Contributed by Kathleen Pierce
Original Source: Lauren's Latest
If you're an avid Pinterest-er like me, you've noticed that if you try to pin a pin you've already pinned before, you get a little message that says, "Pssst! It looks like you have already pinned this." So glad they added that because I am a grievous multi-pinner. Like the pin for these No-Bake Chocolate Chip Granola Bars? I pinned it 4 or 5 times.
So I figured I ought to try it. I did, and I love it!
Here is the original recipe:
INGREDIENTS:
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. honey
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
2 c. quick cooking oats (not rolled oats)
1 c. crispy rice cereal
1/2 t. vanilla
2 T. mini chocolate chips
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large bowl, combine oats and rice cereal.
2. In a saucepan over medium heat, bring butter, honey, and brown sugar to a bubbly boil.
3. Reduce heat and cook for 2 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and add vanilla.
5. Pour hot liquid over oat mixture and mix together.
6. Spread on a lightly greased 12x8x1 pan. (If your pan isn't small enough, pack mixture to one side.)
7. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and press down lightly. (See #8 in the notes below pressing.)
8. Cool to room temperature for about two hours and cut into bars.
MY ALTERNATE INGREDIENTS, DIRECTIONS, AND NOTES:
1. The original author noted that you should not use rolled oats (in the original, she even punctuates this instruction with a !). I'm a rebel. I don't do quick oats or whatever you call them, so I used rolled oats. And guess what? They turned out just fine.
2. This recipe needs a whole lot more to healthify them. Add whatever you have: coconut, chia seeds, millet, nuts.
3. I hesitated about putting rice cereal in them because the Kelloggs brand is what comes to mind when we think Snap! Crackle! Pop!, and Kelloggs is notorious for their GMO-laden boxes of cereal. So I bought a brown rice brand called Erewhon. Really, you have to add the crispy cereal; it really adds a lot to the texture of the granola bar.
4. I have doubled the recipe each time I have made this because, A) I have 4 kids and B) I wanted to use an entire large jelly roll pan instead of smooshing it over to the side.
5. I found the recipe to be a tad too sweet, so I reduced the (organic) brown sugar to 1/2 c. for a double which is, obviously, 1/4 for a single.
6. I mentioned I'm a rebel. This is especially so when it comes to chocolate. I don't just want chocolate sprinkled OVER the bars. I want chocolate IN the bars. So I added a 1/2 cup (1/4 c. single) mini chips to the oats and cereal. Naturally, they melt when you pour the hot liquid over it...which is perfect!
7. And what is this about 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips to sprinkle on top? On top of one BAR?? Or what? I sprinkle the chips very liberally by the handful.
8. A note about pressing the mixture onto your pan: Spread it all out and take a piece of waxed paper. Press down hard all around, making sure to get all of the edges. Then sprinkle the chocolate chips on and press once again, though maybe not so vigorously the second time. You want to embed the chips into the bars, but you don't want to ruin the integrity of the chips. :-)
9. You can store these in the fridge too - they're just as good.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Monday, July 15, 2013
Chocolate Avocado Mousse
Contributed by Kathleen Pierce
Original Source: Creative Simple Life
Chocolate Avocado Mousse
Ingredients:
3 medium ripe avocados
1 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4-1/2 c. honey
2 t. vanilla extract
1/4 t. salt
1 T. milk (optional for thinner consistency)
How I did it (along with how I might do it better next time):
1. I felt just like someone from Food Network Star cutting the avocados open and removing the pits by embedding a knife in them and giving them a twist. (I don't DO avocado, you see, so this was my first experience with the mushy vegetable (?) fruit (?), and I learned the nifty pit removal technique from Bobby Flay.) Scrape all the pulp into a food processor.
2. Dump in all the other ingredients. Be sure to use at least a tablespoon of vanilla. Whip it good.
3. So I ended up using a bit more than 1/2 c. of honey. I wanted to make sure it was sweet enough that the children would actually eat it. I think next time I will try cutting the cocoa powder in half and adding some melted dark chocolate. You can't go wrong with melted dark chocolate. Especially Lindt melted dark chocolate.
