Crispy Thin-crust Personal Pizzas

Everybody has days they just want to curl up on their couch in front of old Friends re-runs and finish an entire personal pizza.

While you're at it, why not make this crisp, thin-crust. Full-on-flavor, generous-on-toppings personal pizzas?

They're light and heavenly, and leave room for that tub of Ben and Jerry's as a dessert.

Thin-crust Personal Pizza
Makes: 4 pizzas
Source: Starting Cooking

1/2 cup warm water
1 level tsp active dry yeast
1 level tsp sugar
1 1/2 cup plain white flour (not bread flour!)
1/2 tsp salt

Put 2 tbsp of the water in a small bowl and stir in the yeast and sugar. Leave it in a warm spot for about 15 minutes until mixture becomes frothy on top.

Sift flour and salt into a mixing bowl, make a well in the center and pour the yeast mixture. Add The rest of the warm water and mix until it forms a dough. Make the dough into a ball and knead it for 10 minutes. Cover in a bowl with a damp towel on top for an hour to let it rise.

Heat oven to 425F, after an hour remove dough and knead for five more minutes until smooth. cut into four equal balls and roll each into a thin circle. Place the circles on pizza trays or baking trays lined with cookie sheets.

4 rounded tbsp tomato paste
4 tbsp water
1/2 tsp italian seasoning
Vegetables, sliced. (I used Mushrooms, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers)
Pre-cooked toppings (I used Ham, Roasted Kabocha Squash)
Cheese (optional)

Mix tomato paste with water and seasoning, spread evenly on four pizza bases. Top with raw vegetables of choice and cook for 20 minutes, ten minutes on the top shelf and ten on the middle shelf.

Out of the oven, top with pre-cooked ingredients such as ham, as well as cheese and other garnishing.

Homemade Pretzels

The other day I was bored out of my wits. So I googled (with google filter on, mind you) 'Things for girls to do when they are bored'.

Apparently, baking bread is one of them. And since I am one of the few people I know that actually enjoy the smell of dry active yeast, I accepted the challenge.

Except, making a plain loaf is too boring. It lacks... Pazaaz.

So I decided that the bread in question had to have a fantastic, witty shape. It had to be individually portioned to save me the headache (and stomach ache) of eating the whole lot of them in one go. It had to be savory, because I had whacked my weight in macarons the day before.

And it had to make me look good.

Pretzels, it was.

Miniature soft pretzels
Source: Smitten Kitchen
Makes 16 full-sized or 32 miniature

2 cups warm water (100°F to 110°F)
1 tablespoon + 2 tablespoons sugar
1 packet active dry yeast
5 to 6 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons canola or other neutral oil
1/4 cup baking soda
1 large egg white
Coarse or pretzel salt
Vegetable-oil cooking spray

1. Pour warm water and 1 tablespoon sugar into bowl of electric mixer fitted with a dough hook* and stir to combine. Sprinkle with yeast, and let sit 10 minutes; yeast should be foamy.

2. Add 1 cup flour to yeast, and mix on low until combined. Add salt and 4 cups more flour, and mix until combined, about 30 seconds. Beat on medium-low until dough pulls away from sides of bowl, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add another 1/2 cup flour, and knead on low 1 minute more. If dough is still wet and sticky, add 1/2 cup more flour (this will depend on weather conditions); knead until combined, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a lightly floured board, and knead about ten times, or until smooth.

3. Pour oil into a large bowl; swirl to coat sides. Transfer dough to bowl, turning dough to completely cover all sides. Cover with a kitchen towel, and leave in a warm spot for 1 hour, or until dough has doubled in size.

4. Heat oven to 450°F. Lightly spray two baking sheets with cooking spray (parchment paper, ungreased, also works). Set aside. Punch down dough to remove bubbles. Transfer to a lightly floured board. Knead once or twice, divide into 16 pieces (about 2 1/2 ounces each) or 32 if making miniature pretzels, and wrap in plastic.

