Chocolate Chip Cookie Bowls

I'M BACK!! Despite my long absence, we are all still alive and kicking. Which, if you follow me on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, you might have noticed since there was continued activity on those sites. Summer is crazy with vacations, swimming, friends and the flu thrown in there for good measure (really - who gets the flu in July?). I figured I would just take a short break... which turned into a really looooooong break. Ha!

I must confess that I really don't enjoy the "writing" part of blogging. Yeah, I do realize that writing is the biggest part of blogging. What I really like is cooking and baking and sharing my recipes with people. So, I put up with writing (and taking pictures of my recipes - which I don't particularly enjoy either. You might have noticed since they aren't the best photos) to be able to get them out there for you to enjoy. Why am I telling you this? Because it most likely means I will take more breaks (short or long) when I just don't feel like writing. Or when I don't have time to bake - which happened this summer as well. It was just too hot and I was either too tired, too sick or too busy.

I finally have a new recipe idea to share. I saw this on Facebook and thought I should try it out. The Princess and The Brother's loved them! It was super easy and made chocolate chip cookies a little more exciting.

Simply make a batch of Egg-less Chocolate Chip Cookies. I have read that using an all butter cookie recipe will cause your dough to spread too much and create a big mess. I used all coconut oil in my recipe, but it made the dough a bit stiff and hard to work with. I would suggest using half butter and half coconut oil.

Once your dough is made, instead of baking them as you normally would, take a muffin tin and turn it over. Smash the cookie dough all over the muffin "bumps". You can put tinfoil over the bumps if you want, but I just greased them down a bit with some coconut oil and smashed the dough on.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes or until your bowls are a nice, golden brown. Let cool completely before removing bowls from muffin tin. I made 5 bowls and we ate the rest of the dough raw (yum!!).

Fill with ice cream right before serving.

Enjoy!!

Jana

Tweet

Spelt Cinnamon Rolls

Sorry for the late post today - but late is better than never!

I have a thing for cinnamon rolls. Especially the super-bad-for-you-but-they-taste-so-yummy-it's-a-good-thing-they-are-only-in-airports Cinnabon. For the first few years of my marriage, my husband felt it was his obligation to get me a giant one every time we flew anywhere. Of course, it tasted so good while I was eating it, but I would inevitably feel so sick afterwards (sugar overload!).

I decided it was about time I create a healthier version with whole grains and less sugar. Keep in mind this isn't considered a health food, but this version could be enjoyed more often than a once a year (or less) trip to the airport.

I made a glaze to go over my cinnamon rolls which I thought was good but my husband said they were missing something - namely the frosting on the top. You can pick whether you want the frosting or the lower-in-sugar glaze.

Spelt Cinnamon Rolls

Dough

1 cup milk

4 Tbsp butter, cut into chunks

2 cups spelt flour

1 cup white whole wheat flour

2 1/4 tsp instant yeast

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg


Filling

1/4 cup liquid sweetener (honey, agave)

1/2 Tbsp maple syrup or molasses

1/3 cup spelt or white whole wheat flour

1 Tbsp cinnamon


Glaze

1/3 cup liquid sweetener (honey, agave)

2 Tbsp powdered sugar

Dough: Place milk and butter in a microwave safe bowl. Heat on high for 1 minute 30 seconds. Butter should be at least partially melted. Stir and set aside. In a large bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together 2 cups flour, yeast, sugar and salt.  When milk mixture has cooled to warm (not hot) add to the flour mixture along with the egg while the beater (with paddle attachment for those using a stand mixer) is running. Beat until well combined, about 1 minute. (Switch to dough hook now) Add remaining flour only until dough barely leaves the sides of the bowl. It should be very soft and slightly sticky. Continue to let the dough knead for 5 minutes. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and let rest for about 10 minutes while you make the filling.

Filling: Add liquid sweetener, maple syrup (or molasses), flour and cinnamon in a bowl and mix well.

Assembly: Roll dough into a rectangle about 12 x 14 inches. Spread filling over dough and spread with the back of a spoon. Roll up from the longer side of the rectangle and pinch edges closed. Score the rolls into 12 equal pieces and then cut into rolls (I like to use thread, but you can also use dental floss). Place in a 9 x 13 pan that has been spread with coconut oil. Cover pan with a clean towel and let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes. In the mean time, preheat oven to 350 degrees.

When rolls have finished rising, bake for 15-20 minutes or until light golden brown. While rolls are still warm, spread glaze over the top. If you are like my husband and prefer ooey-gooey rolls, you can make frosting to replace the glaze. Makes approximately 12 rolls.

