Good Friday +Recipe ("Crack"er Toffee)

Last weekend we drove up to Fredericksburg, VA to meet with friends living in Maryland as well as friends from Portland that flew in to spend a week with the Maryland friends, followed by a week with us. It was so much fun getting together again - it had been 2yrs since we had all lived in the same place (Hawaii) and we have added 3 more kids to the group! Easter will be our first major holiday here in Virginia that we don't have travel plans or family coming to town for. It made me a bit sad thinking about our time in Hawaii because we were such a close knit group always making sure everyone was included in holiday potlucks, etc. considering we were all thousands of miles away from family in the middle of the Pacific Ocean...

Anyway, today is Good Friday and for us that means remembering the sacrifice of our Savior Jesus Christ. We may not be truly settled into a church or have that amazing group of Friends, but the knowledge of what Jesus did for us on that Cross is enough! Christ gave it all so we may have it all in heaven. It's Friday, but Sunday is coming!

Photo credit: Verses Project

I recently made some Cracker Toffee also known as "Dessert Crack" (bad name, I know!) since once you have a piece you won't want to stop eating it, it's SO addicting! This particular batch was Easter/spring themed, but I've made it for Christmas and I'm pretty sure you could make it for absolutely any occasion by changing the type of chocolate and toppings. If you're still looking for a dessert to bring to your Easter potluck, this is quick and simple!

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"Crack"er Toffee

• Approx 50 Saltine Crackers
• 1 cup butter (2 sticks)
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 cups dark chocolate chips (or any type of chocolate you prefer)
• M&Ms for topping (I've used slivered almonds as well)

1) Preheat oven to 325*
2) Line a baking pan (mine is 17.25x11.5x1in) with foil and grease
3) Arrange saltines on pan
4) Place butter and brown sugar in a small sauce pan over medium heat
5) Once the butter melts completely, bring to a boil and stir constantly for 2min until nice and bubbly
6) Pour mixture onto the saltines, spread it quickly with a spoon/spatula
7) Place in oven for 8min
8) Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle the chocolate chips on top
9) Allow chips to sit for a minute then spread them evenly over the toffee layer
10) Sprinkle M&Ms
11) Sit on counter until cool (you can pop in the freezer for 10min but I don't recommend more unless you plan to store these in the fridge because the chocolate will sweat/melt)
12) Once completely cool and set, peel off foil and break into chunks
13) Will keep in an airtight container on the counter for 1wk (2wks in the fridge), but I doubt it will last that long!
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HAPPY EASTER!!!
-Tay

Almond-Coconut Cookies.

Cookies are so much fun to bake and my little man loves to help mix, clean the beaters, and watch them in the oven. These cookies are great since they are vegan and he can safely eat the batter, gluten free, and refined sugar free!

Besides my peanut butter cookies these are becoming a staple in our house and are in their way there in our friends homes as well!

Almond-Coconut Cookies

Gluten free, vegan

* ¾ cup almond flour, firmly packed 

* ¼ cup coconut flour, firmly packed 

* 1 heaping teaspoon baking soda

* ½ teaspoon sea salt

* Dash cinnamon 

* ½ cup coconut oil, melted

* ¼ cup maple syrup

* ¼ cup honey

* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

* 1 cup dark chocolate chips/chunks

1. Mix together almond and coconut flours with the baking soda, salt and cinnamon. 

2. Pour in the melted coconut oil, maple syrup, honey, and vanilla extract

3. Stir in the chocolate chunks

4. Preheat oven to 350*

5. Place dough in freezer for 10-15min (I mix my dough in the kitchen aid so I just place the whole bowl in the freezer)

6. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper

7. Roll dough into 1in balls and place 1.5in apart from each other

8. Bake for 12min

9. When you remove them from the oven leave on the baking sheet for 5min then carefully slide parchment paper onto a cooling rack - the cookies are fragile but completely firm up once cooled (however they are delicious and ooey-gooey out of the oven!)

10. Store in an airtight container in the counter for up to 1wk

Yield 24-36 cookies depending on how evenly you roll the cookies.

No-Bake Peanut Butter Hearts

Reese's are like my favorite "candy bars," with PayDay's in a close second... But I also want cleaner ingredients so I found Detoxinista's recipe and used some IKEA silicone ice molds for a spin. You may have all the ingredients in your pantry right now (the only truly "unique" ingredient is coconut flour)! I just made these for my family and neighbors to celebrate Valentine's Day.

Peanut Butter Hearts (or balls/any other mold you have):

Gluten free, vegan
Filling

1/2 cup natural peanut butter, I used chunky because I don't mind the crunch

2 Tbsp pure maple syrup

1 Tbsp coconut flour

Coating

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

1/2 tsp coconut oil

Melt the dark chocolate chips and coconut oil together, if you are using molds put a layer in the bottom.

If you aren't using molds...

Combine peanut butter, maple syrup, and coconut flour together, you can roll into balls/shape hearts and place on waxed paper. Use a fork to dip the balls into chocolate (or just drizzle over the top - you may need more chocolate to completely cover them).

If you did use molds, place the peanut butter mixture on top of the chocolate.

