Pumpkin Pancakes

Original Recipe HERE

Pumpkin pancakes often are gummy in the middle because of the moisture content of the pumpkin.  These weren't as gooey as previous recipes I've tried, and they puffed up nicely instead of stayed flat.  The batter was very thick and didn't spread much in the pan, which I'm not used to, but it meant I could make smaller pancakes (yay for faster cooking) and fit more in each round in the skillet (yay for efficient cooking).  I got about 22 pancakes out of this, and I wish I'd doubled the recipe because the superhuman appetites of my kids weren't satisfied with 4 pancakes each.  Leftovers for the next day would've been nice, especially since the kids asked that I make them again.

Ingredients

1 egg

1 & 3/4 cups buttermilk

1 cup pumpkin puree

2 Tablespoons applesauce

2 cups whole wheat flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice

Directions

(1) In a large mixing bowl, whisk together egg, buttermilk, pumpkin puree, and applesauce.

(2) Into a separate bowl, sift together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.

(3) Combine dry ingredients into wet.  Stir until just mixed but still lumpy.

(4) Cook pancakes on a griddle or in a skillet over medium-low heat until a few bubbles appear in the batter.  Flip and cook until done.

Kid Participation:

* Whisk wet ingredients

* Measure dry ingredients

* Sift dry ingredients

* Spoon batter into skillet (because it's thick and there's less chance of it turning into a mess in the skillet)

Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip, & Coconut "Lactation" Cookies

Original Recipe HERE

 

This recipe got good reviews from its original baker, and it had plenty of oats involved.  So I figured why not see if it could be converted into a lactation cookie by added the old standbys of flaxseed meal and brewer's yeast.  I'm happy to report that it, indeed, can.  Actually, I can't report on the lactation function yet (you'd think eating six cookies in one sitting would produce immediate results...), but they taste great and are the chewy consistency that I like.  Sometimes the brewer's yeast flavor can be detected in cookies, but not here.

 

I cut the original brown sugar amount by 1/4 cup because I didn't have enough.  With the chocolate chips and coconut, there's already plenty of sweetness being added, so I would try decreasing the white sugar to 3/4 cup, also - maybe even one sugar to 1/2 cup.

 

I got about 36 cookies using approximately 2 tablespoons of dough for each.  Next time I will use my smaller 1-tablespoon scoop and get more.  Also, because of a crying baby who didn't want to sleep, half of the dough sat on the counter longer than expected.  The last batch of cookies spread a lot.  I got the best results with the fresher (colder) dough on the silpat, so refrigerating it before scooping is suggested.

 

Ingredients

3 Tablespoons flaxseed meal

3 Tablespoons water

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 Tablespoons brewer's yeast

3 cups old-fashioned oats

1 cup chocolate chips [I used mini-morsels]

1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut

 

Directions

(1) In a small bowl, combine flaxseed meal and water.  Set aside to soak.

(2) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper or a silpat.

(3) In a small bowl, sift together flours, baking powder, salt, and brewer's yeast.

(4) In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy.

(5) Add eggs and vanilla to butter mixture; mix thoroughly.

(6) Add flaxseed meal to butter mixture; mix thoroughly.

(7) Add flour mixture to wet ingredients; mix until just combined.

(8) Add oats, chocolate chips, and coconut; mix until evenly distributed.

(9) Using 1-2 tablespoons each, roll dough into balls.  Space balls at least 2" apart on baking sheets.

(10) Bake 10-12 minutes, or until edges are golden brown but middles are still pale.

(11) Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes.  Remove to cooling racks.

 

Kid Participation:

* Mix flaxseed and water

* Measure dry ingredients

* Sift dry ingredients

* Measure wet ingredients

* Operate mixer

* Make dough balls (but not if you care about uniformity in size and whether your kid gets dough all over themselves from the elbows down)

Chocolate Lactation Cookies

Original Recipe HERE

I'm using baby #4 (henceforth referred to as *A*) as an excuse to gorge myself on cookies.  I love lactation cookies because they (1) help my supply a bit, (2) make large batches, (3) are filling, (4) are easy to grab as a snack - or breakfast if I'm desperate, and (5)  they are healthy enough that I don't feel bad engaging in said gorging.

I don't like to throw a bunch of chocolate chips in, like most recipes suggest, because I do gorge myself on them (have I mentioned that already?).  I read somewhere that you're supposed to have two small cookies for each feeding.  But I don't feel like a cookie is truly a cookie unless it has either frosting or chocolate elements.  The cocoa powder in these satisfies that need and, as far as my tiny bit of research says, is better for you than Nestle morsels.  Don't tell me if I'm wrong about that.