5. Roll one piece of dough at a time into an 18-inch-long strip. [I find the pretzels much easier to roll on an unfloured board, oddly enough, but see what works for you.] Twist into pretzel shape; transfer to prepared baking sheet. Cover with a kitchen towel. Continue to form pretzels; eight will fit on each sheet (you may need a third sheet if making miniatures). Let pretzels rest until they rise slightly, about 15 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, fill large, shallow pot with 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil. Add baking soda (and step back, it foams up quickly) and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Reduce to a simmer; transfer three to four pretzels to water. Poach 1 minute on each side. Use slotted spoon to transfer pretzels to baking sheet. Continue until all pretzels are poached.

7. Beat egg white with 1 tablespoon water. Brush pretzels with egg glaze. Sprinkle with salt. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool on wire rack, or eat warm. Pretzels are best when eaten the same day, but will keep at room temperature, uncovered, for two days. Do not store in covered container or they will become soggy.

Isn't she a doll? All twisted in her full pretzel glory.

Question of the day
What is the most time-consuming thing you have ever baked and how did it turn out?
I once baked a local cake called Kuih Lapis which required you to bake a tablespoon of batter at a time in the pan, taking it out every 5 minutes to add the next spoonful. It took me easily three hours to bake. But, dammit, it was delicious.

Eclairs with a mocha pastry cream filling

Once you have perfected the perfect choux recipe, it's only normal to progress from cream puffs to eclairs, in all their cylindrical, chocolate-topped, pastry-cream-filled glory.

And when choosing the flavour of pastry cream, one does not simply choose vanilla, or chocolate. Nay, one chooses espresso! Mocha! For what is an eclair without a touch of caffeine?

Eclairs with a mocha pastry cream filling

For the choux pastry:
Recipe Here

For the pastry cream and chocolate topping:
Source: Annie's Eats

For the mocha pastry cream:
1½ cups half-and-half
6 tbsp. plus
2 tsp. sugar, divided
Pinch salt
1½ tsp. espresso powder
3 large egg yolks
2 tbsp. cornstarch
2 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into 2 pieces
½ tsp. vanilla extract

For the glaze:
3 tbsp. half-and-half
2 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup (4 oz.) confectioners’ sugar, sifted

To make the pastry cream, heat the half-and-half, 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon of the sugar, and the salt in a saucepan over medium-high heat until simmering, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Once the mixture is warm, whisk in the espresso powder. Meanwhile, combine the egg yolks and remaining 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar in a medium bowl and whisk until the sugar has begun to dissolve and the mixture is creamy, about 15 seconds. Whisk in the cornstarch until combined and the mixture is pale yellow and thick, about 30 seconds.

When the half-and-half mixture has reached a simmer, slowly add it to the egg yolk mixture to temper, whisking constantly. Return the mixture to the saucepan, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula. Return the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, until a few bubbles burst on the surface and the mixture is thickened and glossy, about 30 seconds. Off the heat, whisk in the butter and vanilla. Strain the pastry cream through a fine mesh sieve set over a medium bowl. Press plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming and refrigerate until cold and set, at least 3 hours and up to 2 days. (Alternatively, place a bowl filled with the warm pastry cream into an ice bath with 2 tbsp of salt added. Stir constantly until set, about 20 minutes.

Using the choux recipe above, adjust an oven rack to middle position and preheat the oven to 425˚ F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone baking mat. Fit a pastry bag with a ½-inch plain tip. Fill the pastry bag with the pâte à choux. Pipe the paste into eight 5 x 1-inch strips, spaced about 1 inch apart. Use the bake of a teaspoon dipped in water to even out the shape and smooth the surface. Bake 15 minutes without opening the oven door, then lower the oven temperature to 375˚ F and continue to bake until golden brown and fairly firm, 8-10 minutes longer.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and cut a ¾-inch slit into the side of each éclair to release steam. Return the pan to the oven, turn off the oven, and prop the oven door open with the handle of a wooden spoon. Dry the éclairs in the turned-off oven until the centers are just moist and crisp, about 45 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

To make the glaze, place the half-and-half and chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave for 20 seconds at a time, until the mixture just begins to steam. Whisk together thoroughly, add the confectioners’ sugar and whisk until completely smooth. To assemble the éclairs, add the pastry cream to a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip. Pipe the pastry cream through the slit in the side of each éclair to fill it completely. Dip the top of each éclair in the chocolate glaze. Transfer to a wire rack and allow the glaze to set. Serve within several hours.

