Posted: July 19, 2012 | Author: Rachel Randolph | Filed under: Desserts, Uncategorized | Tags: cookie butter cookies, low fat, subbing pumpkin for oil in baking, trader joes cookie butter, vegan cookies |

Cookies made with cookies, topped with cookies. Yes, yes, I did.
I know it sounds terribly excessive. But, I can explain, I swear!
So what happened was…
I went to Dallas Fort-Worth’s first Trader Joe’s last weekend while I was killing time before (okay, and during) Jared’s baseball game. As I was standing by a large display of Cookie Butter, reading a jar and trying to figure out what it was, a man walked by and offered his unsolicited opinion,”That stuff is amazing. Just get it. You won’t regret it.”
To which I replied, “Is it like gain-40-pounds-while-sitting-on-the-couch-licking-the-jar-clean, amazing?”
Pushing his cart on his way down the aisle, he hollered over his shoulder, “You might want to get some stretchy pants, but it will all be worth it.”
I was officially intrigued and a little nervous for my waistline. So in my cart the Cookie Butter went.

It turns out, this peanut butter-like spread is made from 57% crushed cookies (and, as one online reviewer put it, a collection of less than healthy natural ingredients…mostly oils and sugars). It feels like really creamy peanut butter with tiny bits of cookie in it, and tastes kind of like gingerbread. It’s hard to compare it to anything, because it’s just unlike anything I’ve ever had. (Though, I’ve heard it’s similar to Biscoff Spread, popular in Europe.)
In a week, I have indeed licked the jar clean, mostly just eating it straight from a spoon. Lucky for me, I wear stretchy pants most days anyway, so I didn’t have to run out and buy a pair.
I did manage to actually make a cookie recipe with the small amount of cookie butter I didn’t eat right out of the jar. In an effort to redeem myself, I even tried to make them a little bit healthier than average cookies, by using all whole wheat pastry flour, rolled oats, and pumpkin instead of oil. (Peanut butter definitely wins in the overall nutrition category, but believe it or not, peanut butter has more fat, sugar, sodium, and calories than cookie butter.)
Have I redeemed myself yet?
I had just enough cookie butter left to smear onto one cookie. It was heavenly. Then I shed a tear for the rest of the batch who would not get to experience the full glory of being cookies, made with cookies, topped with cookies.

If you can get your hands on some of this yummy spread, take a lesson from me and don’t let your cookies suffer because you couldn’t keep your spoon out of the cookie butter jar.
And if you can’t get your hands on Cookie Butter, stick around for tomorrow’s post. We’ll be doing a giveaway you don’t want to miss!
Note: This was post was not sponsored in any way by Trader Joe’s. Opinions and expenses were all mine.

Rachel’s Pumpkin Cookie Butter Cookies
Makes ~ 14 cookies
Ingredients
1 c. whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/3 c. rolled oats (not the quick-cooking kind)
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/4 heaping c. Trader Joe’s Cookie Butter or Biscoff Spread (I’m sure you could sub a creamy nut butter and a little bit of pumpkin pie seasoning if that’s all you have.)
1/2 c. pumpkin
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. milk (I used unsweet almond milk)
1 t. vanilla

Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray
In a bowl, combine flour, oats, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl or mixer, mix cookie butter, pumpkin, sugars, milk, and vanilla.
Add dry ingredients to wet and combine. The dough will be little thinner and stickier than your average cookie dough.
Roll dough into golf ball size balls and place on cookie sheet two inches apart. Spray a fork with non-stick spray and press a criss-cross pattern into each cookie, respraying your fork as needed.

Bake for 13-15 minutes. Let cool completely.
Enjoy as is or with a smear of cookie butter on top.

This was printed from: We Laugh, We Cry, We Cook
The site URL: http://welaughwecrywecook.com
The Title: Pumpkin Cookie Butter Cookies
The URL: http://wp.me/p1UwM9-xo
© Copyright 2012 – All Rights Reserved
Posted: April 17, 2012 | Author: Rachel Randolph | Filed under: Main Dishes, Vegan | Tags: artichokes, basil, easy dinner, garlic, healthy, low fat, main dish, pasta, quick dinner, roasted bell peppers, side dish, vegan, vegetarian |

Artichokes give this sauce its creamy factor without adding any fat.
Motherhood has changed me. We just spent an evening discussing life insurance and wills. I wake up before eight a.m. without an alarm. I no longer pee alone. I don’t shower until noon most days (if I shower at all). And I cook every meal while simultaneously pulling my child out of cabinets, trash cans, and the wash machine … or out from between my legs.
My mom snapped this picture of Jackson last time she was here. He pulls up on my pant legs right behind me and completely immobilizes me. I can’t turn around or squat down to get him or he’ll fall over. Cooking like this is challenging to say the least.

So I love a meal that is quick and easy, but tastes deliciously gourmet. This pasta sauce is exactly that. It takes about five minutes to make and if you pour it over hot pasta, you don’t even have to simmer it. As a bonus, Jackson likes it too, so I can give him little bites of my dinner without making a different meal for him. Mommy and baby approved!
Did I mention there is no cream in this creamy pasta? It’s almost guilt-free, minus the two tablespoons of olive oil. Another bonus for this post baby body!

Rachel’s
Creamy Artichoke Basil Sauce
Serves 2
Ingredients
2 garlic cloves, diced
2 T. olive oil
1 14 oz can of artichoke hearts, reserve liquid
1 1/2 roasted red bell peppers (jarred or make your own*)
A palm full of basil, roughly chopped
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1/2 t. Italian seasoning
8 oz pasta (I used whole wheat spiral pasta, but any kind you like would be fine)
Directions
In a small skillet, heat garlic and olive oil until garlic is just starting to brown. In a blender or food processor, blend all the ingredients including the sauteed garlic and olive oil. Add reserved liquid** from the artichokes (I think I used about a half a cup) to thin out sauce to desired consistency. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed.
Toss with pasta immediately out of the boiling water. Garnish with a little chopped basil if desired.
*Making your own roasted peppers is easy. Just placing them directly on on a gas burner flame rotating it a few times (like this) or on a pan under the broiler until charred. Then put it in a bowl tightly covered with plastic wrap for a about five minutes. Rub off most of the skin with a damp paper towel. Voila, roasted peppers!
**Pasta water would work great too if you accidentally forget to reserve the liquid from the artichokes. Yes, I speak from experience.
Variations
Stir in chickpeas, sauteed veggies, chicken or Italian sausage (or the vegan versions of these)
This was printed from: We Laugh, We Cry, We Cook
The Title: Creamy Artichoke Basil Sauce