Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oat Cookies

...if the name alone isn't a tantalizing mouthful, how about this mouth-watering photo?

And this is a healthy cookie!! 

The credit for this recipe goes to pinterest, which continues to inspire delicious smells and delighted smiles. 

The inspiration for this recipe came from my Bio lab instructor, Dr. K. I was early for lab last week, and we were talking about food. I mentioned that I like to cook, he asked if I bake, and I, of course, said yes. He jokingly requested cookies, I excitedly said, "Sure!". At that point, my lab group had arrived and jumped at the excuse to bake cookies together. Thanks to Caroline, Caitlin, and Hunar (Team Hunar) for baking and doing labs with me, and overall being amazing. I look forward to lab every week just to hang out with you all <3

The following week, the night before lab, we met at my dorm. Everyone brought some ingredients, we made the batter together (feeling intense deja vu, as if we were once again in the lab together, measuring starch and amylase) and while it was baking, we worked on our lab reports. 

Being the geek that I am, I decided it would only be fitting to write today's post like a lab report. Happy Incubating! 

Objective: Bake stunning, delicious, flour-less, butter-free Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oat Cookies

Hypothesis: Cookies will be primarily held together by the oats and peanut butter. They will rise because of the baking soda, be chewy because of the brown sugar, flavorful because of the vanilla extract, and appease chocoholics with chocolate chips. 

Prediction: This cookie will become a new healthy, addictive favorite!

Materials: (Makes 30 servings)

• 1.5 tbsp Vanilla Extract (22.5 grams)
• 2 Large Eggs 
• 1 cup Peanut Butter (236.6 grams)
• 2/3 cup Rolled Oats (156.1 grams)
• 1 tsp Baking Soda (4.9 grams)
• 2/3 cup Brown Sugar, packed (156.1 grams)
• 1 cup Milk Chocolate Chips (236.6 grams)

Protocol:

1. Preheat the oven to 176.7 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit for those of us in the US). 
2. Combine Baking Soda and Rolled Oats in a small bowl. 
3. In a large bowl, combine Vanilla Extract, Eggs, Peanut Butter, and Brown Sugar. 
4. Mix with a hand mixer for approximately three minutes, or until the batter matches this picture: 
   
   5. Add the dry ingredients to the large bowl. 
   6. Mix in the dry ingredients with a spoon until the batter is relatively homogeneous (completely mixed). 
   7. Fold in chocolate chips using the same technique. 
   8. Using your hands, roll batter into 1 inch diameter balls and place approximately an inch away from all other cookie balls on a non-stick cookie sheet. There is no need to use butter or oil, as the peanut oil from the peanut butter will allow the cookies to separate from the pan. Do not be surprised if your hands become slick and covered with peanut oil while you form the cookie balls; the oil separates in most peanut butter because the peanut oil contained is not pure. 
   
   
   
   
   
   9. Bake for about 10 minutes in the middle of the oven. The cookies will bubble while the separated oil touching the pan cooks, you will think there is something very wrong, worry not! The cookies expand in the second half of the baking process, and will end up looking like this: 
   
   11. You will know the cookies are done if you poke one in the middle with a fork and it comes out clean. Be sure to observe the base of the cookies as well, to see if they have burned. 
   10. If the smell that extends throughout the entire first floor doesn't cause a stampede of hungry college students, suddenly very interested in your affairs, allow to cool for 1-2 minutes before eating to avoid a burnt tongue. 
   12. Try not to eat them all before lab! (This is the most difficult step...we decided to eat the small pan and bring the full pan to lab.)
   
   
   Data Collection: 
   
   
   The Calories:
   Vanilla Extract- 17 calories
   Rolled Oats- 240 calories
   Baking Soda- 3 calories
   Brown Sugar- 547 calories
   Chocolate Chips- 805 calories
   Eggs- 147 calories
   Peanut Butter- 1518 calories
   ____________________________
   TOTAL: 3277 calories
   
   
   Because the recipe made 30 cookies, each cookie is about 109 calories. 
   
   
   The peanut butter looks like a problem, because it contains a high amount of fat. However, it contains mostly unsaturated fat and a high amount of protein. Regular butter is 100% saturated fat, which is more dense than unsaturated fat. (If you're interested in the science behind this concept, please click here!)
   
   
   Discussion:
   What Went Right:
   Everything about these cookies was so right. They're exceptionally delicious; the class loved them, we loved them, and most importantly, our instructor loved them! Plus, we had a great time baking together and working on our lab. 
   
   
   What Went Wrong:
   The total prep time for these cookies is at most 10 minutes. The total bake time for these cookies is at most 10 minutes. That means from start to finish, 30 delectable cookies can be made in only 20 minutes. Need I say more? 
   Follow-Up "Experiment":
   There's nothing in particular these cookies NEED. This is one cookie recipe that I don't particularly want to change. It's wonderful the way it is and really should stay that way. 
   That said, we discussed the potential of combining them with two other cookie recipes we found: Apple Spice Cookies and Boyfriend Cookies. In the spirit of fall, it would be great to try adding diced apple to the recipe, and potentially caramel. I think these would add to the texture and flavor well.The Boyfriend Cookies contain M&Ms, pecans, a few different kinds of chocolate, and pudding mix. I think this is a bit extreme and eclectic, and would take away from the pure warmth of this recipe that blends together so beautifully. 
   Otherwise, I think it would be safe to exchange the milk chocolate for dark chocolate chips or raisins, if you wanted them to be that much more healthy. Exchanging the chocolate for raisins would make each cookie about 99 calories, so it's only worth it if you don't like chocolate. 
   Final Comments:
   Overall, this was a highly worthwhile endeavor which will be duplicated with a different "experiment" next week...stay tuned for more Lab Reports ;) 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Loaded Oatmeal

Hello hello!