Dough recipe adapted from Our Best Bites

Jana

Tweet

Chocolate Pudding

Anything with chocolate is worth eating, right? But it is so much better when it is healthy!

One yummy "chocolate" thing we love is chocolate pudding. I never really thought about making it from scratch until we changed our eating habits. With the box stuff out of the question, I decided to try and make it myself. Turns out, it is super easy!

The best part of making things home-made is being able to customize recipes to your liking. With this pudding, you can sub out the cow's milk for a non-dairy milk if needed.

Chocolate Pudding

1/3 cup cornstarch

1/3 - 1/2 cup sugar (depending on how sweet you want it)

1/4 tsp salt

3 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate

4 cups milk

1 tsp vanilla

In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, sugar and salt. Set aside.

Roughly chop the baking chocolate (the smaller, the better - but who has the time or patience for that? It will melt faster if it is chopped smaller, but if you are too lazy - like me, you can skip this step).

Put the milk and vanilla in a saucepan. Place over medium heat and warm until tiny bubbles appear around the edges of the pan. Add the chocolate and stir until the chocolate is melted.

Slowly whisk the sugar mixture into the milk mixture until everything is smooth. Stir the mixture until it begins to thicken. Use a spatula to scrape the bottom and sides of the pan, making sure the mixture doesn't burn.

Cook the mixture until very thick - about 2 minutes. Ladle the pudding into bowls and let cool at least 30 minutes. Makes approximately 6 servings.

This pudding is super delicious all by itself or for a "fancier" dessert, you can make chocolate pudding pie. For the pie, put all of the pudding into a large bowl to cool. This will take a few hours.  Make one batch of "Healthy" pie crust. Roll out on lightly floured surface, then fit into a pie plate. Prick bottom and side of shell all over with a fork. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake on baking sheet on middle rack until pastry is set and a pale golden brown all over.

Once shell is baked, let cool completely. Mix pudding well, then fill pie shell. Cover with whipped cream (if desired) and serve!

Jana

Tweet

Thin Mints

I'm sure most of you noticed the Girl Scouts out selling their cookies last month. Every year, I would go out in search of some cookies (since they never came to me)... until this year. We have decided we don't want to buy their cookies anymore - for 2 reasons, really.

One, they are expensive. Yes, you can argue that it is for a good cause, but they are still expensive.  We are trying very hard to stay within budget (which is a bit more work when buying "clean" foods) and I hate spending money on junk, especially expensive junk.

Which brings us to my second reason... they are just not healthy (as if you couldn't already guess). Now, I am a firm believer in having some sweets (moderation in all things) and don't advocate and all-out-ban on treats, but I also believe that we can still be smart when picking our "treats".  We can still have treats without preservatives and artificial ingredients. There are no redeeming qualities to girl scout cookies (health wise). Here is the nutrition label for Thin Mints.

Notice that they contain enriched flour, partially hydrogenated oils, soy lecithin and other ingredients I would never use at home. Now, don't freak out on me. I realized that some of you will think I am being ridiculous here and that they only come around once a year, so is it really a big deal? If that is how you feel, just skip this post and wait for the next one... I won't feel bad. For those of you who may be thinking that you don't want to eat that stuff... keep reading.

Brother #1 was a bit bummed when his friends were eating their cookies at school for lunch and we didn't have any.  I decided to surprise him one day and make my own. Needless to say, he was very excited and happy to take my cookies in his lunch the next day. Just thought you might like to know... I count 8 ingredients in my cookies compared to 21 in the Girl scout version. 

Since I used coconut oil, my were a bit crumbly and some broke in two when I was coating them. 

They may not look as pretty, but they sure tasted equally as yummy!

Thin Mints

For the cookies:
8 ounces butter (or 6 oz coconut oil - which will make them a bit crumblier, but a great option for a dairy allergy)
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup powdered sugar*
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour

For the coating:
10 oz. semi-sweet baking chocolate
1 1/2 tsp pure peppermint extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cream the butter (or coconut oil, which is what I used) until light and fluffy, then add the powdered sugar and mix until combined. *If you want to be even healthier, place 1 cup raw sugar in a high-powered blender and blend until a fine powder forms. Stir in the salt, vanilla and cocoa powder. Mix until the cocoa powder is integrated and the batter resembles a thick frosting. If you opt for coconut oil, you may want to soften (not melt) it a bit before using. It makes this step work a bit better - otherwise you might find yourself with chunks of coconut oil that won't mix in and your batter won't resemble frosting at all. I know this from personal experience. Add the flour and mix until just combined, making sure not to over mix.

