Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies

How was everyone's Christmas?! What did you all get?!

I got a LOT of great stuff, including: gift cards (Whole Foods, gas, Anthropologie, Target, iTunes, Sperry Topsider, Starbucks, and more), candy, chocolate, Goldfish [I'm not *completely* dairy free], books and cook books (Vegan Pie in the Sky! and Thrive! and Thrive Foods! And Skinny Bitch: Home, Beauty, and Style!), documentaries (Forks over Knives and Food, Inc.), a new Bible (NIV/Message parallel Bible with my name engraved on it), Audrey Hepburn move & coffee mug, money, a Cuisinart portable blender, and more! Great Christmas! Christmas Eve was a little.... terrible, spent crying with a headache and feeling sick, but let's not get into that, shall we? :)  

Someone requested the recipe for these cookies I showed in my last WIAW - here you go! I hope you enjoy them!

• Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) Earth Balance, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 flax eggs (2 T. flax meal mixed with 6 T. water)
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 T. Royal Harvest Caramel Flax Oil
• 2 T. Royal Harvest Chocolate Flax Oil
• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• 2. In a large bowl, beat Earth Balance and sugars until light and fluffy.
• 3. Add vanilla, flax eggs, and flax oils. Mix until combined.
• 4. Add remaining ingredients and mix until just combined. 
• 5. Bake NO MORE than 10 minutes or they will become VERY crispy. You could probably even bake them for 8-9 minutes if you like. Just do not cook them longer than 10 minutes!
• 6. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Feel free to decorate tops with sprinkles prior to baking if desired.
• What cookies did you bake for Christmas?
• Much love,
  Rachael

Fusion Pasta + Royal Harvest Flax Oils

Merry Christmas, everyone!!

The holidays come with baking cookies and sweet treats (duh!), and I always like to try new things. Why not try out a new product in my cookies and make my cookies healthier at the same time?!

I've always really wanted to get into using flax oil. It's high in Omega-3 fatty acids, but it's just so expensive for such a little amount that I never want to fork up the money for it. And how would I use it, anyways? That always perplexed me a bit. I've heard salad dressings, I've heard smoothies, but I don't eat/drink either of those very much. So what's a girl to do?

Well, I recently discovered a new line of flax oils by Shape Foods. Well, two lines, rather. And guess what? Shape Foods sent me the ENTIRETY of both lines to try! I was amazed and extremely happy! They also sent a bag of their ground flax seed to review. The first line is the "Heart Shape" line, which features a line of flavored flax oils for savory dishes. This line features the flavors: Italian, Indian, Szechuan, Thai, and Mexican. It also features a pure, regular flax oil. These oils are a great way to get those Omega-3s and work easily into a variety of dishes. You could drizzle some over veggies and roast them in the oven, use on pasta for a kick of flavor (that's what I did!), drizzle in you salad dressings....whatever. There are so many ways to use these guys. 

The first oil I tried was the Indian flavor, because I absolutely LOVE curry on pretty much anything. You know what? It had a VERY strong curry flavor! I was impressed! The others also tasted exactly what is said on the bottle. I combined the Indian and Thai flavors to create a pasta dish that I like to call Fusion Pasta, because it fuses these two ethnic flavors together. Delicious! 

Fusion Pasta

Serves 2 

Ingredients:

2 handfuls of wheat rotini pasta (great measuring skills, right?), cooked and drained

1 carrot, shredded

1/4 onion, chopped

1 t. Earth Balance Buttery Spread

1 T. Heart Shape Indian Flax Oil 

1 T. Heart Shape Thai Flax Oil

Salt

Pepper

Directions:

1. In a small pan, melt Earth Balance. Add carrots and onions and saute until soft. 

2. Pour veggie mixture onto cooked pasta and stir. Add flax oils, salt, and pepper to taste, and mix well. 

Super easy, right?!

Next, I tried the "Royal Harvest" line, which featured the flavors: Chocolate, Banana, Coconut, Caramel, and Original. Again, you will be shocked to learn that these oils actually taste like what they say! I used the chocolate and caramel flavors when baking cookies, along with their flax meal, and boy were they DELICIOUS. These would be very delicious in smoothies and other baked goods as well. 

My mom is now also a huge fan of these products and plans to use them herself! 

Their website features many great recipes and ways in which you can use their oils, as well. Check out the recipes here!

Overall, I am in love with this product. So great, and so surprising that everything actually tastes like what it says! Amazing. I highly recommend this product if you are looking for something new, trying to incorporate more flax oil into your diet, or want to get a bit healthier in a different way! 

The Daisy Rating

4.5/5 daisies

Thanks so much, Shape Foods!

What is your favorite way to use flax oil? 

Much love,