Naturally Sweet & GF Chocolate Chip Cookie Clouds

Apparently, our dining table is a jungle gym. No matter how many times I say "bum down!" the kids are climbing under it, lying down on the benches, falling off and hitting various body parts. What would a meal be without a new bruise and some tears? Don't ask me. I wish each child had a seatbelt to keep them from crashing, but apparently they only make those for high chairs.  Here is snapshot of a typical seating configuration:



Snack time seems to be the most tame time at the table, probably because it seems like more of a privilege and less of a chore than dinner. Also, I don't notice anyone lying down for a snooze during dessert...

Which is yet another reason to love treats! These cookie clouds came about as I was simultaneously trying to change the banana millet muffins from Peas and Thank You to my liking (less sugar and oil) and to make a gluten-free version of the white bean chocolate chip cookies from Happy Herbivore, which my now gluten-free friend adores.  I just love the texture of these cookies, which is why I call them clouds: they are moist, but not heavy. This is one recipe that all three of my kids seem to equally love.  I give them out as snacks, treats--I would even give them for breakfast if anyone dared to ask.  To me, they do not have a strong banana flavor, but if you are adverse to any hints of banana, you could try subbing more sweet potato or applesauce for the mashed banana.  The millet gives them a nice crunch that we miss around here in our nut-free cookies, but you could omit that as well if you prefer.

  

Makes one dozen cookie clouds
1/3 cup dry millet
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup millet flour
1/3 cup potato starch
3 Tbsp. tapioca starch
1/2 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. guar gum
3 Tbsp coconut/palm sugar
1/2 cup roasted sweet potato (white or orange-fleshed)*
1/2 cup mashed, ripe banana (not overly ripe, just yellow with not too many brown spots)
1 tsp. vanilla
2/3 cup white beans, drained and rinsed, if canned
1 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted
4 Tbsp non-dairy milk
1/3 -1/2 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat your oven to 350 and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine all of the dry ingredients (millet through coconut sugar) in a large mixing bowl.
2. In a food processor combine the sweet potato flesh, banana, vanilla, beans, melted coconut oil, and non-dairy milk and puree until smooth.
3.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until evenly moistened. Stir in the chocolate chips and drop large spoonfuls onto your prepared baking sheets.
4. Bake for 10 minutes, staggering the pans in the oven and turning them halfway through the baking time. For ultimate cloud texture, the cookies should be just barely brown on the bottom when you remove them to place on wire racks to cool.

*To roast a sweet potato, preheat your oven to 400, line a baking pan with parchment paper, scrub the potato, and place it on the pan in the oven for about an hour. The cooked potato will be very soft and easily pierced with a fork and have golden juices bubbling from it. Do not try to steam or microwave your potato instead; to bring out the sweetness, it must be roasted.


This recipe is linked to Allergy-Free Wednesday Gluten-Free Wednesdays

 Wellness Weekend  Healthy Vegan Fridays

Build Your Own Breakfast Cookie

This past week I purchased carob chips for the first time in my life, as I was making a treat for a friend's dog and learned that chocolate is a no-no for pooches. I gave some of the chips to the kids on a whim, fully expecting that they would be promptly spat upon the table as my children dealt with the treachery of being given imitation chocolate. Imagine my surprise when they begged for more and continued to ask for carob chips every day since.  I was raised by a wonderful mother who was and is fiercely loyal to chocolate and all things sugar, who taught me at a young age that carob was an unpalatable chocolate imitation that only self-punishing "no-sugar moms" would eat. Who would have thought that I would so betray my roots and raise these carob-loving children and be feeding them sugar-free breakfast cookies. I hope my mother does not think of me as her own worst kitchen nightmare.

In my defense, I am not so pure as to be a "no-sugar mom," but I do always want my cookies to be healthier than everyone else in the family seems to prefer.  If I call my creations "breakfast cookies,"though, then everyone recognizes that they are not dessert cookies and is just happy that they are eating cookies for breakfast. I have seen a number of breakfast cookie recipes on various blogs, but they always seem to be more on the cookie side and less on the breakfast side to me. So, be warned: my idea of a breakfast cookie is like portable oatmeal, not a cookie that you eat for breakfast just because someone added flax seed and maple syrup to a Tollhouse cookie or some nonsense like that. Believe it or not, a breakfast-y treat like this can be tasty and kid-approved without any added sugar or oil.

Here is the basic formula, with some variations we have enjoyed. This makes 10-12 standard size cookies.

Basic Recipe
1 cup cooked quinoa
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp. stevia powder
1/4 cup dried fruit (If the fruit is not particularly soft, soak it in boiling water for 10 mins. and then drain)
1 tsp. vanilla
2/3 cup applesauce, mashed banana, pumpkin, cooked sweet potato, or other fresh fruit or a combination thereof
1 Tbsp. tahini or sunflower seed butter
optional add-ins: 2-3 Tbsp. additional dried fruit, carob chips, mini-chocolate chips, hemp or sesame seeds

Preheat the oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add the quinoa, oats, stevia, salt, and cinnamon, if using,  to your food processor and pulse just until combined and oats are ground up some but not quite flour. Add your wet ingredients and buzz until combined. Your batter will be a bit thinner than regular cookies but thicker than muffin batter. Stir in any optional add-ins. Drop large spoonfuls onto your prepared baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned on the bottoms. Let cool on wire racks for 5-10 mins. before enjoying.