Form the dough into a ball. Knead a few times to bring together, then flatten into a disk (between 1/2 inch and an inch thick) and wrap in plastic wrap. Place in freezer for 5 minutes.

Remove dough from freezer and roll out really thin (about 1/8 inch thick) on a floured surface. Cut cookies using a 1 1/2 inch to 2 inch cookie cutter.

Place cookies on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

While cookies are baking, make the mint coating. Chop the baking chocolate into small pieces (or if you are lazy, just throw the bricks into your bowl) into a glass bowl. Place in microwave in short 15-20 seconds, stirring in between until melted. Stir in peppermint extract.

When cookies are cool, gently drop cookies, one at a time, into the coating. Turn to coat entirely, then lift the cookie out with a fork. Tap the fork gently on the side of the bowl to allow extra coating to drip off. Place on parchment paper or wax paper lined baking pan. Repeat the process with the rest of the cookies.

Place the cookies in the refrigerator or freezer to set. I stored my cookies in the freezer to keep them from melting (or getting soft).

Recipe adapted from The View From Great Island

Jana

Tweet

Egg-less Double Chocolate Waffles with Berry Sauce

Chocolate waffles are a tradition in my family. When I was younger, we would have them every Christmas morning at my grandparents house.... smothered in whip cream and strawberries. Yum! I didn't realize until a few years ago that they weren't something my grandpa had just made up but that other people ate them too.

My grandpa used to make them by mixing some dry chocolate milk mix in with prepared waffle batter. As a kid, I didn't care, but as an adult, I wanted something a little more... sophisticated (not to mention made from scratch). I have found a winner! Waffles are notoriously hard to do without eggs, but these waffles taste equally as yummy as their counterparts with eggs.

Obviously it isn't Christmas (when I ate these growing up) but the rest of my family prefers another Christmas breakfast. Since I have to eat these at least once a year, Valentine's is another perfect time for this scrumptious breakfast (although I may or may not eat these more than just once a year).

Egg-less Double Chocolate Waffles
1 3/4 cups wonder flour (or 1 1/2 cups other whole grain flour or all-purpose flour)

1/2 cup cornstarch*

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup no-sugar added applesauce

1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

2 Tbsp raw sugar

1 3/4 cups milk (I used almond milk)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup coconut oil, softened

1/3 cup chocolate chips

Berry Sauce 
3 cups berries, diced if large**

1/4 cup naturally sweetened jam (any flavor you want!)

2 Tbsp hot tap water

Whipped cream (optional)

**You will need about 3 cups of berries - you can use any combo you would like.You can use fresh berries, frozen berries or a combo of both depending on the season.  I used 1 cup of frozen strawberries and 2 cups of a frozen 3 berry mix from Costco (blackberries, raspberries and blueberries). If you think in advance, you can thaw in the fridge overnight, otherwise, pop frozen berries into the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Start by making the berry sauce so it can sit while you make the waffle batter. Combine jam and warm water and whisk until combined. Add in the berries and gently stir until combined. Gently mash berries with a fork to break up larger berries (you can leave as chunky as you want). If  your berries are still a bit frozen, you can blend them in a food processor (which I prefer to do).

Set berry sauce aside and make waffle batter.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt. Combine well and set aside.  * If you don't have cornstarch on hand - feel free to just use another 1/2 cup of flour. The cornstarch helps make the waffles more crispy, but using more flour would be just fine!

In another bowl, whisk together the applesauce, vinegar, sugar, milk, vanilla and coconut oil.

Blend the dry ingredients with the wet until just combined. It is ok if your batter is lumpy. Don't overmix! Fold in the chocolate chips into the batter. Pour batter onto a greased waffle iron and bake according to your waffle iron's instructions.

Top waffle with a generous helping of berry sauce and a dollop of whip cream. Try not to moan as you eat... it'll be hard, I promise!

Waffle recipe adapted from Vegan Heartland

Berry sauce from Our Best Bites

This is the yummy, gooey mess you are left with when you have eaten half of your waffle! 

And, I might have overdone the whip cream on this one, maybe. 

Jana

Tweet

Chocolate Graham Crackers... and a Valentine Treat

I can't believe Valentine's Day is next week. Really? How did that happen? I always have these great intentions for fun, crafty projects at every holiday for decorations or games for my kids or just fun stuff. Yet, it never seems to happen because holidays seem to sneak up on me so quickly. I should start now for next Valentine's Day, but...  that will never happen so on with the recipe!

