I’m obsessed. I love the fact that I can make my own "milk" out of super healthy almonds. I love that the toddler likes it. I love that we use it on morning cereal. And now… I love that it comes with cookies!! :)

Let me explain.

I took my hand at another batch of almond milk. I made it the same as I did the first time but changed my filtration technique just slightly. I still soaked overnight and blended 1 cup almonds with 3 cups of water. This time, however, the toddler didn’t help (he was out with the husband) it was the cat who seemed interested. She was doing good until I turned the blender on. :)

Once I blended the milk I set up the same filtration system as before, only this time I added a layer. Draping an old clean baby towel over my strainer. I then poured the milk into the towel (in small batches.)

Once all the milk was out of the blender I gathered the towel squeezed the milk. To my surprise it worked perfectly! I opened the towel to reveal all the almond meal. Who needs cheesecloth! ;~)

So after the process I’m left with meal and milk.

Last time, I’ll be honest, I threw away the meal. I just didn’t have it in me to experiment with it and I wasn’t sure how long it would last. I guess I could have thrown it in the freezer but that didn’t occur to me at the time. Today, I didn’t want to throw it away again, it seems like such a waste. And almonds are expensive! So I took my hand at a fun way to use it. Here’s what I came up with.

• 2 oz fat free cream cheese
• 1/2 cup honey (168g)
• 1 and 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1 and 1/3 cups of whole wheat pastry flour (120g)
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• pinch of salt
• All of the leftover almond meal after making almond milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Beat the cream cheese, honey and almond extract until smooth. You will still see some white spots but it will be liquidy.

Sift the flour, baking soda and salt into the honey mixture. Stir until well blended. Add the almond meal and mix in with a spatula until well blended.

Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Scoop out 1/2 tbsp’s of the dough and roll into small balls (~54). The dough will be sticky, it may help to put it in the fridge for a few minutes first.

Place the on the cooking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Immediate remove from cookie sheet and eat. I’m only kidding, that’s just what I did. :)

These have great almond flavor with a nice sweetness from the honey and a great texture from the meal. I just wish I had other taste testers! I was home alone when I made them!

The nutritional information is sketchy as I’m not sure how the almonds are effected by the milk process. So I used just a cup of almonds to calculate figuring if anything they would actually be a little less. If anyone has any insight I’m all ears!

Update 2: Homemade Almond Milk the Video!

Well… I’m SO happy with the results! The toddler and I had a BLAST making them, they tasted great and they are SUPER light! Even the husband liked them and let me tell you, he’s not easy to please on the cookie front.

The thing I like most about these cookies is the versatility of the dough. It’s super easy to work with. The thinner you roll it out the crisper the cookie. Use it with cookie cutters, roll into balls and squish with a fork, even top with sprinkles (one guess who’s idea that was) :)

• 1 cup (120g) Whole Wheat Flour
• 1/4 cup (20g) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 salt
• 2 tbsp butter
• 4oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 tbsp (20g) molasses
• 1 ounce fat free cream cheese
• 1 egg

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and set aside.

Melt the butter, chocolate chips and molasses over very low heat or in a double boiler. Stirring constantly.

Once the chips and butter are melted, remove from heat. Started beating the chocolate mixture on low adding the fat free cream cheese and egg. The cream cheese may seem lumpy. Beat for about 2 minute until smooth, although you will see some white specks from the cheese. Continue to beat, slowly adding the flour mixture. Once the flour is all incorporated the dough will be thick and sticking to the beater. Don’t worry it’s easy to remove.

Take half the dough and place it on parchment or wax paper (I sprayed the wax paper with a bit of spray just in case) top with another strip of paper and roll out to 1/4 inch or less. The thinner you roll the crisper the cookie will be but the harder to work with.

Once you have it rolled out, lay the dough (still in the paper) on a cookie sheet and place it in the freezer. It will be easier to work with. Repeat the rolling process with the second half of dough.

Remove the first from the freezer, peal away top wax paper and cut using your favorite cookie cutters.

Pace on a cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes.

Note: Instead of rolling out you could hand roll the dough into half inch in balls and then squish with a fork, similar to peanut butter cookies.