Apple-Sweet Potato Variation
1 cup cooked quinoa
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp. stevia powder
1/4 cup raisins, soaked in hot water for 10 mins. and drained
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup applesauce
1/3 cup cooked sweet potato,
1 Tbsp. tahini
2 Tbsp. hemp seeds

Carob-Berry Variation 

1 cup cooked quinoa
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp. stevia powder
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup prunes
1/2 cup blackberries and/or blueberries
1/4 cup applesauce or pumpkin
1 Tbsp. sunflower seed butter
2 Tbsp. carob powder
3 Tbsp. carob chips

My little cookie-munchers, loving life!

This recipe is linked to Allergy-Free Wednesday Whole Food Fridays Wellness Weekend Healthy Vegan Fridays

Still Alive and Cooking...A Little

So, my "farewell to food" has lasted much longer than anticipated.  Suffice it to say, I have never really gotten over my nausea with this pregnancy.  I do not know how my poor family has survived the many regrettable meals that I have thrown together over the last few months. I do not need to go into detail about the green sludge from Saturday night: I'm not sure who cried more about having to eat it--me or the kids. The good news is that, hopefully, in the next two to three weeks, my baby "bun" will be out of my oven, and food will become good again!

While overall I have been completely uninspired in the kitchen, there have been some rare occasions when I created something worth making again. These gluten-free, sneaky ingredient chocolate chip cookies were a big hit with the Sawyer and Abiline crowd, who, as you can see below, are as cute and nutty as ever.  I even liked these little treats.  It's a funny thing--while most food has been unpalatable, chocolate has kept its appeal for me. Good ol' chocolate: a pal through thick and thin!

 

Beanie Buckwheat Chocolate Chip Cookies (makes about a dozen cookies)

1 1/4 cup buckwheat groats, ground
1 tsp. baking powder
rounded 1/4 tsp. sea salt
2 Tbsp. coconut sugar
1/2 cup pitted medjool dates (about 6)
1 cup white beans (rinsed and drained, if canned)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/3-1/2 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat your oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Grind your buckwheat groats in your food processor. Measure to make sure you have enough to equal the 1 1/4 cup, then add the baking powder, salt, and coconut sugar, and buzz to mix them all together.
3. Add the dates, beans, vanilla, and coconut oil to the dry ingredients in the food processor and pulse until well incorporated and evenly moistened. Mix in the chocolate chips with a spoon.
4. Form into a dozen balls, place them on the prepared pan, and flatten them slightly with your palms. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until golden on the bottom.

Did I say the kids are nutty? I take it back; Abiline is very serious about her chap-stick. (This one from Grandma was a bit too much like lipstick...)

This recipe is linked to Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Allergy-Free Wednesday, Whole Foods Wednesday, Gluten-Free Wednesday, and Wellness Weekend.

Flourless Chocolate Pumpkin Seed Cookies

So many flourless baking creations use almond flour, so I set out to try to use a seed as the base instead. These cookies are so simple and delicious and make a nutritious, but still indulgent, snack. I have baked these a few times recently on days when nap time is almost over and I need a snack pronto before I have hangry kids roaring out of bed.  Chocolate cookies just have such a nice way of getting eaten without complaint.

 

1 cup raw pumpkin seeds (I have also used sunflower seeds with yummy results.)
1/4 cup coconut milk (I've used both light and regular.)
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1/8 tsp. sea salt
1/4 cup allergy-friendly chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, and spread the seeds out in an even layer on the prepared pan. Roast for 8 minutes, then stir them around and bake for 7-9 minutes more. Watch them closely so that they brown without burning.
2. While the seeds roast, in small saucepan heat the coconut milk, coconut sugar, salt, and chocolate chips until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
3. Let the coconut-chocolate mixture and the seeds cool for a few minutes just to avoid danger of totally burning yourself. Then add all of the ingredients to your food processor and blend until you have a thick, uniform paste. There will be a few little bits of seeds--no problem.
4. Form the dough into about 10 cookie dough balls. Dampen the tines of a fork and make a cross-hatch pattern on each cookie. Bake in the preheated oven for 8 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and then remove them from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.



This recipe is linked to Allergy-Friendly Friday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Allergy-Free Wednesdays, Whole Foods Wednesday,  Gluten-Free Wednesdays, Tastetastic Thursday, Happy Lil' Loves Are Baking, Fit and Fabulous Friday and Wellness Weekend.   
 

