Chocolaty Chip Cookies

I first saw this recipe while browsing around on The Kitchn.  The original post was a cookbook review and recipe from Michel Richard's cookbook, Sweet Magic.  I saved the link on my desktop knowing I'd get around to baking these chocolaty cookies one day. Well, not sure if you saw my new logo on my Facebook page, but if you didn't you should have a look.  Feed Your Sister is going places in the next few weeks!  That's right, a new home, some behind the scenes people and I have been working on putting it all together!  But anyway, I wanted to send my family friend, Joey, who worked on the logo for me some delicious treats!  I chose to make these cookies! I also had some extra to give to another friend, and she described the cookie as the perfect combination between crispy around the edges but soft and chewy in the middle!  The recipe is pretty simple, all done in the food processor and a little elbow grease!  The slice and bake type deal is great, that way your hands don't get too dirty either!  It's a win-win!

A few changes from the original recipe...I did not toast the hazelnuts and then bother to steam them to get the skins off, what I did do was toast them in a dry pan for a few minutes, until they were fragrant and then threw them in the processor!  Next, I had semi-sweet mini chocolate chips in the freezer and thought it would be fine to replace them for chopping up 8 ounces of chocolate.  Same difference, right?  Well, here's the recipe!  Next time I go to the bookstore I am definitely going to check out Michel Richard's cookbooks and see what else he's got for me!

Extremely Chocolaty Chip Cookies

(adapted from Michel Richard's Book Sweet Magic)

Makes 24 cookies (I was able to get about 30 cookies)

1 cup hazelnuts
14.4-ounce box graham crackers, crushed (about 4 cups)
8 ounces dark or semisweet chocolate (I used mini chocolate chips, they worked great and made less work for myself!)
1/2 cup dark alkalized (Dutch process) cocoa powder (I used Hershey's, totally fine!)
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed brown sugar, dark
2 large eggs

Note: The cookie dough is rolled into a cylinder shape that can be refrigerated for several days or frozen for several months. Defrost it in the refrigerator before baking.

Place the hazelnuts and graham crackers in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the chopping blade and pulse to produce a fine powder. Roughly chop 4 ounces of the chocolate and add it to the food processor bowl, along with the cocoa powder. Process all together for 15 to 20 seconds, or until uniformly combined. Using a spatula, mix the butter and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Add the eggs and the contents of the mixer bowl and incorporate well.

Divide the dough into halves. Lightly wet your work surface, cut a length of plastic wrap about 24 inches long, and lay it on the damp counter. Place one of the dough balls in the center of the plastic. Take one edge of the plastic wrap and fold it over the dough. Tuck it under and roll the dough, forming a large sausage shape approximately 3 inches in diameter and 6 inches long in the process. Roll up the entire length of the plastic wrap around the dough two or three times. Next, twist both ends of the plastic very, very tightly. If you loosely pack this dough, it will crumble too easily. Fasten the ends tightly with twine or twist ties. Repeat the above steps with the other piece of dough. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, or until firm.

To bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Cut the remaining 4 ounces of chocolate into large "chips." Line two sheet pans with Silpat or parchment. Slice the dough into ½-inch-thick disks. Place 6 cookies on each sheet pan and press 6 to 8 chocolate pieces into the top of each or sprinkle a few mini chips and press lightly into the dough. Bake the cookies for about 20 minutes. They will be very delicate—let them sit on the pan for 5 minutes until they are firm and cool enough to remove with a spatula. Carefully transfer the cookies to wire racks and cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Trim Down Tuesdays: Q&A + Berries and Plum Granola Cobbler

Welcome to Trim Down Tuesdays with Karen Moreno, RD, CDN!  Each Tuesday Karen will post answers to questions that you, the readers, ask about diet and/or nutrition AND of course, she'll post one of her own recipes.
If you have questions that you'd like Karen to answer on Feed Your Sister please do one of the following:
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Here's are the questions and answers for this week!

1. What is the most important meal of the day? Why? 

I know you’ve all heard this before, but BREAKFAST is the most important meal of the day. Even its name tells you that you are "Breaking the Fast." 

When you wake up in the morning after not eating for 7-8 hours, your body needs energy to fuel itself and start the day off right. After not eating all night, the first thing you want to do is rev up your metabolism. The wrong thing to do is actually skip breakfast because by doing this you are actually telling your body that you are starving it, therefore slowing down your metabolism. In this case your body feels like it needs to conserve energy so the next time you put something in your mouth, your body will STORE it instead of burning it off, exactly the opposite of what you want if you are trying to lose weight. Actually, when researchers looked at the eating patterns of people who maintained a weight loss in the National Weight Control Registry (NWCR) they discovered that eating breakfast is a characteristic common to successful weight loss maintainers and may even be a factor in their success.

