Ah, home sweet home! After a grueling exams week, I’m finally back in Jersey. Well, for a week at least–I move in to start my summer fellowship program Sunday (more on that later).
Of course I put no time to waste in indulging in all the best things about break: banana chocolate-chip pancakes for breakfast, slurping down my favorite banana-cocoa smoothies twice a day, taking the scissors to the closet, lovingly harassing the cat, taking 3-hour naps, and watching many re-runs of that 70′s show. And, naturally, baking cookies!
I adore candied ginger and these cookies were inspired by my addiction to the spicy sweet taste. I used mini chocolate chips for more uniform chocolate per bite (it’s all about the math, folks). Because they don’t contain any added fat or egg, these cookies end up being very, very moist, which is a great thing taste-wise, but not so great if you want to transport or store them for too long. So eat ‘em while they’re warm and spicy, with a friend or two to share with!
Ginger Chocolate-Chip Banana Softies
Makes about 16 cookies
Adapted from VegWeb
1 ¼ c whole wheat flour
½ t baking soda
½ t salt
1 very ripe banana
½ c unsweetened applesauce (1 snack-pack)
½ c sugar
1 t vanilla
½ c crystallized ginger, chopped
⅓ c mini chocolate chips
- Preheat oven to 350F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mash banana. Stir in applesauce, sugar, and vanilla. Gradually stir in dry mixture, mixing well after each addition, until smooth. Fold in ginger and chocolate chips.
- Drop heaping tablespoons of batter 2” apart on prepared pans.
- Bake for 12-15 min, or until slightly browned and firm to touch.
- Cool completely on wire racks before attempting to remove from parchment or transport. They are very soft!
Notes:
- The original recipe called for baking powder too, but I totally forgot to add it! Maybe it would have turned out a bit puffier?
I am something of a thrift store addict. I got hooked last summer working next door to the Housing Works thrift shop in Soho and the magnificent used bookstore/cafe next door (I am a used books fiend. My paycheck suffered.). I don’t think I’ve ever walked into Housing Works without walking out with a new pair of shoes, but, hey, all for a good cause, right?
Walking down to Trader Joe’s on a sunny day can turn dangerous as I am always tempted to stop at all the shops along the way, and last weekend was no exception. One of the best things about used clothing is the stories that are left behind with them.
I got this adorable French Connection skirt for a mere $20, and just today, as I was reaching into the pocket, out comes two ticket stubs: one to the Fondation C. Monet, and another to the Musee Impressionnismes. French Connection, vraiment!
that’s my motto for finals week!
5 exams in 7 days, it’s gonna be a tough one.
Thank goodness for…
lovingly made lattes in Joe’s,
and chocolate from Trader Joe’s!
This is a dark chocolate candy bar filled with Speculoos, a gingerbread cookie spread (that some say is the new Nutella!)
I’ve actually never had Speculoos by itself before, only drizzled on waffles from the Wafels and Dinges truck.
This was a delicious composition!
But can anything ever replace Nutella in the heart of a chocolate fiend?
Hello, Cookie.
You are very delicious indeed, albeit a tad unphotogenic.
Sweet. Sassy. And a little bit nutty. Coco-nutty, that is.
This is the first time I’ve ever put coconut in cookies, but it will most definitely not be the last! These cookies par excellence: crispy on the outside, sweet & chewy on the inside, and full of chocolate. I was in a rush but I was still able to get them made from start to finish in 30 minutes. The original recipe called for chocolate chunks but I only had mini chips which resulted in a smattering of chocolate in every bite!
Bonus: since the original recipe was from Cooking Light, you only need a bit (4 tablespoons) of butter!
Toasted Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes 18 cookies (original yield 15, but I got 18 nice-sized cookies!)
Adapted from Two Peas and their Pod (changes in parentheses)
- 1 cup flaked sweetened coconut (unsweetened organic flaked coconut)
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon coconut extract (omitted)
- 1 large egg (extra large)
- 3/4 cup chopped semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate (mini chocolate chips)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Toast coconut: arrange coconut in a single layer on baking sheet. Bake for 5-7 minutes or until coconut is lightly toasted, stirring once. Be very careful as it will burn rapidly! Set coconut aside to cool.
- Lightly grease or line another baking sheet and set aside.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
- In a large bowl, add brown sugar and butter. Beat until creamy and smooth. (Originally called for stand mixer, but a fork and lots of elbow grease does the job!)
- Beat in vanilla and egg. Slowly stir in flour mixture, and mix just until combined.
- Stir in toasted coconut and chocolate chunks.
- Drop spoonfuls of dough 2 inches apart onto prepared baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until bottoms of cookies just begin to brown. Remove from pan, and cool completely on wire racks.
Voila my first Op-Ed for the Columbia Daily Spectator!
A reflection on the midpoint of my time at Columbia–how does campus culture shape our worldview (for better or for worse)?
$9, from m2m, the neighborhood “asian” grocery store
a bit pricey, but plenty of food for dinner today and lunch tomorrow!
Contents: sticky white rice, pork katsu cutlet, rolled omelette,
coleslaw, cherry tomato, mashed potatoes, pickles, katsu sauce
I just love bento boxes!
My childhood friend & cousin Alice is graduating from Brown University at the end of next month…It is sometimes frightening how fast time passes, seems like just yesterday we were playing Super Smash Bros. in her living room (then again, we may have done that last year). I spent the weekend in Providence, to make sure I would visit her Alma Mater at least once before she left!
Providence is quite a pretty little town and although not New York has some quality food!
First up: Kabob & Curry
There aren’t many decent Indian restaurants that I know of in Morningside Heights, so this was the perfect opportunity to indulge!
And indulge we did…
we ordered crispy fried Vegetable Samosas and paper-thin Papadum to start, with a plethora of dipping sauces & chutneys, then for entrees, the famous Chicken Tikki Marsala and Palak Paneer (my favorite!) with plenty of fresh Naan.
to wash it all down: thick Mango Lassi!
And all of this came up to a mere $22 per person, with tip and tax. Sweet!
The next morning we stumbled down to Louis Restaurant around noon for a late breakfast/brunch. Truly a mom-&-pop dive-y place, this little diner was featured on the Food Network show Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives (check out the clip!).
Since the place is quite small, we had to wait a bit for our table. Outside, they were selling baskets of fresh fruit (bananas and mangoes) for $1. Yum!
Their fruit cup is truly the most pretty fruit cup I have ever encountered.
I ordered the Granola Pancakes (as featured in Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives!) topped with fresh fruit, and a nice milky glass of iced coffee. When I saw the fruit cup, I was worried that fruit-topped pancakes could not live up to it. Thankfully, my fears were unnecessary! These had to be the most gloriously fruit-topped pancakes I had ever seen. No watery frozen-thawed wimpy blueberries for Louis!
All around the diner, the walls were decorated with the most interesting photos, fan letters, and tchotchkes.
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