The first batch was good, but practice makes perfect and the second batch was better.  I made a few changes that time, but I'm posting the original amounts below.  The updates were: substituting 1/2 cup coconut oil for half of the butter, reducing both sugars to 1/3 cup, and replacing 1 cup of white flour with 1 cup of wheat.  I also tossed in about 1/3 cup mini-morsels that time...

The cookies come out of the oven very soft, cool and firm up quickly, and then are at their best after they've sat overnight.  They re-moisten themselves somewhat, as many cookies with large amounts of oats tend to do.  Using my mini-dough scoop (approximately one tablespoon size), I got four baking sheets worth of cookies, which was over 50 cookies.
 

Ingredients

1/2 cup flaxseed meal

1/2 cup water

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar 
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 Tablespoons molasses
1/3 cup cocoa
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 cups oats
1 cup chocolate chips, raisins, etc. [I did not use]
4 Tablespoons brewers yeast

 

Directions
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2) Mix water and flaxseed meal until thoroughly wet.  Set aside.
3) In a large bowl, butter and sugars until fluffy.
4) Add eggs, vanilla, and molasses to butter.  Mix well.
5) Add flaxseed meal.  Mix well.
6) In a separate bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt, and yeast.
7) Add dry ingredients to wet.  Mix well.
8) Add oats.  Mix well.
9) Fold in chocolate chips.
10) Drop spoonfuls of dough (1 to 2 tablespoons each) onto baking sheets.  If desired, flatten slightly.  Cookies will spread a bit.
11) Bake about 12 minutes.  Remove cookies from baking sheets immediately; cool on racks.

Kid Participation:
* Add wet ingredients
* Add dry ingredients
* Scoop dough
* Ask if eating the cookies will help them make milk

Soft Pretzels

Original Recipe HERE

 

I made these for St. Patrick's Day.  I knew the kids probably wouldn't like the usual corned beef meal and other traditional Irish "delights" (a term used loosely for the dishes of an area not known for its cuisine).  So I went the cop-out route and served green food.  Including pretzels.  Because I added green food coloring to the dough.

 

These were really easy - and actually easier to do by hand.  I started the dough in the stand mixer, but I didn't like the way it seemed to be going, so I took it out and kneaded it with elbow grease.  Any shapes can be made from the dough, but I went with the universal pretzel shape.  The dough was so elastic that it kept retracting; I couldn't get it to the 20" ropes the original recipe made.  So my pretzels were small and chubby.  Next time I'll let the kids play with it and see what shapes they come up with.

 

I got 12 pretzels: 7 salt and 5 cinnamon-and-sugar.  The flavors weren't as pronounced as I'd hoped.  I wonder if rolling the dough pieces in the salt or C-and-S before forming into their shapes (instead of just sprinkling them afterward) would give better coverage and intensity.  Probably the easiest thing to do is just make little pretzel balls (or make the ropes, then slice them into bite-size pieces) and experiment with a variety of coatings.  These were dense (see original's notes about flour use) yet the perfect degree of softness.  They remained so the next day, but they were gone within 24 hours so I don't know how well they last past that.

 

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups warm water

1 packet active yeast (2 and 1/4 teaspoons)

1 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon granulated sugar

1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour

2-3/4 cups all-purpose white flour

1 large egg

course sea salt for topping [optional]

cinnamon-and-sugar for topping [optional]

 

Directions

(1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Line baking sheet with parchment or silpat.

(2) Dissolve yeast in warm water.  Stir until mostly mixed (about 1 minute)

(3) Add salt and sugar; stir.

(4) Add flour, 1 cup at a time and mixing after each addition.  Continue until dough is no longer sticky and bounces back when poked.

(5) Turn dough out onto floured surface.  Knead about 5 minutes.

(6) Shape dough into a ball.  Cut in to evenly-sized quarters.  Cut each quarter into three evenly-sized pieces (end result of 12 individual pieces of dough).

(7) Roll dough into a rope with an even diameter, aiming for at least 18" long.  Make a circle out of rope.  Hold together two loose ends together; twist and press back down onto bottom of circle.

(8) Beat egg; pour into shallow dish.  Dip pretzel into egg wash so all surfaces are covered.

(9) Put pretzel on baking sheet.  Sprinkle with topping.

(10) Bake 10-12 minutes.  Turn oven to broil for approximately 2 minutes to brown tops (watch closely to avoid burning).

(12) When done, remove to cooling rack.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

 

Kid Participation:

* Mix ingredients

* Knead/punch/tug/torture dough

* Form pretzel shapes

* Sprinkle toppings

* Freak out with joy at seeing homemade pretzels served for dinner