Mexican Polvorones con Canela and Mill City Museum

Mill City Museum, it is a mecca for the 5th grade classroom every year at our school.  This was my second time there,  I got so excited getting to go again as a recipe blogger.  It took on a whole new meaning to me.

I just know I had a recipe in here somewhere!

But first, with all the stacked boxes and wrapped up glasses, this kind award slipped my mind!  Slipped but not forgotten.  Thank you My Little Space for this Stylish Blogger Award, it means so much how warmly I have been welcomed into this wonderful community of bloggers.

Now back to the flour mill mecca.  This retired flour mill called the Mill City Museum was originally built as the A Mill, built in 1874 along the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, MN.  Using the power of the river to run the factory, it was the largest and most technologically advanced mill in the world.  At the highest capacity it was told that the mill ground enough flour to make 12 million loaves of bread a day.  That is a lot of sandwiches! 

Today the old flour mill is a museum for Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Gold Medal Flour and General Mills.  We even got to bake in the Pillsbury Doughboy and Gold Medal Flour Baking Lab. 

Elevator ride with a movie and props just like at DisneyWorld, it lets you out at the top so you can see Sr. Anthony Falls that powered the mill along with many other flour mills right next door. 

They went over different types of wheat and what same wheats are used to make baked goods all over the world.  By using the same ingredients cooked in a little different way you get a whole new recipe.  Our recipe for the day was... 

Mexican Polvorones con Canela

Arabic in origin, this recipe was brought to Mexico from Spain. These cinnamon sugar cookies are a favorite among Mexican- Americans. They are often served at wedding and other festive occasions wrapped in multi-colored tissue paper.

Print recipe here

½ C unsalted butter, room temperature

¼ C powdered sugar

1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract

1 C all purpose flour

⅛ tsp salt

½ tsp cinnamon

1. Beat butter in a medium bowl until creamy.
2. Add powdered sugar and vanilla, beat until light and fluffy.

3. Stir flour and salt in gradually until mixed well.

4. Roll in ¾ inch size balls and place on an ungreased baking sheet.

5. Bake cookies for about 15 minutes in an oven preheated to 375 degrees F.  Remove when edges turn a pale gold.

6. Sprinkle the cookies with a bit of powdered sugar and let cool.

Thank you my son, 5th graders for a wonderful day and Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Today's recipes where brought to you by, inspired or adapted from:  Mill City Museum's Pillsbury Doughboy and Gold Medal Flour Baking Lab

Double Chocolate Loaded Cookies and Protein Packed Chocolate Cookies (Healthy Enough for Breakfast Cookies)

Long title I know, it will be worth it.

I made these cookies and they are amazing!  They are also amazingly healthy.  Loaded with fiber, protein and antioxidants. Yet so good, no one will suspect a thing.  Be careful though, these brownie dense cookies are very addicting! 

Healthy is good, but eating the entire bowl of dough is bad, hahah....not that I would do that.  Ever.  I mean really.  Well, maybe just a taste.  For you know, quality control and such.  No cookies to bake?  Someone must have come in when I wasn't looking?  I have been meaning to get that alarm system.  Now would be a good time, to ward off those horrible intruders. 

Double Chocolate Loaded Cookies

Print recipe here

½ C white whole wheat flour

¼ C golden flax seed, ground

½ C old fashioned rolled oats (not instant)

¼ C dark cocoa powder

1 tsp aluminum free baking soda

¼ C unsalted butter, softened

⅔ C organic brown sugar or sucanat

1 large egg

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

½ C pecans, chopped

½ C dark chocolate chips

½ C dried cherries (juice sweetened or sugar free if you can find)

celtic sea salt for sprinkling

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie tray with parchment paper.

I should really be more careful with the intruders around ;)

2. In a medium bowl whisk the butter, sugar, egg and vanilla. With a wooden spoon, add in the flour, flax seed, oats, baking soda. Mix in the pecans, chocolate chips and dried cherries.

