Cookie and Kate

Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries

December 15, 2018 411 Comments

Attention: these sweet potato fries will change your life. I’m serious! They are salty-sweet, crunchy, and spicy if you wish. Baked sweet potato fries have been one of my favorite snacks since I first shared the recipe eight years ago.

These crispy fries beat their fast-food fried Russet cousins in simplicity and ease. They require fewer cooking steps because they’re baked rather than fried.

Over the years, I’ve learned a few tricks to make my sweet potato fries even more crispy. Crispy fries or bust!

You’ll learn all of them as you make the recipe, but I’m sharing my top tips in more detail below. Are you hungry for sweet potato fries yet?

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Love Real Food is On Sale & More Last-Minute Gift Ideas

December 12, 2018 10 Comments

Exciting news! I just found out that my cookbook, Love Real Food, is included in Amazon’s book promotion right now. Love Real Food is the perfect gift for the healthy home cooks, vegetarians and vegans, and dog lovers in your life.

How to save: Use promo code GIFTBOOK18 to save $5 when you spend $20 or more on books sold by Amazon.com. Amazon is already offering the book at a great price, and now you can save even more!

Buy Love Real Food on Amazon here.

I’ve been thrilled to hear that the book makes moms, sisters, friends, neighbors and book clubs happy! The book has sold nearly 100,000 copies (!!!) thanks to your incredible support. Thank you.

More Gift-Worthy Cookbooks & Books

Buy two copies of Love Real Food to reach Amazon’s minimum for the promotion, or add one of these other awesome books to your cart! These links are affiliate links.

Six Seasons: A new way with vegetables from Chef Joshua McFadden.
What’s Gaby Cooking: Fresh and creative California-style recipes from Gaby Dalkin.
Love and Lemons Menu Planner: This inexpensive menu planner is so beautiful.
Ottolenghi Simple: Chef Ottolenghi’s new book with delicious simplified (amen) versions of his recipes.
Pretty Simple Cooking: Simple vegetarian recipes from Sonja and Alex of A Couple Cooks.
The Pretty Dish: Fun recipes and beauty DIYs from Jessica of How Sweet Eats.
The Fresh and Healthy Instant Pot Cookbook: Give this book to the Instant Pot-obsessed!
Vegetarian Flavor Bible: This is a flavor thesaurus, perfect for the home chef who loves to improvise.
Cooked: Food writer Michael Pollan explores how to cook with the elements—fire, water, air, and earth.
Homebody: Joanna Gaines’ new home design book on how to create spaces you never want to leave.

Looking for more gift ideas?

Find the perfect gift in our 2018 Gift Guide, which has ideas for home cooks, bakers, fancy ladies, plus extra-cozy and memory-making gifts.

Happy Holidays from Cookie and Kate! ♥

The Very Best Granola

December 11, 2018 652 Comments

Do you love granola? Me, too! Today, I’m sharing my “basic” granola recipe, which is also the best granola recipe. Granted, I’m partial, but it really is the best and I use that term sparingly. Over two hundred five-star reviews agree!

In fact, I love this recipe so much that I shared it in my cookbook, Love Real Food. This granola makes a wonderful snack or breakfast (add your milk of choice and maybe some fresh fruit). It also stores beautifully, so it makes a great homemade gift.

Once you try homemade granola, you won’t go back to store-bought granola. It’s so much better!

This granola recipe is also a far more healthy granola option, since it’s made with whole grains, unrefined oil and naturally sweetened. You just can’t beat freshly baked granola packed with delicious and good-for-you ingredients.

Plus, homemade granola is super easy to make. You’ll only need one bowl and some basic pantry ingredients. Ready to make some?

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Fluffy Cranberry Orange Muffins

December 9, 2018 74 Comments

These fluffy cranberry orange muffins will make your house smell like the holidays! I hope they become your new favorite holiday muffin recipe. It took me eight tries to get these muffins just right, but they were absolutely worth the effort.

These muffins are bursting with fresh cranberry and orange flavor. They’re fluffy and moist and delicious—everything I want a muffin to be.

Plus, they’re made with wholesome ingredients like whole wheat flour and Greek yogurt, and they’re naturally sweetened with honey or maple syrup. You can keep those details to yourself, though—no one will guess that these muffins are healthier than most!

Did I mention that you can easily mix these together by hand? No mixer required. Serve them for breakfast or brunch, or bring them to your holiday parties this year!

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Easy Chocolate Bark

December 6, 2018 13 Comments

If you’re looking for a last-minute holiday recipe to bring to a party, I’ve got you covered! No need to make a batch of cookies when you can whip up some chocolate bark.

This chocolate bark recipe is so easy to make, and I bet you have all of the ingredients in your pantry already. Today, I’m sharing my favorite chocolate bark recipe, plus tips on how to change it up.

The chocolate bark you see here features dark chocolate (you can even use good chocolate chips), topped with toasted chopped nuts and seeds and dried cranberries.

I sprinkled it lightly with flaky sea salt, which basically makes it taste like sweet-and-salty trail mix chocolate bark. You could call it gourmet and healthy (in moderation, like everything else). Let’s make some!

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Pomegranate & Pear Green Salad with Ginger Dressing

December 4, 2018 33 Comments

I can’t take my eyes off this salad! The concept came to me as I was improvising a big green salad for Friendsgiving this year. Salads are often overlooked at the holidays, so I set out to make a festive red-and-green showstopper.

I knew I wanted to incorporate ruby-red pomegranate arils and fresh pear, since they’re both so delicious this time of year. I added Honeycrisp apple, goat cheese and pecans for good measure.

To make the dressing taste festive and cut through the sweetness of the fruit, I added fresh ginger to my basic apple cider vinaigrette. Believe me, this salad tastes as good as it looks.

This salad might look fancy, but it’s simple to put together. You’ll want to pay extra attention to how you prepare the ingredients, so I’ve typed up some tips below. If you’re craving some greens to get you through the holidays, or already working on your holiday menu, this salad is for you!

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