Johnny Cakes (AKA Cornmeal Pancakes)

Recently I went through my pantry, did an inventory of what I have, what I am out of, and what needs to be used up.

This is a reminder that we all should be doing this, especially now if you are a cold weather/holiday cook and or baker. Get a head start, make sure you can find flour and sugar, and make sure your baking powder and sodas are active!

My pantry is pretty freaking well stocked if I do say so myself. One thing I like to do though is use up ingredients that are not super staples (like cornmeal) before I buy more. And I was low on cornmeal so I figured I would just use the rest up for dinner and pick up a fresh bag during the next grocery shop. I was planning on making a pan of baked cornbread but time got away from me and it was too close to dinnertime for me to bake. So I grabbed a skillet and made cornmeal pancakes instead.

Just as good, if not better (I would say better) then cornbread. Crispy, soft, rounds of perfection. Eaten by the mr who claims he doesn't like cornbread( he really liked these🤷‍♀️) and took all of 8 minutes from start to finish for dinner. And now I will probably be making these way more often now because these little pancakes are perfect for serving with soup and chili. And I did get a fresh bag of cornmeal so I am all good to go!

To the cornmeal pancakes.

The stuff. Cornmeal, white whole wheat flour, salt, baking powder, honey or maple, olive oil, and boiling water.

Simple here. Cornmeal, honey or maple, and oil into a bowl. Mix in hot water until completely incorporated. Let sit for a minute or two then add in the flour salt ,and baking powder. Mix til combined.

Batter into a hot skillet to cook, just like you would expect. Each side cooked until golden brown.

Look at that color. Cooked to perfection.

Place them on a wire rack instead of a plate as you make them, if you care about keeping them crispy.

Then you eat them. Anyway you like. You can go the sweeter route and pour some maple on a stack or smear some jam on top. Or savory like I did here, topped with tomato stewed chick peas and avocado mousse. OR just eat them straight up hot, warm, or cold.

They are good all the ways.

-C

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Johnny Cakes (AKA Cornmeal Pancakes)

makes 8-10 pancakes

• 3/4 cup cornmeal

• 1/4 white whole wheat flour

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup

• 2 tablespoons oil plus more for skillet

• 1 cup boiling water

Place the corneal, honey or maple, and oil into a medium sized mixing bowl. Dump in the boiling water and stir until everything is combined. Let sit for 2 minutes. Add in the baking powder, salt, and flour and mix install incorporated.

Grab a skillet and heat to medium on stove.

Once skillet is hot, add a touch of oil to evenly coat the bottom. Scoop batter into pan with a spoon and spread into a round that is no thicker then 1/2 inch. Cook for 3-4 minutes of until the bottom is golden brown. Flip and cook other side until golden brown. Place cooked cakes on a wire rake to keep crispy.

Eat right away, sweet of savory or plain as they are. Left overs are great, just place them in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Can be reheated to crispy perfection in the oven or in a toaster!

Crushed Oreo Peanut Butter Cookies

Is it weird to crush up a cookie to make a new cookies? I don't think so , I actually think it's kind of my best idea ever (although I am sure that I am not the first to think of this). I now have this desire to make all sorts of crushed cookie cookies and crushed cake cookies, and crushed up cookies in cinnamon buns and you get the idea. Picture it now. A cookie full of huge hunks of birthday cake, or a crushed chocolate chip cookie inside a chocolate chocolate cookie crushed up inside of a peanut butter cookie rolled in crushed up chips....This could get dangerous.

Back to these cookies. 

Not going to lie, these cookies were 99 percent inspired but Lindsey Lohan. And no, not because they are like crack (although that's what the mr's brother thought) but because of the movie, The Parent Trap. Yes, it is now on Hulu and yes, I watched it, and yes I was by myself, and no I will not feel shame for that.  In the movie the Lindsey's (well, the one Lindsey that plays two Lindsey's.. you should watch it if you don't know what I am talking about) are away at summer camp being all innocent and cute (what happened to you Lindsey?) but get into a little trouble and are banished to a cabin away from other campers. After getting over there anger at one another, they start talking about their parents and how they share the same birthday and how they look exactly alike. Then they start to eat Oreos dipped in peanut butter. This is the point in the movie where they know something is up and that they are actually twins separated at birth. (Not because they look exactly the same or share the same birthday, it's totally the cookies. Powerful Disney moment.)  I mean, if that food combination could do that for these girls, well what could it do for me? (so far not a damn thing)  But I had the peanut butter and a few Oreos left from a ice cream cake and I needed to bake because I needed to so I listened to the innocent cute Lindsey's and make these crushed up Oreo and peanut butter cookies. And the world thanked me, but really, we should thank Lindsey too.I hear she could really use a win right now. And maybe I will eventually find a girl that looks like me and share my birthday and can be my twin too. I'll make her these cookies.

The stuff. We are gonna need some white and brown sugar, vanilla extract, flax eggs, peanut butter and earth balance. Also flour, baking soda and baking powder, a little bit of salt, and of course, Oreo cookies.

Add to a bowl the sugars, flax eggs, peanut butter, vanilla, and the earth balance. 

Mix until smooth and creamy.

After mixing all the dry together, dump it into the wet and mix until cookie dough happens. 

Then add in your crushed Oreos! I just used my hands and crushed them directly into the bowl, but you could also stick them in a bag and smash them. Your choice. 

Cookies in the cookie dough.. Don't eat it. Ok, maybe eat a little. 

Scoop same sized amounts of dough onto a cookies sheet and take a flat something or another and smoosh the balls into flat disks.

Once the oven is preheated, pop those suckers into the oven to bake. I did 12-13 minutes and they came out perfect. 

See, perfect. 

Now fill your cookie jar with al those perfect cookies and hide it. If seen, they will be devoured. Share with your long lost twin. 

-C

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Crushed Oreo Peanut Butter Cookies 

make 2 dozen 

• 1 3/4  cups all  purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/3 cup earth balance or other vegan butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 flax eggs (2 tablespoon flax meal with 6 tablespoons water)
• 10 Oreos 

Preheat oven to 350

In a large bowl combine the sugars, the peanut butter, vanilla, earth balance, and the flax eggs. Mix until all completely combined and smooth. In a smaller bowl combine the flour, baking soda and powder, and salt and whisk to mix. Dump the dry into the wet and mix until combined. Take Oreos and crush them into small pieces (I used my hands but you could stick them in a bag and smash them with a rolling pin or something) into the dough. Mix until evenly disturbed.

Measure out same sized balls of dough and place them on a cookie sheet. Take a flat surface and smoosh the dough so it it a flat dish. Bake cookies for 11-13 minutes or until the edges are starting to lightly brown. Remove and place on a cooling rack.

Eat the cookies.  Hide the cookies.