3. With a cookie scoop, drop onto your parchment lined cookie tray. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt over each one. (Important Note: Use celtic sea salt or kosher salt, not table salt!) Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from tray and let cool on wire rack, plate or wax paper.

~After making the above recipe I was inspired to make a low carb-o, high protein "breakfast" version.  They turned out so good I am including this rendition as well.  Seriously healthy enough for breakfast!  They are more cake like but equally flavorful.  Naturally, they are sugar and gluten free.  Good for any(who's) currently on the GAPS, Paleo, Primal, Hunter/Gatherer, HCG Phase 3 & 4, Atkins or South Beach diets plan.  Especially good for all my Phases To Forever (Phase 3er's and 4er's only..this one is for you!).

Protein Packed Chocolate Cookies (Healthy Enough for Breakfast Cookies)

Print recipe here

½ C almond flour (almond meal or simply, finely ground almonds)

¼ C golden flax seed, ground

½ C unsweetened coconut, shredded or flakes

¼ C dark cocoa powder

1 tsp aluminum free baking soda

¼ C unsalted butter, softened or coconut oil

½ C unsweetened applesauce

½ tsp (mounded) liquid or powdered stevia

1 large egg

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

½ C pecans, chopped

½ C cocoa nibs, chopped or ground (optional)

½ C dried cherries or any dried fruit of choice (juice sweetened or sugar free if you can find)

celtic sea salt for sprinkling

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie tray with parchment paper.

2.  In a small bowl stir together the applesauce and stevia until mixed through.

3. In a medium bowl whisk the butter or coconut oil, applesauce + stevia, egg and vanilla. With a wooden spoon,add in the almond flour, flax seed, coconut and baking soda. Mix in the pecans, chocolate nibs and dried fruit.  (I love dried cranberries too!)

4. With a cookie scoop, drop onto your parchment lined cookie tray. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt over each one. (Important Note: Use celtic sea salt or kosher salt, not table salt!) Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from tray and let cool on wire rack, plate or wax paper.

 ~Seriously, how good would it be to add in dried strawberries or raspberries to this?   Make sure to give each recipe a equal opportunity, don't tell the kids or husbands which is which and see what variation wins.

Each cookie is healthy in different ways, your secret is safe with me!

Today's recipes where brought to you by, inspired or adapted from:  Eat Good 4 Life


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Oatmeal Cookie Bars

Happy Spring everyone!
All over the country, we are looking forward to spring a lot more than in the recent years!  So excited for warmer temps and sunny skies, MN will have to wait a little longer...today is snowing and blowing. Including a picture of our nasty weather would just be mean.  Here is my little piece of spring that resides in my kitchen smelling the whole first floor, thanks mom!

Saved by the Egg Timer has gotten a mini spring face lift!  I will be trying to get the Ingredients at Their Best page to a final update soon too.  You can still check it out in it's construction zone for some great food ingredient information.

Please excuse my absentmindedness, I mean recent absence ;)  Or maybe both...  We have been moving and growing and making some kitchen improvements!  This is a great thing, great for me and you.  More recipes, more room, more creating, more posts!  I have to say that the lighting has improved very much so will be looking forward to providing lovely, drool producing photos for the recipes.

Cookie bars for a cause.  A very good cause.  To treat the teachers that teach my children! Try saying that 10 times fast?  Well, all I have to say about this recipe is this- a week after these cookie bars were shared at conferences.  My son was named a student of the month at his school (brag worthy proud mom moment!)  No really, he earned it all on his own.  I get no credit whatsoever in the leastest bit, except being a proud mom.  It takes a village to raise a child?  These days it takes a good family and home to undo what the village has taught my child!  Seriously though, he does have great teachers and a great school.  The recipe was requested so here it is!  The name should really be Teacher's Conference Oatmeal Bars.

Oatmeal Butterscotch Bars
Print recipe here
¾ C (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter
¾ C sucanat sugar (I love Heavenly Organics brand for any baking)
1 large egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 ¾ C whole white wheat flour, unbromated and unbleached
¾ tsp aluminum free baking soda
¼ tsp celtic sea salt
1 C old fashioned rolled oats
1 C butterscotch chips
1 C white chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a glass 9 x 13 glass baking dish with foil, let each end have a 2 inch overhang. Grease foil with a little butter or oil spray. Set aside.

