Young & Hungry

It was purely by chance that this cake made it into my kitchen.  I am not particularly enthusiastic about gingerbread, nor do I tend to make desserts that do not contain any trace of chocolate.  I am enthused, however, that my guest of honor who is a fan of both gingerbread and fruit desserts inspired me to bake this upside-down cake.  It.  Was.  Delicious.  And pretty!  And really not all that bad for you!  So if you find yourself in the company of one of those people who doesn’t keep an emergency stash of cocoa products in their purse, car, and desk or if you just feel like taking a bite on the other side, try this cake.  I promise even the worst chocoholic won’t be disappointed. 

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Chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin…blah blah BORING! When it’s essential to shake up baking, this recipe, from Martha’s Cookies book, creates thin, richly spiced bar cookies chock-a-block full of white chocolate chips, that are anything but mundane. They’re a snap to bake in a standard cookie sheet and even easier to slice with a pizza cutter.

Chewy and full of white chocolate!

  
I love making them for the holidays (for obvious reasons) and am always super excited to find recipes that highlight the underappreciated white chocolate which so often takes back seat to big brother dark (sidebar: people shouldn’t be aiming to get their antioxidants from cookies! But I digress…..) As the Spice Girls would say, it’s time to spice up your life, or in this case, your kitchen. Oatmeal & raisins, be gone!

By the way, check out these great baking tips at the National Cookie Network….they have info on everything from wax vs. parchment paper to cookie troubleshooting. A great holiday resource.

 
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