Growing up, coconut sweets were the greatest treat. My dad and I would race to find the coconut filled chocolate truffles in the box of chocolates…and macaroons have always been a very special indulgence. I don’t know why I have never ventured into the macaroon making business…I think that they intimidated me. The light, fluffy beauty that is the macaroon seemed so difficult to duplicate…but last week, I faced my fears and went for it! I am glad that I did…they are beyond easy to make, and with a few simple substitutions- they are a wonderful (not so) guilty pleasure!
2 Cups sweetened, shredded coconut
1 14 oz can fat free sweetened condensed milk
1 t vanilla extract
3 large egg whites, ROOM TEMPERATURE
1/4 t sea salt
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Combine the coconut, condensed milk, vanilla and salt in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, using an electric mixer, whip the egg whites until they form stiff peaks.
Now, gently fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture.
Drop tablespoon fulls of the batter onto a baking sheet.
Bake for 30 minutes- until they are golden brown. Cool completely and store in an air-tight container.
Cinnamon Crumb Cake Muffins
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
2 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t sea salt
1 t cinnamon
1/4 C brown sugar
1/4 C white sugar
1 egg
1/3 C 0% plain Greek yogurt
1/2 C almond milk (you can use regular milk or coconut milk as well)
1 t vanilla extract
Crumb Topping
1/8 C white sugar
1/4 C brown sugar
1/4 C white flour
1/4 t sea salt
1 t cinnamon
4 T cold butter
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. In a larger bowl, mix together the sugars, egg, greek yogurt, almond milk and vanilla extract.
Slowly pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix well.
Fill a lined muffin tin with the batter.
Make the crumb topping by combining all ingredients and pinching the mixture together with your fingertips until a crumble forms.
Now, top each muffin with crumb topping.
Bake for 18-20 minutes. Cool completely on metal cooling rack. Store in the fridge and reheat for 10 seconds before eating!
ENJOY!!
Oatmeal cookies make me think of my Grandpa Howard. Growing up, a trip to Grandma Mary and Grandpa Howard’s house meant fresh baked bread, sourdough pancakes, and the BEST oatmeal cookies you have ever had in your life. I remember my mouth starting to water with anticipation whenever we pulled in the driveway. Grandpa Howard is a perfectionist and therefore his cookies are perfect every. single. time. He painstakingly grinds pecans into a fine flour to give the cookies a nutty, decadent taste without the big chunks of pecans…he measures each item with precision and the result is heavenly.
Sticking with my motto of never messing with a perfected family recipe…I went an entirely different direction with these oatmeal cookies…I cut the butter, changed the sugar, left out the dairy…and removed the flour–but I added in some fun things as well.
I made these cookies for a friend the other day…but saved a few for Gavin and I to munch on…and I have loved having a yummy, healthy treat in the mornings. The buckwheat flour definitely gives these babies a particular taste…but they are moist and delicious. I keep them in the freezer..and eat them frozen. Gavin likes to let the defrost. Either way, they are a tasty, healthy way to satisfy your sweet tooth!
Gluten Free/Dairy Free Loaded Oatmeal Cookies
makes 20 cookies
1 C buckwheat flour
1/2 C shredded coconut
1 teaspoon baking soda
***1/2 t xanthum gum **this is optional, I made them with and without…it just makes them stick together a little better
1 t kosher salt
1 1/2 t ground cinnamon
3 C old fashion oats *make sure they are certified GF
4 T coconut oil
4 T apple sauce
1/2 C brown sugar
1/2 C dehydrated cane juice (you can use white sugar)
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
1/4 C raisins
1/4 C golden raisins
1/4 C dried cranberries
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, coconut, baking soda, salt, *xanthum gum, salt and oats. In a large bowl, mix together the coconut oil, apple sauce, brown sugar, cane juice, eggs and vanilla.
Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Mix in the raisins and cranberries.
On a lined baking sheet, drop tablespoonfuls of the batter about 1 inch apart. (I gently pressed each cookie a little before baking).
Bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely on a cooling rack. Store in the refrigerator.
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Strawberries make me think of summer…and summer makes me think of long weekends at the lake…and long weekends at the lake make me think of family, sunshine, relaxation, and delicious food! As we are packing up to head to North Georgia for Memorial Day, I have been busy baking some fun summer treats to bring along.
Though they are made with white flour, and white sugar…they are balanced by nutrient packed berries, protein rich yogurt, and perfectly light apple sauce. The brown butter topping adds just the right amount of decadence to make these muffins feel like a special breakfast time treat.
Strawberry Brown Butter Muffins
makes 12 muffins
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup 0% plain greek yogurt
1/3 cup apple sauce
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh strawberries
Brown Butter Topping
1/8 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons cold butter, cut into little cubes
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees and prepare your muffin tin with non stick spray of muffin liners.
In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, then add the sugar, milk, greek yogurt and apple sauce. Mix well. Next, combine the dry and wet ingredients. When they are well mixed, gently fold in the strawberries.