4. I also added a bit more than 1 T. milk.
5. I chilled the mousse overnight. The next day it did not have the nice whipped texture it had after swirling around in the food processor for awhile. So I added a bit more milk and used a handmixer to re-whip it.
6. Then of course I served it with whipped cream. It was homemade at least. Well, homemade in that I whipped up some heavy whipping cream. It was grass-fed, organic whipping cream. OK. Enough rationalizing. Someday perhaps I'll try the whipped coconut milk recipe I keep seeing on Pinterest. Until then, grass-fed, organic, semi-homemade whipped cream it is.
Original Source: Creative Simple Life
Chocolate Avocado Mousse
Ingredients:
3 medium ripe avocados
1 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4-1/2 c. honey
2 t. vanilla extract
1/4 t. salt
1 T. milk (optional for thinner consistency)
How I did it (along with how I might do it better next time):
1. I felt just like someone from Food Network Star cutting the avocados open and removing the pits by embedding a knife in them and giving them a twist. (I don't DO avocado, you see, so this was my first experience with the mushy vegetable (?) fruit (?), and I learned the nifty pit removal technique from Bobby Flay.) Scrape all the pulp into a food processor.
2. Dump in all the other ingredients. Be sure to use at least a tablespoon of vanilla. Whip it good.
3. So I ended up using a bit more than 1/2 c. of honey. I wanted to make sure it was sweet enough that the children would actually eat it. I think next time I will try cutting the cocoa powder in half and adding some melted dark chocolate. You can't go wrong with melted dark chocolate. Especially Lindt melted dark chocolate.
4. I also added a bit more than 1 T. milk.
5. I chilled the mousse overnight. The next day it did not have the nice whipped texture it had after swirling around in the food processor for awhile. So I added a bit more milk and used a handmixer to re-whip it.
6. Then of course I served it with whipped cream. It was homemade at least. Well, homemade in that I whipped up some heavy whipping cream. It was grass-fed, organic whipping cream. OK. Enough rationalizing. Someday perhaps I'll try the whipped coconut milk recipe I keep seeing on Pinterest. Until then, grass-fed, organic, semi-homemade whipped cream it is.
Monday, May 6, 2013
Homemade Lotion
Contributed by Kathleen.
Original Source: The Whole New Mom
Do you know how many chemicals are in the lotion or body cream you are currently using? Just take a look at the looong ingredients list! Some culprits: anything that ends with "paraben", fragrances, colors, propylene glycol...just to name a few. It's hard to get away from all of the chemicals and toxins that bombard us everyday, and to purchase the brands that make pure products can get very expensive.
Here is a lotion that is effective both on the skin and on the wallet. It is so easy too!
INGREDIENTS:
1/4 c. coconut oil
1/8 c. shea butter
1/8 c. cocoa butter
1 T. aloe vera juice
1 T. jojoba, almond, or other oil
5-10 drops essential oil (noted as optional, but necessary in my book! :-)) (I used 7 drops Wild Orange, 2 drops Lavender, and 1 drop Frankincense)
DIRECTIONS:
Over low heat, melt the coconut oil, shea butter, and cocoa butter. Remove from heat and add the rest of the ingredients. Stir well. Then pour into jar. Will take some time for the concoction to "set" into a smooth lotion.
A few notes:
1. The ingredients are easier to find than you would expect. I got the coconut oil at my local grocery store. The shea butter, cocoa butter, aloe vera juice, and jojoba oil I used are all available on Amazon. You can purchase essential oils here.
2. A couple of the items might seem expensive to purchase up front, but when you consider that you use such a small amount to make a jar and 1/2 of lotion, it is a lot cheaper even than buying chemical-laden lotion off the shelf at Wally World.
3. The perfect jar for storing your lotion is the smallest canning jar. These are abundantly available at the moment since it is spring and canning season is coming up. But off season, some grocery stores will still carry, or you can find them on Amazon as well.
4. This lotion can take awhile to set, especially in warm temperatures. If you get frustrated waiting, just stick it in the fridge. It'll set pretty quickly. Better yet, just stick it in the fridge; then you don't have to wait until frustration sets in.