2. Beat the softened butter and sugar in a medium mixing bowl until whipped together. Add the egg and vanilla, beat for 3 minutes until fluffy.

3. Sift the dry ingredients over the wet and beat until combined and no white shows through. Stir in chips.

4. Press dough into the prepared pan. Bake for 16-19 minutes until a very slight and light golden brown is achieved. (They may even seem undercooked at first but should not look doughy in the middle.)

5. Let cool in pan. Lift two sides of overhanging foil to remove bars. Place onto a large platter or cutting board. Cut into desired sized squares. Wrap up to give away, but don’t forget about quality control! Bake, smell, eat!

Today's recipes where brought to you by, inspired or adapted from: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Chocolate Mint Truffle Kisses

There are no words, all I can say is make these!  Bonus:  if you ran out of eggs you can still whip this up!  Don't have Kisses?  Add 2 cups of chocolate chips to the batter instead.  I used my Homemade Peppermint Extract, remember that?  It is delicious, don't forget about it next year when your planting. 

Truffle cookies with a truffle topping. 

Chocolate Mint Truffle Kisses
Print recipe here

2 1/2 sticks (1 ¼ C) unsalted butter, softened
2 C powdered sugar
1/3 C unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp celtic sea salt
1/4 C Greek yogurt or cultured sour cream
2 tsp Homemade Peppermint Extract
2 ¼ C white flour, unbromated and unbleached
¼ C unsweetened cocoa powder (for rolling)
1 package Mint Truffle Kisses

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and powdered sugar, slowly added.

3. Add in the cocoa powder and salt. Mixture until well combined.  Beat in the sour cream and peppermint extract.

4. With the mixer on low, blend in the flour until no streaks of flour remain. Chill dough 30 minutes.

5. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and roll each ball lightly in the cocoa powder and place on the baking sheet. Do not flatten the cookies. The cookies will not spread very much if the dough is chilled, so they can be placed fairly close together.

6. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes. They will just barely be set but you don’t want to over bake or they will be dry. Remove from cookie sheet and place on plate, wax paper or cooling rack. Place a kiss on each cookie.

Note: The truffles Kisses will melt into perfect puddles. If you use solid chocolate Kisses you will keep the Kisses shape. Both are cute and yummy. Store in an airtight container.

Today's recipe is brought to you by, inspired or adapted from:  My Kitchen Cafe and a bag of Kisses!

Salted Caramel Chewies

With our awesome blizzard I got a lot of cooking done while locked inside my house.  It was a lot of fun, I am hearing that most people enjoyed being forced to do nothing for a day.  I found a new favorite.  If you are a fan of a salty and sweet you need to make these for your Christmas treat.  Not the prettiest cookie in the whole wide world but nicer looking in person. Sparkling with sugar and salt. 

Salted Caramel Chewies
Print recipe here

¾ C unsalted butter, no need to thaw
1 ¾ C dark brown sugar
½ tsp celtic sea salt
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 TB vanilla extract (Yes, Tablespoon!)
2 ½ C all-purpose flour, unbromated and unbleached
½ tsp aluminum free baking soda
¼ tsp aluminum free baking powder

Rolling Mixture
2 TB dark brown sugar
2 TB raw cane sugar
Celtic Sea Salt for sprinkling- any good (sea salt, kosher salt or Fleur de sel) salt except NO table salt!

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and set aside.

2. Place butter into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Make your Beurre Noisette (Browned Butter).

3. Pour the browned butter into a large mixing bowl. Add the brown sugar and salt, mix until all ingredients are wet. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Mix until combined.

4. Add the flour mixture in three parts. Mix just until the flour is completely combined and the dough is very thick.

5. Take 1/2 a tablespoon-sized pieces of dough (I took my cookie scoop, scooped it level, removed then separated into two) and gently roll them into ball shapes.

