Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Lactation Cookies

On a regular basis, I read a fair amount of blogs. Mostly food-related blogs, but there are a few lifestyle, photography, travel and miscellaneous mixed in too. (side note: if you’re a reader and have your own blog, I’d love to add it to my list! Let me know your url!) When a post from Amanda at I am Baker about “lactation cookies” showed up in my feedly last month, I was very intrigued. I pinned the recipe on Pinterest, knowing I’d definitely revisit the recipe!

At first glance, one might think that “lactation cookies” means cookies that include breast milk, but that is NOT the case! No, these are cookies that contain specific ingredients that are supposed to help increase a nursing mother’s milk supply.  Those ingredients are things like Brewer's Yeast and Ground Flaxseed and they also include other good for a nursing mother’s general nutrition ingredients like oats & a small dose of cinnamon.  Some moms follow a dairy free lifestyle to help with potential colic in their new little ones, so that is why these cookies use shortening instead of butter.

Growing up in the midwest, it was simply a given that when one of my parents’ friends or a fellow member of our church had a new baby, the people around them provided dinners for the family as they adjusted to their new life. These meals were especially important if the families didn’t have extended family visiting. It was a way to not only show love for the family, but also to help the family through a potentially challenging time of learning to care for their own first baby, or of having to care for a new baby while also taking care of other kiddos.  I very distinctly remember my mom making spaghetti pie & blueberry dessert (two of her specialties) on more than one occasion to take to a family with a new baby.

Two of my friends have had babies this summer. While I’ve only had the chance to make dinner for one family, I did deliver some of these lactation cookies to both ladies. Anyone in their families can eat these cookies (men or other children won’t magically start lactating if they eat them), but they were especially intended for the new moms. The cookies are not supposed to be any sort of a miracle item, but I figure tasty cookies are bound to “help” a new mom regardless of if they dramatically increase her milk supply.

OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP LACTATION COOKIES
via I am Baker 
yields 72 small cookies,
recommending serving: at least 4 per day for the nursing mom 

1 1/2 c / 6.35 oz  AP Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cocoa powder

3/4 c / 4.9 oz Vegetable Shortening
1.5 c / 10.5 oz Granulated Sugar
2 large Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1 1/2 c / 5.25 oz Rolled Oats
1 Tbl Ground Flaxseed
2 tsp Brewer's Yeast
10 oz Dark Chocolate Chips 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper (I try to line 4 pans, if I have them available). 
2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon & cocoa powder. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the shortening with the granulated sugar on medium speed until the mixture is well combined & fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Add the eggs & vanilla extract. Mix on low speed until just combined. Scrape the bowl again. 
4. Add the prepared dry ingredients. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients have been incorporated just halfway. Stop the mixer. 
5. In the dry ingredients bowl that was just used, add the oats, flax, brewer’s yeast & chocolate chips. Pour those ingredients into the stand mixer bowl & mix on low speed until everything is just incorporated. 
6. Use a 1 Tablespoon cookie scoop  to portion the cookie dough. Pan 3 rows of four cookies on a standard half sheet size baking pan.  
7. Bake at 350 F for 7 to 9 minutes, or until the edges are just barely browned. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the sheet pan. Store cookies in an airtight container. Leftovers may be frozen, if necessary. 

Note

• The original recipe called for adding a tsp of allspice to the dry ingredients. I didn’t have any, so I just omitted it. 
• The original recipe also called for dairy free chocolate chips. With my limited access to grocery options, I could not find any dairy free chocolate chips, so I instead opted to use dark chocolate chips, which will have a lower dairy content than milk chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips. 
• In the future, I would like to try substituting the shortening for coconut oil, but it isn’t something I’ve tried yet.... 
• I also recommend baking these cookies right after the dough is made. I refrigerated part of the dough & it did not seem to bake as well the following day. 

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Peach Surprise with Grandma Vein

“What’s the surprise?” asked my husband when I told him about my plans to make “Peach Surprise” with my Grandma Vein while we were back in North Dakota.  “I really don’t know.” I told him. And that’s the truth! I just know “peach surprise” is one of my absolute favorite summer-time desserts. 