The Princess loves graham crackers (and I do too). I remember making them with my Grandma when I was a little girl. So, when I came across some recipes for homemade graham crackers, I was so excited to try them out. These chocolate ones were one of our favorites. I mean really, combining two of my great loves... chocolate and graham crackers, is bound to be a winning combination. Now, these aren't the easiest things to make - they require a little patience when working with the dough. But they are definitely worth it!

Chocolate Graham Crackers

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup wonder flour (or other whole grain flour)

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup sucanat (or brown sugar)

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup butter, chilled and cubed

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F.

In a food processor or mixer, combine first 7 ingredients and mix until incorporated. Add cubed butter to the mix and pulse/mix until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add honey and water and continue to mix until it all combines.

Remove and shape the dough into a flat disk and place between two rolls of parchment paper - and trust me, you will want the parchment paper for this!

Roll the dough out until it is about 1/4 inch thick. Cut into crackers or shapes with a cookie cutter. *

Place grahams onto a silpat or parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for approximately 15 minutes.

Cool and serve.

* If you would like to freeze the grahams, after rolling and cutting the dough, place shapes on a baking sheet and freeze for 20 minutes. Remove, place in a ziploc bag, label and freeze for up to 4 months. When ready to bake, follow the remaining steps, adding an additional 1-2 minutes baking.

And, I forgot to take a picture of the grahams all by themselves, so you will have to use your imagination... or just make some for yourself.

Now, for the Valentine's treat. When cutting the grahams into shapes, use a heart cookie cutter (it is best to use a medium to large cutter). When grahams are completely cool, scoop a generous serving (how generous depends on how big your grahams are) of ice cream** (we used vanilla) onto a graham and smash between another graham. Tada! Homemade ice cream sandwiches!! I found that my ice cream did not need to be super soft, just soft enough to be able to scoop and mold to fill the entire graham shape. I rolled mine in some red sprinkles (but that is optional). 

** If there is a dairy allergy, you prefer homemade ice cream or you are vegan, check out this recipe for dairy free homemade ice cream. I had plans to make this and use it on our ice cream sandwiches but I ran out of time. At least I had good intentions.

These are best served right away or wrapped in saran wrap and put in the freezer for later use.

Recipe adapted from Weelicious

Jana

Tweet

Egg-less Double Chocolate Muffins

With all this cold weather, I have been craving warm foods. Soups are great, but I have really been craving muffins and breads. And chocolate! Since we have changed our diet and gone to a more whole foods diet, when I am craving something chocolate or sweet, I choose not to go buy anything, but to make something instead. This is what I decided would fill my cravings. The best of both worlds!

These are great for dessert, an after school snack - I actually fed them to my kids for breakfast the next morning (I am a super-cool mom sometimes).

 Notice the earring? She was dressing up as a "real"Princess

Egg-less Double Chocolate Muffins

2 cups wonder flour (or 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour)

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

4 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup raw sugar

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips, plus 1/4 cup for sprinkling

1 cup non-dairy milk

1/3 cup coconut oil, melted

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

3 Tbsp plain yogurt (I prefer greek yogurt)

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a standard muffin tin or line with 12 paper muffin cups.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, sugar and 1/2 cup of chocolate chips.

In a medium bowl, combine the milk, oil, applesauce, yogurt, and vanilla. Whisk to combine.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Batter may be slightly lumpy.

Divide batter between the prepared muffins tins. If you want your muffins to be over-the-top big muffins, only fill 8-10 wells in your muffin tin. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips on top of the muffins.

Bake in a preheated oven for 18-20 minutes.

We love our mini muffin tin... although it may cause you to eat more because they are so easy to pop in your mouth! (Bake mini muffins for only 12 minutes)

Recipe adapted from My Baking Addiction

Jana

Tweet

"Egg-less" Sun Butter Fingers With Chocolate Frosting (AKA School Lunch Bars)

I am only somewhat off the ball when it comes to posting - like it is still Thursday so I'm not late, just later. These few weeks during the holidays have been crazy busy. Throw in some stomach flu and I am just now getting on top of the mess in my house and everything else I am supposed to be doing. So, we are finally back with a new recipe. Hope you didn't miss us too much over the holidays and that your holidays were wonderful!

Peanut Butter Fingers are one of my absolute favorite goodies (well, I should say anything with peanut butter was an absolute favorite of mine). Although, I am getting over my long-time addiction to peanut butter and all things peanut butter thanks to The Princess. Isn't it funny how if you haven't had something in a long time, you honestly don't really miss it and somehow it isn't quite as wonderful as you remember it being? Well, that is how I feel about peanut butter now. After a year and a half of mostly avoiding it, I don't miss it much.

