Saturday, June 6, 2009

Cookie Foodfanataholic - Then you won't want to miss this post on The Cookie Blog!


I did say that I wouldn't be gone forever, but I'll probably post less frequently. Since I was missing the blog, and felt like a part of me was missing, I decided to do a post about a friend of mine, Tiffany McCauley.

We met because we are fellow food bloggers, and like all food bloggers, we like to support and expose people to the blogs that we love. Tiffany's blog is all about cookies...she is the ultimate cookie baker. If you want to know about cookies, from how to bake them to how to open your own cookie business, Tiffany is your go t0 source. In fact, Tiffany is so good at what she does that she just finished writing an eBook called “The Sweeter Side Of Life - How to start your own cookie business, avoid pitfalls and find success." The book sells for $14.95. Here is the link to purchase "The Sweeter Side of Life."

Tiffany wrote the eBook in response to the numerous questions that she was receiving from people who were asking her advice on how she started her own cookie business. She decided that rather than try to repeatedly answer the same questions, she would put her answers into a book so people could read it and keep it as a reference source.

This book covers everything from FDA regulations to marketing on a small budget, as well as giving tons of resources and contacts for many cookie business needs. She also covers how to price your cookies and how to find balance between your business and your life.

This book is a must have if you have any desire at all to open a cookie business, or if you are just a cookie foodfanataholic!

Tiffany started Ohma's Cookies in 2008. It was a small, one-woman operation that grew surprisingly quickly. In fact, it started to grow so quickly that she just couldn't handle it on her own any longer. With a young son at home, she sadly decided that her cookie business would just have to wait. She closed her kitchen indefinitely, but not being one to give up easily, she continued with her dream by writing a blog TheCookieBlog.com, and it was there where she first began to counsel others on how to start their own businesses. This arrangement has turned out to be the best of both worlds for Tiffany. She can take care of her son, and still be involved in the wonderful world of cookies. Her blog is just fabulous, please check it out.

Tiffany generously contributed one of her favorite recipes for me to share will all my readers called Agave Sweetened, Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies.

This recipe is one that will be in her upcoming eBook "Naturally Sweet Drop Cookies - Cookies Sweetened with Agave Nectar." Tiffany says, "This is the only place you'll find this recipe, other than my upcoming book... so enjoy! These cookies are a staple around my house. They are soft, chewy and full of chocolatey goodness."

A note from Tiffany: "When I bake, I bake by weight, not volume because it’s so much more exact."

Agave Sweetened, Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

240 gm Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
200 gm Grain Sweetened Chocolate Chips
2 Tbs. Cinnamon
1 tsp Baking Powder
200 gm Butter (softened)
240 gm Agave (light)
2 Eggs (room temperature)
2 tsp Vanilla

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a bowl, mix your flour, chocolate chips, cinnamon and baking powder. Stir well to properly coat the chocolate chips with the flour mixture, and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream your butter. Add agave and blend. Add eggs and vanilla, and blend again.

Using a spoon or spatula, add the flour mixture to your bowl of wet ingredients. Stir well.

Using a size 40 cookie dough scoop or two regular teaspoons, scoop or spoon your dough onto your cookie sheet. Be sure to allow enough room as these cookies will spread.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges of your cookies are just barely golden brown, and the middle looks baked through.

Makes approximately 30 cookies.