Eclairs can be frozen with the chocolate glaze but only fill with pastry cream when about to serve.

Question of the day
What is the whackiest, weirdest flavor of pastry cream you have ever seen of, heard of, or tried? I tired a pistachio pastry cream a few months back. A shocking shade of green but it was delish!

Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough Balls

My, my mudpie.

If you take my obsession with cinnamon, cookes and raw raw batter, we get these:

No to mention the fact that they are stuffed with those teensy tiny marshmallows that we love to throw into or hot chocolate with reckless abandon.

Of course, giving that i only bought ONE packet of mini marshmallows and was eating about 37 per marshmallow I actually put in the dough balls, I ended up with 7 marshmallow-core-less balls.

Never fear! Cut up Reese's peanut butter cups are here!

Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough Bites
Source: Cooking Classy
Makes: 14 balls

3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
A pinch of nutmeg
1/8 tsp salt
57g salted butter, softened
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/8 cup granulated sugar
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
1 1/2 Tbsp heavy cream
3/4 tsp vanilla extract

14 Mini marshmallows (Or chopped up reeses cups, or peanut butter chips. Whatever takes your fancy)
3 Tbsp granulated sugar
3/4 tsp cinnamon

In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip together butter, brown sugar, 1/8 cup granulated sugar and cream of tartar until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Stir in heavy cream and vanilla extract. Sieve in flour, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and mix until combined.

In a separate small mixing bowl, whisk together 3 Tbsp granulated sugar and 3/4 tsp cinnamon.

Scoop dough out 1 (even) TBSP at a time, then press one marshmallow into the center of scooped dough and roll into a ball. Roll each dough ball into cinnamon sugar mixture. Chill or serve immediately. Store Cookie Dough Bites in refrigerator.

Muah Chee

Have you ever heard about Muah Chee?

When I was thirteen, I was obsessed. I would eat two packets for recess and maybe even bring home a third. It was glutinous rice pieces in a peanut and sugar powder. Honestly, who wouldn't love it?

Nobody.

Just look at it, ooey-gooey chewy rice-flour pieces oozing chunky peanut bits with sugar crystals.

There is a cheat way to make it, and the traditional. I would like to say I did it the traditional way because I don't believe in new-age rubbish (if you consider nuking it in the microwave 'new-age'), but frankly, I steamed it because I don't have a microwave.

Radiation waves, all that. Yada Yada. But the wait was well worth it, I'll prove it to you. Try some.

Traditional Steamed Muah Chee

Serves: 8 portions (Muah Chee can get overwhelming all at once, eight is a good size, trust me.)

Source: Small Small Baker

200g glutinous rice flour
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon shallot oil
250ml water

75g roasted peanuts, processed into a powder
75g granulated sugar

To make shallot oil, thinly slice 1 small shallot, fry with 1 tablespoons oil till golden brown. Leave to cool.

Mix glutinous rice flour, sugar, salt, shallot oil and water in a mixing bowl. Stir to combine, make sure flour mixture is completed dissolved. Pour the mixture into a deep dish (about 8" in diameter). Steam over medium heat for about 25mins. Test the centre with a toothpick to ensure it is cooked through. Leave to cool.

Mix peanut powder and granulated sugar in a plate. When ready to serve, scoop small pieces of muah chee with a spoon and toss them in the peanut powder mixture cut with a pair of scissors with a lightly greased blade. Serve immediately.

Perfection. Chewy, Nutty, Sugary perfection.

Falafel Patties with a creamy Tahini Dressing

See, one of the only reasons I could possibly picture myself becoming a vegetarian is because of god's gift to the cruelty-free eater: Falafel.

But, the not so wonderful thing about this heavenly food is that it. Is. Deep. Fried.
So you can imagine why I am not eating five falafel patties a day and swearing to go off meat entirely. Well, that, and the fact that I adore turkey. And Salmon, and tuna, and chicken.

You see my problem.