After very suddenly losing my other grandma last year and since my sisters and I all live in different parts of the US, my motivation during trips back to North Dakota changed.  My number one focus has become spending as much time with family as possible. Grandparents are not alive forever. (really none of us are.) And we never know which visit will be our last.

Last month, we took a trip back to North Dakota/Minnesota to visit my family. We were fortunate to spend a few days in my hometown, followed by a few days at my family’s lake cabin in Minnesota.

My husband had to go back to work in Texas, but I stayed longer to spend some additional time in my hometown & to help my youngest sister move to Chicago.

One of the things I most wanted to do while in ND was to make something with my Grandma Vein. She’s a fabulous baker and cook! Last summer, we made a peach pie together, but this summer, I knew we needed to make “peach surprise.”

The recipe for “peach surprise” is straight out of an old lutheran church cookbook.  The pages where the good recipes are located are stained from years of use. Grandma has written her own notes & variations throughout the cookbook too.

Grandma’s favorite peaches are the elberta variety.  Every year, she patiently waits for them & buys them in mass quantities.  Grandma told me this year that she even called the store to reserve a whole lug of them (i.e. a little less than a bushel), fearing the store may run out before she could get any.

All those peaches get turned into delicious peach desserts, or sliced & eaten on their own with perhaps a splash of heavy cream.  Grandma also gives many of the peaches away to her sons so that their families may enjoy eating them.

One of the great things about “peach surprise” is that it is a no-bake dessert--just a graham cracker crust with peaches & a marshmallow/whipped cream filling.  But, since I can’t eat regular store bought graham crackers, we did have to turn on the oven to bake a batch of gluten free graham crackers first.

Grandma had suggested maybe we should make a gluten free cereal-based crust, using something like rice krispies, but I convinced her that gluten free graham crackers are rather fast and easy to make yourself. Honestly, I also just could not bear to change a classic too much!

While the gluten free graham crackers baked and later while the dessert was chilling in the refrigerator, Grandma and I had some good visiting time. She showed me all her latest photo albums & told me all the family news I’ve been missing. She has a hard time hearing voices over the phone, so our phone chats have been a bit difficult lately.  It was lovely to actually talk in person.

Though peach surprise is an easy dessert to make, I feel so fortunate and blessed to actually make it with Grandma. There are so many things she makes that my whole family loves to eat, but most of us don’t have those precious “memory food” recipes.

Even with my culinary school education, I treasure the times Grandma and I spend in the kitchen where she teaches me her tricks & techniques for making things.  I am actively trying to make sure that I document as many of her recipes, including the methods she uses that aren’t written in the recipes.

When I returned to Texas and told my husband and friends about my experiences making “peach surprise” with Grandma, they requested to try the dessert for themselves.  So for our Labor Day cookout yesterday, I made a pan of "peach surprise". It was the perfect way to celebrate the end of summer and a sweet finale to the evening.

Peach Surprise
yields approximately 12 servings

6 oz / 170 g / 4 cups Mini Marshmallows
4.95 oz / 139 g / 1/2 c Orange Juice

10 oz / 280 g /2 c Graham Cracker Crumbs {I used Gluten Free} 
2.45 oz / 69 g / 1/3 c Confectioner’s Sugar
4 oz / 112 g / 1 stick Unsalted Butter, melted

5 large ripe peaches {Grandma would suggest Elberta peaches}
16 oz / 448 g / 1 pint heavy cream

1.  In a double boiler, melt the marshmallows with the orange juice. Stir often. Remove from the heat to cool while the crust is made. 
2. To make the crust: crush the graham crackers (if they aren’t crushed already) using either a food processor or a ziptop bag with a rolling pin.  In a medium sized bowl, combine the crumbs with the confectioners sugar.  Add the melted butter and mix until all the crumbs are moistened by the butter. Press the mixture into the bottom of a 9x13” pan. Chill in the refrigerator while the filling is made.  
3. To make the filling: Peel, and slice (and chop, if you like) 5 large peaches. Whip the cream to medium stiff peaks either by hand, or on high speed with a hand mixer, or on high speed in a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment. Once the cream is whipped, fold it together with the previously made & slightly cooled marshmallow/orange juice mixture. Fold in the peaches.  
4. To assemble: Spoon dollops of the filling over the prepared crust.  Smooth out the top surface of the filling. Cover the pan & refrigerate for 4 hours. 
5. When ready to serve, cut the dessert into 12 pieces.  The dessert will keep for several days well covered in the refrigerator (if it isn’t entirely eaten immediately). 