6. Dredge them in the sugar dredging mixture until well-coated. Place on the baking sheet and lightly sprinkle with the salt.

7. Bake for 7-9 minutes or until the edges have browned a bit and they look set. Be careful not to over-bake. Remove from cookie sheet and allow to cool on plate, wax paper or cooling rack.



Today's recipe is brought to you by, inspired or adapted from:  Simply Recipes

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies with Caramelized Nuts

Fall is here- mums, leaves, pumpkins, gourds, squash, corn, maple and apples!

Let the fall baking begin!  I made these and brought them to a gathering last week, they were a huge hit.  Recipes where asked and the few left overs where spoken for...as a passionate cook, that to me equals success!  I know a few are waiting upon this recipe post from that night, I told them it would be posted this week so here it is!

There is a little prep work for this recipe with the Caramelized Nuts.  It only takes a few minutes to make and are fully worth it, if you are in rush then just skip, through in toasted or raw nuts instead.  As always, I made my nutritional modifications.  Use what you have in your pantry and if you ever spot the ingredients I use, give them a try because you will not be disappointed.  I chose first on taste, second on nutrition.  It would not seem that way but as it turns out...things taste better when you have them the way they were originally grown/ made. 

Caramelized Nuts

Print this recipe

2 TB organic brown sugar
1/2 tsp raw cane sugar
1 T unsalted butter
1/2 C nuts of your choice
Optional: 1/8 tsp cinnamon (very good for Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookie recipe)

1.  Place brown sugar, cane sugar, butter and cinnamon (if adding) in a skillet on the stove top.
2.  Heat on medium, stir the mixture while it becomes melted together.
3.  Keep stirring until it bubbles.
4.  Add nuts and stir until coated.
5.  Continue cooking for 5-7 minutes, stirring constantly until nuts turn golden brown in color and smell toasted.
6.  Transfer to waxed paper or plate to cool.
7.  Break them apart and add to your favorite recipe, unless they disappear first!

Here is my Kitchen Technique #4-  My top secret baking ingredient, the cinnamon.  If you have never heard of, or tried Vietnamese Cinnamon you are missing out.  You don't even realize what cinnamon taste like until you have used this!  I buy mine at Penzey's Spices.  I am lucky enough to have one in my city and they are expanding all of the time, they also have an online store.  They are excellent spices at a decent price.  If you cannot find Vietnamese Cinnamon, then I would say Chinese Cinnamon is a runner up.  Good 'ole cinnamon is wonderful too. 



One cookie- two faces.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
Print recipe here

1 C white flour, unbromated and unbleached
1 C whole wheat flour, unbromated and stone ground
1 1/2 C old-fashioned rolled oats
1 tsp aluminum-free baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground Vietnamese Cinnamon (seriously find this!)
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice*
1/2 tsp celtic sea salt
1 C unsalted butter, softened
1 C packed light brown sugar (Rapunzel whole cane sugar)
1 C granulated sugar (Heavenly Organics for baking is the best!)
1 C pure pumpkin puree
1 large egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 C white chocolate chips
1 C dried cranberries

1/2-1 C Caramelized Nuts

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2.  Combine flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt in medium bowl.  

3.  Beat butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until light and fluffy.

4.  Add pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract; mix well. Add flour mixture; combine until all ingredients are incorporated. Fold in white chocolate chips, dried cranberries and Caramelized Nuts.

5.  Drop by rounded tablespoons or your cookie scooper onto baking sheets.

6.  Bake for 12-14 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

See the difference?  When I brought these for a gathering, I wanted to bring the presentation up a notch.  I did a few trays of regular, few trays of fancy.  When plating, stack the pretty ones on top.  They taste the same, but this is why bakery cookies always look better.  Place a few of the add-ins on the top of dough before baking with any cookie recipe.  Both beautiful, both yummy.  One simple, one fancy.

Thanks for visiting me @

Today's recipes where brought to you by, inspired or adapted from: OurBestBites and MyBakingAddiction.