Our last foodie walk of the year is tonight! Marcia has prepared some delightful breakfast items that would go wonderfully on Christmas morning.

Bake at 375 degrees until done, usually about 13-15 minutes.

Coconut Snowballs
Makes 12 balls
1 3/4 cups unsweetened shredded coconut, divided
2 teaspoons melted coconut oil
3 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
Place 1 cup of shredded coconut in a food processor along with the coconut oil. Process on high speed, scraping down the sides periodically, until it reaches a paste-like consistency. (It does not have to be completely smooth like butter; some coconut texture is good.)
Add the maple syrup, coconut milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt and process until well combined. Add 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons of shredded coconut and pulse until just combined.
Shape the mixture into 12 (1-inch) balls and coat with the remaining shredded coconut. Refrigerate for at least an hour and up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature before eating.

Cinnamon Sticks
Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
for the glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
2-3 Tablespoons milk
Instructions
Cream Butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add in eggs and vanilla and beat until well combined.
Combine flour, baking soda and cinnamon. Slowly beat in to butter mixture until dough is smooth and flour mixture is completely combined.
Line a loaf pan with foil and press dough into pan, fold foil over to cover dough.
Refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour, until firm. Remove dough from pan and foil. Cut dough into 1/2 inch slices and then cut slices into thirds.
Place slices on an greased cookie sheet, 3 inches apart. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes, until just lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes before removing to racks to cool completely.
Once cookies are completely cooled, prepare glaze by mixing powdered sugar with milk, starting with 2 Tablespoons of milk, adding more milk if needed until drizzling consistency is reached.
For easy drizzling, place glaze in a plastic bag and then cut a small hole in one corner of bag. Gently squeeze bag to drizzle glaze over cookies. Let glaze dry completely before storing in an airtight container.

Cream Cheese Chocolate Cookies
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 ounces (1/4 cup) brick-style cream cheese (lite brick-style is okay but don’t use ‘whipped’ or ‘spreadable’)
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tablespoon brewed coffee, optional but recommended (leftover from the morning brew okay)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder, optional but recommended
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
12 ounces (2 cups) semi-sweet chocolate chips
DIRECTIONS:
To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large mixing bowl and electric mixer) add the butter, cream cheese, sugars, egg, optional coffee (doesn’t make cookies taste like coffee, serves to enhance the chocolate flavor), vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until well-creamed, light and fluffy, about 4 to 5 minutes.
Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the cocoa powder, optional espresso powder (doesn’t make cookies taste like coffee, serves to enhance the chocolate flavor), and beat on medium-high speed until combined, 1 to 2 minutes.
Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt, and mix until just combined, about 1 minute.
Add chocolate chips and beat on low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds.
Using a large cookie scoop, 1/4-cup measure, or your hands, form approximately 16 equal-sized mounds of dough, roll into balls, and flatten slightly. Tip – Strategically place a few chocolate chips right on top of each mound of dough by taking chips from the underside and adding them on top.
Place mounds on a large plate or tray, cover with plasticwrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to 5 days. Do not bake with unchilled dough because cookies will bake thinner, flatter, and be more prone to spreading.
Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat or spray with cooking spray. Place dough mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart (I bake 8 cookies per sheet) and bake for about 10 minutes, or until edges have set and tops are just set, even if slightly undercooked or glossy in the center; don’t overbake which is easy to do with chocolate cookies. Cookies firm up as they cool so pull them before you think you need to. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for about 10 minutes before serving. I let them cool on the baking sheet and don’t use a rack.
Cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 4 months, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.

Today, is National Strawberry Picking Day! To celebrate that, our foodie walk last week focused on strawberries, here are the recipes we tried out.

Whipped Basil Ricotta and Strawberry Crostini

Ingredients:

Directions: