly posts (you can find all of them here at The Spiced Life). You will be able to find them the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month! Also, if you are looking for inspiration to get in the kitchen and start baking, check out what all of the hosting bloggers have made:

• Dulce de Leche Madeleines from The Spiced Life
• Almond Butter Cookies from NinjaBaker
• Lemon Thyme Shortbread Cookies  from Sweet Cinnamon & Honey
• Classic Shortbread with Fleur de Sel from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Coconut Rum Celebration Cookies from Food Lust People Love
• Jam Filled Butter Cookies from Magnolia Days
• Double Chocolate Chip Cookies from Spiceroots
• Chocolatey Chocolate Chip Cookies from Indian Curries/stew
• Alphabet Letter Cookies from A Baker’s House
• Chocolate Chunk Shortbread from Baking in Pyjamas
• Cookie Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies from Noshing With The Nolands
• Soft Sugar Cookies from DessertStalking Blog
• Frosted Lemon Cookies from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Cherry Pie Cookies from It’s Yummi
• Apple Peanut Butter Doggie Cookies from Cookie Dough & Oven Mitt
• Four Ingredient Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies from Rhubarb and Honey

Chocolate - Orange Sesame Truffles

One of the few things I like about winter is the availability of different citrus fruit in the markets. Until the cold weather hits, our grocery stores are devoid of some of my favourite ingredients - key limes, Meyer lemons and blood oranges! When I recently spotted the blushing, garnet-centred fruit in the produce aisle, I grabbed up a bag and knew I had to celebrate their decadent, exotic sweetness with a recipe too!

I found my winner in the book Vegan Chocolate by Fran Costigan, and with a few simple alterations I had a rich, ever-so-slightly healthy (!) semi-ganache ready to roll and coat sitting in my fridge. Using tahini gave the chocolate a slight toasted nuttiness that I didn't expect, but fell in love with after I tasted the warm, then chilled, ganache. To make them look as good as they tasted, I crusted the balls with a yin-yang of sesame seeds. In all, they're a stunningly beautiful combination of taste and appearance (just like my blood oranges), and with no refined sugar, no cream and no butter they're more than worth indulging in!

Shared with Waste Not Want Not Wednesday and Gluten Free Fridays

Sunny Apple Muffins

It's Winter, and officially bleak and blah outside. I just came off my first week of full-time teaching, which while exhilarating and everything I could have hoped for in a job, is also exhausting. I have been out of the 40-hour-a-week workforce for years, and until my body readjusts I'll just have to run on adrenaline and coffee.

Oh, and muffins.

Yes, while not the most nutrient-dense of foods, a homemade muffin with the mid-day coffee sure perks up the spirit, especially during the Winter, when not too much by way of bright, fresh fruit is around. They're one of the easiest things to customize, too, being the type of food that is a bland enough base to add almost anything to, and a sturdy enough formula to handle many an ingredient substitution. I (and a few of my co-teachers) have become major fans of these muffins in particular - filled with chunks of apple, crunchy-sweet sunflower seeds and rich butter, they also get a slight bit of added texture from crushed arrowroot cookies and a wealth of flavour from sunflower "milk" and nutty whole wheat.

I originally was able to find the sunflower milk I used at the health food store near me in Tetra-Paks, but I've since heard the product was discontinued. If you can find it, it's worth the hunt for a recipe like this or a rustic bread where the nutty flavour will be highlighted - if not, you can either make your own or use your favourite "milky" beverage (flavour-wise, I'd suggest either flax or hemp), or just use regular ol' dairy. Like I said, muffins are vehicles for variation!

Toast Topper #54: Terry's Chocolate Marmalade

Chocolate is one of the most universal foods out there. It's hard to think of something that completely clashes with every cocoa product, and when it comes to bittersweet or unsweetened solid bars or pure cocoa powder, both sweet and savoury possibilities open up in a variety of flavour profiles. Of course, one of chocolate's all-time perfect pairings is fruit. Combined with the fresh, bright flavours of sub-acid to citrus fruits, the sweetness and richness of the cacao bean and sugar combination lighten, creating an enjoyable, sophisticated melange in the mouth.

Chocolate companies have been capitalizing on the fruit-cocoa combination for years, and the products of their creativity come out full force during the holidays. After seeing walls and walls of "chocolate + (name your fruit)" bars and bonbons over the Christmas season, I got the inspiration to try my hand at making a breakfast-friendly spread with the nuances of the famous chocolate-orange candy my mom absolutely adores. By using my favourite, no-sugar-needed pectin, I kept the tang and bitter edge of the pure base ingredients, adding just enough sugar to offset the bite of the citrus membrane in the body of the marmalade. Far from being a sickly-sweet candy box confection, the finished mixture is more of a bittersweet, "grown up" treat with faint hints of the holiday stocking-stuffers. If you're a fan of the chocolate oranges, try a smear of this on toast for a change - just don't try to whack it on the floor!