Anyway... sometimes though, I still like to make things from the past and these are one of those things. This is actually one of the first recipes I recreated after The Princess's diagnosis - yet we haven't made them again until now. We needed a yummy recipe for our New Years Eve party (which consisted of the 5 of us at home watching a movie - well The Princess was in bed because she had the stomach flu) and these sounded so good. I substituted sun butter in place of the peanut butter but you could use any kind of nut butter. The sun butter gives the bars a slightly greenish tint after baking (can anyone explain this to me) but the taste is still super yummy. Cover them in chocolate frosting and if it is an extra special occasion (or you are looking to put yourself in a sugar coma) add some ice cream on top!

"Egg-less" Sun Butter Fingers With Chocolate Frosting 
(AKA School Lunch Bars)

For Bars:

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups whole grain flour (I used wonder flour)

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats

3/4 cup butter

1/2 cup raw sugar

1/2 cup sucanat

1 flax egg (1 Tbsp ground flax mixed with 3 Tbsp. water)

3/4 cup sun butter (or any nut butter)

1/2 Tbsp. vanilla

For Frosting:
2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/8 tsp salt

5 Tbsp butter, softened

5 Tbsp. boiling water

1/2 tsp vanilla


Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray 9 x 13 inch baking dish with non-stick spray.

Mix dry ingredients in a small bowl until well incorporated and set aside. Mix all wet ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix until well blended. Add dry ingredients to wet ones and mix until just blended.

Scoop dough into 9 x 13 inch pan and press with fingers until bottom of pan is completely covered.

Bake until light brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, approximately 15 minutes (but it really depends on how thick yours end up).

While bars are cooking, make the frosting. Whisk together powdered sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Add softened butter, boiling water and vanilla. Beat until smooth and glossy.

When bars are cool to the touch, spread on frosting and cut into squares. These can be eaten still warm and gooey or completely cooled (and don't forget to try them with some ice cream!).

Recipe adapted from an old family recipe book

Jana

Tweet

"Egg-less" Gingerbread Cupcakes with Maple Frosting

I haven't been putting "egg-less" in the titles of my posts because lately it seems so tacky to me, but as you have probably noticed the term "egg-less" has made a reappearance into this title. It wasn't that my other recipes weren't "egg-less", it just seemed tacky to always be adding that to the title.  But I decided this week that the term "egg-less" sets my recipes apart from other recipes, hence it is back to stay.

So, today's recipe took me FOREVER to perfect. I can't even remember how many batches I made to get this one right. I even tested a few different recipes, trying to find the perfect one. One batch was so crumbly they were near impossible to eat, another batch pretty much overflowed their muffin cups and and went all over my oven. Not pretty!

Anyway... I finally made the perfect cupcakes! I LOVE molasses - almost as much as I love spices (like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves... those yummy spices) so when the two get put together with some maple frosting on top, it is the perfect combination. And gingerbread is so christmasy and festive. These would be great for that holiday party coming up!

"Egg-less"Gingerbread Cupcakes with Maple Frosting

For Cupcakes:

2 1/4 cups wonder flour (or other whole grain flour like spelt or kamut)*

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

2 tsp ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp allspice

1/3 cup raw sugar

pinch salt

1 cup no-sugar added applesauce

1/2 cup molasses

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

For Frosting:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1 1/4 cup powdered sugar

2-3 Tbsp. maple syrup

Almond milk  (if further thinning is required)


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare muffin tin with cupcake liners (the more festive the better - since it is Christmas).

Mix the dry ingredients together. *If you end up using white flour, cut the measurement back to 2 1/3 cups.

In a separate bowl, whisk wet ingredients until well combined. Combine wet and dry ingredients and mix until just barely combined.

Scoop batter into prepared muffin pan. The batter should come just short of the top.

Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

While cupcakes are baking, prepare the frosting by putting butter in a large bowl and beating until whipped. Add powdered sugar and beat for another minute. Scrape down the sides and add the maple syrup. Mix for another 2-3 minutes or until the frosting is fluffy.

Cool in muffin pan for a few minutes, than remove to wire rack.

Once cupcakes are completely cool, frost in desired manner.

Recipe adapted from The Village Vegan

Jana

Tweet

Cinnamon Caramel Corn

I promised more allergy friendly dessert recipes... so here is another one. I LOVE caramel corn - who doesn't really? OK, Brother #1 thinks he is allergic to caramel because it makes his mouth feel "funny" (aren't kids silly), so he won't eat it, but most people like it.

