I know, I know… it seems as though I’ve been posting sweet recipe after sweet recipe (with a little something cheesy thrown in); but you see, after what seemed like a long time during which sweets were unappealing during my first trimester, (what can I say, pregnancy does some strange things to your body!), they’re apparently back with a vengeance on my appetite’s menu.

Sooooo if you’re a sweet freak like me, all I can say about my recent recipe post pattern is: you’re welcome.

And if you’re not? I’m sorry.

Now let’s get to this deep-dish cookie.

Jenny from Picky Palate recently posted a recipe for a microwavable chocolate chip cookie made in a ramekin that looked so unbelievably delicious I had to make my own (slightly healthier) version.

I cut out half of the sugar, subbed in whole wheat pastry flour, and used grain-sweetened chocolate chips (which have less sugar than semi-sweet chips). I also cut the recipe in half (and used a smaller cup) just to keep the portion size in control.

Now I’m under no delusion that even my version is healthy. There’s butter. There’s sugar. BUT we’re just making a single serving here, folks. Instead of a week’s worth of chocolate chip cookies that you’ll be tempted to eat throughout the day, you’ll have one portion of warm, gooey chocolate chip cookie goodness.

Much better than three-day-old going-stale cookies, no?

Now be sure to measure your ingredients really carefully. I’ve made this cookie cup three times now, and they’ve varied in how cakey they turn out… probably because I wasn’t diligent about measuring the egg & baking soda each time.

If you do nail the measurements, you’ll be rewarded with a warm, soft, perfectly sweet, and gooey single-serving deep-dish chocolate chip cookie.

What could be better than that?

Deep-Dish Chocolate Chip Cookie for One

by Lauren Zembron (adapted from Picky Palate’s 60 Second Chocolate Chip Cookie a la Mode)

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 Tbsp unrefined granulated sugar, such as evaporated cane juice
• 1/2 Tbsp packed light brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp beaten egg, preferably organic (cover & chill remaining beaten egg for tomorrow’s cookie cup… you will be making another one!)
• tiny splash pure vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 Tbsp whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• tiny pinch salt
• heaping 1 Tbsp grain-sweetened chocolate chips, such as Sunspire

Instructions

In a small ramekin or microwavable cup, combine softened butter and both sugars; stir well with a spoon. Stir in beaten egg and vanilla extract. Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Microwave on high for 35-40 seconds. Let cookie rest at room temperature for about 10 seconds before devouring.

Estimated Nutrition Per Serving

• Calories: 430
• Total Fat: 24g
• Saturated Fat: 14g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Cholesterol: 50mg
• Sodium: 180mg
• Total Carbohydrates: 53g
• Dietary Fiber: 2g
• Sugars: 32g
• Protein: 3g

I honestly don’t know what inspired me to come up with my own version of the classic New Orleans Po’ Boy sandwich, as my recipe notes have been sitting in my drafts folder for months now; but I sure am glad I made ’em because John and I both really enjoyed these crispy shrimp sandwiches!

“N’awlins” natives and transplants alike will probably scoff at my un-deep fried version, but a cornmeal coating and quick pan-fry in a bit of olive oil yields crispy shrimp just begging to be paired with soft rolls and spicy remoulade sauce.

I stirred diced dill pickle into the yogurt/mayo remoulade, but a few dill pickle chips on top of the lettuce and tomato would be a great addition (yes, I fit the classic pregnant lady stereotype in that pickles are one of my current favorite foods! At least I haven’t tried to combine them with ice cream).

Po’ Boys are best served right after assembling, while the shrimp are still crispy and slightly warm. These babies were a little messy to eat, but isn’t that part of the fun?!

A serving of freshly made bread pudding with whisky sauce and a cup of chicory coffee would have been the ideal Southern end to this meal, but the Po’ Boys alone were enough to transport us to New Orleans… at least for 20 minutes or so ;).