You can pop them in the fridge or freezer to speed up the setting process.

I hope you enjoy!
-Tay

No Bake Granola Squares.

Evidently yesterday (January 24th) was National Peanut Butter day! I didn't know it existed but I definitely eat PB on the daily so I didn't miss out on the celebration, haha...

Let me take you back to summer, because if you're like me this is what it looks like outside (minus the snow falling):

As opposed to:

Anyway, my friend B came into town a couple of times and we had this ritual of swinging by The Heritage Amish Bake Shoppe on the way to the beach to stock up on goodies for the day. We would vary our choices, but the one thing we bought EVERY SINGLE TIME were their homemade granola bars... delicious peanut butter bars chock full of seeds, nuts, and reese's pieces! Oh my were they good, especially while sitting with your feet in the sand and sipping on ice cold water.

Ever since then my quest for a "copycat" recipe has ensued. I've tried many and none really fit the bill so I started combining elements from different recipes until I found a combination I was happy with! So now you get to enjoy my hard work!

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 No Bake PB Granola Squares
gluten free, dairy free, with subsitutions (sunbutter) can be nut free 

• 2 cups oats
• 1 cup PB (I use chunky) - you can use any nut butter you'd like
•  1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 cup dark choc chips
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• ...additional add-ins: I sprinkled cinnamon to taste, added a handful of pumpkin seeds and a handful of sunflower seeds*

*You can add whatever you like: alternate nuts, dried fruit, etc. if the batter doesn't hold due to the number of add-ins add a tablespoon of peanut butter/teaspoon of honey until it sticks.

1. Combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly. I used my kitchen-aid.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Poor batter into pan and flatten (mine didn't fill the whole pan so I just focused on one side and made a clean edge).
3. Place in freezer for 45min. Remove from freezer and place parchment paper on a cutting board. Using a knife cut the bar in half, then cut down into squares (I had 16). You can wrap in plastic or parchment paper. I store mine wrapped in plastic, inside a gallon ziplock - in the freezer.

They are very satisfying and perfect for post-workout or a midday energy boost!

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Excuse me while I snack on this and dream about warmer weather... 

-Tay

DIY Chocolate Peppermint Spoons.

In a pinch for a last minute gift? Try these chocolate spoons!

Ingredients:

Heavy duty plastic spoons - don't get lightweight plastic, we don't want to risk any melting during the creating process or for the gifted during their enjoying process! Peppermints (or candy canes), and chocolate of choice - white, dark, milk, semi-sweet...

Place your peppermints (or candy canes) in a ziplock baggie, gently (my first bag exploded all over my kitchen!) whack them with a wooden spoon.

Melt your chocolate either in the microwave or on the stove, watch closely as chocolate can burn! Dip the spoons and slowly rotate them to get a nice even coating.

While the chocolate is still melted, sprinkle with the crushed peppermint. Place on wax paper to dry. You can expedite the process by placing in the fridge or freezer, but I have much better luck just keeping them on the counter. Every time after I try using the fridge/freezer method they are moist to the touch and melt quickly once I take them out (not ideal for gift giving).

Seal as desired. I used traditional sandwich baggies, some scotch tape, and a bit of baker's twine.

Create your final gift by combining with hot cocoa packets in a festive mug (both can be found at the dollar store if you're on a tight budget!)

Do you have any awesome last-minute, but doesn't look "last-minute," gift ideas? 
Please share them with me in the comments!
-Tay

Toddler "Hulk" Muffins.

We'll be traveling soon and I bought WAY too much baby spinach and bananas... so I scoured the internet for a recipe I could doctor to my liking. I call these "Hulk Muffins" because of their ridiculous green color!

Things I've learned while making these muffins:

1. I really need a Ninja or Vitamix
2. I would like one of those huge mini muffin pans
3. Purplish-brown batter = green muffins?
4. While little man likes them as is... They are a bit bland, so I may up the spices/fruit next time. I guess you could also add a drizzle of honey, or slap some butter on!

Okay onto the recipe...

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Toddler "Hulk" Muffins  
Dairy free, nut free 

• 2 bananas, mashed
• 2 cups PACKED baby spinach
• 1 cup frozen berries (I used blueberries, blackberries, cherries)
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• couple twists on a sea salt grinder

1) Preheat oven to 350*
2) Blend bananas, spinach, frozen berries, applesauce, and egg in blender 
3) In a medium sized bowl combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt
4) Stir in mixture from blender
5) Fill muffin cups 2/3 full
6) Bake 20-25min until knife comes out clean

Yield: I got 12 regular sized muffins and 7 mini muffins

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I told you... these things are GREEN!

Blend.

Stir.

Combine.

Marvel (haha, get it?) at the unique color!

Cool.

And because I'm guessing many of you are saying - "sure, like any kid would eat that" - here's proof of my little dude enjoying one!

 

Alright, so about that blender. Ninja or Vitamix? ...and go!