5. Don't make a quadruple batch thinking you'd like to stock your own shelves. Make a single batch and try to use it in a month or so. Since there are no chemicals in this cream, it will not keep for a hundred years like your last bottle of Jergens.
6. This lotion is a tad bit greasy when you first apply it, but the greasy feeling goes away in less than a minute.
Original Source: The Whole New Mom
Do you know how many chemicals are in the lotion or body cream you are currently using? Just take a look at the looong ingredients list! Some culprits: anything that ends with "paraben", fragrances, colors, propylene glycol...just to name a few. It's hard to get away from all of the chemicals and toxins that bombard us everyday, and to purchase the brands that make pure products can get very expensive.
Here is a lotion that is effective both on the skin and on the wallet. It is so easy too!
INGREDIENTS:
1/4 c. coconut oil
1/8 c. shea butter
1/8 c. cocoa butter
1 T. aloe vera juice
1 T. jojoba, almond, or other oil
5-10 drops essential oil (noted as optional, but necessary in my book! :-)) (I used 7 drops Wild Orange, 2 drops Lavender, and 1 drop Frankincense)
DIRECTIONS:
Over low heat, melt the coconut oil, shea butter, and cocoa butter. Remove from heat and add the rest of the ingredients. Stir well. Then pour into jar. Will take some time for the concoction to "set" into a smooth lotion.
A few notes:
1. The ingredients are easier to find than you would expect. I got the coconut oil at my local grocery store. The shea butter, cocoa butter, aloe vera juice, and jojoba oil I used are all available on Amazon. You can purchase essential oils here.
2. A couple of the items might seem expensive to purchase up front, but when you consider that you use such a small amount to make a jar and 1/2 of lotion, it is a lot cheaper even than buying chemical-laden lotion off the shelf at Wally World.
3. The perfect jar for storing your lotion is the smallest canning jar. These are abundantly available at the moment since it is spring and canning season is coming up. But off season, some grocery stores will still carry, or you can find them on Amazon as well.
4. This lotion can take awhile to set, especially in warm temperatures. If you get frustrated waiting, just stick it in the fridge. It'll set pretty quickly. Better yet, just stick it in the fridge; then you don't have to wait until frustration sets in.
5. Don't make a quadruple batch thinking you'd like to stock your own shelves. Make a single batch and try to use it in a month or so. Since there are no chemicals in this cream, it will not keep for a hundred years like your last bottle of Jergens.
6. This lotion is a tad bit greasy when you first apply it, but the greasy feeling goes away in less than a minute.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Chicken Broth
Contributed by Kathleen.
Next time you cook a whole chicken - or take the easy way out for dinner and pick up one of those rotisserie chickens at the grocery store (not that I EVER do that) - use the leftover carcass to make your own chicken broth. It's done in the crockpot. It's easy peasy.
1. Pick the bones clean and save chicken pieces for chicken noodle soup.
2. Place the bones (that sounds better than carcass, no?) in the crockpot.
3. Now look in your fridge and grab any veggies you see. These are to add flavor and nutritious nutrition to your stock. This time for my stock, I used celery, carrots, onions, and garlic. You don't need to spend much time at all preparing these veggies for their bath. A rinse and very rough cut for the celery, carrots, and onions (I didn't even peel the carrots since they are organic) and a smash for the garlic. Throw them in along with a few bay leaves.
4. Now cover all the stuff with water and add a generous amount of salt.
5. Now turn your crockpot on low and wait. At least let it simmer overnight. Me? I let it go a little longer. Typically, I let it go overnight. Then in the late morning, I steal enough broth to make some chicken noodle soup for lunch. Then I refill the crockpot and add a little more salt and let it go until after dinner.
6. Strain out all the stuff and pour your stock into whatever containers you are using. I use mason jars. I usually put the jars in the fridge overnight and then into the freezer the next morning. This way they aren't in total shock!
And that is all there is to it! I got about 14 cups out of this (plus the generous amount I stole at lunch for our soup!).
Next time you cook a whole chicken - or take the easy way out for dinner and pick up one of those rotisserie chickens at the grocery store (not that I EVER do that) - use the leftover carcass to make your own chicken broth. It's done in the crockpot. It's easy peasy.
