Super Easy Chocolate Star Cookies

By Christen Wall

Anyone who has met me knows that I am a huge fan of sweets so I thought I'd do a dessert related column this week. This is a super easy recipe appropriate for even the most time-crunched individuals. I used to make these cookies as a kid and I loved them. I dug up the recipe over the holidays and they were a huge hit! I also like this recipe because it is a fun one for kids to help with (if you have little helpers in your household) and the cookies are really yummy to eat! So if you are craving something sweet and are tired of eating pre-packaged food give these a try!

Shopping notes:
The only hard to find ingredient is the chocolate stars. These can be found in the candy aisle at most major grocery stores (but not Super Target). Also, Hershey kisses make a good substitute.

Cooking tools:
• Cookie Sheet
• Mixing bowl
• Something to stir with

Tip: If you want to make these with kids, an adult should be around to handle the oven and for the mixing. The fun part for kids is rolling the dough into little balls and placing the chocolate stars on at the end.

Ingredients:
1 cup white sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1 bag chocolate stars

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine sugar and peanut butter in a bowl, mix. Add egg and mix. Roll the dough into approximately 1 inch balls. (Hint: I usually use a small spoon to scope out the dough so they are approximately the same size.) The dough balls should be set 1-2 inches apart on the cookie sheet. Put the tray in the oven and cook for 9-10 minutes. They will still be round when you take them out of the oven. Remove from the oven and immediately press a chocolate star into each cookie. Remove from cookie sheet and allow to cool. Once they are cool, eat and enjoy!

SERVES: Makes approximately 24 cookies

Homemade Granola

By Misa Misono

In the spirit of Wellness Week at Fuqua, my recipe for the week is one of the most popular “health” foods out there: granola. Many granolas you find the in grocery store use large amounts of manufactured sweetening products and hard-to-pronounce preservatives. This recipe offers a more natural alternative and is surprisingly simple to make.

The worst thing you can do to ruin granola is burn it in the oven, which results in something akin to potpourri—smells nice but tastes terrible. I say this not to instill fear, but to liberate you: Granola is one of the easiest recipes to improvise upon and can be tailored to your tastes. So feel free to experiment with the ingredients! Like shredded coconut? Add a quarter-cup to the mix before you bake the granola. Love chocolate? Mix a handful of chocolate chips into the mix after it has cooled. I’ve included some other ideas for add-ins in the recipe.

I hope you will try this simple recipe and find that homemade granola not only tastes better than the stuff you buy in the store, but that it is easy to make as well. It’s a perfect recipe to try your hand at improvising and provides a tasty breakfast or mid-afternoon snack.

Shopping notes:
Dried fruit is often sold near fresh produce or in bags in the canned fruit section.

Cooking tools: 1 medium cookie sheet/jelly roll pan/baking pan and wax paper/parchment paper/foil

Tip: Make sure to measure out the oil first – it will coat the measuring cup and make the honey slide out easily.

Ingredients:
3 cups plain, old-fashioned oatmeal (not instant)
¼ cup canola or grapeseed oil (do not use a strong flavored oil, like olive oil)
¼ cup honey
4 Tablespoons pure maple syrup (if you do not have maple syrup, increase honey by this amount and add vanilla extract in amount specified below)
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 Tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract – optional
pinch of salt
½ - ¾ cup pecans, walnuts, almonds
½ cup small dried fruit of your choice (raisins, cranberries, cherries)

Other granola add-in ideas:
¼ - ½ cup untoasted pumpkin seeds, oat bran, or shredded coconut
¼ cup chocolate chips
1-2 Tablespoons flaxseed

DIRECTIONS
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, measure out oil, honey, maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla extract if using, salt, and water. Mix ingredients vigorously with a fork or whisk to combine.

Add nuts and oatmeal to bowl. Use large spatula or spoon to combine. Place mixture onto cookie sheet, making sure to spread out evenly. If you spread the ends thinner than the middle, the ends will burn before granola finishes baking.

Set up a long sheet (16 inches or so) of wax paper, parchment paper, or foil. If using foil, spray a thin layer of non-stick cooking spray onto foil.

Place in oven, set time for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove cookie sheet and toss the mixture with a spatula. Again, make sure to spread it out evenly before proceeding.

Place mixture back into oven for another 10 minutes, checking after 7 minutes to make sure the edges aren’t burning. If the edges are starting to burn, remove tray and repeat tossing procedure before finishing baking.

Remove granola from the oven and immediately move to sheet of paper/foil. Add in the dried fruit at this point. Let cool and harden for 5-7 minutes.

Makes 4 cups of granola. Stores for 7-12 days in a plastic container.