Simple Goodness on the Farm – The Recipes

Note: This is the first post of a three-part series about Simple Goodness on the Farm, which is part of Land O'Lakes Kitchen Conversations. The second post is here and the third post is here. I also wrote a brief post about the event for the Land O'Lakes blog – you can read it here.

Last week, I participated in Simple Goodness on the Farm, which is one of the events in Land O'Lakes' Kitchen Conversations program. Kitchen Conversations was started to help home cooks and bakers (like me!) develop more confidence in the kitchen. The program features a series of conversations – some online and some at events. I participated in a couple of the online conversations last year; Simple Goodness on the Farm is the first event I've been part of.

The other bloggers who were part of the Simple Goodness on the Farm event are:

Ree from The Pioneer Woman
Becky from Land O'Lakes Test Kitchen
Sommer from A Spicy Perspective
Maria from Two Peas and Their Pod
Brenda from A Farmgirl's Dabbles
Julie from The Little Kitchen
Bridget from Bake at 350
Jessica from The Novice Chef
Joanne from Fifteen Spatulas
Jenny from Picky Palate

Here's a little sneak peek at all the fun we had during Simple Goodness on the Farm. Only part of the event took place on a farm, but I'll explain all of that in my next two posts.

Day 1 – A tour of our farm and dinner in Minneapolis {read more here}



Day 2 – A tour of Land O'Lakes headquarters and baking in the Land O'Lakes Test Kitchen {read more here}


Being part of this event was so much fun! From getting to know all of these fun ladies to learning more about Land O'Lakes to taste testing all of the bloggers' recipes, it would be impossible to choose my favorite part. But sampling all of the recipes would rank right up there!

Here are the recipes each of the bloggers shared for the event:

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes from A Spicy Perspective
Pineapple Coconut Bundt Cake from The Novice Chef
Stone Fruit and Raspberry Cobbler from Bake at 350
Miso-Butter Grilled Vegetables with Basil-Mint Pesto from A Farmgirl’s Dabbles
Mediterranean Cheesy Chicken Quesadillas from Picky Palate
Summer Vegetable Pasta from The Little Kitchen
Cheese Ravioli with Lemon Basil Butter Sauce from Two Peas and Their Pod
Grilled Peaches with Bourbon Brown Butter Sauce from Fifteen Spatulas
Rhubarb Pie on a Stick from Land O'Lakes Test Kitchen

And here's the recipe I shared: Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies. The name doesn't sound nearly as exciting as these cookies taste. These are, hands down, our all time favorite cookies. The recipe was inspired by Julie's Doubletree Hotel Copycat Chocolate Chip Cookies. But after I saw how fast we gobbled these up, I played around with Julie's recipe to convert it to whole wheat. Seriously, Glen will eat these for breakfast, lunch and dinner, so I figured a whole grain cookie would be a better meal.

Now, I make them with white whole wheat flour, which has a much milder taste than regular whole wheat flour – you won’t be able to tell that these cookies are 100% whole grain. (They can also be made with regular whole wheat flour, but the cookies will be darker and have much more of a whole grain taste. If you use regular white flour instead of white whole wheat flour, omit the milk.)

Just be sure to serve them with a big glass of milk!
 

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes about 30 large cookies*
Prep time: 20 minutes
Chill time: 2 hours (minimum)
Bake time: 14 minutes per pan

½ cup rolled oats
2 ¼ cups white whole wheat flour (lightly spooned into cup and leveled with knife OR about 310 grams)
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) LAND O’LAKES butter (I use salted)
¾ cup brown sugar, packed (I use dark brown)
¾ cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon lemon juice
1 Tablespoon milk (I use whole milk)
2 large eggs
3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 ½ cups chopped walnuts

In a small food processor, grind oats until fine. Combine oats, flour, soda, salt and cinnamon in small bowl.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars. Blend in vanilla and lemon juice. Then blend in milk. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition and scraping sides of bowl. Add dry ingredients to bowl and mix together with a sturdy spoon just until mostly combined. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts just until combined.

Using a large cookie scoop (I use a #20, which is about 3 Tablespoons), scoop cookie dough onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Chill cookie dough in refrigerator for at least 2 hours (I chill them overnight). You must scoop cookie dough before you chill it.

Place scoops of chilled dough on lined baking sheets at least 2½ inches apart and bake at 350°F for 14 minutes, rotating pans after 7 minutes. Cool on pan for 7 to 10 minutes before transferring to racks to cool completely.

*I always make a double batch of these cookies. Whether you make 30 or 60, these cookies disappear quickly!


I am a Land O'Lakes Cooperative member-owner. I received compensation from Land O'Lakes for writing about this event. All opinions are my own.