Chocolate Cherry-Filled Cookies

These cookies are a little labor intensive as cookies go, but they are well worth it. They are kind
of the complement to Chocolate Peanut Butter Shells, the yin to their yang. These are what I like to think
of as “surprise-attack” cookies—very unassuming-looking with a surprise filling that comes out of nowhere
and shocks your unsuspecting mouth.


2 cups fl our
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
½ cup margarine, softened
½ teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons milk
½ cup chocolate chips
½ cup dried cherries
about 1 cup powdered sugar,
for coating


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, combine fl our, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, cream together sugar and margarine. Add vanilla and milk. Incorporate dry ingredients into wet ingredients in two batches until dough comes together. In a small bowl, combine chocolate chips and cherries. Put powdered sugar
on a small plate.
Scoop out balls of dough approximately 2 tablespoons in size. Flatten balls in the palm of your hand and fi ll with 1 to 2 teaspoons of the chocolate chip mixture. Fold over edges to seal and roll into a ball. Roll cookies in powdered sugar and place seam-side down on baking sheets, about 1 inch
apar t. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, until cookies are cracked on top and look slightly browned. If you are baking more than one sheet at once, rotate the sheets halfway through the baking time. Let cool on the baking sheet. Store cooled cookies in an air tight container at room temperature.
Yield: ABOUT 18 TO 24 COOKIES, DEPENDING ON SIZE
Prep time: 35 MINUTES


Hippy Dippy Crackers
These seed-studded crackers are perfect for dunking into a soup or stew or for serving with
hummus or some other dip. Have fun cutting out whatever shape or size your heart desires. The
seeds in these crackers provide lots of healthy perks: Sesame seeds are high in calcium, flaxseeds are
high in omegas and pumpkin seeds are high in iron.


1½ cups whole-wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose fl our cup oil
1 cup water
½ cup pumpkin seeds
¼ cup fl axseeds
¼ cup sesame seeds
sea salt, for sprinkling


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine whole-wheat fl our and all-purpose flour. Make a well in the middle of the fl our mixture and add oil, water, pumpkin seeds, fl axseeds and sesame seeds and mix until  well-combined. You can begin stirring with a
spatula, but you may need to use your hands. The dough should be moist but not too sticky.
On a lightly fl oured surface, roll out dough to between ¹/8- and ¹/₁₆-inch thick, depending on how thick you want your crackers to be. Transfer dough to the prepared baking sheet. Once dough is on the sheet, score the lines for your crackers using a knife or pizza cutter, but do not separate them. Lightly brush the top of the dough with water and
sprinkle with sea salt, as desired.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until crackers are browned and fi rm in the center. They do not need to be crispy yet, as they will harden up as they cool. Let crackers cool on the baking sheet on a cooling rack for 5 minutes before cutting crackers apar t on score lines. Let cool completely before eating. Store crackers covered at room temperature.
Yield: ABOUT 2 DOZEN CRACKERS
Prep time: 25 MINUTES