Brenda wants a softer cookie

Do you have a chocolate chip cookie recipe that will create soft cookies? The recipe I have does fine, just my cookies are not as soft as I like unless I need to adjust the cooking time.

Brenda


My response...

You're on the right track with adjusting the cooking time. A minute or two less will often produce a softer cookie. Also, once you remove them from the oven, cookies continue to cook on the hot baking sheet so remove them off the sheet right away to cool. I have one other suggestion: brown sugar. Try switching to brown sugar and see if that helps. (I use half brown & half white sugar in mine)

Jenny

Marilynn has allergies

Hi Jenny:
Love your site. It looks inviting and the colors are refreshing but not "old." Love your advice. I've been trolling the internet for information on increasing energy, reducing loss of skin-tone, reducing fat accumulation, … for a very long time.

I have, indeed, found numerous resources and I work to maintain a healthy lifestyle, however I am allergic to tomatoes, and all citrus fruits plus almonds. This puts quite a damper on recipes I find. Do you have any suggestions of what/how I might cook with these restrictions.

Onward,
Marilynn B.


My response...

Marilynn, your allergies shouldn't stop you from making healthy choices. Instead of citrus fruits (a good source of vitamin C) you can get your C from red peppers, papaya, broccoli or cantaloupe just to name a few. Instead of almonds, use walnuts which actually have the most Omega-3 fatty acids of all the nuts. As for tomatoes, a good source of lycopene, you can get that from other red fruits like watermelon (Yum!) but have a little fat with it (like a couple of walnuts) for better absorption of the lycopene. Check your overall diet if you're lacking energy - too many carbs and sugars can be the culprit. And protect your skin tone with sunscreen every day, even the cloudy ones. It seems to me you can cook lots of things, especially the important ones: vegetables, as well as rice, pasta, eggs, and meats. Just be grateful you're not allergic to chocolate. Oh, the horror!! :-)

Jenny

Chris needs caramel corn directions...

Jenny,

I have a recipe for your Nutty Caramel Corn that only has the ingredients. I need directions please. Thank you,

Chris.

My response...

Chris, this gave me the idea to do a video of my caramel corn recipe, but in the meantime, here are the directions:

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

2. Place popped, unsalted popcorn into a very large bowl. Place the almonds, peanuts and walnuts on top of the popcorn but DO NOT MIX. Leave the nuts resting on top of the popcorn.

3. Place the butter, corn syrup, brown sugar and salt into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until butter is melted. Reduce heat to medium-low and boil, undisturbed and uncovered, for 5 minutes.

4. Remove saucepan from heat and stir in vanilla and baking soda.

5. Pour the butter mixture over the nuts and using your hands (latex gloves work well here) mix it all up, smooshing so that all the popcorn and nuts are glazed.

6. Spread the popcorn mixture onto a large ungreased jelly roll pan. Mine measures 12 by 17 inches. You can use two smaller pans but they must have rims. Bake for one hour, removing briefly every 15 minutes to stir.

7. Spread the mixture onto wax paper to cool. It will seem sticky at first but it will dry up nicely.

Jon asks about oatmeal cookies...

Dear Jenny,
I love your recipes, especially the cookies recipes. I was wondering, is there a way to make the cholesterol buster oatmeal cookies a little more moist or chewy?

My response...

Jon, try eliminating the flaxseed meal and use all-purpose flour. You’ll still get good fiber from the oats but they should be more moist. You could also try adding another tablespoon of butter. Oh, and store them in a plastic bag with all the air removed – that makes a big difference.

Gerome has a question about sweeteners...

Hi, Jenny!
I've been checking out your recipes and plan to try most if not all of them at some point. I had a question for you about using sugar in recipes, and if you've ever tried agave nectar syrup? A friend of mine turned my partner on to The Perfect 10 Diet to which I'm not much of a fan, but I do like some of it with regard to using sea salt instead of regular, more organic/natural ingredients, etc.

