Cookie Butter Cookies

I’m currently on a self-imposed ‘cookie-free diet’.  So it’s a little weird that I’m choosing this time to be posting a new cookie recipe for you guys.

But you know what? A girl’s gotta do some things just because she’s nice like that.  I leave you guys hanging for days and days with nothing delicious to drool over so sometimes I just have to make it up to you.

Truth be known, I made these cookies over a month ago and they disappeared so fast my scale never knew what hit it.  I guess I finally found my favourite way to use Trader Joe’s infamous Cookie Butter. 

These were the perfect spicy little alternative to a regular peanut butter cookie.  My intention was actually to use almond butter but when I opened my cupboard and found the Cookie Butter staring at me, I knew what to do.

It’s slightly odd to use a butter made of cookies to make cookies, but hey man…whatever works! :)

Cookie Butter Cookies

adapted from How Sweet it Is Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

yields a baker’s dozen

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup Cookie Butter/Speculoos
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/3 cup flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream butter, Cookie Butter and both sugars together until fluffy.
3. Add egg and vanilla, mixing until combined.
4. Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix until combined.
5. Add chocolate chips.  Mix to combine.
6. Drop tablespoon-sized dough balls on a baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes until cookie bottoms begin to brown.  Let cool on rack.

The perfect combination of crispy outside and chewy inside. 

Get a glass of milk or a cup of hot tea and get to work!  Enjoy.

The Trek to Trader Joe’s

It’s truly bizarre isn’t it?  That one supermarket can lure shoppers from far and away the way Trader Joe’s can.  I mean really.  I could have been crossing the border for Target and Fred Meyer for years but it wasn’t until TJ’s made it’s way close enough that I even considered tackling the trip.  What a girl will do for flattened bananas and good nut butter!

Just so you know… it’s not an easy trip.  From where I live in Victoria, BC I have to make a 40 minute drive to the ferry terminal, take a 1 hour and 40 minute ferry ride to the suburbs of Vancouver, have someone pick me up (thanks Cat!!), drive about an hour to the border, wait God knows how long to cross the border (we waited about an hour), then drive about 30 minutes to Bellingham, WA where TJ’s is located (further if you want outlet shopping, etc).  So yeah, clearly us foodie bloggers are just ridiculous when it comes to fun, tasty, cheap groceries! 

We also waited 90 minutes at the border to come back to Canada!

This trip I thought I might try to bring back some perishables but once I started shopping I decided just to stick with the easy-to-transport dry goods.  We did find Chobani yogurts at Fred Meyer but then I totally forgot them in Cat’s fridge!  Clearly I need to go back again sometime soon.

Old favourites and must haves:  Flattened bananas, Sunflower Seed Butter, dark chocolate edamame (for the boyfriend), pita bite crackers, roasted plantain chips, Clif MOJO bars, and Clifs Kid Zbars.

I skipped my all time favourite almond butter this time because I already have a jar in my cupboard and I discovered that they make Valencia Peanut Butter with the same crunchy, salty, roasted flax seed deliciousness.

Favourite new find:  Marcona Almonds with Rosemary!  Hands down my new favourite Trader Joe’s item.  I wish I had bought more than one bag!

Other fun new finds:  Simply Almonds Cashews and Chocolate Trek Mix, Peanut Butter Cups Trax Mix (with huge dried cherries!), dark chocolate almonds with sea salt and turbinado sugar, 21 seasoning salute, pink sea salt grinder, curry simmer sauce, mini tortellini, Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake Mix, gorgonzola crackers, Strawberry Yogurt O’s cereal, sweet potato chips, and organic popcorn with olive oil.

Phew!

Least favourite new item so far:  Roasted Seaweed Snacks.  Not a fan.  :(

Didn’t forget the puppers!  Chicken Jerky for dogs.

And of course no trip to the USA is complete without a stockpile of Red Vines and alternate flavours of M&M’s (not at TJ’s…found at Fred Meyer while stalking the Chobani).  I will probably hoard that mint and coconut until the end of time.

So am I a nutter for taking a day trip to buy groceries over the border while my girlfriends find outlet stores for Coach and Lululemon instead?  Or do I have my priorities totally straight?!

I should probably clarify that the trip was really to visit Cat…and TJs was just a nice bonus.  I’m not completely cray-cray.  :)

Cookie Butter Cups

I may have just invented the easiest, most dangerous chocolate treat EVER.

Recently, a friend brought me this jar of gold Cookie Butter from Trader Joe’s.  This stuff is highly sought after and I may have actually squealed when he pulled it out of the bag and handed it to me. 

I can haz the speculooooos!