Sugar-Free Coconut Banana Lime Cookies

I use pure stevia powder for sweetening lemonade and to add a bit of extra sweetness to homemade yogurt, but I have not used it in baked goods very much.  Overall, stevia seems a bit too good to be true, so I have been wary of overusing it.  I have seen it used in a lot of recipes lately, though, which made me wonder, "Can just a small amount of stevia really take the place of the sugar in a cookie recipe?" I decided to experiment with developing a recipe that would also get natural sweetness from banana and coconut. (The banana-coconut-lime combo is one that my best friend from college and I fell in love with in a sugar-laden banana bread recipe we discovered back then.)  I was impressed by how well these turned out.  While getting something sweet without sugar still seems suspiciously like getting something for nothing, I guess I will just enjoy my freebie and indulge in sugar-free treats like this every once in a while.
    

3/4 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
2 Tbsp. coconut oil
3 Tbsp. lime juice
1 medium very ripe banana
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
generous 1/4 tsp. pure stevia powder (I use Trader Joe's organic one.)

Preheat the oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  In a food processor, pulse the rolled oats until you have a fine flour.  Empty the oats into a medium bowl and mix in the baking powder, salt, and stevia powder.  Add the  coconut, oil, lime juice, and banana to the food processor and blend until smooth.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix just until evenly moistened.  Drop the dough by spoonfuls (I got about a dozen cookies out of this recipe) onto the prepared cookie sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, until the cookies are lightly browned on the bottom. Let cool on wire racks before eating.

During quiet play time yesterday (aka Abiline's nap time), Sawyer decided to take up spelling:

This recipe is linked to Fit and Fabulous Friday,  Allergy-Friendly Friday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays , Allergy-Free Wednesdays, Whole Foods Wednesdays, and Wellness Weekend.                  

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches

I have fond memories as a kid of eating many a Good Humor bar, so I am certainly not the type to want to deny my children the precious childhood experience of eating frozen treats.  With Sawyer we could buy Trader Joe's soy-ice cream sandwiches, which don't have corn syrup like the Tofutti brand, and are reasonably priced.  Since Abiline can't do soy, we were looking at getting some of the So Delicious coconut milk ice cream sandwiches as a special treat, but they are almost $6 a box!  No way--I will make my own, thank you.  These homemade ice cream sandwiches were part of our St. Patrick's day celebration; sorry I didn't get the recipe on here in time for the big day.  Luckily, you don't really need a special occasion to make these.  The mint chip ice cream is a recipe I posted earlier for my ice cream pie, and it is probably Abiline's favorite: when I open the freezer door nowadays, she exclaims, "Geen peese!"(and that doesn't mean "green peas," although she does like those.)

This recipe is featured on Allergy-Free Wednesdays :o)

For the mint chip ice cream:
1 can full-fat coconut milk
1 cup Silk or So Delicious coconut milk beverage
1/2 cup sweetener of choice (agave, maple syrup, evaporated cane juice)
1 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
1/2 tsp. spirulina powder
1/2 cup vegan mini chocolate chips (such as Enjoy Life brand) 

Blend the first 5 ingredients in a blender until fully combined, and then freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions. Once the ice cream is getting firm,  2 or 3 minutes before you would normally transfer it to the freezer, slowly add the chocolate chips to the ice cream maker. Once they're all mixed up, place the ice cream in the freezer for an hour or two to firm up. You don't want it too firm, so that you can spread it easily on the cookies--just a bit firmer than it is right after you get it out of the ice cream maker.

For the ice cream sandwich cookies:
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour or barley flour (I used half and half)
2/3 cup sucanat, coconut sugar, or evaporated cane juice
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3/4 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup non-dairy milk
1/2 cup canola or melted coconut oil
1/4 cup tapioca starch or arrowroot mixed with 1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

For chocolate coating:
1 cup vegan chocolate chips
1 Tbsp. peppermint extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350 and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda.
3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the non-dairy milk, oil, starch mixed with water, and the vanilla. Stir the wet and dry ingredients together with a fork or wooden spoon just until evenly combined and moistened. 
4. Form into disks with your hands and evenly space them on the cookie sheets. I got 20 cookies, 10 per pan.  Keep in mind that they spread out quite a bit; mine turned out more monster-cookie-sized, so if you want small sandwiches, you could probably get 3 dozen cookies out of this recipe.
5. Bake for 10 minutes for the larger cookies, turning the pans half-way through. I would do 7-8 minutes if you are doing smaller cookies.
6. Let the cookies cool for a few minutes on wire racks and then transfer them to the freezer for about 20 minutes to cool completely. While they cool, melt the chocolate chips in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds so as to not burn them. Stir the mint extract into the melted chocolate.
7. Take the cookies out of the freezer along with the ice cream, and quickly spread a big gob of ice cream on half of the cookies and top with the other half.  Spread a layer of chocolate over the top of one of the cookies. Place the sandwiches in the freezer, chocolate-topping side up, for about an hour to harden up. If you are not eating them all right away, then be sure to place them in a  freezer bag for storage.

As for healthier green foods, we have replanted our little patio garden of basil and spinach. Please wish us luck!  Some sort of small animal ate all of the lettuce and kale out of our last garden attempt. 