1. Pick the bones clean and save chicken pieces for chicken noodle soup.
2. Place the bones (that sounds better than carcass, no?) in the crockpot.
3. Now look in your fridge and grab any veggies you see. These are to add flavor and nutritious nutrition to your stock. This time for my stock, I used celery, carrots, onions, and garlic. You don't need to spend much time at all preparing these veggies for their bath. A rinse and very rough cut for the celery, carrots, and onions (I didn't even peel the carrots since they are organic) and a smash for the garlic. Throw them in along with a few bay leaves.
4. Now cover all the stuff with water and add a generous amount of salt.
5. Now turn your crockpot on low and wait. At least let it simmer overnight. Me? I let it go a little longer. Typically, I let it go overnight. Then in the late morning, I steal enough broth to make some chicken noodle soup for lunch. Then I refill the crockpot and add a little more salt and let it go until after dinner.
6. Strain out all the stuff and pour your stock into whatever containers you are using. I use mason jars. I usually put the jars in the fridge overnight and then into the freezer the next morning. This way they aren't in total shock!
And that is all there is to it! I got about 14 cups out of this (plus the generous amount I stole at lunch for our soup!).
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
GF Chocolate Cookies with Chocolate Chips
Submitted by: Kathleen
Original source: Gluten-Free Goddess
So I decided to tackle the Gluten-Free Chocolate Cookies with Chocolate Chips out of curiosity. You know, to see if I can even do gluten-free. OK, so I made this recipe my first gluten-free attempt because Ineed want chocolate. I justify it because all of this stress over what I'm going to feed myself must be alleviated, and I ask you, what better way to do that than with chocolate? Anyway, I got this recipe from the Gluten-Free Goddess who really seems to know her stuff. The recipe she offers is vegan. I like my animal products thankyouverymuch, so I used what I have.
Here is her recipe with my notes of course, because I simply cannot keep my opinions to myself:
Whisk together:
1/2 c. GF buckwheat flour or GF oat flour*
1/2 c. sorghum (jowar) flour**
1/2 c. brown rice flour**
1/2 c. tapioca starch or potato starch (not potato flour)***
1/3 c. cocoa powder
2 t. xanthan gum
1 t. sea salt
2 t. baking powder
1 c. cane sugar
1/3 c. light brown sugar
*I used oat flour. Howver, I haven't ventured out to Whole Foods since I decided to try to deprive my body of wheat, so my oats are not certified GF. But in my research, I learned that oats only contain gluten because of contamination. I figure that isn't as bad as actual gluten in the product, so I gambled and milled my oats into oat flour.
**I cannot find sorghum flour as is the case with many of these very weird ingredients in these GF recipes. The GF Goddess said a good substitute is white or brown rice flour. Since the recipe already calls for brown rice flour, I milled some white rice as a sub for sorghum. As a side note, one of the reasons I abhor the idea of being GF is because of the exhorbitant cost of some of these ingredients. BUT...the fact that I can take a fairly inexpensive staple item like rice and mill it into flour, I guess, somewhat makes up for the fact that I had to dip into my children's college fund to buy a measly 8 oz. bag of xanthan gum.
***Again, I could not find tapioca starch, so I bought tapioca pearls and milled them myself.
Add in:
1/2 c. light olive oil or organic shortening+
1 T. bourbon vanilla extract
1/2 c. vanilla rice milk, coconut milk, or almond milk - more as needed++
+I don't have light olive oil, and I thought regular ol' EVOO might taste too strong. I thought about using coconut oil, but then I figured my kids wouldn't eat that (which may be a good thing - more for me), so I used expeller pressed peanut oil.
++Like I said, I like my cow products. I used raw milk.
As you beat the dough, pay close attention to the consistency. Add more rice milk a tablespoon at a time and beat to combine until you achieve a smooth but sturdy cookie dough. [GF Goddess] added two more tablespoons of rice milk to [her] dough.
Add in:
1/2 c. vegan chocolate chips****
****I may or may not have used at least a cup of chocolate chips. I used Lindt chocolate because it is one brand I know is GMO-free. Plus it's yummy!