Problem was, I didn’t much care for it.  Or rather, I’ve become so accustomed to unsweetened nut butters on my toast and celery sticks that every time I tried using the cookie butter it just didn’t float my boat.  It’s pretty sweet.

So obviously I had to find a better use for it.  I’m still considering Cookie Butter Cookies but until then how about some Cookie Butter Cups?!  They are like peanut butter cups…only about a hundred times more awesome.

The best part?  This is a 3 ingredient recipe. 

Cookie Butter Cups – aka Speculoos Cups

yields 12 mini cups

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dark melting chocolate or chocolate chips
• 2 tsp coconut or canola oil
• 12 rounded teaspoons Cookie Butter
• optional: 1 tbsp mini dark chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Line a mini muffin tin with foil liners.
2. Using either a double boiler or a microwave, melt the dark chocolate and coconut oil together, stirring frequently until smooth.
3. Drizzle one scant tablespoon of the melted chocolate into each of the muffin liners.  Carefully smooth the chocolate and spread it a bit up the side of the liners.
4. If using the mini chocolate chips stir them into the cookie butter.
5. Spoon one rounded teaspoon of cookie butter mixture into the center of each chocolate lined cup (I used two small spoons to do this).
6. Drizzle more chocolate over each cup, being careful to cover all of the cookie butter.  Carefully jiggle the pan to get tops as even as possible.
7. Place muffin tin in freezer for minimum 20 minutes or until ready to eat, share, gift, or photograph. :)

Oh.my.YUM.  The dark chocolate is exactly what the sweetened, gingerbready spread needed.  There’s a reason peanut butter cups are so popular.  Chocolate and butter just go together!  Er, well, nut butter!

I am now incredibly glad I did not purchase another jar of this stuff during my own recent trip down to Trader Joe’s.  My limited supply will stop me from eating all of this batch and making more any time I have 10 minutes to spare.

I knew I couldn’t NOT like something called COOKIE BUTTER.  I knew it!

Weekend fun with boats, borders, and Trader Joe’s!

On Saturday morning I was on a boat.  A BC Ferry to Vancouver to be specific.

Then I was with Catriona and Sarah as we waited over an hour to cross the border into the US of A.

Where we immediately bee-lined for outlet stores and grocery mecca.  Hello Bellingham Trader Joe’s.  Nice to meet you!

Yep, I go out of my way to cross a border just to return with two new bras and two heaping bags of non-essential groceries.

As sustenance we required deliciously squishy beefy burgers and soda from a magic techie fountain.

And then we waited over 90 minutes to make our way back into Canada.  I’m not a fan of border patrol’s organization.  Nope.

But the copious amounts of red wine and girl talk took my mind off things (later that evening, not at the border!).

Sunday morning obviously required brunch.  As seen on TV brunch of course.  Nothing like a trek through East Vancouver to track down yummy bacon and eggs.

I highly recommend a vanilla milkshake alongside your scrambled eggs and coffee. 

And then I was back on a boat! 

And a city bus.  With two heaping bags of groceries.  Win!

Hockey, Nettles, & Trader Joe’s

OK, now we broke the curse I can finally blog about the Canucks!  Jebus that was stressful.  Who gets to the Playoffs as the number one team with the Presidents Cup and then almost gets their asses handed to them in a sweep of the first series?  Oh right, we do.  Apparently we do require Daniel Sedin to save the day.  Good comeback kids! #ReverseSweep

[Thanks to my friend Sandi for the cool photo from Facebook.]

I know what the next reality TV scandal will be.  They are going to dig up Hollie from American Idol’s birth certificate and find out she’s actually 32 years old.  Her look and her voice are so mature.  How is it possible that she is only 18?!  Crazy town.

Did you know that the same Stinging Nettles we all try to avoid touching on our bare skin are the very same Nettles that you can pick and turn into deeelish steamed greens?  I guess I never put two and two together but I’m glad I was clued in!  I made Nettlekopita!  Stay tuned for linky love and photos tomorrow.

This weekend I finally get to go back to Vancouver and visit my darling Catriona!  It’s been almost a year since my last trip.  I know this because it was during Playoffs last year.

The first thing she and I are doing after she retrieves me from the ferry is heading for the border.  Finally!  Our very own cross-border trek to Bellingham to raid the Trader Joe’s!  I already have a list as long as my arm, but pleeeeeease leave us comments here on what we must buy!!

While you are at it, if there’s any other must stop stores, restaurants, or touristy things between the border and Bellingham let us know.

Happy Thursday everyone!

Headache Inspired

** Awesome friend alert!  My favourite frequent border crosser, Ibby, brought me back a surprise from Trader Joe’s.  Cooooookie Butter! It’s as delicious as everyone says.