Thanks for being such an avid reader :)

While on my oatmeal kick, I decided to see what was so wrong about normal, instant oatmeal...

The Recipe:  Loaded Oatmeal

• 1/2 cup Rolled Oats
• 1 cup warm water
• 5 strawberries, cut in 1/4 slices
• 1 banana, sliced
• 1 apple, sliced and diced
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp honey
• 1/4 cup wheat germ

The Process: 

• Preheat the oven for 325 degrees
• Mix the water and oats
• Microwave until oats are saturated
• In an oven-safe bowl, mix the apple chunks, honey, and wheat germ into the oatmeal
• Lay the bananas and strawberries on top of the oatmeal
• Sprinkle the top with brown sugar, so that it will create a caramelized layer over the oatmeal
• Bake the oatmeal for about 10 minutes, or until the brown sugar has all caramelized
• Remove and transfer to a normal eating bowl 
• Enjoy?

The Calories:

Rolled Oats: 150 calories

Strawberries: 15 calories

Banana:         105 calories

Apple:            77 calories

Brown Sugar: 17 calories

Honey:           21 calories

Wheat Germ: 104 calories

__________________________

TOTAL:        489 calories

Not terrible, considering this is high fiber and has three different fruits.

What went right: 

            The heated fruits were awesome!

What went wrong:

            I am not a fan of oatmeal.......the mushiness was definitely combated well through the fruit additions and they really don't taste like anything, so that's fine...

Would I do this in college:

           Can't say that I would! However, I could try a sort of baked fruit salad...hmmm...foreshadowing??

Overall, I did everything right and learned a valuable lesson about why oats are great in cookies and bread, but oatmeal...not so tasty! Oh well, I still ate it all :) 

Deceptively Healthy Dessert: Banana Oatmeal Cookies

Hello health food fan!

My house is pretty empty as of late. We really only have some remnants of old meals, bread, cereal, drinks; nothing really that would be enough to make a dish. Or so I thought! I came across a recipe for cookies that included only bananas and dry oats, which were coincidentally two of the few edible products in the kitchen.

The  Recipe:  Banana Oatmeal Cookies

• 2 large old bananas 
• 1 cup dry oats
• 1 tbsp Wheat Germ (personal health addition)
• Preferred toppings/mix-ins (I tested toppings of chocolate chips, coconut,  almond slices, and honey)

The Process:

• Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees
• Mash the bananas into a medium sized bowl 
• Mix in the oats and wheat germ using a spoon
• Mix in any other desired mix-ins (I didn't mix in anything this time, but I got some ideas for next time!)
• Use a spoon to make small cookies on a pan, spaced out enough to be separate, but they don't expand, so no worries on that one. (They could be made in a muffin tin, or as larger cookies as well. My batter made 20, 1.5-2 inch diameter cookies.)
• Apply toppings as desired 
• Bake for 15 minutes

The Calories: 

The two bananas were each about 105 calories, so 210 total. 1 cup of oats is 150 calories. 1 tbsp of wheat germ is 25 calories. The base mixture has a total of 385 calories. Divided by 20, that makes each cookie about 19 calories. The amount of each topping I added was trivial enough to not matter, such as a single chocolate chip, or a drop of honey. 

What went right: 

              The cookies are really good, and very healthy. I can see this batter being a very useful base for even a type of cake, or muffins! My family enjoys them very much; even my brother ate two. Within minutes, they were all gone. The coconut and the chocolate chip went over best. From start to finish, the whole process took about 30 minutes. Well worth it! 

What went wrong: 

               The honey isn't the most fulfilling topping. It tastes good, but only in the one small spot. Oh well! Other than that, the cookies are way too addicting!!

What I would try next time:

                This base batter comes with a world of possibilities! I would like to do it with fruit, peanut butter, pecans mixed in, mini chocolate chips mixed in, cocoa powder mixed in, toasted coconut mixed in, granola mixed in, butterscotch chips, or even pretzel pieces. I might also try a variety of extracts. Other than toppings, I might try baking the cookies in muffin sleeves for slightly less time, or making larger cookies. I might even use it as a pie crust, or bake a thinly spread pan into chips. Another possibility would be to freeze it in small truffles, and dip it in chocolate, butterscotch, or anything really that would harden around the batter. 

Would I do this in college?: 

               100% Yes. The batter is super easy, very healthy, and has a high potential for variety. I think it would freeze and keep well, so I could make a large batch, and only bake as needed. It also tastes amazing. This is being added to the top of my no-guilt snack list! 

Overall, the recipe was a HUGE success! I'm making another batch after dinner tonight.