Crispy Shrimp Po’ Boys

Ingredients (2-3 sandwiches)

Ingredients for the crispy shrimp

• 1/2 lb medium shrimp, shelled, deveined, and tails removed
• 1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup arrowroot or cornstarch
• 1 large egg, preferably organic, whisked
• 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
• 2 Tbsp olive oil

Ingredients for the spicy remoulade

• 1/3 cup 2% plain Greek yogurt
• 2 Tbsp canola or olive oil mayonnaise
• 1 small garlic clove, peeled and very finely minced
• 1/2 tsp country Dijon mustard
• 1 dill pickle spear, diced
• 1 Tbsp dill pickle juice
• 1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp hot sauce (or more, to taste)

Ingredients for the po’ boys

• 2-3 individual-sized soft baguettes or sub rolls, preferably whole wheat, split and lightly toasted
• shredded romaine lettuce, preferably organic
• 1 medium tomato, preferably organic, thinly sliced

Instructions

Make spicy remoulade by adding all remoulade ingredients to a mini food processor (or small bowl) and pulsing (or stirring) until mixed. Chill until ready to serve.

Make sure shrimp are dry. Season with cayenne pepper and to taste with salt & black pepper. Mix flour and cornmeal until well-combined.

Spread the arrowroot or cornstarch out in a shallow dish, the whisked egg out in another shallow dish, and the flour & cornmeal in a third shallow dish.

Add the shrimp to the arrowroot and coat evenly; tap off excess arrowroot/cornstarch. Run shrimp through egg white until cully coated, allowing excess egg white to drip off. Finally, coat shrimp with the flour/cornmeal mixture, pressing to adhere.

Heat olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add breaded shrimp to hot skillet and cook for 2 minutes per side.

Evenly divide the remoulade between the toasted rolls, spreading it in an even layer. Layer on the shredded romaine, tomato slices, and crispy shrimp.

Estimate Nutrition Per Serving:

Calories: 480 calories per serving.

Protein: 25 grams.

Carbohydrates: 45 grams.

Dietary Fiber: 3 grams.

Sugars: 5 grams.

Total Fat: 21 grams.

Saturated Fat: 3 grams.

Cholesterol: 190 milligrams.

Sodium: 1300 milligrams.

Okay, I admit it… I have a macaroon “problem”.

I just can’t seem to stop making different versions of what has become my favorite homemade cookie.

The crispy exterior, soft interior, chewy texture, and coconutty flavor of those initial macaroons pulled me in, and the variations I’ve made over the past year have all been delicious.

So when Deb posted a recipe for raspberry macaroons, I knew the ruby-hued berries would be the next addition to my basic coconut-oat macaroon recipe.

I patiently waited until raspberries were fully in season, and the wait was worth it as the berries are now perfectly sweet and juicy.

For these macaroons, raspberries are lightly mashed and gently folded into the cookie dough, resulting in a marbled appearance. If you wanted to go for fully pink macaroons, you could certainly fully incorporate the raspberry puree into the dough… but I really love the look of the red streaks.

Could these be my new favorite macaroons? Quite possibly… at least until the next flavor addition idea strikes ;).

Raspberry Coconut-Oat Macaroons

Ingredients (32 cookies)

• 2 2/3 cup full fat shredded unsweetened coconut (one 8 oz package) OR 1 cup of coconut butter
• 1 cup reduced-fat shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 3/4 cup pure maple syrup, preferably Grade B
• 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp pure vanilla bean paste OR pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp pure almond extract
• 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
• 1/2 pint (6 oz) fresh raspberries, preferably organic, lightly mashed

Instructions

Estimated Nutrition Per Serving

• Calories: 110
• Total Fat: 5g
• Saturated Fat: 4g
• Cholesterol: 0mg
• Sodium: 20mg
• Total Carbohydrates: 16g
• Dietary Fiber: 1g
• Sugars: 11g
• Protein: 1g