Sometimes you feel like a nut (and sometimes you can't have them, so you make Mound cookies instead)

My aunt is unable to eat regular sugars. She was in town for the holidays and said "I want you to make me some Almond Joy cookies, please?" But she wanted them "Aunt Lori" safe. So without sugar. Since I can't eat (and shouldn't cook with) nuts, I compromised and asked if we could make some "Mounds" cookies instead. This is what we came up with.

When we made them for her we used Splenda blend sugar and brown sugar and unsweetened coconut that we pulsed in a food processor for a moment with some splenda. With all the added sugar that probably isn't even necessary, to be honest.

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 1/2 cups  brown sugar
4 eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla
4 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups chocolate chips
2 1/2 cups sweetened coconut

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375

Grease cookie sheets

Combine flour, baking soda, salt - set aside

Cream butter and white/brown sugars together.

Beat in eggs, one at a time.

Stir in vanilla.

Stir in dry ingredients a cup at a time, until well mixed.

Fold in chocolate chips and coconut.

Drop by rounded tablespoons onto cookie sheets***

Bake for 8 - 10 minutes.

Cool for five minutes on baking sheet. (Important, don't move too soon. They look cakey, still until they sit.)

Move to wire rack to finish cooling.


Okay...time for the notes. Heh.

Original recipe that we tweaked a bit called for 5 cups of the chocolate chips. If you're looking for way chocolatey? Go for it. I used 3 and each cookie still had ALMOST too much chocolate chips in it. But they'd be more "mound" like if you added more chocolate chips, for sure.

*** I used a cookie scoop. If you have one, use it! So much easier.

Also, this originally was for Almond Joys so they also added 2 cups of chopped almonds when they added the coconut and chocolate chips. If you like almonds? I would try that, too. I just can't even cook with them safely. So I took them from Almond Joys to Mounds.

Fruit Cobbler

I agonized over what to call this. For a lot of reasons. First, it's not REALLY a cobbler that most people think of. Second I could have called it "Blackberry Cobbler" or "Blueberry Cobbler" or "Peach and Raspberry Cobbler" Or "Berry Cobbler" (which would include blueberries, raspberries, blackberries) or I could have called it "Black and Blue Cobbler" (with blackberries and blueberries) .... the possibilities are pretty endless with this dish. I have made it with most fruit imaginable and it's amazing. Just try not to eat the whole thing because it isn't exactly healthy. But I have cut down the sugar and butter from when I first saw/tried/fell in love with the recipe from the Pioneer Lady. Check out her recipe here because: credit where credit is due.

Ingredients:
1 cup milk (almond/soy/your favorite substitute works fine here)
1/2 cup butter (that's one stick)
1 cup Self-Rising Flour
About 2 cups of fruit of your choosing (I prefer fresh but frozen will work as well)
1 cup + 3 tablespoons sugar (or splenda/sweetner of your choosing)
Cooking spray (I prefer to use something like a coconut spray, myself)

Other Utensils:
Bowl
Microwave safe bowl
2 quart baking dish (shallow is better)
Spoon for stirring (a whisk if you're feeling ultra cooking show-ish)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt butter in a microwave safe bowl

Stir together one cup sugar and one cup self-rising flour.

Stir in one cup of milk.

Pour melted butter into bowl with other ingredients and stir.

Spray baking dish with cooking spray.

Pour the batter into the baking dish.

Scatter fruit around the top evenly.

Shake remaining sugar on top of the fruit.

Bake for one hour until the cobbler is golden brown and bubbly.

Serve. Try not to eat entire dish all at once.

I usually serve mine with fresh whipped cream because if you're going to go? Go big or go home. But it's also tasty with low-fat, sugar-free frozen yogurt, a plain vanilla ice cream, or even cool-whip in a pinch.


Tips: First, I substitute most if not all of the sugar for something like Splenda, often. I don't even usually use the 3 tablespoons of sugar on top (her original tasty recipe calls for 1/4 cup there) and just sprinkle some lightly on the top. I sometimes will use soy milk instead of regular milk, as well. The tree nut allergy prevents me from using an almond milk, but I would imagine that's an added health benefit as well as just as tasty. I cut the butter from greasing the pan and used a coconut spray just because this dish was already so full of sugar/butter/tastiness that I was trying to save flavor and make it a bit healthier.

But I'll tell you another secret - her recipe is fantastic. I fell in love with how easy and wonderful it was and almost felt bad "messing" with it. But with diabetic friends/family eating it and attempting to not go buy bigger clothes on my end? I had to try a few little tweaks here and there. And it still turns out tasty. Although, I really believe that nothing will kill you in moderation. (Problem is: her recipe is so good there's no moderation for me there!)

Pro tip: This really is amazing. I can say that because it isn't like I thought it up all on my own. I have taken to doubling the recipe, at this point, and making it in a 13X9 pan so that I have enough to go around if there are more than a few people that stick around to eat this after dinner.