My grandson Jay (age 9) is my model and taste tester. He is paid in cookies and other goodies!

Healthy Carob Chip Cookie Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Organic pastry flour
• 1/4/cup butter unsalted
• 1/4 cup carob chips
• 1/4 cup stevia (or use agave nectar)
• 1/4/cup liquid egg (eggbeater tm, 0 cholesterol)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Mix with mixer or by hand, the butter, sweetner and vanilla until smooth.
2. Add in the egg replacement and mix thoroghly.
3. In a separate bowl place the flour, baking powder (salt , if you desire)
4. With mixer on low speed or stir by hand, blend the flour mixture into the  butter mixture to blend well.
5. Stir in carob chips.
6. Divide cookie dough by pincing off a portion and roll it in the palm of your hands into a 1 -2 inch ball.  Flatten into a circle.
7. Cover the bottom of the pan with a thin layer of olive oil.
8. Place cookie dough on the pan about 1 inch apart.
9. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for 10-12 minutes till lightly brown.
10. Place on cooling rack to cool.
11. Store in an airtight container makes 1 dozen cookies.

Enjoy!

Here is a link to Christi’s Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are some of the best moments of summer and certainly bring a ton of fun without a lot of effort!  Get togethers with family & friends – grilled hot dogs, sausages, chicken, or hamburgers – kiddie pools and popsicles – fireflies and fireworks – all leading up to The Grand Finale:

DESSERT!

Here’s a list of enticing desserts and sweet summer treats that you should consider for your next family reunion, picnic, or backyard barbecue:

• Chilled Fresh fruit.  Sweet summer fruit can add fantastic, fresh
  flavor without extra calories or sugar.  For anyone watching their waistline (and who doesn’t during summer?) icy cold watermelon, cantaloupe, or honeydew chunks, mixed with cherries, blueberries, raspberries, or strawberries is a great ending to a hot summer day. Topped with whipped cream or served on a skewer – it’s a great treat! And besides – you can have a watermelon seed spitting contest afterwards!
• Fruity Grilled Chocolate Kabobs.  If you want a grown up version of fresh fruit – check this recipe out.  How good does THAT sound?
• Rice Krispie Treats. This marshmallow delight pleases kids and adults alike. You can add your favorite M&M candies or festive sprinkles for a punch of color (and more chocolate!  Or you can try these: Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Bars with Chocolate Butterscotch Topping.  This is a summer classic - all grown up!   You could make your regular rice krispie treats or you can try these…  Such a dilemna!
• Brownies.  Whether you frost and decorate, or just serve and eat – brownies make for easy cleanup and nobody pays attention to how many you eat!  These Brainy Brownies contain a surprise ingredient that some might refuse on its own, but adds nutritional benefits and may surprise you with their great flavor.
• Flag-Inspired Cake.  Whether you’re celebrating July 4th with family or friends – this is a timeless addition to your dessert lineup!
  Simple and fresh it’s a sweet treat that anyone can enjoy. Or you can try this Marshmallow Caramel Boooom Cake! For a light version, you  can cut an angelfood cake into bite size chunks and layer into plastic cups with berries, fat-free / sugar-free pudding, and whipped topoping for individual “trifles”.
• Dirt Pudding!  What a FUN summer dessert! (I love this Wiggle Worm Dirt Pudding!) It can be prepared in individual servings and is very kid-friendly!  With the wide variety of chocolate sandwich cookie flavors, you can find a way to please nearly everyone!
• Homemade Ice Cream.  One of the best summer flavors I can remember tasting was fresh, homemade vanilla ice cream.  Whether you Kick the can, take turns at the hand crank, rely on an electric machine, trays in your freezer – OR even make it in a bag, homemade
  ice cream can make for special memories with friends and family!
• Cookies!  Easy to make, travel ready, and endless variety – the difficulty is deciding which ones to make!  Classic chocolate chip, No bake, Peanut butter, Snickerdoodle, Sugar – the choice is yours!  Try this version of a Girl Scout Samoa!
• “Over 21″ desserts.  So the kiddos have had their dirt pudding, but you want something more grown up for the adults.  Why not make this Kahlua Bowl Cake or these Bourbon Balls?  A really easy trick is to poke holes into a baked cake with a fork, and brush with about 1/2 cup of your favorite rum, brandy or liqueur (Amaretto, Kahlua, raspberry, etc.) and “frost” with whipped topping.  Keep chilled until ready to serve.  If you want the flavor without the buzz, try this  Frozen Strawberry Margarita dessert…
• S’mores. Whether you enjoy the classic toasted marshmallow-chocolate bar-graham cracker variety or you want to try something new, S’mores just taste of summer!   For some variety, try this collection of S’mores dessert recipes!  I won’t tell you how many S’mores I can eat in one sitting, but I will tell you that I’ll be enjoying S’mores one summer night very soon!

photo credit: wharman, photo credit: mmatins, photo credit: thebittenword.com

You will need:

1/4 cup Butter

3 Tablespoons of Brown Sugar

1 Teaspoon of Ground Cinnamon

1 1/2 cups of Cheerios

1 1/2 cups of Mini pretzels or pretzel sticks-havled

1 1/2 cups of Teddy Grahams

1 1/2 cups of Animal Crackers

Directions:

Heat butter over low heat.

When melted, add brown sugar and cinnamon.

Mix well.

Combine other ingredients in a large bowl (kids can do this easily!)

Add sugar-butter mixture.  Toss to coat.

Place in a greased pan and bake, uncovered at 30 degrees for 20-25 minutes.  Stir every 10 minutes.  Do not overcook.

Allow to cool.  Store in an air-tight container.

You will need:

One box of cake mix (your choice)
1 Pkg of softened cream cheese
1 cup of Softened butter
1 tsp of Vanilla
1 egg

In bowl, whip cream cheese, butter, Vanilla and egg together.

Add cake mix.  Blend.

Mixture is thick and gooey.  Be prepared to lick the batter off your fingers.

Place on cookie sheet with average sized spoon (cookies will not expand much in oven)

Bake at 350 degrees for 6-8 minutes (until barely browning at the edges)  The less time they bake, the more gooey the results.

If your kids want to help, let them add the cake batter – and lick the beaters.