I like to use an air-popper when I make popcorn. They are inexpensive and so easy to use. Air-popped popcorn also makes a delicious, quick and healthy snack for after school or when you have the munchies.

I discovered brown rice syrup about 6 or 7 months ago and it is one of my new favorite finds. It is so much healthier than corn syrup, but can be used to replace it in recipes. You can also use honey to replace corn syrup  but I like using brown rice syrup better because it doesn't change the flavor of the recipe like honey does. I buy mine through Azure Standard (it is a little bit cheaper than Amazon). I order a few jars when I am ordering my grains and coconut oil in bulk and it will usually get me through 4-6 months (depending on how much popcorn I make). I also buy my molasses through Azure Standard. I prefer to buy unsulphured black strap molasses, but any molasses will do.

Cinnamon Caramel Corn

12 cups air-popped popcorn (about 1/2 cup unpopped kernels)

3/4 cup sucanat

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup brown rice syrup

1 Tbsp molasses

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter*

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 squares almond bark (optional)

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Line baking sheet with foil or spray with non-stick spray.

Air pop popcorn, pull out all unpopped kernels (I cracked a tooth once on an unpopped kernel and had to get a crown put on. So, for safety sake, it is best to remove them) and set popcorn aside.

Combine sucanat and cinnamon in a 2-liter microwave safe bowl. Mix well. Chop butter into chunks and place on top of sucanat mixture. * I have never used coconut oil, but I bet it would work if there is a dairy allergy. Pour brown rice syrup and molasses over everything in bowl.

Microwave on high for 30 seconds. Remove and stir everything together.

Return to microwave and heat for 2 minutes. Remove and stir than microwave for 2 more minutes.

Remove from microwave and add vanilla and baking soda. Stir to combine. The mixture should foam and rise. Pour over popcorn and stir very well to coat (although don't worry too much if all your popcorn isn't coated - you will be able to stir it better after it has been heated).

Spread popcorn mixture onto baking sheet. Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes, removing every 10 minutes to stir. This is where you can make sure that all of your popcorn kernels are well coated.

Remove from oven and spread out on wax paper or parchment paper.

Melt almond bark (I like to use 1 brick of vanilla and 1 brick of chocolate) according to package instructions. Drizzle over popcorn. When almond bark is hardened and popcorn is cool, break into chunks and give away (or you will be tempted to eat the whole batch!).

Recipe adapted from Our Best Bites

Jana

Tweet

Peppermint Sugar Cookie Bars

Christmas can be a very hard time of year for kids (and adults too!) with food allergies. With all the holiday parties, neighbor treats and goodies that are passed out everywhere -it seems,  there is often so much that isn't safe to eat. Being that The Princess is still young, we haven't yet had to deal with her feeling left out because she can't eat the treats that are brought, given, etc... It also helps that most people in my neighborhood know that we (my family) are trying to be more health conscious and eat less sugar (I think some people think I am anti-sugar!) and processed foods in general and so we don't get many treats brought to us - which annoys The Brothers sometimes. Maybe one day they will be grateful. But that is another story. 

I have a friend who has told me that her daughter sometimes has a hard time with her allergies and the restrictions that come with them, especially around the holidays. Every time the door would ring, she would hurry to answer it, hoping that just one time it would be something that she could eat. But, it usually wasn't. Of course my friend would have safe treats available to give her daughter so she wouldn't be completely left out, but that just isn't the same, especially for a child.

In case you have experienced this as well, I am coming to the rescue. My next few posts will be Christmas "treats" that (most importantly) are safe, but are also delicious! All the non-allergy folks will be wanting to eat them too.

This first recipe is a twist on my basic egg-less sugar cookie recipe. We love sugar cookies here at our house but they can be time consuming. Baking them in "bar" form makes it so much faster yet they are still just as delicious. Smashed candy canes on top add a festive holiday look. Plus, sometimes it is super fun to smash things - especially if you are a bit stressed by your holiday schedule and need to hit something!

*Note: these are NOT healthy in any sense of the word. I'm sure you can sub out the white flour for whole grain flour (like wonder flour or even spelt flour) but I haven't tried it yet. I also used butter and straight up refined sugar when making the ones pictured, but coconut oil and raw sugar would work just as well. In my defense, I took them to a Christmas party at our church and I wanted to make sure they would turn out. One day I will try and 'healthify' them.