So what should you eat? 

Aim for about 300 calories for breakfast.

·      try some nonfat Greek yogurt with berries

·      an egg white omelet with veggies and whole wheat bread

·      oatmeal with some fruits, slivered almonds, and cinnamon

·      a bowl of cereal (Puffins Original and Kashi Go Lean are my favorites)

2. How much protein should a person have on a given day??  What are the advantages of protein for your body and diet?

The amount of protein a person needs varies depending on their weight. A good way to calculate your average protein needs is to take your weight, in kg (divide your wt in lbs by 2.2 to find out your wt in kg) and multiply by a range of .8-1.0. This is the estimated amount of protein you should eat daily.

Ex. 150 lb women (wt in kg=150/2.2=68.2kg x .8=54.6 g 68.2 x 1=68.2 g)

Her estimated daily protein intake should be between 54.6-68.2 g per day.

Protein is great because it can help fill you up. I always like to combine foods high in fiber and protein when choosing a snack. For example, an apple with peanut butter, string cheese with a piece of fruit, or turkey on a high fiber cracker, such as Finn Crisps. 

Just don’t forget that not all protein is created equally. While a rib eye steak and chicken breast both have high amounts of protein, don’t forget that with protein usually comes fat. The rib eye steak is higher in artery clogging saturated fats while the chicken breast is much lower in total fat and has very minimal amounts of saturated fats. Opt for lean proteins such as white meat chicken or turkey without the skin, lean meats that are less marbleized, fish, and vegetarian protein options such as tofu, quinoa, and beans.

Here's Karen's recipe for this week, each serving has under 200 calories! Terrific!

This is one of my favorite year round desserts, which makes it perfect for both fall and spring. In the summertime, I make it with whatever fresh fruits I can get my hands on: usually berries, plums, and peaches. In the winter I make it with pears, apples, and a ton of cinnamon. Besides for the health benefits from the fiber filling fruit, this recipe calls for canola oil instead of butter, which has only 1 g of saturated fat vs. 7g in butter (per tbsp), and the oats help contribute to your intake of whole grains and have also been shown to lower cholesterol. Now that we’re officially in spring, feel free to stick with a summertime version, move on to fall, or mix the two with a berry and apple version. Whatever kind you make, serve with vanilla ice cream, and this is one treat no one will turn down!  

Berries and Plum Granola Cobbler

Serves: 10

Total time: About 1 hour

Base

5 cups mixed berries, frozen or fresh

3 medium plums (or peaches, apples, or your favorite fruit), sliced, with the skin

Topping

1 ½ cups rolled oats

½ cup whole wheat flour

½ cup chopped walnuts and/or almonds [¼ CUP EACH]

¼ cup maple syrup

¼ cup canola oil

½ teaspoon vanilla

2 teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray the bottom of a 9” circular Pyrex with non-stick cooking spray. Pour all the fruit on the bottom of the Pyrex.  In a separate bowl, mix all the ingredients for the topping, except the cinnamon, until well incorporated. Mix with hands to get a more crumbly topping.  Pour topping evenly over the fruit and sprinkle the cinnamon on top.  Bake for 45-60 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and the fruit bubbles.  Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream. Some of my friends even love to have leftovers the next day in their Greek yogurt!

Nutrition content:

Per serving (2” slice, without ice cream): 175 calories, 21 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 4 g protein, 10 g fat

—Karen Moreno, RD, CDN

Bakes Pesto Parmesan Spaghetti Squash

I love Tastespotting.  It's a great site for when you are looking for new cooking ideas.  Let's say you have a spaghetti squash but don't know what to make with it, you can search through tons of photos/recipes to find just what you are looking for. It's also a great way to find new food blogs and sites to start reading. I spotted this recipe and this recipe and that's how I came to make my version of the recipe. Each serving has a points plus value of 4!  And you leave the table feeling nicely full!

Baked Pesto Parmesan Spaghetti Squash
(makes 2 large portions)
1 spaghetti squash, baked or microwaved
3 tablespoons pesto (Vegans use this recipe and omit the parmesan or use vegan parmesan or nutritional yeast)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
4 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese, separated in half
(I didn't add tomatoes, but feel free to add them in if you'd like, no added points there!)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pierce squash with a sharp knife or split in half and discard the seeds/pulp, then place on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for about 60-70 minutes. Take out squash but keep oven on.  Use a fork to separate spaghetti strands and place them in a large bowl.  Combine spaghetti with pesto, salt and 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese and mix well.  Divide squash mixture  into two large ramekins or small lasagna dishes and sprinkle with the rest of the parmesan cheese. Bake in the oven under the broiler for about 5 minutes or until golden brown crust forms.  Enjoy!