impromptu cookies

variation on oatmeal cookie, adding ground (in a food processor) semi sweet chocolate at the last minute instead of raisins or chocolate chips, and adding melted peanut butter after they bake.

almond cake ... time consuming, difficult, but worth it!

i am too tired after making this cake to comment, so you'll just have to fill in the blanks on your own!

improvised oatmeal raisin pie topped with peanut butter and chocolate swirls

ok, so. i decided to bake oatmeal raisin cookies last night, but i was halving the recipe because it makes so many. all was going as planned until i was adding the very last ingredient - the oats. instead of adding 1.5 cups, i added 2.5... so then i threw in another egg, a bit more brown & granulated sugar... balled it up and baked 6 cookies. they came out extremely thin and very chewy. delicious. with the leftover dough from last night, i pressed it out into a glass pie plate, pushing up on the sides to make a crust. i baked this for 20 minutes at 350. i then poured a layer of melted peanut butter, and then a layer of melted semi-sweet chocolate on top, twisted through them with a knife, and baked an additional 10 minutes. then elias whipped some heavy cream, and wah-lah, oatmeal raisin cookies knocked up several notches.

Banana-Pumpkin Bran-Flax Muffins (Chef Matt Post)

I'd never made bran muffins before (my overall muffin-making experience is quite low), and wanted to give it a go. I found a recipe that looked pretty good, but I had made so many changes to it that it really became its own thing. For one thing, I wanted extra, so I doubled the recipe. Since I had only two bananas and needed four, a can of pumpkin made up the shortfall. I also had no whole-wheat flour, so I subbed in some oats. I also prefer brown sugar in baked goods, usually. I also didn't trust a recipe without any added fat, so I threw a few tablespoons of oil in there. And last, but not least, I'd already begun when I realized I had no eggs. I remember reading that you can use flax seed and water as a substitute. I was skeptical, but it worked out just fine.

• 2 c all-bran cereal
  
• 1 c rolled oats
  
• 1/2 c all-purpose flour
  
• 4 tsp baking powder
  
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
  
• 1/2 c milk
  
• 1 c brown sugar
  
• 2 tbsp ground flaxseed whisked with 6 tbsp of water
  
• 2 tbsp water
  
• 1c mashed banana (approx 2 bananas)
  
• 1 can (the normal-sized one) pumpkin

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine dry ingredients and add the flax mixture, water, milk, banana, and pumpkin.

Mix until well combined.

Grease the muffin tins, paying extra attention to the bottom. Fill tins 2/3 of the way, and bake for about 30-50 minutes.

I used both small and large muffin tins, with and without paper cupcake wrappers, so there was considerable variation in doneness. Use a toothpick to test. If it comes out clean, you're good to go. If it doesn't, put them back in for another 3-5 minutes and test again.

You want to get muffins out of the tin right when you take them out of the oven, so they don't get soggy and stuck, so pop 'em out after you take them out. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy!

almond encrusted oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

a fun twist on a classic cookie. oatmeal cookie recipe from the target brand quick oats box. add a teaspoon of cinnamon, a ton of chocolate chips, and roll the cookies in crushed almonds. i used a food processor to crush the almonds.

matt's roasted veggies

roasted broccoli, turnips, beets, potatos