Healthy Chocolate Chip Clippers

Traditional chocolate chip cookies are usually loaded with unhealthy fat, sugar and white flour. Once in a while I eat a decadent, sugary, fat laden cookie, but I try to adhere to a healthy diet most of the time. The majority of the time I train my appetite to like better, or lighter ingredients. You will crave whatever you are in the habit of eating.

The following recipe is a less sinful, but an equally satisfying chocolate chip confection. It comes from the good folks at HealthyBarn USA. These clippers have a hardy, crunchy, yet moist texture. They are whole-grain, fiber rich with less fat and sweetness than classic chocolate chip cookies. My batch has lots of chocolate chips in every bite! I served them with a pot of Prince of Wales (a mild black) tea and milk for a delicious afternoon snack.

Chocolate Chip Clippers 

Ingredients: 
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 ½ cups whole wheat flour

2 tablespoons ground flax seeds¾ teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon sea salt½ cup packed light brown sugar½ cup unsweetened applesauce¾ cup low salt canned chickpeas, mashed (or substitute peanut butter; or mashed beans)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup (4 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips

optional: 1/3 cup chopped walnuts; or pecans
A sprinkle of cinnamin, nutmeg and black pepper, if you like.
2 tablespoons olive oil (for a traditional cookie texture, if you don't mind the calories. If you add the oil, reduce the applesauce by 2 tablespoons.)

Directions:
1. In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients, one at a time.
2. Follow with the wet ingredients, one at a time.
3. Mix thoroughly. Fold in the chocolate chips and nuts, using a fork.
4. With a round tablespoon, drop buttons of cookie dough onto 2 greased baking sheets. (I brush the pans with a little olive oil or butter to prevent sticking.)
5. Pop into a preheated 350 degree F oven and bake about 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the baking sheets. The clippers are especially good while they are still warm fresh out of the oven.

Another healthy habit to develop is to eat any sweet you like, as long as you make it yourself. You consume less sugar because they are not within easy reach. This recipe only requires a few simple ingredients and steps!

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Madecasse Chocolate Is Made In Madagascar ... Or Maybe In Heaven

On Christmas day friends (and neighbors ... they live in the hood) gave me some big'O, juicy, perfectly-shaped fruit, which is a wonderful surprise!  There is an assortment of apples, pears, clementines, a mango and an Asian Nashi pear -- sometimes called an "apple-pear."  The healthy snacks are sweet and delicious!  5 stars and very thoughtful!

Tucked away in the fruit basket is this dark chocolate bar, which until yesterday I didn't even know existed.  Without question, it is the best dark chocolate I have ever tasted.  It is a smooth, rich chocolate.  Like expresso is to coffee without any bitterness.  One serving, and now I am addicted.

The chocolate is made in Madagascar by former Peace Corps volunteers who fell in love with the country and wanted to do more for its people.  Not only do the cocoa farmers receive a fair trade price, the chocolate is made in their country.  It's the only fine chocolate manufactured in Africa.

Thank you, friends, for sharing your knowledge and amazing tastes! ♥

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Take A Trip Down Memory Lane

Need a specialty item? A shampoo long gone from drugstore shelves, or a no gizmo wind-up watch not carried by department stores, or perhaps you have a taste for original cream hazelnuts no longer stocked in candy stores? You can get these long lost products and so much more at The Vermont Country Store. It first opened its doors sixty-three years ago in 1946. Now owned by Lyman Orton and his three sons, this family run general store sells practical and hard-to-find goods. The Ortons are 3rd and 4th generation shopkeepers, whose business motto is to find items that make a difference in people’s lives. If you’re dying to locate a treat from your childhood – spicy Lebkuchen cookies from Germany, plum pudding made in England from an authentic recipe, or homemade chocolate almond butter crunch candy, still prepared the old fashion way – all you need to do is visit their stores, check their catalog, or shop online at vermontcountrystore. Are you looking for an old turntable record player, or a simple-to-use Smith Corona electric typewriter? They have them. And during the holidays, why not bite into a mince pie from an 1897 Scottish recipe, or sample Victorian Peppermint Pig Candies from Saratoga Springs, New York? The peppermint pigs come with a little steel hammer, and in the tradition of the times, smashing and eating the pieces bring good luck and happiness to you and your guests.

Many items offered are customers' requests. During Christmas look for German Chocolate Brandy Santas and traditional Swedish Filled Chocolate Dala Horses – sweets brought to America by immigrants. So if you remember something from the past that you'd love to buy again, like Gee Your Hair Smells Terrific Shampoo, or a classic paint-by-the numbers craft set, you can drop customer service a line, (or call) and chances are they will track it down for you – at modest prices. Also, a portion of the profits generated by the Vermont Country Store is set aside to help rural communities.