.dairy-free chocolatey indulgence.

A few years ago I had the privilege of working for a great couple at their doctor's office. They were always bringing in divine, yet slimmed down, goodies for the staff.

These brownies were office favorites and it's obvious why. These guys are silky, dense and moist. They taste like chocolate pudding, in bar form. They are also oil, butter, egg and dairy-free. Perfect for me right now, as I'm dairy-free for la bebe and trying to work on my fitness. Everyone needs a little chocolate fix here and there though and these do the trick.

I switched them up a little bit, as you are also completely welcome to do. Her original recipe calls for 3/4 cup of sugar but I drop it down to 1/2 cup. I also added the ground flax seed and throw some slivered almonds on top. In the past she brought in some that she put nuts into and some that she put chocolate chips into. You really can't go wrong with the add-ins.

Marsha's Brownies makes 16
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup ground flax seed
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
10.5 ounces silken tofu
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

Combine the silken tofu and vanilla extract in a blender.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients, mix thoroughly, bake for 20-25 minutes.

It is really that easy so have a somewhat healthy, delicious, chocolate treat for the end of the night!

XO

.puffy pumpkin pillows of deliciousness.

I have really come to appreciate pumpkin this season. I have never really cooked with it much before, and really rarely even ate it unless it was a Thanksgiving pumpkin pie or possibly a pumpkin empanada. This fall though I have branched out and tried new things. When I saw a recipe for pumpkin chocolate chip cookies I pretty much knew I had to try them too.

So, while looking at the recipe I, of course, decided to change a few things. It called for 2 sticks of butter which is just way too much for me so I cut that down to 1 stick, and then upped the pumpkin from 1 cup to the whole can. I'm an all in sort of girl. Don't play poker with me. Even for matchsticks. Just ask my father-in-law.

Pumpkin Chocolate Cookies makes 50-60 cookies
1 stick of butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups chocolate chips, semi-sweet

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream the butter. Add both sugars and mix together. Since I omitted the second stick of butter this never really got to a creamed state but it was thoroughly combined. Add the eggs and beat. Add the vanilla extract and the pumpkin, beat until everything is combined.

In a separate bowl mix the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add to the wet mixture in thirds until everything is combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the edges of the cookies are browned.

One thing I thought was interesting about these cookies is that they don't really flatten at all in the oven. I used a handy dandy cookie scoop to put them on the baking sheets and they came out of the oven in pretty much the exact same shape. I did attempt to flatten one batch, as shown, before putting it in the oven by wetting my fingers and pressing the dough flat and that turned out fairly well but I decided I liked the puffy dome shaped cookies anyway.

They taste the same, and oh! That taste. This is definitely not Grandma's classic chocolate chip cookie. The pumpkin gives it an extra oomph. I highly recommend these cookies.

XO