Instructions:
Stir in chocolate chips as best you can (the dough is stiff). Divide into 18 equal pieces. Roll into a ball and place on cookie sheet. Flatten slightly with palm of your hand. Bake in the center of a 375 preheated oven for about 15 minutes until the cookies are set. They will still be slightly soft in the center. If you bake two pans at once, rotate the pans halfway through baking. Remove the pans from the oven and allow the cookies to cool and "set" for a few minutes, then use a thin spatula to move the cookies to a wire rack. The cookies will get crisper as they cool.
And the verdict? Well, they are different. But they are still chocolate. They aren't half-bad. Really.
Original source: Gluten-Free Goddess
So I decided to tackle the Gluten-Free Chocolate Cookies with Chocolate Chips out of curiosity. You know, to see if I can even do gluten-free. OK, so I made this recipe my first gluten-free attempt because I
Here is her recipe with my notes of course, because I simply cannot keep my opinions to myself:
Whisk together:
1/2 c. GF buckwheat flour or GF oat flour*
1/2 c. sorghum (jowar) flour**
1/2 c. brown rice flour**
1/2 c. tapioca starch or potato starch (not potato flour)***
1/3 c. cocoa powder
2 t. xanthan gum
1 t. sea salt
2 t. baking powder
1 c. cane sugar
1/3 c. light brown sugar
*I used oat flour. Howver, I haven't ventured out to Whole Foods since I decided to try to deprive my body of wheat, so my oats are not certified GF. But in my research, I learned that oats only contain gluten because of contamination. I figure that isn't as bad as actual gluten in the product, so I gambled and milled my oats into oat flour.
**I cannot find sorghum flour as is the case with many of these very weird ingredients in these GF recipes. The GF Goddess said a good substitute is white or brown rice flour. Since the recipe already calls for brown rice flour, I milled some white rice as a sub for sorghum. As a side note, one of the reasons I abhor the idea of being GF is because of the exhorbitant cost of some of these ingredients. BUT...the fact that I can take a fairly inexpensive staple item like rice and mill it into flour, I guess, somewhat makes up for the fact that I had to dip into my children's college fund to buy a measly 8 oz. bag of xanthan gum.
***Again, I could not find tapioca starch, so I bought tapioca pearls and milled them myself.
Add in:
1/2 c. light olive oil or organic shortening+
1 T. bourbon vanilla extract
1/2 c. vanilla rice milk, coconut milk, or almond milk - more as needed++
+I don't have light olive oil, and I thought regular ol' EVOO might taste too strong. I thought about using coconut oil, but then I figured my kids wouldn't eat that (which may be a good thing - more for me), so I used expeller pressed peanut oil.
++Like I said, I like my cow products. I used raw milk.
As you beat the dough, pay close attention to the consistency. Add more rice milk a tablespoon at a time and beat to combine until you achieve a smooth but sturdy cookie dough. [GF Goddess] added two more tablespoons of rice milk to [her] dough.
Add in:
1/2 c. vegan chocolate chips****
****I may or may not have used at least a cup of chocolate chips. I used Lindt chocolate because it is one brand I know is GMO-free. Plus it's yummy!
Instructions:
Stir in chocolate chips as best you can (the dough is stiff). Divide into 18 equal pieces. Roll into a ball and place on cookie sheet. Flatten slightly with palm of your hand. Bake in the center of a 375 preheated oven for about 15 minutes until the cookies are set. They will still be slightly soft in the center. If you bake two pans at once, rotate the pans halfway through baking. Remove the pans from the oven and allow the cookies to cool and "set" for a few minutes, then use a thin spatula to move the cookies to a wire rack. The cookies will get crisper as they cool.
And the verdict? Well, they are different. But they are still chocolate. They aren't half-bad. Really.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Healthified Cinnabon Clones
Many moons ago on my family blog, I threatened to take on the challenge of healthifying my Christmas morning cinnamon rolls. Well, I didn't get to that project in time for Christmas, but I did make them for our first day of homeschool this morning.
