Whole Wheat Dark Chocolate Chip (60% Cacao) Oatmeal Walnut Cookies

It was a rainy, lazy Sunday, and I wanted to lift my spirits with a little baking (and something in the “treat” variety — it was Sunday, afterall). I decided on this slight (healthier) spin on the usual Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookie. 100% Whole Wheat flour, 60%% Ghiardelli Dark Chocolate baking chips, rolled oats, and freshly chopped walnuts. Now, they are still cookies, but they feel more wholesome, with no compromise on the taste!

My first batch I left in for about 16 minutes — they were a bit on the crunchy side. The second batch I took out after about 13 minutes, and those were of the chewier variety. I had two right out of the oven with a cup of french press — perfetto!!

And for what it’s worth–for those of you without a million baking accessories–I made these on the pizza pan that came with my oven.  Simply added some foil on top to cover the holes and viola!   Cookie sheet!  😉

Here is the recipe (I simply substituted in the dark chocoalte chips for the semi-sweet): http://www.adashofsass.com/2009/02/10/whole-wheat-oatmeal-chocolate-chip-cookies/

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Quinoa Raisin Muffins

The other night, after a long and stressful day, I felt like baking.  I find baking incredibly relaxing, and having yummy treats to nibble on for days is the added bonus!  I wanted to do something healthy, so I googled quinoa muffin recipes, and found this basic recipe from Martha Stewart.

These have more of a scone than a muffin consistency, but if you are looking for something healthy and lightly sweet, these are great.  I took these to work for breakfast for the week — cut them in half, toast them for a few minutes and add some butter or jam — a warm, healthy morning treat!

I read through some of the comments on her blog, and there are some great variations to try — chocolate chips for some fun, or walnuts or peanut butter for some added protein and heft.  Next time, I will try these with whole wheat flour, chocolate chips and walnuts.  Stay tuned!

Recipe courtesy of:  http://www.marthastewart.com/332607/quinoa-muffins