Since it these were snow day cookies I thought I’d share some candid shots I took while waiting for the cookies to bake. :)

As for nutritional information, I was able to get 40 cookies. So I’m estimating 3 cookies a serving.

Here’s how I made the batch in the video. Remember, take the idea and run with it! :)

• 6 won ton wrappers
• 1/2 cup fat free ricotta cheese (124g)
• 1/4 – 1/2 tsp stevia powder (or other sweetener to your tasting)
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp almond or vanilla extract
• dusting of cocoa powder, stevia or powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Roll the wrappers into tube shapes sealing with a bit of water. Stand them upright on a cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes. (see video for demonstration)

Mix the ricotta cheese, stevia, cinnamon, cocoa powder.

Plop the cheese mixture in a ziplock bag, snip off the corner and fill won ton tubes.

Sprinkle with cocoa powder and stevia for effect. :)

• 1 cup whole wheat white flour (120g)
• 1 cup old fashioned oats (80g)
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup raw sugar (105g)
• 1 tbsp molasses (20g)
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 oz fat free cream cheese
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted (30g)
• 1/3 raisins or dried fruit chopped (I used a combo of cherries & blueberries)

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Place the sugar, butter, molasses and cream cheese in a bowl and beat with a mixer at medium-high speed until well blended. Add vanilla and egg beat again until blended finishing the wet ingredients.

Gradually add the flour/oats mixture to the wet ingredients, beating at low speed just until combined. Once all the dry ingredients are incorporated stir in walnuts and dried fruit. Click here to watch a video of the toddler and I making a similar cookie.

Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto baking sheets sprayed with non-stick cooking spray or lined with parchment paper. The dough will be sticky, try to flatten a bit as the dough will not melt as much as traditional cookies. Makes 36 cookies (3 dozen).

Bake at 350° for 12 minutes or until edges of cookies are lightly browned. Cool on the cookie sheet for about 2 minutes before enjoying the warm cookie! :)

To make more festive or involve the kids more, add sprinkles to the top just before baking!

I can’t lie I love these cookies. I’ve made a few batches getting things just right and MAN they are awesome right out of the oven. I’m a warm cookie gal all the way. Give me a gooey chocolate cookie out of the oven and I’m in heaven and these cookies TOTALLY hit the spot.

Anyway, I was so excited about them the toddler and I made a batch for this weeks video. Baking with him is one of my absolute favorite things to do and when he’s taste testing whole wheat and oatmeal cookie dough I think it makes it all the better. :)

Here’s the video… recipe to follow…

The Recipe

• 1 cup whole wheat white flour (120g)
• 1/4 cup baking cocoa (20g)
• 1 cup old fashioned oats (80g) (ground or unground your choice)
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup raw sugar
• 1 tbsp molasses (20g)
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 oz fat free cream cheese
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted (30g)
• 1/4 cup 56g mini chips

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine flour, cocoa, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Place the sugar, butter and cream cheese in a bowl and beat with a mixer at medium-high speed until well blended. Add vanilla and egg beat again until blended finishing the wet ingredients.

Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, beating at low speed just until combined. It will be REALLY thick. Once all the dry ingredients are incorporated stir in walnuts and chocolate chips as best you can.

Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto baking sheets sprayed with non-stick cooking spray or lined with parchment paper. The dough will be sticky, try to flatten a bit as the dough will not melt as much as traditional chocolate chip cookies. Makes at least 36 cookies (3 dozen).

Bake at 350° for 12 minutes or until edges of cookies are lightly browned. Cool for about 2 minutes before enjoying the warm cookie! :)

To make more festive or involve the kids more, add sprinkles just before baking!

I fear calling mine cookies as they really aren’t. I don’t like to sugarcoat what I make (literally and figuratively :~P) so I’ll simply call these "bites".

They are soft, tasty and very filling! Good for breakfast or as a snack paired with a cup of tea. The husband liked the flavor although I’m not sure he was sold on the texture, this just isn’t his thing. The toddler, on the hand, called them cookies and enjoyed every bite! Maybe I’ll get him to like these type of "cookies" so much that regular old cookies would be boring to him. LOL One can dare dream, can’t they? :~)

I’m going to experiment a few more times with this idea but wanted to share for early feedback! Plus I’d like to hear your experiments!