Peppermint Sugar Cookie Bars

Cookies:
1 1/2 cups butter (or coconut oil)

1 1/4 cups sugar (or raw sugar)

3 Tbsp ground flax seed mixed with 9 Tbsp. water

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3 oz. cream cheese (or tofutti, if there is a dairy allergy)

5 1/2 cups flour

3 tsp baking soda

Frosting:

3 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup butter (or coconut oil), softened

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 to 2 Tbsp water (or non-dairy milk)

1/2 tsp peppermint extract (optional)

3-4 peppermint candy canes, crushed


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray bottom of 9X13 inch pan (or line with parchment paper); set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer (trust me, you will want to use one for this), cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in flax seeds mixed with water, vanilla, and cream cheese; mixing well after each addition.

In separate bowl, combine flour and baking soda. Gradually add to the dough in the stand mixer.

Spread evenly in prepared dish, smoothing top. Bake until light golden brown or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes. Place pan on wire rack to cool completely.

While bars are cooling, make frosting.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and powdered sugar until almost granular. Gradually stir in vanilla and water (adding more water to reach desired consistency). Add in peppermint extract, if using. Beat until smooth and fluffy.

When the bars are completely cool (I had to put mine outside in the freezing cold to hurry up this process; don't worry, they were covered! The frosting doesn't spread well if they are warm at all),  cover them in icing, sprinkle with crushed candy canes and cut into bars.

Recipe inspired by The Busty Baker

Jana

Tweet

Egg-free Pumpkin Spice Sandwich Cookies with Maple Frosting

I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving yesterday.  We had a very delicious Thanksgiving meal with all the trimmings. This year, we didn't have to worry too much about The Princess's allergies since she is able to eat eggs and milk now - and than she ended up not eating anything but crackers and ice cream (yes, not healthy but it was a holiday after all). We spent the morning with one side of the family and the afternoon with the other side of the family. The weather was beautiful and The Princess, The Brothers and their cousins were able to run around outside and leave the adults to visit (and watch football) in relative peace.

I realize the last thing everyone probably needs is more goodies after eating pie yesterday... but, I wanted to get in another recipe with pumpkin in it before the month of November was over. And trust me, you don't want to miss out on this recipe. These cookies are so delicious!

As a side note: I almost never bake with all-purpose flour. It is so processed and refined and there is absolutely no nutrition in it. But, I did use a little in this recipe to make sure they turned out ok (since I was taking them a family outing). When I make them again, I will use all wonder flour (or another whole grain flour).

Pumpkin Spice Sandwich Cookies 

1 1/2 cups wonder flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup raw sugar

1/2 cup sucanat

1 1/4 cups pumpkin puree

1 Tbsp ground flax seed mixed with 3 Tbsp water (or 1 egg)

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves and salt; set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Add pumpkin puree, ground flax mixed with water and vanilla to butter mixture and beat until creamy. Mix dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonful; flatten slightly. (I prefer to flatten mine right after they come out of the oven)

Bake for 15-20 minutes in a preheated oven. Cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

Maple Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 1/4 cup powdered sugar

2-3 Tbsp pure maple syrup

Put butter in a medium size bowl and mix until whipped. Mix in powdered sugar and beat for another minute. Scrape down the sides and add the maple syrup. Mix for another 2-3 minutes or until frosting is fluffy.

Recipe inspired by Living Well Spending Less

I intended to take a better picture of these, but I forgot so this is what you are stuck with. 

Jana

Tweet

Baked Pumpkin Donut Holes

I am not a huge donut eater, but I do have a weakness for pumpkin donuts. Krispy Kreme makes a delicious pumpkin spice cake donut, but it obviously contains eggs. It is also seasonal, so what is a girl supposed to do when she is craving pumpkin spice donuts in the spring.  I decided I would make my own donuts.

When came across this recipe, I loved the idea of using a mini muffin tin to create donut "holes".  I also liked that these were baked and not fried - not just because of the health factor, but mainly because of the mess factor. I loathe cleaning up oil splatter all over the stove top and counter. These turned out so well they were gone within a day! We did manage to save enough to sneak some into The Princess's granddad who was in the hospital at the time (because everyone needs some contraband in the hospital to help them feel at home!).

Baked Pumpkin Spice Donut Holes

For the Donuts:
2 cups wonder flour*

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp allspice

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1/3 cup coconut oil, melted

1/4 cup sucanat

1 Tbsp ground flax seed mixed with 3 Tbsp water (or 1 egg)

1/2 cup non-dairy milk

For the Coating:**

1/2 cup raw sugar

2 Tbsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. Spray a 24-cup mini muffin tin with baking spray and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and cloves.