Secret Ingredient Almost Sugar-Free Cut-Out Cookies

I think the story of these cookies begins with the secret ingredient: sprouted wheat berries. I like to make manna bread from sprouted grains; it makes a wonderfully filling snack between meals. However, I found that if you let the wheat berries sprout for too long, then the bread becomes mushy.  Last week I had started to sprout some wheat berries, and then we went out of town to Utah for my niece's baptism before I could use them. I placed the berries in the fridge while we were gone in order to slow their growth, but by the time we came back, they had sprouted so much that I knew they would make for soggy bread. What to do with them?  Then I had an idea: perhaps the extra moisture of the overly sprouted berries would work well in cookies, providing the moist texture that would normally come from oil or margarine/butter.  It worked!  Sweetened with dates, moistened with the wheat berries, these are apologetically healthy cookies.  And my kids love them. We made them into question mark shapes because in Joy School this week Sawyer and the other kids in our class are learning about curiosity. These coolies can be made totally sugar-free, but I couldn't resist a little sprinkle of cinnamon-sugar on top.

1/2 cup dry wheat berries
2/3 cup pitted dates
2 Tbsp. sunflower seed butter
1/3 cup dried, flaked coconut
1/8 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2-1 cup barley flour (could sub whole wheat pastry flour)

1 Tbsp. coconut oil +1 Tbsp evaporated cane juice + 1 tsp cinnamon, for sprinkling (optional)

1. Place the wheat berries in a glass jar with a lid, and add enough water to cover them plus fill the jar a few inches above the berries. Place the lid on, but do not screw it on. Soak the berries overnight, then drain them in the morning in a fine mesh sieve and rinse them with you faucet turned all the way up, to really blast those berries with the water. Shake them around to get the excess water off and then put the wheat berries back in the jar with the lid placed on top. Rinse them again at night, about 12 hours later. Continue to rinse them morning and night until they are sprouted and their tails are 2-3xs as long as the wheat berries. Be careful to catch them before they sprout leaves, as then it is too late to use them for baking.
2. Once your wheat berries are sprouted, place them in your food processor along with the dates, sunflower seed butter, coconut, salt, and cinnamon and pulse until you've made a uniform, thick paste.  If your dates are not very soft, cover them with water and microwave them for 2 minutes and then drain them before processing. Alternatively, you can just soak them in water overnight.
3.  On a clean work surface, sprinkle 1/2 cup of the flour. Turn out the dough from the food processor and knead in the flour.  Add more flour a tablespoon at a time until your dough loses most of its stickiness and is firm enough to be rolled out.   
4. Preheat the oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Roll out your dough to about a 1/4 inch thickness and cut into shapes as desired. Bake for 9-11 minutes, until the cookies are lightly browned on the bottom. (The question marks took 9 mins; if you opt for a bigger shape, you may need longer.)
5. If you would like them a bit sweeter, then melt the coconut oil and brush the cookies with it. In a small bowl, mix the evaporated cane juice and cinnamon, and then sprinkle it on the tops of the cookies. I recommend storing these in the fridge because they are so moist and probably would not keep well if left out on the counter.

 

Cinnamon-Sugar Coated Treats: Sort-of Snickerdoodles and Apple Sunflower Seed Butter Pretzels

Sawyer is an interesting fellow, in that if you offer him dessert, he will probably decline.  In general, brownies, cookies, cake, and pie are all likely to be shot down.  I think because he gets home-made food all the time, a treat in his mind is something that we buy and ration out, like Annie's bunny fruit snacks or pretzels.  However, while finished baked goods are taken for granted, the dough is always savored. When snack time comes around, and I anticipate that Sawyer will not be very excited about his options, I usually whip up some cracker or cookie dough and let him make shapes out of it.  While he does so, inevitably he will eat a good chunk before anything reaches the oven.  Such was the case with this healthy, inspired-by-snickerdoodles, cookie creation.




1 1/4 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oat bran
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 Tbsp. chia seeds mixed with 3 Tbsp water (could sub flax seed meal)
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup agave nectar
1/2 Tbsp. vanilla extract

2 Tbsp. evaporated cane juice
1/2 Tbsp ground cinnamon

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 and line two baking trays with parchment paper.  Mix the evaporated cane juice with the cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, oat bran, salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar and mix well.
3. In a small cup, mix the chia seeds with the water. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and add the chia mixture, canola oil, agave, and vanilla. Mix the wet and dry ingredients together with a wooden spoon until well combined. You should have a moist but firm consistency. If necessary, add more flour a tablespoon at a time until you can shape the dough into balls that hold together well.
4. Form the dough into golf-ball sized balls and roll them in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Space them evenly on your prepared baking sheets.  Flatten the cookies with your palm if desired, as they will not spread out when they cook. Bake in the preheated oven for 7-8 minutes, until the cookies are just slightly brown on the bottom.  Let them cool on wire racks before serving. Makes about 1 1/2 dozen.