• 1 small (15 oz) can of pumpkin
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (I used ‘raw’ sugar)
• 1/3 cup applesauce
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 cups oatmeal
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together the pumpkin, sugar, applesauce, and vanilla. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients, then add to the pumpkin, mixing well.

Drop tablespoon amounts on a cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, should make 47-50 bites. Bake for 15 minutes or until done.

Let me start at the beginning.

I love experimenting in the kitchen (umm yeah, hence the blog.) Anyway, I had some extra time on my hand this morning and decided to experiment with some light cookie ideas that have been swimming in my head for the last few weeks. Yes, I actually have cookie ideas in this head of mine and normally I have no idea if they are going to work but it doesn’t hurt to try, right?

Anyway, I whipped these up this morning and the batter was delicious. I couldn’t wait to try and them and see how they came out. The first batch came out of the oven and to my surprise, they were DELISCIOUS! I mean it, really good. The problem is…

they aren’t cookies.

Don’t get me wrong they look like cookies, they smell they cookies and they taste like cookies they just don’t have the texture of cookies. My experiment led to a more cake like, almost spongy texture yet in cookie form.

So I brought them to work for some taste tests. Everyone enjoyed them but agreed… they aren’t cookies. So we threw around some name ideas like, “cake drops”, “sponge cookies” and my personal favorite (thanks David) “the Ca-ookie!”. Get it… Cake-Cookie, Ca-ookie!

So there you have it, the story of the ca-ookie.

• 2 cups (180g) Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• ¼ tsp salt
• 4 tbsp (1/2 stick) of butter
• 8oz (227g) Fat Free Ricotta Cheese
• 4oz (115g) Fat Free Cream Cheese
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp (42g) honey
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp lemon extract
• Sprinkles (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl beat the butter, Ricotta, cream cheese, sugar and honey until well blended.

Beat the egg and extract into the cheese mixture.

Slowly fold the sifted flour mixture into wet ingredients until just blended.

Using teaspoons drop the batter on a cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Top with sprinkles and bake for 8-10 minutes.

The recipe makes about 60 ca-ookies.

The coolest thing about this recipe is it’s appeal to both the chewy and crunchy cookie people. You’ll know there are only 2 people in the world, right? Those that like chewy cookies and those that like crunchy cookies. I have to admit I’ve always been a chewy girl but these cookies may be converting me.

The secret to the cookies is the meringue. Beating the eggs to increase their volume makes them so light and airy. If you haven’t made a meringue have no fear it really isn’t that hard. I pass on a few tips from Alton’s brown book in the recipe.

• 3 large egg whites
• 1/8 tsp cream of tarter
• ¼ cup of sugar
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I’ve ¼ cup of dark and ¼ regular – Delicious!)
• ¼ cup of splenda or ½-1 tsp Stevia powder extract (based on taste – available in the store)
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tsp vanilla (or almond extract)
• Non-stick cooking spray

Separate 3 eggs and let the whites sit at room temperature while getting everything ready for the recipe. The eggs will beat better at room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Sift the cocoa powder, splenda (or stevia), and salt. Put aside.

Beat the eggs on low-medium speed until frothy. Add the cream of tarter and crank up the speed to high. Continue beating until soft peaks form when you lift the beater from the eggs.

Once you have a real white frothy white meringue with soft peaks continue beating on high while adding a bit of the sugar at a time. You are adding the sugar SLOWLY. After all the sugar is incorporated, continue beating until stiff peaks form (as in picture below.)

Fold in the sifted cocoa mixture and extract into the meringue a bit at a time. It will seem as if you are ruining it, the texture will be odd but the more you fold in the more the cocoa will incorporate with the egg whites until you get almost a frosting consistency. You don’t want to mix all the air out so don’t over mix.

Using a teaspoon, drop small dollops of the mixture on a cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. For chewy bites bake for about 20 minutes, for crunchy bake for 40 minutes.

Recipe makes approximately 25 cookies.