Now, fill your muffin tin and set it aside. In a small bowl, pinch together the butter, sugar and flour until it forms a crumble (make sure that there are no big chunks of butter).
Now sprinkle even amounts on each muffin.
Bake for 20-25 minutes- just until the tops are firm and the butter starts to slightly brown.
Easter is only a few days away…this year we have been so blessed with incredible Spring (almost Summer-like) weather- creating the perfect opportunity to host a beautiful outdoor Easter brunch. I love any excuse to get family and friends together…and Easter is one of my favorite occasions to celebrate.
With Spring, and Easter, comes renewal- new life- beauty- and the reminder that we are LOVED by our Creator and that He makes all things new! I think that is REALLY good reason to celebrate…and what better way to celebrate than with an amazing meal with loved ones…and some delicious baked goods?
Below are a few of my favorite recipes for yummy sweets and muffins to accompany your meal…or to give to friends and family as a great, healthy alternative to a candy filled Easter basket :)
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All of the delicious flavor of apple pie- all of the nutrition of 0% greek yogurt, slow cook oatmeal and fresh apples. What’s not to love!?
The other morning, Gavin was craving something sweet for breakfast and I have been dreaming up new recipes using oatmeal- so, I decided to whip up an idea that has been floating around in my head. I wanted to mimic the flavors of a nice warm piece of apple pie, al a mode…while keeping things light and healthy!
This parfait is the perfect solution. It tastes rich and decadent- but it is nutritious and satisfying! Gavin was a huge fan- and now he requests this lovely little breakfast in a mason jar all the time! All of the parts can be made ahead of time…the apples store great in the fridge and the oatmeal topping keeps well in a sealed container in the pantry.
It’s Saturday morning- warm up the oven and give this recipe a try- let me know what you think!
Apple Pie Parfaits
2 parfaits
Pie Topping:
2 C oats
1/4 C brown sugar
1/2 t sea salt
1 egg white
1/2 C apple sauce
2 T coconut oil
Apple Filling:
1 large apple, sliced
2 t brown sugar
1/2 t sea salt
1/2 t cinnamon
1 t flour
2 T water
1 C 0% plain greek yogurt
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine all of the topping ingredients and mix until everything is moist. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray and pour the mixture on it. Spread the mixture evenly over the cookie sheet and spray the top with cooking spray. Bake for 25 minutes.
While the oat mixture is baking, in a medium pan over medium heat combine the apple, brown sugar, sea salt and cinnamon. Cook for 5 minutes. Now, add the flour and mix well. Next, add the water and cover. Reduce heat to low and allow to cook for 20 minutes.
To assemble to parfaits, layer greek yogurt and then top with apple pie filling and then top with oat topping. Repeat layers 2-3 times depending on the size of your dish.
Sometimes you just want something sweet and satisfying. Its a craving that can’t be ignored- when the desire for something chocolatey and delicious hits- these cookies are my go-to solution. They are a tasty treat that you can feel GOOD about eating. They are loaded with fiber, protein, complex carbs, and healthy fats. Its like eating a bowl of oatmeal- but in a delicious cookie form! These delights are simple to make and so good to eat, and share with your friends and family…the perfect Sunday afternoon treat :)
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie
yield: 24
Only 77 Calories per cookie
2 C oat flour **This is just oatmeal ground in the blender!
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
1/4 C apple sauce
1/2 C greek yogurt
1/4 C coconut oil
3/4 C brown sugar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla extract
1 C dark chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine the oat flour, baking soda and salt. In a larger bowl, combine the apple sauce greek yogurt and coconut oil. Now, add the sugar and mix well. Next, add the eggs, one at a time mixing after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract. Now slowly add the flour mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray. Place tablespoon size dollops of the dough on the sheet, 1-2″ apart. Bake for 10 minutes.
Granola bars are a perfect, quick, high fiber go-to snack…when you make them at home! Your typical granola bar may seem innocent enough- but if you look at the list of ingredients you will likely find canola oil and some form of sugar as the second and third ingredient. To me, this is not ideal and a little frustrating considering granola bars are so carefully marketed as light and healthy!
The other day, I set out to make a satisfying, healthy granola bar for Gavin and I to snack on through out the week. These cinnamon raisin bars turned out to be quite nice…though they do not have the chewy gooey texture of your typical bar- because the oil is replaced with apple sauce, they retain their moisture but they are missing they slightly gooey texture. I still love them and I have enjoyed eating them straight from the fridge or slightly warmed and drizzled with honey.
Cinnamon Raisin Granola Bars
1/2 C unsweetened apple sauce
4 T agave nectar/ maple syrup/ molasses
2 egg whites
2 Tbsp ground flaxseed
2 C oats
1 C whole wheat flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t sea salt
2 t cinnamon
1/2 Cup raisins
coconut shavings and almonds for topping (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a glass baking dish with cooking spray. In a small bowl, combine the apple sauce, sweetener of choice, and egg whites. In a larger bowl combine the flax seeds, oats, whole wheat flour, baking soda, sea salt and cinnamon.