 If that isn't enough cinnamon-sugar goodness for you, Sawyer woke up early this week and declared that he couldn't go back to sleep because he was hungry and wanted to make bread with me.  He loves to smell the yeast and, yes, both he and Abiline even eat yeast bread dough.  Sawyer loves the apple cinnamon pretzels at Jamba Juice, so I thought to make something similar when he hit me up with the unexpected bread request.  My version has a great soft texture; Anthony loved them and was scarfing them down two at a time.  His one criticism was that they did not turn out all chewy on the outside like the ones you buy.  I think the problem is that when I drop the dough in the boiling water, it is hard to maintain the high temperature needed to rapidly cook the outside.  Please let me know if you have any ideas on how to get them chewier!

1/2 cup warm water

2 tsp. active dry yeast
1 Tbsp. plus 1/4 cup coconut sugar
1 cup lukewarm non-dairy milk
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup sunflower seed butter
1 apple, peeled and finely chopped
1 1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
4-5 cups white whole wheat flour

3 Tbsp. evaporated cane juice
1/2 Tbsp. cinnamon
2 Tbsp. melted coconut oil or soy-free Earth Balance buttery spread

1.  In a medium mixing bowl, mix the warm water with 1 tablespoon of coconut sugar and then stir in the yeast until dissolved. Let sit for a few minutes until the yeast gets all bubbly.  Then add the non-dairy milk, applesauce, the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, sunflower seed butter, and finely chopped apple bits and stir until all is well-combined.
2. In a separate, large bowl, mix the salt, cinnamon and 4 1/2 cups of the flour. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix with a wooden spoon until well combined. If the dough is too sticky to hold its shape for kneading, add additional flour, a few tablespoons at a time, until the dough can hold together well enough to be transferred to a floured work surface to be kneaded.  Knead the dough for about 10 minutes, adding small amounts of flour as necessary to avoid sticking, until the dough is smooth and supple.
3. Form the dough into a ball and place in a large bowl to rise in a warm place, with a damp towel covering the bowl, for 1-2 hours--until a wet finger poked into the middle of the dough leaves an impression without filling in. If the dough sighs, it has risen a bit too long. (I turn the oven on to 400 for a few minutes, turn it off, open the oven, and place the bowl on the door. Once the oven cools down a bit, I place the bowl in the oven.)

4. Gently deflate the dough with damp hands, form it into a ball, and turn the ball out onto a large, lightly floured work surface. Let it rest for 10 minutes, covered with the damp cloth. While the dough is resting, place a large pot of water on the stove to boil, set out some wire racks, line two baking sheets with parchment paper, and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 

5. Then, with a wet knife, cut the dough into four equal pieces. Form each one into a ball and let them rest for 5 minutes more.  Flatten each ball with your hand and then cut each one into 3 equal pieces (so that you have 12 total).  Roll each piece of dough into a long rope and either fold the ends over each other to form the classic pretzel shape, or make whatever shape you want. 

6. Place the shaped pretzels onto your prepared pans. Once the water is rapidly boiling, drop the pretzels in two at a time, let them boil for 30 seconds, then flip them over with a slotted spoon and boil for 30 seconds more.  Remove the pretzels from the water and place them on the wire racks while you boil the rest. 

7. Transfer all of the boiled pretzels back to the prepared baking pans and cook them in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, turning them 180 degrees after 10 minutes and switching the pan on the upper rack to the lower rack and vice versa.

8. Let the baked pretzels cool on wire racks while you prepare the topping. Mix the evaporated cane juice with the cinnamon in a small bowl and in a separate bowl melt the coconut oil.  Brush the baked pretzels with the melted oil and then sprinkle them with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.   

We took a bunch of these pretzels to snack on when we went to Disneyland this week.  The park was very crowded (for Mardi Gras?), but luckily, there is never a line for Abiline's favorite ride: the carousel.

 

Reduced Sugar Strawberry Sugar Cookies with Strawberry Coconut Butter Frosting

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, and if you are anything like me, that means you are wanting some of those bleached white, soft sugar cookies with the pink frosting and confetti sprinkles. You know the ones. Yes, they are delicious, but let me suggest that you may show more love for yourself and your family by serving up some of these strawberry-preserve sweetened delights. You won't even miss that wad of colorful vegetable shortening you had been craving.

This coconut butter frosting is awesome.  It is not the vibrant pink that you get with artificial food coloring, but certainly pink enough.  I decided last minute today to invite some friends over for a cookie decorating party at our house, but I didn't have any powdered sugar on hand to make icing. So I decided to see if I could grind shredded coconut into coconut butter in my food processor and use that as the frosting base. I am so thrilled that it worked, as store-bought coconut butter is so expensive. The kids had fun making shapes and being liberal with the sprinkles. As always, more dough gets eaten than actual baked cookie, but that is the joy of a cookie-making party. Happy Valentine's everyone!





For the Strawberry Sugar Cookies:
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat flour
1/4 cup evaporated cane juice
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup strawberry preserves
1/2 cup canola or coconut oil (I used 1/4 cup of each. Use some coconut oil for the best flavor.)
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1-2 Tbsp. non-dairy milk 

1. Preheat oven to 350 and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl, add the flours, evaporated cane juice, salt, baking powder, and baking soda and stir until well combined.
3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the preserves, oil, and vanilla.  Mix until you form a firm but pliable dough that holds together. If it looks a little dry, add 1-2 Tablespoons of non-dairy milk, until it holds together well like play-dough.
4. Roll out the dough on a floured work surface to about 1/8-1/4in. thickness. The thinner the dough, the crispier the cookies will be. I like my cookies soft, so we kept them on the thick side. Cut out your shapes as desired and place them on the prepared baking pans. Bake the cookies for 7-8 minutes, until just slightly brown on the bottom. Let cool before frosting and decorating.