Shared with Gluten Free Fridays
 

Easy to be Green Chocolate Chip Cookies #SundaySupper

Like I alluded to yesterday, I don't believe in "good" and "bad" foods, detox diets or "quick fixes" for this life we all have. I value flavour and nutrition in tandem - and while it sounds impossible some times, I tell you it's a delicious learning curve! How else would we have discovered the decadence of
Nutella Stuffed Black Bean and Banana Cookies, Very Red Velvet Brownies or these Fudge Brownies?

Today for #SundaySupper, I decided to make one of the staffer's favourite cookies. Not only are they deliciously rich, moist and chewy, but they have no oil or butter in the dough. Instead, the creaminess of a ripe, buttery avocado adds all the good fat you'd want, without any off-putting flavours at all. If anything, the avocado lends an almost "browned butter" type of nuttiness that's only improved upon with the whole grain flours! For extra "oomph", I tossed in a scoop of protein powder (left over from my stepbrother's pre-wedding training kick last year), and kept the sugar down with xylitol.

While I wouldn't say they're "health food", I will say they're mighty tasty - and perhaps slightly better for you than the storebought Mr. ________ or Mrs. _________.

Lets see what other healthier options are on the menu tonight!

Bright Beverages

• Almond Mocha Smoothie from The Foodie Army Wife
• Chocolate-Covered Berries Green Smoothie from Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Citrus DeTox Spa Water from La Bella Vita Cucina
• Peachilious Smoothie from Peanut Butter and Peppers

Blissful Breakfast Items

• Apple Crumble Smoothie Bowl from Try Anything Once Culinary
• Light Eggs Benedict from Rants From My Crazy Kitchen
• Multigrain Scones from The Texan New Yorker
• Nutty Granola Bars from Pies and Plots
• Reduced Sugar Donuts from The Ninja Baker

Appetizing Starters

• Broccoli Pesto from Curried Cantaloupe
• Fava Bean and Avocado Guacamole from Pancake Warriors
• Homemade Snickerdoodle Peanut Butter from Wallflour Girl
• Norwegian Egg Benedict from Brunch with Joy
• Roasted Pumpkin and Chevre Bruschetta from Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
• Spicy Curried Lentil Spread with Winter Veggies from Lifestyle Food Artistry

Savoury Soups and Sides

• Butternut Squash and Roasted Red Pepper Soup from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Light Creamed Roasted Vegetable Soup from Kudos Kitchen by Renee
• Detox Chicken Bok Choy Soup from Nosh My Way
• French Potato Leek Soup from Curious Cuisiniere
• Gluten Free Chicken Pho Soup from Gluten Free Crumbley
• Marinated Tomato and Mozzarella Salad from From Gate to Plate
• Quinoa Mango Pomegranate Spinach Salad with White Balsamic Vinigrette from Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch
• Red Cabbage and Golden Raisin Salad from girlichef
• Shredded Brussels Sprouts and Endive Slaw with Champagne Vinaigrette from Take A Bite Out of Boca
• Spinach and Black Bean Ravioletti Soup from Big Bear’s Wife

Marvelous Mains

• Black Pepper Tofu with Black Garlic Sauce from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Fish Steamed with Spicy Couscous from Food Lust People Love
• Greek Style Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce from Nik Snacks
• Kale Pesto with Squash Noodles from Ruffles & Truffles
• Mexican Turkey Cutlets from Magnolia Days
• Meyer Lemon Roasted Chicken Thighs, Fennel & Sweet Potato from The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
• Portuguese Kale Soup from Recipes Food and Cooking
• Salmon with Mushroom Sauce from Cooking Chat
• Skinny Chicken-Leek Pot Pie from The Weekend Gourmet
• Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Quinoa from Bobbi’s Kosy Kitchen
• Slow Cooker Italian Barley & Sausage from Foxes Loves Lemons
• Tomato Basil Soup with Grilled Pimento Cheese Sandwiches from Food Done Light
• Tomato Goat Cheese Arugula Flatbread from Family Foodie

Delightful Desserts

• Easy to be Green Chocolate Chip Cookies from What Smells So Good?
• Fruit Parfait from Desserts Required
• Maple Pear Scones from Killer Bunnies, Inc
• Easy Blackberry Crumble from The Perfect Brownie

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.