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Make it yourself Monday: Oreo Cakesters Wannabees Cookies

There are a few oreo cookie recipes around the web. The one that caught my attention because of her wonderful photography was Smitten Kitchen.  I have tweaked it a bit and to me it tastes more like Oreo Cakesters (which are full of I don’t know what, cost an arm and a leg and my hubby loves them).  These really do measure up and passed his taste test 100%.

This recipe made about 30 cookies which lasted only 5 minutes around here once the kids got their hooks into them. These cookies are super yummy and you can pronounce every ingredient. (Imagine if you could buy a pack of cookies at the store which said ” Ingredients: flour, sugar, eggs, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt” Yeah that would be awesome!

Oreo Cakester Wannabees Cookies

Here’s what you’ll need:
For the cookie:
1 1/4 all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
10 tablespoons softened butter (I used salted)
1 large egg

For the cookie creme
1/4 cup softened unsalted butter
1/4 cup palm shortening
2 cups sifted confectioners sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 F. In a mixer, combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt and sugar. When thoroughly mixed, on low speed add the butter and egg.  Continue mixing until the dough comes together in a ball

Take rounded teaspoons of the cookie dough and roll them into a ball between the palms of your hands. Place them on parchment paper or a silpat about 2 inches apart.  Place in the middle of the preheated over and bake for 12 minutes rotating the cookies at 6 minutes to ensure even baking.  Set baked cookies on racks to cool.

While the cookies cool, lets make the cookie cream.
Place the butter and shortening in a mixing bowl and on low speed slowly add the sugar and vanilla.  Turn mixer to high and beat for a few minutes until light and fluffy.

 Put the cookie cream into a piping bag.  If you do not have one put it into a ziploc bag and snip the corner off to pipe out the cream onto the cookies.

 Pipe a teaspoon amount of cream onto the middle of half of the cookies.  Take the other half of the cookies and place on top of each cookie with cream on it.  

 Take the other half of the cookies and place on top of each cookie with cream on it.  Press them down gently to spread the filling inside the cookie sandwiches.

 

 Real food tastes so much better than anything you can purchase at a store. No lab created or artificial flavors, colors or preservatives.

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Make it yourself Monday: Non-toxic Toothpaste

Sorry for being M.I.A. the past few days.  After I bought a new battery for my laptop, the cord went too and I had to order it which only took 2 days by the way.  I had taken my laptop to the guys at the Geek Squad and they helped me figure out what was the problem but the cord they sold was $90!!!  I got one on Amazon for $8 plus shipping…oh yeah!!

So back to blogging.  Today is Monday which means another make it yourself project.
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We have been using homemade toothpaste for 5 years now and let me tell you, once you get used to it, it is hard to go back to the super strong and chemical laden stuff they call toothpaste at the store.  NOTE: PLEASE, I did say please, IF YOU POST MY RECIPE TO YOUR BLOG PLEASE,  DO NOT TAKE CREDIT FOR IT.  IT HAS TAKEN ME YEARS TO PERFECT AND I AM SHARING IT WITH YOU out of love!

Most of these ingredients you should have in your pantry already, if you don’t, go out and buy them!  Baking soda and coconut oil have sooo many uses and who doesn’t have peppermint essential oil in their cupboard, lots of stuff you can use that for too.  If you are using them for lots of other things around the house then the only thing you have to invest in is the Zylitol which will last you about a year or two and costs about $8.00 making this tooth paste good for your mouth and your pocket.

What you need:
-8 tbsp non-aluminum baking soda (I use Bob’s Red Mill)
-4 tbsp organic coconut oil (warm it to make it liquid)
-10 tsp Zylitol powder (a natural and good for your teeth sweetner) we put it through the Vitamix to make it a powdered sugar before adding it but we used it straight out ot the package for many years without anyone complaining.
-6 to 8 drops Peppermint Essential Oil unless you don’t need mintyness in which case you could use another oil or just leave it out all together)  This girls needs some minty in the mornin’.  Just saying!  You could also put orange essential oil in your toothpaste.  Orange helps to brighten your smile.  You could also make a Theives version for keeping gums and teeth as healthy as possible.  (NOTE***  If you use essential oils in your body and care products please use one that you have done your homework on.)
-Something to keep your tooth paste in like a mason jar or bottle.

*Edit* Many of you have emailed me about the saltiness of this toothpaste.  You can add as much zylitol as you feel it takes to make this sweeter.  The zylitol does not dissolve right away so you will feel it in there.  As I noted above, you can put it through your food processor or grinder to make it a fine powder.   We spent years brushing baking soda, salt and peroxide so the saltiness does not bother us.  I have received emails saying they added up to 10 tablespoons of zylitol to make it sweet enough, again…up to you*

In a bowl mix together your baking soda and zylitol and make sure there are no lumps
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Zylitol looks just like sugar doesn’t it.  It is also very sweet and has a cooling action in your mouth

Add the coconut oil and peppermint essential oils.  Mixa mixa until it is all incorporated. Put your toothpaste in whatever container you are going to use.  If you didn’t put the xylitol through the blender, let it sit for a few hours before you use it the first time so the zylitol can dissolve some. Happy brushing!
 I have never had this go rancid or bad on me, if you are worried about that you could keep it in the fridge but like I said… it has never gone bad.
Disclaimer:  I am not a dentist and this recipe is my own creation which you use at your own discretion.  Education is our strongest weapon.  In my opinion (and everybody has one) medical professionals are taught to follow the book and that book has too many bad chapters for me.  If you keep reading there will be some preachy stuff about toothpaste : )

Whanna know what is in your toothpaste? Most probably toxic fluoride, glycerin, petroleum dyes, sweeteners, sodium lauryl sulfate, unsafe preservatives and lots of other harmful ingredients that actually damage your teeth and health!  Most tooth products use glycerin as its base (glycerin causes the solution to be thick instead of runny.) Glycerin dries out the pulp of your teeth and causes sensitivity in the teeth. Glycerine is in all tooth pastes and so sticky that it takes 27-30 washes to get it off. Teeth brushed with any toothpaste are coated with a film and CANNOT PROPERLY REENAMELIZE. Our teeth were they healthy were designed to re-enamalize while we sleep  but since they are coated with stuff we put there at bedtime to keep our teeth clean and healthy they cannot.

Test it for yourself, go to your local organic store and take 10 or 20 minutes to pick up every natural, organic, or regular toothpaste.  Everyone will have glyrcerin in it.  The owner of our local store was sure that could not be correct but she was surprised. These companies use fluoride to re-mineralize the teeth caused by the glycerin, and potassium nitrate to soothe the nerves.  Flouride is also a very toxic substance, it is a known nerve poison,  and most amazing causes cavities.  Hard to believe,  just do some research and you will quickly find it to be true. (phew, I am glad I got that off my chest! I wrote this 4 years ago and see my notes all the time reminding me that I have not shared this with anyone) Procrastinators are the most well intentioned people I know.

OK so I am now stepping off my soap box and returning you to your regularly scheduled program.

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