Jelly Bean Cookies

Instagram - you fooled me.

You made me think my pictures were special.

You made me think my pictures were foodgawker worthy.

You made me think one filter could turn an iPhone shot into a masterpiece.

But it's not true.

I'm not a photographer. I'm not a Photoshop pro. And your app can't make me one. But it can inspire me.

Seeing all the beautiful food blogs out there has inspired me to create my own beautiful pictures. As this blog has progressed, I have been trying to improve my photo skills. This is the first post where I really spent a lot of time food styling and using Photoshop to improve my pictures. It's a work in progress, but I like how it's going.


I introduce you to Jelly Bean cookies. I tried these last Easter and I was in love. To be honest, I haven't been able to stop thinking about them.

They are fruity and buttery (with no butter of course!) I'm pretty sure I'd rather have these any day over chocolate chip cookies. Don't get me started on my love for fruity gummy snacks. These can be made two ways either soft (bake 10 minutes) or crispy (bake 12 minutes.) I prefer soft, but make one batch of each so you can decide for yourself.

Jelly Bean Cookies Adapted from In Katrina's Kitchen

Ingredients

• 1 cup Earth Balance Shortening, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

• 2    1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt

• 1 cup jelly beans

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat softened shortening with sugars and vanilla.

Add applesauce a 1/4 cup at a time, until combined.

Combine dry ingredients (flour, baking soda and salt) in measuring cup.

Slowly add dry ingredients to wet.

Fold in jelly beans.

Divide into 24 equal pieces. Roll into balls and flatten slightly.

Bake 10 minutes for a soft cookie or 12 minutes for a crispy cookie. Cookie will puff up and will firm up while cooling. Let cool on baking sheets for 10 minutes (if making soft) or 5 minutes (if making crispy.) Transfer to a wire rack.

Nutrition Facts

Calories:                        210
Total Fat:                         8 g
Saturated Fat:              2 g
Cholesterol:                     0 mg
Sodium:                            155 mg
Potassium:                        42 mg
Total Carbohydrate:       35 g
Fiber:                                   0 g
Sugars:                               23 g
Protein:                              1 g