For the Strawberry Coconut Butter Frosting:
2 cups shredded coconut (unsweetened)
1/2 tsp. xantham or guar gum
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/2 cup strawberry preserves
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2-3 Tbsp. non-dairy milk

1. In a food processor, grind the coconut until it turns into a thick, smooth paste. This took 7 or 8 minutes for me. Scrape down the sides as necessary during this process.

2. Once you have your coconut butter made, add all of the remaining ingredients, minus the non-dairy milk and process until well-incorporated. It will be a thick ball. Add the non-dairy milk one tablespoon at a time, until you have a spreadable consistency.

My Valentines--Oh how I love them!

Delectable Mango Raspberry Bars with Sherbet

I was going to make lemon bars for our guests, but I wanted to make ice cream, and I just don't fancy eating ice cream with lemon bars. They are a stand-alone treat in my mind.  I knew I wanted a fruity dessert, not chocolatey, and once I saw the mangoes and raspberries in our freezer, the idea for this recipe hatched in my mind. The bars are a cross between cake and cookie, as they are moist like cake, but dense like a cookie. This is my first time experimenting with using stevia powder in my baked goods. It worked nicely in combination with some 'real' sugar to create the right amount of sweetness without it being overbearing.

Sawyer and Abiline liked the sherbet the best; they don't usually go for cookie/ cake desserts because they are too full for it once dinner is over. While most adults have developed a separate stomach for dessert, when my kids are full, that's it--it doesn't matter how tantalizing the treat is that I place before them. Ice cream seems to be the one exception, though. I think since it melts as they lick the cone, the ice cream just slips between the cracks and doesn't require much belly room.  

For the cookie bar base:
1/4 c. coconut butter (You could probably sub. vegan margarine)
1/2 c. mangoes (I used frozen)
1/4 c. evaporated cane juice, or your choice of dry sweetener
2 Tbsp. coconut milk
zest of 1 orange
1 tbsp. orange juice (Squeeze all the juice out of the orange. You should get about 3 Tbsp. Use 1 Tbsp. in the base and the rest in the topping.) 
1 1/2 c. whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

For the raspberry topping:
1/4 c. frozen raspberries
2 Tbsp. soy-free Earth Balance
2 Tbsp. coconut oil
2 Tbsp. orange juice (leftover from orange used in the base)
1/4 c. evaporated cane juice
1/4 tsp. stevia powder
1/2 tsp. agar powder

1. Preheat the oven to 375 and grease a 9 inch square baking pan.
2. Puree the coconut butter, mangoes, evaporated cane juice, coconut milk, and the zest and juice of the orange in a food processor until smooth.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the puree from the food processor and stir until the dry ingredients are completely moistened. Spread in the prepared baking pan and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 20 mins, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool.
4.  While the bars cool, prepare the topping. In a small saucepan, combine the raspberries, Earth balance, coconut oil, orange juice, evaporated cane juice, stevia, and agar powder. Heat over medium, stirring frequently, until the margarine melts, all is well combined, and the mixture is bubbling around the edges. Allow to cool a bit before pouring over the bars. Place the bars in the fridge for an hour or two to allow the topping to set. Serve with the sherbet below for a real treat!


For the Mango Raspberry Sherbet 
1/2 c. frozen raspberries
1/2 c. frozen mangoes
1 can full-fat coconut milk
1/2 c. non-dairy milk (I used oat milk)
1/2 tsp. orange extract
1/4 c. agave nectar
1/4 tsp. stevia powder, or more, to taste

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender, and then transfer to your ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's directions. This stuff hardens a little too well once frozen more than a few hours (I think because of the fruit), so you will need to leave it on the counter for a few minutes before you can scoop it once it has been in the freezer for a while.

This sherbet really helped Abiline cool off--that cool dudette!

This is the face Sawyer makes when his ice cream is too cold. The winter cap seemed a bit dramatic, but maybe he got a brain freeze.

Chocolate Mint Cookie Dough Ice Cream Pie

It all started with the chocolate graham crackers. Sawyer turned to me at breakfast and asked, "Mommy, can we make cookies with the shapes?" A while back I bought a pack of 100 cookie cutters that helped for a while in getting Sawyer to eat when he was having a rough time getting motivated. You don't want french toast, eh? What about 'truck bites'?! Everything looks more appetizing to a two-year old boy when it is shaped like a car. But despite his eating difficulties from ages 1-2, one thing I have never had trouble getting Sawyer to eat is dough--cookie, bread, muffin, pancake--he would eat them all raw even when the cooked product was circumspect. So when I introduced Sawyer to the joy of combining eating cookie dough with making car shapes, he was hooked. On this particular day, I decided that we would try to make our own chocolate graham crackers, since they are hard to find at the store without high-fructose corn syrup and partially-hydrogenated soybean oil. I based the recipe on the one in the King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking Book, which makes for crackers that are not vegan and are too full of butter and sugar. We didn't roll our crackers thin enough, though, so they were more like cookies. But, oh, were they chocolatey!