Baked falafel is often disappointing, and i rather have the occasional indulgence than being able to eat a less-than-spectacular patty more than 'occasionally'.

So, I thought: Pan-fry.

So, I thought: Pita bread instead of burger buns

So, I though: Tahini! It should be illegal to eat a chickpea, or a chickpea-containing food item, without rich and creamy sesame seed butter.

So, I thought:

Three Elements.
Perfect pita, Fantastic Falafel, Terrific Tahini Dressing.

I dare you.


Homemade pitta bread
Source: 101 Low-Fat Vegetarian Recipes

1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 tablespoon of sugar
1/2 cup of warm water
4 cups of bread flour
2 teaspoons of salt
1 cup of warm water
1 tablespoon of olive oil

Dissolve in the yeast and sugar in 1/2 cup of warm water and set aside, covered, for 15 minutes. Dissolve salt in the remaining 1 cup of warm water. In a large mixing bowl, add flour and make a well in the center. Add yeast mixture and salt water. Knead with hands for 10 minutes in the bowl. Add olive oil and continue to knead until all oil is absorbed. Shape into a ball in the bowl, cover, and place in a warm area to rise until doubled in volume (2 hours). Punch down the dough and knead for 5 minutes more. Preheat oven to 175°C, and lightly oil baking trays. Take pieces of dough slightly larger than an egg and roll out on a floured surface to a thickness of 3/8 to 1/4 inch. (For larger or smaller pita bread pieces, take more or less dough). Prick the bread with a fork in several places. Place on baking sheets and bake at 175°C on the lowest oven rack for 2-3 minutes, then turn the pitas over and bake for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a tray and cover with a clean dishtowel. When thoroughly cooled, pitas can be stored in plastic bags in the refrigerator, or frozen.



Falafel Patties
Makes: 5 patties
Source: 101 Low-Fat Vegetarian Recipes

1 1/2 cups cooked garbanzo beans (chickpeas), coarsely pureed
1/4 cup loosely packed parsley leaves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped green onions and tops
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup plain flour
1 1/4 tsp ground cumin
salt and pepper, to taste
olive oil cooking spray

 Mix garbanzo beans, parsley, chopped green onions, garlic, lemon juice, flour and cumin in bowl, season to taste with salt and pepper. Shape mixture into 4 'burgers' spray a large skillet with cooking spray; cook over medium heat until hot. cook 'burgers' until browned on the bottoms, 3 to 4 minutes. Spray tops of 'burgers' with cooking spray; turn and cook until browned on other side, 3 to 4 minutes. Arrange 'burgers' in pita breads; drizzle scant 2 tablespoons Tahini dressing over each 'burger'. Garnish with chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, arugula and onions, if desired


Tahini Dressing

 1/3 cup yogurt
2-3 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste)
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/2-1 tsp lemon juice

 combine all ingredients; refrigerate until ready to use

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

 Who likes oreos?

Who likes chocolate?

Who likes peanut butter?

(If you have not had you hand raised for the duration of this short questionaire... shame on you!)

I thought to myself, what's the best kind of cookie to put in a pie crust. I love my fair share of Grahams, but let's be honest, if an oreo and a graham were in a boxing ring, the oroe would win, hands down. Besides, grahams have none of that creamy white filling.

The creamy white filling seals the deal.

Then what to fill that dreamy pie crust with?

I was caught between chocolate and peanut butter, then i thought: "Heck, let's try both."

If peanut butter and chocolate had a baby, it would be this pie crust. And if you gat a little bit of each in every heavenly mouthful, you will never ever desire another pie ever again.

possibly.

Oreo Cookie Pie Crust
makes: one 9 inch pie, prep 10 min
Source: Chaos in the Kitchen

24 Oreo cookies
1/4 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place Oreos in a food processor until finely groud, like coarse sand. The filling should resemble moist crumbs. Empty crumbs into a mixing bowl and stir in melted butter until well combined. Pat wet crumbs all over and up sides of pie dish, making an even surface. Bake crust for 8-10 minutes or until hardened. Cool before filling.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie Filling

1 pie shell prepared and baked
Crunchy Peanut Butter, to taste
2 cups milk, any (I used 1%)
3 egg yolks, beaten
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
5 tbsp flour
3 tbsp cocoa
2 tbsp butter, chopped
1 tsp vanilla

Add a thick layer of peanut butter to the base of the pie crust. Combine milk, egg yolks, sugar, salt, flour, and cocoa in a cold saucepan. Stir thoroughly to combine. Turn heat to medium, stir constantly until thick but do not boil. Once thick, remove from heat, stir in butter and vanilla. Let mixture cool slightly and pour into baked pie shell. Chill before serving.