Now, pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and gently fold in the raisins. Now, pour mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes and then cut into desired size. Remove from the pan and place on a cooling rack until completely cool. Store in a air tight container. (I keep mine in the fridge because they last longer)!
I was so excited going into this little adventure. The idea of having to be create meals that Gavin and I both love with absolutely no animal products seemed like a fun challenge- and it has been! Never did I think that my meat loving husband would be so excited about a veggie and tofu scramble or a bowl of slow cooked black beans and rice…but he has been loving it! And I have been loving the wonderful world of vegan cooking blogs.
We are both finding this no-meat way of living to be easier and more enjoyable than expected…but the no added sugar part has left me craving chocolate like a crazy person- so I pulled up two of my favorite vegan blogs and started looking for sweet treats that I could tweak and re-work to fit our dietary perameters.
I made a great adaptation of a recipe from Oh She Glows and another from Chocolate Covered Katie. Maybe its the fact that I haven’t had sugar in a while- but I loved both of the concoctions that were inspired by these two lovely vegan ladies.
Frozen Truffle Bites:
Adapted from these Frosty No-Bake GloCakes
1 large banana, mashed
2 T date butter, recipe below *If you are not concerned about added sugar you can sub this for 1T agave or honey
1 T creamy peanut butter
1 t unsweetened coco powder
1/4 t sea salt
1/2 C quick cook oats
1/2 C puffed brown rice, I use Arrowhead Mills
1/8 C shredded coconut
In a medium bowl combine the mashed banana, date butter, peanut butter, coco powder and salt. Mix until almost smooth. Now, add the oats, puffed rice and coconut. Fold together until everything is covered in the banana mixture. Now, cover a cookie sheet in aluminum foil. Make 1 inch (truffle sized) balls of the mixture. Cover the cookie sheet with foil or plastic wrap and place in the freezer to set for about an hour. Once the truffles have set, store them in a zip lock baggie in your freezer.
These little truffle bites turned out amazing! The perfect sweet treat with no added sugar! Of course, if you don’t want to make date butter you can definitely sub it for agave or even honey.
Date Butter:
1 C pitted dates
1 1/2 C water
In a small pot over medium heat, combine the water and dates. Bring to a low boil and then reduce the heat to simmer. Allow to simmer for 20 minutes. Now, pour the dates and water into a blender and blend until smooth.
Since my frozen truffle bites turned out so yummy, I decided to make another sweet vegan treat courtesy of Chocolate Covered Katie. I found this recipe for Oatmeal Raisin Breakfast Cookies on her blog…and since they meet our new requirements- I decided to whip up my own version! They have turned out to be the perfect mid-day snack for times when our sweet tooth starts flaring up :) They are more of the consistency of baked oatmeal…so they feel hearty and nutritious at the same time.
Baked Oatmeal- Raisin Cookies
adapted from this recipe for Oatmeal Raisin Breakfast Cookies
1 C quick cook oats
1 C unsweetened apple sauce
2 T peanut butter
2 T date butter
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt
1/2 t vanilla extract
1/4 C raisins
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large owl, combine the apple sauce, peanut butter, date butter, cinnamon, salt and vanilla. Mix well. Now, gently stir in the oats until moist. Next, fold in the raisins. Place the dough in tablespoon sized dollops on a cooking spray coated baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.
Around our house, perfectly ripe bananas are like gold! When they reach that optimal level of ripeness- perfectly sweet and easily mashable- its on! Gavin and I race the the fruit bowl in the morning…I want the ripe banana for baking- he wants it to flavor is morning bowl of oats.
This morning, I won! But, being the oh-so-loving wife that I am- I used my prize to whip up one of Gavin’s favorite muffins- Banana Oatmeal Muffins (Basically his banana oats in muffin form!) He tops them with a spread of peanut butter and occasionally a little swirl of honey. YUM!
These muffins are really easy to prepare- really good for you- and can also easily be made into bread (just pour the batter in a greased (with coconut oil) bread pan!
Banana Oatmeal Muffins
makes 12 muffins
2 C oat flour (just grind your oats in the blender)
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1/2 t sea salt
1/2 C brown sugar or evaporated cane juice
1 egg
2 T coconut oil
1/2 C milk of choice
1 large very ripe banana
1 small not as ripe banana for the top (optional)
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray your muffin tin with cooking spray or rub with coconut oil.
In a large bowl combine the oatmeal, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a small bowl combine the brown sugar, egg, coconut oil and milk. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until incorporated. Now, gently fold in the banana.
Pour the batter into prepared muffin tins. Now, slice your not as ripe banana very thin and top each muffin with a slice of banana.
Bake for 14-18 minutes.