Chocolate Graham Crackers

1. c. barley flour (could sub white or more whole wheat)
1 c. whole wheat pastry or white whole wheat flour
1 c. cocoa powder
1/2 c. coconut sugar or brown sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 c. canola or melted coconut oil
1/3-1/2 c. non-dairy milk
1/4 c. agave or maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine flours, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Add the oil, 1/3 c. non-dairy milk, and syrup. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry with a fork until thoroughly moistened and the dough can hold together in a ball like pie crust. Add additional milk if necessary to moisten. Knead the ball of dough a few times on a floured work surface, and then roll out; we did about 1/4 inch thickness, which made them more like cookies. You will need to be less lazy than I was and roll the dough our to about 1/8 inch thickness to get true crackers. If you are going to make the ice cream (see recipe that follows), then you will need to reserve 1/3 of the dough. Cut the dough into your desired shapes, place on the prepared baking sheet, and bake in the preheated oven for about 10 mins for softer cookies, 12 mins for crisper ones.


The cookie/crackers were tasty, but we made far too many, and I even had extra dough left-over, so I needed to find a way to use the excess. Thus the ice cream was born. As a teenager I worked at Baskin Robbins, and, as if there weren't enough flavors there already, I would dream up new flavors I wished they had. One was mint chocolate cookie dough. This old fantasy came back to me when the leftover chocolate cookie dough in the freezer teamed up with Sawyer's penchant for green, and the new bottle of spirulina powder in the cupboard. How often had he asked me for green ice cream, and I hadn't had a way to satisfy his whim? Now, I had a natural source of green dye and the means to make the vegan mint chocolate cookie dough I had longer for all these years! The idea of using spirulina powder to make green mint ice cream is one I read in jae steele's Ripe from Around Here, but I do not like how the mint ice cream recipes in her book use water and coconut oil. That combination made for rock-hard ice cream that was too icy rather than creamy. Here is my version of non-dairy mint:

Mint Chocolate Cookie Dough Ice Cream

1 can full-fat coconut milk
1 c. plain non-dairy milk or additional coconut milk, if you want it super creamy
1/2 c. agave nectar
1-2 tsp. mint extract, to taste
1 tsp. spirulina powder (This made it pretty green; if you want a pale green color, use 1/2 tsp at the most)
Remaining cookie dough from the recipe above, about 1 cup

Blend the first 5 ingredients in a blender until fully combined, and then freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions. Once the ice cream is getting firm, about five minutes before you would normally transfer it to the freezer, break the cookie dough into bite-sized pieces and slowly add them to the ice cream maker. Once they're all mixed up, place the ice cream in the freezer for a few hours to firm up. Here is what ours looked like right after I made it:




Here is what Abiline looked like eating it. I know, I'm terrible; starting her on chocolate so young. But I don't believe in the hypocrisy of denying my kids treats while I freely enjoy them. Most of what we eat is so wholesome anyways...Enough of my rationalizations.

There's no picture of Sawyer with a cone because, after all of his begging for green ice cream, I couldn't get him to touch it until it was in pie form. So on to the pie. I found myself with a lot of chocolate cookies and mint cookie dough ice cream, and I needed a dessert for a little dinner party we were having. With an extra layer of chocolate on top (topping inspired by a recipe in 500 Vegan Recipes), the combo was sooooo good. Sawyer actually had a moment of stunned silence when he tasted it; I think because he was expecting the worst but got the best.


Chocolate Mint Cookie Dough Ice Cream Pie

For crust:
2 cups crushed chocolate graham cracker cookies
2 Tbsp. canola or coconut oil
2 Tbsp. agave or maple syrup

1 recipe chocolate mint cookie dough ice cream

For Topping:
1/2 c. chocolate chips
1 tbsp. Earth Balance margarine
1 c. vanilla non-dairy yogurt (I used home-made coconut milk yogurt)
1/4-1/2 tsp. mint extract, to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a 9 " pie pan. Combine crushed graham crackers, oil and syrup until the crumbs are thoroughly moistened, and then press them evenly into the pie pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 mins, and allow to cool completely.
2. While the crust is cooling, melt the chocolate chips and Earth Balance in the microwave for 1 minute, and then stir with a fork until smooth. Buzz in a food processor with the yogurt and mint extract.
3. Once the crust is cool, take the ice cream out of the freezer and let it soften for a few minutes so that you can spread it over the crust. Scoop it into the crust, and smooth it out until it is an even layer. Spoon the chocolate topping onto the ice cream and smooth it out. Freeze the pie for at least 2 hours before serving to firm it up.

