Fall Time Goodies...

This is my favorite time of year because it's the time all sorts of goodies start to "inconspicuously" emerge in and around the aisles of the supermarket.  I'm talking about new stuff like Kraft's vanilla, caramel marshmallows (which are fab with hot chocolate) and chocolate covered Ritz crackers and Oreos.  Alongside of the newbies are the traditional goodies that never grow old like pumpkin pie and gingerbread.  There is little around the holiday season that I don't like or at least won't try -- even fruitcake.  One has to be careful or else she too will emerge, or should I say morph, into the seasonal blob that she will inevitably become by February of the new year.

Anyway, below are a couple of "healthier" items that you might wanna give a try.  The gingerbread cake is good plain or with a drizzle of icing.  For this cake you can also simply sprinkle some powdered sugar on top or slap on a layer of cream cheese flavored or lemon flavored icing that comes in the little tubs at the super (also, make your own!).  The oatmeal cookies are kinda hearty and not very sweet.  I left the dough in the fridge overnight to make it a bit firmer.  The next day I mixed up a bit of cinnamon and sugar and rolled the dough balls into it before placing them on the cookie sheet.  I found this made them a bit sweeter.  You could probably drizzle a bit of icing on them while they're still warm.  Let's face it, what's the point of a cookie if it tastes healthy?  That's no fun.  However, you can avoid too much butter, vegetable oil, or sugar in some instances.

So here they are:

Oatmeal Cookies (Oven Temp: 375 degrees, 10 min)

1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 C canola oil
1/2 C sugar (you could probably add 1 C for a sweeter cookie)
1/4 C skim milk or regular low-fat milk
2 egg whites (I just used 2 eggs)
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 C rolled oats
1/2 C raisins (optional)
1/2 C chocolate chips (optional)

As usual, mix up all the wet ingredients in one bowl and the dry ones in a another bowl.  Combine the two.


Low-Fat Gingerbread Cake (Bake at 350 degrees between 30 min - 1 hour)

1 1/4 C flour
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C low-fat or skim milk
1/4 C canola oil
1/2 C molasses
1 egg

Again, mix the wet ingredients in one bowl and the dry ingredients in another.  Blend the two.  Originally, the recipe called for 25 minutes of baking, but in a glass pan my took nearly an hour.  After 30 minutes, you may want to begin periodically checking the cake depending upon your oven type and the pan you're using.

Enjoy!