I used my regular recipe from Allrecipes:
Clone of a Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll
DOUGH:
1 c. warm milk (110 degrees)
2 eggs, room temperature
1/3 c. butter, melted
4 1/2 c. flour
1 t. salt
1/2 c. sugar
2 1/2 t. yeast
FILLING:
1 c. packed brown sugar
2 1/2 T. ground cinnamon
1/3 c. butter, softened
FROSTING:
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. butter softened
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 t. vanilla
1/8 t. salt
Notes on ingredients: I used fresh milled white wheat flour. For the other ingredients, I used organic. I know I don't use the best sugar. There's not a trace of nutrients in organic evaporated cane juice, but at least I am not getting the GMOs that are in most white sugar.
If you forget to take the eggs out to get them to room temperature, just stick them in a bowl with hot water. Let them sit while you prepare the other ingredients, and by the time you need them, they'll be warmed up adequately.
For the frosting, I used homemade cream cheese. It's so easy! We have already discussed making yogurt, so just get out a jar of homemade yogurt. Then strain it through a cloth (I noticed you can just strain store-bought yogurt, but the homemade needs to strain through a cloth). If you strain it for 24 hours, you will have sour cream. If you strain it for 48 hours, ta-da! Cream cheese.
Instructions: (I use a bread machine for this recipe, but you can also make the dough the old-fashioned way.) The original recipe was suited for a bread machine, so the instructions are to place the dough ingredients in the bread machine in the order listed and then follow the bread machine instructions.
After the dough is made, roll out. Spread with the softened butter and then sprinkle with the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll up and cut into 12 rolls. Place in greased 9x13 baking pan. Let rise for 30 minutes. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes.
More notes: Don't want to have to wake up at the crack of dawn to prepare breakfast? The night before, make the dough, roll it out and cut the rolls. Then place them in your pan and stick in the fridge, covered. The next morning, take the rolls out of the fridge and proof. You can do this in the oven if your oven has a proofing setting. OR just boil a pan of water and place the hot, boiling pot in the bottom of the stove. Without turning it on, put the pan of rolls in the oven. After 30 minutes, bake at 350 as instructed.
And that's it...now enjoy your delicious rolls that taste just like they came from that store in the mall!
I used my regular recipe from Allrecipes:
Clone of a Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll
DOUGH:
1 c. warm milk (110 degrees)
2 eggs, room temperature
1/3 c. butter, melted
4 1/2 c. flour
1 t. salt
1/2 c. sugar
2 1/2 t. yeast
FILLING:
1 c. packed brown sugar
2 1/2 T. ground cinnamon
1/3 c. butter, softened
FROSTING:
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. butter softened
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 t. vanilla
1/8 t. salt
Notes on ingredients: I used fresh milled white wheat flour. For the other ingredients, I used organic. I know I don't use the best sugar. There's not a trace of nutrients in organic evaporated cane juice, but at least I am not getting the GMOs that are in most white sugar.
If you forget to take the eggs out to get them to room temperature, just stick them in a bowl with hot water. Let them sit while you prepare the other ingredients, and by the time you need them, they'll be warmed up adequately.
For the frosting, I used homemade cream cheese. It's so easy! We have already discussed making yogurt, so just get out a jar of homemade yogurt. Then strain it through a cloth (I noticed you can just strain store-bought yogurt, but the homemade needs to strain through a cloth). If you strain it for 24 hours, you will have sour cream. If you strain it for 48 hours, ta-da! Cream cheese.
Instructions: (I use a bread machine for this recipe, but you can also make the dough the old-fashioned way.) The original recipe was suited for a bread machine, so the instructions are to place the dough ingredients in the bread machine in the order listed and then follow the bread machine instructions.
After the dough is made, roll out. Spread with the softened butter and then sprinkle with the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll up and cut into 12 rolls. Place in greased 9x13 baking pan. Let rise for 30 minutes. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes.
More notes: Don't want to have to wake up at the crack of dawn to prepare breakfast? The night before, make the dough, roll it out and cut the rolls. Then place them in your pan and stick in the fridge, covered. The next morning, take the rolls out of the fridge and proof. You can do this in the oven if your oven has a proofing setting. OR just boil a pan of water and place the hot, boiling pot in the bottom of the stove. Without turning it on, put the pan of rolls in the oven. After 30 minutes, bake at 350 as instructed.
