Blondies

These have become a go to for me for parties and pot lucks. They are so easy and so novel for most of my friends. I love to add some caramel drizzle and sea salt to the top! Give it a try and you'll love them! Much more than chocolateless brownie!! 

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup of butter, melted

1 cup of tightly packed dark brown sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon of baking soda

Pinch of salt

1 cup of all-purpose flour

1/3 cup of butterscotch chips (optional, but you can get creative here)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. 

Whisk together the melted butter and sugar in a bowl.

Add the egg and vanilla extract and whisk. Then add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, mix it all together. Add the butterscotch chips or other mix-ins.

Pour into the pan and spread evenly. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool. Cut into squares and serve.

Fact of the week: October 28, 2013

Tetrachromats have four cones to perceive color. Most people have three cones, red, blue and green. Tetrachromats have a yellow cone. Tetrachromats are females because cones are a sex linked trait.

Cite: http://www.radiolab.org/story/211193-perfect-yellow/

Oatmeal Applesauce Cookies (no sugar or flour added)

This is pretty easy and doesn't take too much ingredients. Perfect for quick healthy fall cookies! They were inspired from quick oats cookies!

Ingredients:
1 cup applesauce
1 cup quick oats
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 cup of chocolate chunks or chips (I just chopped up a Theo chocolate bar, but you really could any add ins you wanted like nuts, or coconut. The possibilities are endless!)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Mix together oats and applesauce till well combined. Add in cinnamon and chocolate.
Scoop out small balls onto a cookie sheet. I used a tablespoon to measure them out. The more surface area this cookie has the more of a crunchy cookie texture it will have; less surface area the more moist and soft it will be.
Pop in the oven for 15 minutes or until the cookies have browned.
Enjoy these easy and healthy cookies with some tea; I paired mine with cinnamon tea and it was amazing!

See so quick and easy and no sugar or flour needed!

Fact of the Week: October 21, 2013

Semelparity (Suicidal reproduction) has evolved in only four genera of mammals. Scientists presume that male suicidal reproduction occurs in a species when scronized breeding occurs and the females are promiscuous. 

Cite:
http://m.pnas.org/content/early/2013/10/02/1310691110

Fact of the Week: October 14, 2013

Matter that you might traditional think of, protons, neutrons, and electrons, only makes up about 5% of the total universe. 25% of the universe is made up of Dark Matter. The other 70% is made up of Dark Energy.
Read more in the cite below
Cite: http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/space/dark-matter/

Caramel Apple Cider Cookies!

Here is the recipe for Caramel Apple Cider Cookies, which I found on Pinterest. These were a wonderful precursor to my trip to Apple Hill last fall. These cookies are best right out of the oven when the caramel is still hot, but we discovered the microwave can heat the center back up alright. However a toaster oven might work best! Warning these will go fast!

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter, nearly melted
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (7.4 ounce) box Alpine Spiced Apple Cider Instant Original Drink Mix
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 (14 ounce) bag Kraft Caramels

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Cream together butter, sugar, salt, and all 10 packets of apple cider mix until smooth and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla extract, then mix in the baking soda and baking powder. Add the flour and mix until just combined.

Scoop the dough into small quarter sized balls, scraping off the excess as you go up the bowl. Flatten the dough slightly in your hand and place a caramel in the center. Work the dough around the caramel sealing well. Place the cookies two inches apart on the sheets.

Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. After baking, carefully slide the parchment with the cookies onto the counter. Let cool until they are no longer soft but still slightly warm. Twist gently to remove, and cool the rest of the way upside down on a cooling rack.
If cookies get too cool before you twist them off, freeze the whole sheet for a few minutes and they'll come right off.

Best enjoyed warm and with some spiced apple cider.

Fact of the Week: October 7, 2013

Three scientists,  James Rothman and Randy Schekman, both from the US, and Thomas Sudhof, from Germany, have won the Nobel Prize for medicine or physiology after discovering how cells precisely transport material.

They found the way "vesicles" act like a fleet of ships transporting their goods to the exact destination.

Cite:
Cellular 'shipping' wins Nobel Prize http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-24427951