Anyway, the diet also recommends the use of agave nectar as a sugar replacement in coffee, beverages, where ever it makes sense. I've found it a little too sweet but it's an OK replacement. So like I said, just wondering if you'd tried any alternatives to standard ingredients. Oh and, how do you think your oatmeal pancakes would do combined with blueberries? Just a thought, I might try it.

My response...

Dear Gerome, I have tried different sweeteners for baking but I’ve never liked the results so I still bake with sugar, but I use as little as possible. I do not use agave nectar but I sometimes use stevia as a sweetener. As for adding blueberries to my oatmeal pancakes, that would definitely work – and make them even healthier.

Darlene asks about Green Tea...

Dear Jenny,
My question to you is you mentioned that you sip green and white tea all day long, is it hot or iced? And is there a good way to make either a perfect cup? Thank you.

My response...

Darlene, I drink green, white, or black tea when it’s hot because I believe there are more antioxidants when it’s just newly brewed. If I let a cup of green or white tea sit out too long, the color darkens (oxidizes) and to me it won’t have the same benefits. One key thing is not to brew tea more than 2-3 minutes or it can get bitter. You can see how I brew my tea in my How-To Videos.

Tina has a "better butter" question…

Dear Jenny,
So glad I found your site. It nice to see you're keeping happy and well :D I
do have a question for you……Your better butter recipe, how long will it
keep for in the fridge? Thanx.

My response...

Tina, it will keep at least as long as the expiration date on the butter. I don’t use much butter so I keep mine for weeks, even as long as 4-5 months, until it’s used up.

Karyn asks about granola…

Hello, I found your site by putting in a search for “what happened to Jenny Jones” and here you are! I really enjoyed watching your “how to” video on granola making and I was wondering how long it lasts in the fridge? or what do you do with it when it is done baking? leave it out? how long does it stay fresh? have you ever tried granola in the Special K box? I did and it was amazing sooooo good, could I use that granola to make my own granola ? could I bake that granola do you think when I make my own type of granola ?? Please let me know, I am on a restricted diet and have plenty of operations on my pancreas (due to gall stones) Now my pancreas does not work and I have chronic pancreatitis, so I must really watch what I eat. granola is perfect for my diet. thanks for all your help and I am glad I found your site! thanks so much.!!!

My response...

After my granola has cooled, I put it in a covered container and it will keep for several weeks in the fridge. Mine doesn’t last more than about two weeks but it should stay fresh for at least a couple of months. I haven’t tried the Special K brand but that granola is already cooked so I do not suggest using it to make your own granola because you will be baking it twice and it could be overdone. I just looked up the ingredients in the Special K brand online and my, my, my… lookie here:


Karyn, if your health is a priority, I suggest you make your own granola and not eat the Special K brand. The second ingredient is sugar and then it contains honey and high fructose corn syrup. Yikes! You probably like it because it’s extra sweet so I suggest making my recipe and you can increase the brown sugar to 1/2 cup. Well, that’s my 2 cents.

Chris asks about canola oil…

Hi, Jenny. I keep hearing bad things about Canola oil. Any idea whether your butter recipe might work with olive oil as well? I suppose I could just try it and see, but I thought I'd ask:-)

My response...

Chris, you can make the same butter mixture with olive oil but it will taste a bit like the olive oil (canola has no flavor). I suggest trying a light olive oil, which won't be as pungent.  I hope that helps.

Angela’s pancakes are flat…

Dear Jenny,
I hope you can help. I love making pancakes but they are never light and fluffy like the pictures I see. I like to add diced apple and wonder if that could be weighing them down, but then even when I make them plain, they still come out kind of flat (& not very pretty). Even though they still taste good, I want them to look good too. Any thoughts?

My response...

Dear Angela,
I think I know what the problem is. The biggest mistake people make with pancakes is to over-mix them. So if you’re using an electric mixer, put it away! The batter should be gently stirred or folded using a spatula or large spoon with just a few turns. In fact, it should actually be lumpy and not smooth. Adding the apples or other fruit (like blueberries!) should not make a difference, except they will be healthier. Good luck.