And that's it...now enjoy your delicious rolls that taste just like they came from that store in the mall!
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Whole Wheat Brownies
Contributed by Kathleen Pierce
Original Source: 100 Days of Real Food
So...my kids LOVED these. I did not. They were so dry and crumbly I really can't call them brownies. But I thought I would go ahead and post the recipe. I'm going to play with it a bit, and maybe some of you like to tinker with recipes as well!
I suppose it would be prudent of me to wait and tweak the recipe and then report it once it's successful, but, folks, I took a picture! So I must use it. And who knows if there will be any ice cream left by the time I remake the brownies. I think there probably won't be. The kids go to bed in T-minus 5 hours, and then I shall be alone with the remaining dairy delight. There will not be any left.
Here's the recipe with my notes along the way (because I can't keep my mouth shut!):
Ingredients:
3/4 c. whole wheat flour (I used fresh milled white whole wheat)
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa (She recommends Hershey's dark chocolate cocoa. I recommend melting real chocolate. I will use Lindt 70% dark. Lindt is non-GMO; Hershey's is GMO, though I don't think their cocoa powder would have GMO products in it since it is unsweetened and does not have soy.)
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 c. coconut oil
1/2 c. maple syrup or honey (I used honey as I prefer a honey flavor over a maple syrup flavor.)
1 T. vanilla
1 egg (I would use two as I think an additional egg would make it less crumby, less dry - maybe even just an extra egg yolk as the white tends to dry things out.)
1/4 c. chopped nuts (optional)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 9x9 baking dish. (Did you know you can order a misting thingy that you can fill with your own oil instead of using Pam? If you go to Amazon and search "misto", it will bring up a pretty nifty little gadget. Mine is filled with olive oil.)
2. Whisk together dry ingredients.
3. On stove, melt coconut oil with maple syrup or honey and vanilla. (Here's what I intend to do next time: Melt chocolate with coconut oil. Add honey. Remove from heat and add vanilla - you should always remove from heat before adding vanilla; I don't know why she doesn't!)
4. Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Then fold in nuts if you're using them.
5. Pour batter into baking dish and bake for 16-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Original Source: 100 Days of Real Food
So...my kids LOVED these. I did not. They were so dry and crumbly I really can't call them brownies. But I thought I would go ahead and post the recipe. I'm going to play with it a bit, and maybe some of you like to tinker with recipes as well!
I suppose it would be prudent of me to wait and tweak the recipe and then report it once it's successful, but, folks, I took a picture! So I must use it. And who knows if there will be any ice cream left by the time I remake the brownies. I think there probably won't be. The kids go to bed in T-minus 5 hours, and then I shall be alone with the remaining dairy delight. There will not be any left.
Here's the recipe with my notes along the way (because I can't keep my mouth shut!):
Ingredients:
3/4 c. whole wheat flour (I used fresh milled white whole wheat)
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa (She recommends Hershey's dark chocolate cocoa. I recommend melting real chocolate. I will use Lindt 70% dark. Lindt is non-GMO; Hershey's is GMO, though I don't think their cocoa powder would have GMO products in it since it is unsweetened and does not have soy.)
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 c. coconut oil
1/2 c. maple syrup or honey (I used honey as I prefer a honey flavor over a maple syrup flavor.)
1 T. vanilla
1 egg (I would use two as I think an additional egg would make it less crumby, less dry - maybe even just an extra egg yolk as the white tends to dry things out.)
1/4 c. chopped nuts (optional)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 9x9 baking dish. (Did you know you can order a misting thingy that you can fill with your own oil instead of using Pam? If you go to Amazon and search "misto", it will bring up a pretty nifty little gadget. Mine is filled with olive oil.)
2. Whisk together dry ingredients.
3. On stove, melt coconut oil with maple syrup or honey and vanilla. (Here's what I intend to do next time: Melt chocolate with coconut oil. Add honey. Remove from heat and add vanilla - you should always remove from heat before adding vanilla; I don't know why she doesn't!)
4. Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Then fold in nuts if you're using them.
5. Pour batter into baking dish and bake for 16-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
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