Lovin' From the Oven

Levain Style Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies

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The chocolate chip Levain cookie copycat recipe was so good that I wanted to play with it and see what other things I could come up with from my pantry. I bought a gigantic back of dried cranberries from Costco just for this reason.

I think making less than ten cookies from an entire batch of cookie dough really is the way to go. There’s something about sitting down and eating one hearty cookie that beats eating four cookies at a time.

Life is so different baking with two littles around since they’re constantly sitting by my side, asking me what I’m doing next, and asking if they can eat some cookie dough. The girls are truly such wonderful listeners and will wait patiently until I tell them they can eat a cookie. They’ve got this whole thing down.

White chocolate tends to be really sweet in desserts, so I was careful not to put too many in. The ratio was just right for these cookies. The key to these gigantic cookies is letting them sit once they’re out of the oven. It’s tempting to eat right away, but don’t do it! Trust me. Just wait.

Recipe adapted from A Bountiful Kitchen.

Apricot Coffee Cake

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Have you guys been watching the Olympics? I can’t get enough. There are so many sports out there that I know nothing about! I’m amazed by everyone’s athletic abilities, mostly because I sit on my booty all day, chomping on carbs and napping whenever I can.

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After watching the events, I get motivation to go for a walk (since let’s be real here, I don’t run), but then the couch just calls my name. I need to be better about that. It’s actually fun taking Ellie out on walks. That girl loves being outside. Whenever she gets fussy, I take her with me to get the mail or walk around the block. Instant happiness. It’s that easy for her.

Ellie is seriously the most observant baby I’ve ever known. She loves soaking in the environment and taking everything in. She’ll sit quietly while listening, looking, and moving her head around.

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I can’t wait until I can feed Ellie some real food, like this crumb cake! If she’s anything like me, her taste buds will explode with joy. Apricot jam is so underrated. I always tend to reach for strawberry or grape jam to eat on a sandwich, but I think apricot jam is my favorite to bake with.

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I’ll gladly eat coffee cake for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or dessert. It’s the all-day kind of snack. This recipe is slightly adapted from The Egg Farm, and it tastes just as good as it looks!

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Apricot Coffee Cake

Ingredients

    For the cake:
  • 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup room temperature butter
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon Rodelle vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup Chobani vanilla greek yogurt
  • ½ cup Smucker's Simply Fruit Apricot Spreadable Fruit
    • For the topping:
  • ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1 tablespoon butter, cold and cut into tiny pieces
  • A pinch of salt
  • ⅓ cup sliced almonds

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°. Spray an 8x8" baking pan with cooking spray.
  2. Make the topping by using a fork to mix together the sugar, flour, butter, and salt. Stir in the almonds and set aside.
  3. To make the cake batter, cream together the butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Mix in the egg, vanilla, milk, and yogurt.
  4. Slowly stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt until just combined.
  5. Evenly pour half of the batter into the prepared pan.
  6. Spread the apricot over batter, leaving about a ½-inch border around the edges.
  7. Top with remaining batter and gently spread to cover the apricot.
  8. Sprinkle the topping over cake.
  9. Bake 45 to 55 minutes, or until the edges are browned and a wooden skewer to toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  10. Cool completely in pan before serving.

https://lovintheoven.com/apricot-coffee-cake/

Avocado Chocolate Cookies

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I am so excited to be living in California. That means I have access to the best avocados since they practically grow in our backyard!

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I normally eat avocados with savory foods, but have you ever tried incorporating them into baking? This was my first attempt and it won’t be my last! The avocado replaces butter in normal cookies, creating a healthier way to eat dessert.
IMG_6423Rodelle‘s cocoa powder is a key ingredient in this recipe for the beautiful dark color and chocolate flavor of these cookies. My cookies turned out a little too gooey and wet, so I’ll have to give them another try to get a more cookie texture. Recipe from The Smoothie Lover

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Avocado Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup avocado flesh (I used 1 1/2 medium Hass California avocados)
  • ½ cup honey
  • 1 egg
  • ½ cup Rodelle dark cocoa powder
  • 1/4 cup dark chocolate chunks
  • ½ tsp. baking soda

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat.
  2. In a mixer, cream together avocado and honey on high speed until smooth. Add in the egg.
  3. Mix in the cocoa powder and baking soda.
  4. Stir in chocolate chunks.
  5. Use a medium sized cookie scoop to scoop out the dough onto the baking sheet.
  6. Bake for 8-10 minutes.
  7. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

https://lovintheoven.com/avocado-chocolate-cookies/

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