Homemade 'Crunchie Bars'

First, a disclaimer.

My own homemade crunchie bars were a tad sticky, although i must blame this 100% on the horribly hot and humid weather we have been having off late. I hate the way terrible weather can make a fantastic dish under perform.

Nevertheless, they were delicious stick. I am the kind of girl who adores her fair share of ooey-gooey sticky finger treats. Soft toffee? Bring it on.

Whether you live in the tropics, or are experiencing blissfully dry and cool-ish weather (ahemmm lucky you), this is wonderful. Especially if you have used up your candy-bar money stash, and a craving a good ol' crunchie bar. 

Love those buggers.

If you are not so much of a chocolate person, (what is wrong with you?) skip the chocolate topping and you will still have yourself a nice crunchy chewy, sweet treat.

Homemade 'Crunchie Bars'

Makes: About 8 'finger-sized' bars

Source: At Down Under

For the honeycomb:

50g granulated sugar

2 tbsp honey/golden syrup

3/4 tsp baking soda

Almond slices (optional) (I like an extra crunch in my crunchie bars, eh?)

Chocolate topping:

1/2 cup milk chocolate morsels

Splash of milk

White chocolate morsels (optional) (or is it?)

Prepare a cake tin lined with baking paper or use a silicone pan. In a sauce over medium fire, mix sugar and syrup/honey and stir together to mix. Let the mixture melt and stir until it starts bubbling – Between 3-5 minutes. Off the heat, add baking soda and stir. Syrup will foam. Pour it in the prepared pan and top with almond slices. Wait for it to harden before topping with chocolate.

Over a boiling water bath, melt the milk chocolate morsels and milk until smooth. Pour over hardened honeycomb and top with white chocolate morsels. Once chocolate has hardened, cut into 8 slices, or break it up into tiny 'bite-sized' pieces.

Yes, it is.

Grass Jelly Drink

On a hot day (which is happening increasingly so as we progress into July), I always feel like popping over to the nearest food court to get myself a glass of nice, cool grass jelly. Of course, this would be counter-productive. The nearest food court is not near at all. I would be victim to the hot equatorial sun on the way there, and back.

Getting a grass jelly drink to cool me down would serve no purpose.

Until I came upon a curiously black jelly vacuum-packed in a tube just like tofu. What is this oddly coloured confectionery?

Grass jelly! For slightly over a dollar, I bought myself a tube. No harm in trying. After googling to find out how to transform my brown-ish jelly into my favourite refreshing, jelly-bits-at-the-bottom beverage, I hit the jackpot.

Grass Jelly Drink

Serves: 1

Source: Red Cook

4 oz unsweetened grass jelly, sliced or cubed finely

3 oz chilled water

Simple syrup, or sugar, to taste

Ice cubes

At the bottom of your grass, lace the sliced grass jelly and add the chilled water. Stir well until the drink has a consistent colour and add syrup. Top off with ice cubes, yum!

Notes:

1) You could easily cut down on the sugar if sweetened grass jelly is used

2) Mix it up! Try adding 3 oz of soy milk instead of water.

3) For a richer taste, gula melaka syrup or brown sugar can be used

And, nothing is a proper grass jelly drink without a nice fancy straw. The bigger, the better. All I had was a really narrow one so I had to scoop up my jelly bits with a spoon. 

If you have never seen or heard of grass jelly before, pop down to your favourite Asian supermarket or the like. Trust me, the trip there is worth it. Buy a tonne of jelly and save the future trips, because you will be drinking five cups of these a day.

And, grass jelly has supposed healing properties. Hell, have seven cups a day.