I provided him with a pan of Maple Bacon Sticky Buns as thanks.

Which reminds me…I posted those AMAZING bacon buns yesterday and I only got ONE comment.  Shocked!  I thought you guys would be drooling all over those.

** This morning I made the sad mistake of ordering a Starbucks muffin.  It was mediocre at best and barely the size of my palm.  Then when I looked it up it turned out to be a 400 calorie muffin.  400!!  How is that even a reasonable item to sell?  #@$%^&*!!!

** Tomorrow is #FoodiePenPals reveal day.  Check back here to see my fun foodie goodie bag.

** There was big plans on my workout schedule to finally try BodyPump tonight but I was thwarted by a weird, out of nowhere headache.  First I had a wave of light headedness, then kind of a wibbly eye thing that wouldn’t go away…so I relegated myself to the couch for a few hours and now seem to be fine.

** Gorgeous big pink grapefruits were on sale this week.  I bought a bag and spent three days trying to think of something creative to do with them.  Today I had a brilliant brainstorm.  Eat them!  :)

** I have missed a couple of weeks of #CanadianBloggerSeries shout outs.  Oooops!  Take a click on over to Heidi’s blog to check out posts by:

• Karen from Toronto Girl West (British Columbia)
• Cynthia from Cynthia’s Adventures (New Brunswick & Toronto)
• Leigh from All You Need is Love (Alberta)

It’s so fun reading everyone’s different views of their place in Canada!

** Oh, I suppose I should mention The Hunger Games.  I was lucky enough to get a pair of passes to the advanced premiere of the movie so the other Jamie and I checked it out.  It’s definitely worth the hype.  Very well done.  I think I was at a bit of a disadvantage having just finished the book three days prior so I was picking apart the details and timeline a bit, but overall they did a good job converting the book to the screen.

I’m wondering if anyone who has not read the book has seen the movie yet?  And if you have, were you able to follow the story just fine?  I felt like you needed to know a fair bit from the book for the movie to make complete sense.  Or was that just because the book was so fresh in my mind?

I’m now [not so] patiently waiting on my friend’s boyfriend to finish reading book two so I can have it. 

** I finally gave in a got Draw Something Free for my iPhone tonight.  I’ve played like 15 hands and I’m terrible.  But I’ve had to draw fire twice so I guess that’s my current forte.  You can find me on there as bi0nicw0man if you want to test my mad finger drawing skillz.  I’d like to earn some new colours!

I just spent like 18 minutes trying to figure out how people screen capture things on their iPhones to post to their blogs and such and couldn’t do it. 

Help me!

Brain Food

Now there’s something you’ve all been waiting for.  The return of cereal!

Kashi Honey Almond Flax is truly my favourite cereal ever.  Well since I grew past the age of Fruit Loops anyway.  With vanilla soy milk and blueberries it might just surpass my love of AB & banana toast.

For lunch I took a trip down to the waterfront with my friend Christy and her darling little boy Cameron.  They were visiting from Nanaimo for the day and I had hoped to take them to Red Fish Blue Fish but the line was like an hour long, so we opted for The Flying Otter instead.

I had the one piece halibut fish and chips…with half chips and half salad.

Look at those blue eyes!  Can you say heart breaker?

We had parked the car right outside of Picnic Coffee so we decided it was a sign that we should grab some coffees and enjoy some more chitchat at one of their little sidewalk tables.  I had a coupon for a free Americano which the guys turned into an iced bevvie for me.  Yum.

This needs to be the next downtown Victoria eatery I try for lunch!

Christy left me with a gift bag which had this lovely TJ’s crack butter treat inside!  Geeeeze, people think I like this stuff or something!!  :)

I snacked on fake popcorn cakes to tide me over until dinner.

For dinner I had Michael over to help me eat of the leftovers from my taco dinner with Tiffaney.  We started out with those deeeelish Lime Tostitos dipped in this FF Spicy Black Bean Dip that Alecia put in my TJ’s treat bag a couple of months ago. 

Of course we had beers.  Sadly the beer selection at my house isn’t as good as what we usually have at his place.

But I made up for my poor beer choices by serving up delicious, crispy, colourful taco salads!  Lettuce, tomato chunks, cucumber, carrots, red onion and avocado topped with shredded cheddar and a mixture of the leftover seasoned black beans and ground beef.

After the photo shoot we slathered on salsa and sour cream as dressing and used more chips and scoops for our meals.  I heart taco salad.

After dinner we sat side by side with our laptops.  He worked diligently on his work projects and I worked diligently at catching up on Google Reader and eventually remembering I was supposed to be booking our campsite for the upcoming long weekend.  A couple of PB cups may have helped kick start my brain for that.  Chocolate is brain food you know.