In a separate large bowl, whisk together oil, sucanat, ground flax mixed with water, vanilla, pumpkin and milk until smooth. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until just combined.

Divide batter evenly among mini muffin cups. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

While the muffins bake, combine raw sugar and cinnamon in another bowl. Remove muffins from oven when finished and allow to cool for 2 minutes. Roll each muffin in cinnamon sugar to coat. Serve muffins warm or at room temperature - if there are any left  to serve!

*If you choose to use all-purpose flour in place of the wonder flour, cut the amount to 1 3/4 cups.

**The original recipe called for dipping the donut holes in melted butter before rolling them in the cinnamon sugar mixture. I tried mine both ways to see if there was much difference. I tasted a small difference (because I knew the difference) but nobody else could tell. I say save the mess and the calories and avoid that step.

Recipe Adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod

Jana

Tweet

"Healthier" Pie crust

Is it suddenly winter at anyone else's house? We went from wonderful warm and sunny weather one day to a blizzard the next day that came with a foot of snow and a 40 degree drop in temperature. Talk about a shock to the system!

 Trust me, this literally is one afternoon to the next! 

On a side note,  look how nice the grass is coming in.

But, it is starting to feel more like the holidays with the layer of snow on the ground. The Princess has requested we listen to Christmas music, so I obliged her. But, we don't want to jump too fast to Christmas without paying some attention to Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I love getting together with family to enjoy each other's company and discuss our blessings and the many things we have to be grateful for. And I have much to be grateful for this year! I also love Thanksgiving because it means PIE. Is anyone else a pie lover? There is nothing better after a yummy turkey dinner than a big old piece of pie covered in whipped cream. Yes, calories, fat and sugar, but that is ok on a holiday, right? I do believe that everyone gets the chance to splurge, but I also believe we can splurge without completely falling off the boat.

This year, I decided to create a "healthier" pie crust. Most pie crust recipes call for all-purpose flour and shortening. We all know that all-purpose flour has very little, if any, nutrients. Shortening is made by hydrogenating liquid vegetable oil. While most shortening no longer contains trans fat, I am still leery of eating anything that has been hydrogenated.  Now, don't confuse the word "healthier' with the word "healthy". I doubt this pie crust would ever be considered a health food. But at least we will remain on the boat. This recipe is also diary, nut and egg free.

Here are some other tips to keep your Thanksgiving pie from knocking you clean off the boat:
* Cut down the sugar in your recipe. I generally always cut at least 1/4 of the sugar out, sometimes
    even half. If you are planning on eating your pie ala mode, you won't miss the extra sugar in the pie.
* Substitute stevia in your pie recipes in place of sugar. Since most fruit pie recipes don't need the sugar
   for anything but to make it taste sweet, this is an easy substitution. I do not like pumpkin pie (gasp!
   yes, you read that correctly) or pecan pie.  I have never made either in my life. Using stevia works in
    fruit pie recipes, try it out in other types of pie recipes at your own risk.
* These tips even work for your whipping cream. Buy real cream and use less sugar (or stevia) when
   whipping it for a "healthier" whipped cream.

Now, the recipe.

"Healthier" Pie Crust

1 1/4 cups wonder flour (whole wheat flour could be substituted, but would result in a slightly denser
                                        crust)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup coconut oil (at room temperature - you want it to be the consistency of shortening)

4-5 Tbsp. cold water

I found this recipe works best in my food processor. If you don't have a food processor, you can cut the coconut oil into the flour with a pastry blender (or 2 knives)

Place flour, salt and coconut oil in the food processor. Blend until coconut oil is cut throughout the flour and the mixture resembles crumbs.

Begin adding water  and processing (or stirring). Add little bits of water until your dough forms a nice round ball.

Roll out your dough. I like to roll mine out on waxed paper because that makes the transfer to the pie plate easier. Do whatever works best for you.

Place your dough in your pie dish and shape it into the dish. Here is where you can make your edges all fancy (if you know how to do that - which I have not mastered yet).

This recipe makes one 9" pie crust. If you are making a pie with a bottom and a top crust, you will need to double the recipe. 

I LOVE apple pie, so that is what I made. I tried out this Sweet Molasses Apple Pie recipe (because it had molasses and I also LOVE molasses) and it was delicious! I obviously used my own crust recipe and cut the sugar WAY down and didn't add the raisins (because to me, raisins and pie don't go together). Use your favorite pie recipe and enjoy!

Jana

Tweet