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Homemade Butterscotch Kettle Corn

I don't knot about you, but whenever someone offers me a bag of Garrett Popcorn, I cannot say no. Literally. Sometimes i even say 'yes' without even being offered.

It's that bad.

So whenever I walk past a Garrett store, I have to stop in my tracks. No matter what. Even if a man walking at an incredibly fast pace while holding a mug full of hot coffee is just behind me.

I stop to inhale, and force myself not to buy any because I (a) have no money for popcorn; and (b) am currently covered in scalding hot cappuccino.

Somewhere around this time, I figured that kettle corn can't be that hard to make at home.

I was right.

It is easy! Breezy!

And now I can consume a tonne of ooey gooey butterscotch kettle corn in the comfort of my own home. Without another to point and stare and marvel at the rate I can shovel it into my mouth.

Alright enough talk, recipes speak for themselves.

Homemade Butterscotch Kettle Corn:
Makes: 8 1-cup servings (but let's be realistic, 1 8-cup serving)
From: Jenny Jones Recipes (here's her video!)

For the popcorn mix:
8 cups freshly popped popcorn, unpopped kernels removed (I used my popcorn machine, but you can easily use a microwave or a stovetop)
3/4 cup pecans nuts, halved

For syrup:
5 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 120ºC. Place popped corn into a large bowl. Place the nuts on top. Do not mix yet.

Heat the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring until butter is melted. Reduce heat and boil, undisturbed and uncovered, for 5 min. Remove saucepan from heat and stir in baking soda & vanilla.

Pour the syrup over the nuts & popcorn, stirring quickly. Spread the mixture onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for one hour, removing briefly every 15 minutes to stir. Spread the mixture onto wax paper to cool. It will seem sticky at first but it will dry up nicely.

I may even like it a teensy tiny bit more than garrett popcorn because it is less sickeningly sweet. Plus, I've got my pecans in there. Gotta love 'em pecans.

This triggers my...

Question of the Day

Do you pronounce pecan as PEE-CAN or PUH-KAHN?

I have recently started pronouncing it as the latter and I am getting some pretty weirded-out looks my members of the public.

Peanut Butter 'Cookie Dough' Balls

There are two things you must know about me. Well, amongst others.
1. I have a strong suspicion that the peanut butter i eat has started running through my veins
2. I like dried fruit even more than real fruit

So what other way than to start off my first post with these. If i were a cookie in my former life, I would have been these. No doubt.

I know that the trend recently is to use dates in everything, from cookies to granola bars. I have never ever set my eyes upon a real-like larabar, but i could imagine. I have seen recipe after recipe using blitzed up dates.

You see, I don't have dates here. Not unless you are willing to spend $20 on a 50g bag (I may love dried fruit, but not that much).

It is possible to use raisins instead, but I was afraid of failure, of dissapointment, and that my rusty old food processor will give it's final choke if i stuffed it with raisins and nuts to creamy-fy.

Until.
Until:

Third random-fact-about-Me: I spend possibly 4/5th of my awake-time on Pinterest. And now it has paid off.

The original recipe is from Chocolate Covered Katie, and I was sold. Peanut butter? Raisins? Roasted peanuts? No ingredient-I-would-have-to-ride-my-bicycle-under-the-hot-equatorial-sun-to-the-market-to-obtain?

Alright. I was willing to put my food processor's life on the line here.

Katie has an endless list of date-based bars and cookies. And this was the one I saw that used raisins in the initial recipe. My chance of failure was 50% less.

I didn't change much of her recipe. Not at all, in fact. I did not want to go horribly wrong and end up with raisin-peanut mush.

I did not. I ended up with this:

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Balls:
Makes: 12 'cookies'
From: Chocolate Covered Katie

1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup plus 3 tbsp raisins
Dash of salt
2 tbsp roasted, unsalted peanuts
1/8 tsp pure vanilla extract

Place all ingredients into a food processor and combine until smooth. You can make little cookie like I did, or even granola-bar-esque shapes.

Katie says it is sugar-free and gluten-free.

It's also leftover free, that's for sure.

Now I have something to pack in teensy little lunch-boxes just to give me a reason to go to school.