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Gluten Free Key Lime Pie Wordless Wednesday

I seem to be having some trouble getting the actual writing portion of this post done. Instead, I'm taking advantage of Wordless Wednesday :)

GLUTEN FREE KEY LIME PIE

adapted from Nellie & Joe's  Key Lime Juice 
yields 1 9” pie (6 to 8 generous servings)

Crust
230 g / 2c c Gluten Free Graham Crackers (or substitute regular grahams, if not following a Gluten Free lifestyle) 
56 g / 4 Tbl Granulated Sugar 
112 g / 8Tbl/ 1 stick Unsalted Butter, melted 

Filling
3 egg yolks
1 14oz can Sweetened Condensed Milk
122g / 1/2 c Key Lime Juice (such as Nellie & Joe's) 

Decoration
1/2 c Whipped Cream
1 Tbl / 15 g Granulated Sugar
Key Limes, thinly sliced 

1. To make the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Crush the graham crackers, either in a food processor or in a zip top bag with a rolling pin.  Mix together the crumbs, granulated sugar & unsalted butter until combined. Press the crust into the bottom & up the sides of a 9” pie pan. Bake for 10 minutes.  Remove from the oven (but don’t turn it off) and allow the crust to cool completely. 
2. To make the filling: In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sweetened condensed milk.  Stir in the key lime juice, taking care not to stir too much & create bubbles. Pour into the pre-baked crust.  Bake the pie at 350 F for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Refrigerate until ready to decorate & serve.
3. To make the decoration: Just before serving, vigorously whisk the whipped cream with the sugar until the cream forms medium stiff peaks.  Place the whipped cream into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe whipped cream around the edges of the pie.  Decorate by adding a few very thin key lime slices (remove the seeds first).  Serve immediately. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.  

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Roasted Peach Snickerdoodle Ice Cream Sandwiches

Greetings from Chicago! I’m at the tail end of a trip back north to visit family.  I intended to post several times during this time away.  I made things--photographed them even--but I seem to balk when it comes to the actual writing and posting.  So I’m going to keep this one shorter on the writing!

Snickerdoodle cookies are one of my absolute favorite cookies, if one can really pick a favorite cookie.  I have very fond memories of making them with my mom and sisters as a young child--snickerdoodles also happen to be one of my dad’s favorites, so I’m fairly sure we made them for him on many occasions.

This particular snickerdoodle recipe is a bit different than the traditional one I made in my childhood.  The cookies turn out a bit flatter and crispier, which I think is perfect for turning into ice cream sandwiches.  I made both a gluten free version, using my favorite Gluten Free Flour Mix, and a regular version using all purpose flour. There was virtually no difference between the two! In fact, I almost had to make a second batch of Gluten Free cookies because I couldn’t stop eating them!

I’ve been hearing about Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams for a couple of years now, but it was only this past spring in Birmingham that I had the opportunity to try a flavor.  The texture (not to mention the flavor) is absolutely phenomenal, and I knew I needed to try one of her recipes at home.  I unfortunately do not have access to buying any of Jeni’s flavors near where I live.  I roasted some white peaches & yellow nectarines, pureed them and mixed them into the plain ice cream base.

One tip if you plan to make ice cream sandwiches out of homemade ice cream: spread the freshly churned ice cream onto a plastic-wrap lined baking pan.  Cover the pan completely with plastic wrap & freeze for a couple of hours.  The ice cream can then be cut to size with a circle cutter, placed directly onto the bottom of the first cookie, and topped with the second cookie.  So much easier than scooping!