Sumpin' Fishy Savory Cookies

I debated posting this recipe since I just posted another recipe with seaweed in it, and that may not be everyone's favorite. In fact, even I am not always a huge fan of sea veggies, but I find these little savory cookies to be quite tasty and just had to share. Both Sawyer and Abiline have been munching them--they are a good combo for toddler snacks, since they are made of healthy ingredients, but are pretty calorie dense, unlike the pretzels my kids usually prefer.

1 1/4 c. white whole wheat flour (could sub regular ww or ww pastry flour)
1/4 c. rolled oats
1/4-1/3 c. dried seaweed, ground in a food processor (amount depends on how strong you want the flavor)
1 Tbsp. organic evaporated cane juice, or dry sweetener of choice
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/3 c. canola oil
1-3 Tbsp. non-dairy milk, as needed

1. Preheat the oven to 350 and grease or line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Whisk together the flour, oats, ground seaweed, sugar, and baking powder. Add the oil and mix with a fork until evenly moistened. If the dough is still too crumbly, add the non-dairy milk (I used hemp) 1 tbsp at a time until the dough holds together.
3. Form into walnut-sized balls, space evenly on your baking sheet, and flatten out, if desired. Bake for 8-10 mins. in the preheated oven until just golden on the bottoms.

Strawberry Lemonade on My Mind

I guess strawberry lemonade has been on my mind since it has been so hot lately. Or maybe these recipes were inspired by my impulse purchase of lemon extract a few weeks ago. Last week I made lemon strawberry bars for the kids, and then for my birthday we had strawberry bundt cake with strawberry lemonade ice cream. The bars are one more creation in a series of experiments with how to incorporate beans and avocados into tasty baked goods. The cake I adapted from a recipe in 500 Vegan Recipes, which is an awesome cookbook overall, but I have found that they frequently call for way too much flour in their cake recipes. It is super-moist despite having no oil in it, but we found that it did need some fat to round out the flavor, so the ice cream was born. The cake and ice cream got a thumbs up from everyone, but Abiline was not into the bars, which Sawyer happily munched. They were a bit too dense in texture for her limited chewing abilities, I think, so I would recommend them for the age two and up set.

Strawberry-Glazed Lemon Bars or Thumbprint Cookies

1 c. garbanzo beans
1/2 medium-sized ripe avocado
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1 Tbsp. tahini
1 1/2 tsp. lemon extract
3 Tbsp. agave nectar or other liquid sweetener
2 Tbsp. powdered sugar
1/2 c. rolled oats
1/2 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt
1/2 c. flour (I used kamut, but any other light-colored flour would do nicely to preserve the yellow shade of the chickpeas)

For Glaze: 1/4 c. strawberry preserves mixed with 1 tbsp. yogurt of choice (I used So Delicious plain coconut yogurt)

1. Preheat the oven to 350. If you are making bars, then grease an 8x8 in. pan. For cookies, prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper or grease liberally.
2. In a blender or food processor, combine beans, avocado,lemon juice, oil, tahini, lemon extract, agave, and powdered sugar and puree until completely smooth. Add the oats, baking powder, and salt, and pulse until oats are completely ground. Add the flour last and puree until smooth. If the batter is too thick for your blender/ food processor before adding the flour, go ahead and stir it in by hand.
3. For bars, just scoop the batter into the pan and bake for 18-22 mins., until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. If you prefer cookies, then roll the dough into walnut-sized balls, line them on the tray, and indent with your thumb bef0re baking for 8-10 mins, or until just slightly golden on the bottoms. Prepare the glaze while they bake by combining the preserves and the yogurt in a small bowl.
4. Place the baked bars/ cookies on a cooling rack. When completely cool, prick the bars all over with a fork and then spread the glaze over the top. For the cookies, just fill the thumbprints with the jam.

Strawberry Bundt Cake

1 1/2 cups sliced fresh strawberries

1/3 c. agave nectar

1 tbsp. lemon juice

3 c. whole wheat pastry flour

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/3 c. cane sugar

1 1/2 c. soy or hemp milk mixed with 1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 tbsp. lemon extract

1/2 c.applesauce

For glaze: 1/2 cups powdered sugar and 1-2 tbsp. lemon juice

1. Add strawberries, agave, and lemon juice to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth.

2. Preheat oven to 350 and generously grease a bundt pan.

3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the ww pastry flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

4. Add the non-dairy milk, lemon extract, applesauce, and strawberry mixture to the dry ingredients and fold to combine, being careful not to over-mix. Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and bake for 40-50 mins, or until golden and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely (I placed mine in the freezer for a few hours) before inverting the cake onto a serving platter. You can then whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice to make the glaze. Poke a few holes in the cake with the tines of a fork and pour the glaze over it. Enjoy with the ice cream recipe that follows!

Strawberry Lemonade Ice Cream
1 14 oz. can coconut milk
1 c. rice or hemp milk
1/4 c. lemon juice
1/2 c. strawberry preserves
1/2 tbsp. lemon extract
Just combine all of the ingredients in a blender and freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions. Alternately, I have heard it rumored that you can make ice cream in the freezer without the ice cream maker; here's one method you could try.