Snickerdoodle Ice Cream Sandwiches with Roasted Peach Ice Cream

Roasted Peaches
16 oz pitted   peaches & nectarine combo (I used 2 nectarines & 2.5 white peaches; weight after they had been pitted) 
1/3 c Sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F.  
2. Cut peaches in half, remove pits.  Place into an ovensafe baking dish.  Sprinkle with the sugar. 
3. Roast until soft, approximately TIME
4. Cool completely, then peel.  
5. Process the roasted, peeled peaches in a food processor until completely pureed. Pour into an airtight container & refrigerate until cold.  

Ice Cream Base 
Adapted from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream via Saveur 

63g / 1/4 c Milk
11 g/ 4 tsp cornstarch

420 g/ 1 3/4 c Milk
290 g/ 1 1/4 c Heavy Cream
4.7 oz / 2/3 c Sugar
43 g / 2 Tbl Light Corn Syrup
1/4 tsp Salt

1.55 oz/3 Tbl Cream Cheese, softened 
1/4 tsp Cinnamon

1.  In a small bowl, stir together the first measure of milk and cornstarch to make a slurry.  Mix it enough that there are no cornstarch lumps. Set aside. 
2. In a 4 quart sauce pan, whisk together the milk, cream, sugar, corn syrup & salt.  Heat over medium high heat, stirring constantly for 4 minutes.  Remove from the heat. Whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Return the pot to medium high heat & continue whisking for an additional 4 minutes. Remove from the heat. 
3. Place the softened cream cheese into a medium sized bowl. Whisk a little of the hot dairy into the cream cheese. Mix until there are no lumps. Gradually add the remaining dairy.  Whisk in the cinnamon. 
4. Chill the ice cream base over an ice bath until cold.  Stir occasionally during the cooling process. 
5. Once cold, add the pureed roasted peach/nectarine mixture.  Whisk to combine. 
6. Churn the base in an ice cream maker according to the ice cream maker’s manufacturers instructions.  
7. While the ice cream is churning, prepare a quarter sized sheet pan (or flat toaster oven pan) by lining it with plastic wrap.  Leave enough overhang to completely cover the pan.  Once the ice cream has finished churning, spread it evenly throughout the pan.  Smooth the top as much as possible.  Use the overhang of plastic wrap to completely encase the ice cream.  Smooth out any air bubbles (or you risk developing frost/freezer burn in those pockets. Place the covered pan in the coldest part of the freezer. Freeze a minimum of 4 hours, though overnight is preferred.  

notes: 

• This recipe can be made in a 3qt sauce pan, but it comes dangerously close to boiling over.  I suggest using the larger size pot, but if you don’t have one, just be extremely extremely careful during the cooking process.
• The original recipe called for chilling the ice cream base in a large ziplock bag, then cutting the corner of the bag to transfer the base into the ice cream maker.  I tried their recommended method the first time, but unfortunately the bag broke & spilled everywhere.  Such a mess! So, I prefer to just set a smaller bowl with the base inside a bowl of ice.  
• I spread the finished ice cream onto a lined baking pan to make the assembly of the ice cream sandwiches easier.  If you just plan to make the ice cream for scooping, not making into ice cream sandwiches, portion it into airtight containers--I find heavy duty plastic containers help prolong the life of the ice cream. 

Snickerdoodles
4 oz Unsalted Butter, softened
4.5 oz Granulated Sugar
1 egg
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
6.25 oz Gluten Free Flour (I used my favorite blend, or you can substitute AP flour if you aren’t GF)
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
pinch Sea Salt

2 oz (heaping 1/4 c) Sugar
2 tsp Cinnamon

1.  Preheat oven to 350. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar on medium speed until the mixture has fully combined, has lightened in color, and increased in volume, at least 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. 
3. Add the egg and vanilla. Beat until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.  
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, soda, and salt.  
5. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and mix just until combined.  
6. In a separate bowl, mix together the sugar and cinnamon
7. Use a small cookie scoop to make equal portions of dough.  Roll each dough piece in the cinnamon sugar.  
8. Place the rounds onto the prepared baking sheet. Flatten slightly with the heel of your hand or the flat bottom of a drinking glass. 
9. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 10 minutes (if baking more than one sheet at a time, bake for 6 minutes, then rotate the pans and bake for an additional 4 minutes).  Let the cookies stand for  3 minutes on the baking sheet before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely. 
10. Store in an airtight container until ready to assemble the ice cream sandwiches. 

Ice Cream Sandwich Assembly

1.  Remove the ice cream from the freezer 5 minutes before you plan to assemble the sandwiches & allow to stand until slightly softened. 
2. Use a large circle cutter to cut circles out of the sheet of ice cream.  
3. Place each circle onto the bottom of one cookie & top with a second cookie. 
4. Wrap each sandwich individually in plastic wrap.  Store in the freezer until ready to eat.  

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Gluten Free Graham Crackers

Graham crackers are such a versatile cookie.  I never realized how much I like plain old honey graham crackers or how many recipes use them until I could no longer eat them.  Earlier this summer, I picked up a box of gluten free graham crackers while shopping at Whole Foods in the City.  (Oh how I miss living near a Whole Foods and Trader Joe's).

The store-bought gluten free grahams tasted ok, for a cookie, but they didn’t really embody the graham cracker flavor I remembered. Plus they were way too thick and not nearly wide enough to be made into a s’more.  And they were expensive.

I figured that if I wanted to make any s’mores this summer (or any of the other classic desserts that require a graham cracker crust), I would have to make my own gluten free grahams.

Several years ago, I made gluten free graham crackers for a Daring Bakers Challenge. I remember that particular recipe being rather difficult to make--the dough was a bit temperamental to roll out & properly shape. And it called for a particular variety of flour that I no longer keep on hand.

I did some research online & found several recipes that could work.  One in particular stood out: it was a very straight forward graham cracker recipe that used ingredients I already had on hand.  The recipe had excellent reviews, which I took as a positive indicator of the recipe’s potential.  I still thought there may be some tweaking to do, but I generally try to follow a recipe fairly exactly the first time I make it.  Then, I taste & decide what I think would work better before I try my variations.

This recipe required almost no adjustments at all!  My only change was to bake the crackers longer because I prefer a crispier texture, especially if I’m going to eat them as s’mores or crush them to make a crust.

I’m very excited to have this easy, successful, inexpensive recipe in my gluten free recipe arsenal.  The possibilities of future recipes utilizing these humble graham crackers is very bright...  Check back for a future post on how I used some of them!

Gluten Free Graham Crackers
adapted from Serious Eats 

240 g Brown Rice Flour 
1 oz Corn Starch
2.45 oz Dark Brown Sugar
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt

2.5 oz 5 Tbl Butter, cold

2.6 oz 6 Tbl Milk
2.25 oz/3 Tbl Honey

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. 
2. In a food processor, pulse together the dry ingredients until the ingredients are well combined.  
3. Add the butter to the dry ingredients & pulse until the butter becomes small pea-sized pieces.  
4. Add the milk & honey. To easily scale the honey, line a small rammekin-type dish with plastic wrap, leaving a generous overhang.  One the proper weight is added, gather the overhang & lift the honey out of the dish.  Twist into a little packet.  When ready to addWhile still holding the top plastic, pierce the bottom of the packet, only once, & squeeze into the food processor. 
5. Pulse all the ingredients together until the mixture forms a dough.  
6. Dump the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper at least 12x16.  Use the parchment to hand mix the dough, just a bit, and form the dough into a rectangle. 
7. Place a second sheet of parchment paper on top & carefully roll out the dough to a 12x16” rectangle.  The final product will be approximately 1/8” thick. 
8. Remove the top layer of parchment and slide the bottom sheet (dough and all) onto a sheet pan.  
9. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.  
10. After chilling, remove from the refrigerator & place the parchment back onto the counter.  Use a pastry wheel, or sharp knife to cut the dough into rectangle shapes. It is ok if the rectangles touch.  3”x3” is a great s’more size.  Dock the dough with the tines of a fork
11. Bake for 9 minutes, rotate the pan & bake for another 9 to 11 minutes or until the crackers are lightly brown & crispy (I tasted a corner to confirm).  
12. Cool on a cooling rack before breaking into individual crackers. 
13. Store finished crackers in airtight containers, or freeze for longevity.  Crackers may soften over time.  Pop them back into the oven (or toaster oven) to re-crisp, if necessary. 

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