-Tay

Giving credit where credit is due: Original Recipe

Almond Butter Blondies

Sometimes my sweet tooth gets the best of me! I try to keep the carbs in check though, hence the almond butter to combat the sugar. These aren't terribly sweet but they are very satisfying, my husband wasn't going to have any because he wasn't "in the mood for dessert" but I made him try a square and he said "these are good, not too sweet, but they have a nice taste!"

Almond Butter Blondies

Gluten free, can be dairy free if you utilize 2tbsp of flax seed in place of the egg and carob chips

1 cup almond butter

1/2 cup coconut sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 twists on my sea salt grinder

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 egg + 3 tablespoons water

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2) Beat egg in medium sized bowl

3) Add all ingredients to the egg and stir until dough forms (it will look a bit grainy)

4) Fold in the chocolate chips

5) Put batter in a greased metal pie pan, pat flat with the back of the spoon

6) Bake for 20min, top will be a dark gold color and the edges will just start to brown
7) Let pan cool on wire rack for at least 10min before attempting to cut into slices/squares (unless you are serving to a party to share - you can pull out of the oven, wait 5min, and top with ice cream then pass the spoons around so everyone can dig in- but be careful as the pan is extremely hot!)
 

Oatmeal Banana Snack Cookies

 I don't know why but I'm not a fan of just eating bananas, which seems silly considering I love them frozen in smoothies/shakes, baked in all forms, and back when I ate candy - those banana runts were the best! Hah! My husband doesn't really grab for them either and the baby just likes to smash them up with his hands and then rub them all over his tray, clothes, and hair before he even thinks about eating them... so we often have brown bananas. We all love my Banana Peanut Butter Muffins, but I already have a batch in the fridge and another in the freezer for next week, so I wanted to try something new. A while back I saw a "3-ingredient cookie" posted on Facebook but could only remember 2 of the ingredients - bananas and oatmeal. So I just went with it. Sometimes it's so much fun to experiment in the kitchen!

The base of this recipes is honestly just bananas and old-fashioned oats. No pre-packaged mix as "one" ingredient when it's really like 20, most being items I don't even know how to pronounce!

Two of my favorite things about this recipe:

1. The absolute versatility - whatever flavor you want!
2. You can straight up eat the batter if you so choose, I definitely got caught licking the last bits out of the bowl with the spoon...

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Oatmeal Banana Snack Cookies
gluten free, dairy free, egg free, nut free, sugar free

• 3 ripe bananas (mine were on the smaller side)
• 1 cup old fashioned oats
• Any mix-ins ...if desired. You DON'T have to use anything.*
  
  I used: 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips, 1/4cup unsweetened shredded coconut, 1/4 cup sun flower seeds, 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, 1/4 cup almond slivers

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2) Mash bananas and mix in oats (I used my kitchen aid, but I'm sure you could do this by hand or with a hand mixer)
3) Slowly add mix-ins, you want the "batter" to remain moist, so if it starts getting crumbly you probably added too many things and may need to add another half of a banana
4) Drop by rounded teaspoons onto a greased cooking sheet
5) Slightly flatten to form more of a cookie shape
6) Bake for 11min

Yield: This recipe made us 21 snack sized cookies

*Additional mix-in ideas: dried fruit (raisins, cranberries), I also think cocoa powder could make these a little more dessert-like
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Before I added the nuts, seeds, and chocolate I made two with just cinnamon and coconut, they are little man approved! However, I should have baked his for 9-10min instead so they would have been softer and the coconut wouldn't have gotten "crispy."

 Are you a banana fan?
-Tay

Banana Peanut Butter Muffins.

 This past week we ran into two "problems" - squishy bananas & my husband needing some "grab & go breakfast options." The solution - these delicious muffins! I would like to note that if you want to warm them up in the microwave, paper baking cup liners will save you a step of removing them prior to placing in said microwave!

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 Banana PB Muffins

gluten free, can be nut free if you sub sunbutter - just be warned this butter turns baked goods green!

• 1 cup natural peanut butter
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 eggs
• 4 twists on my sea salt grinder
• ¼ cup honey
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
•  ½ cup chocolate chips
• optional: nuts/oats for topping

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2) Mix eggs in a medium size bowl

3) Add remaining ingredients and use a hand mixer until your batter is smooth and uniform

4) Fold in your chocolate chips  (and/or any other mix-in of choice- raisins, nuts, blueberries, etc)

5) Using a 1/4cup measuring spoon fill cupcake pan slots to 3/4 full (I foil cup lined mine for the first batch, paper for the second and they baked the same)

6) Bake for 15min

7) If you can poke the muffin with your finger and its sponge like, remove from oven and let cool in pan for 10-15min.

Yield: This recipe made us 16 muffins.

*in the original ingredients photo you will see sliced almonds, halfway through making the batter my husband walked in an asked if I could sprinkle them with oats instead, so there's your change!
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Smooth & uniform, no chunks.

Sprinkle on the oats (or nuts, etc.)

Golden and sponge-like to the touch.

Delicious!

They are surprisingly fluffy without having any flour! I laughed when I cut open this muffin for the photo... of course I get one chock-full of chocolate... then some of them have only 1 chip! I also learned my lesson - wait until morning to take the final photo! I cut this one open after I had gotten baby in bed (past 10pm ) and thought "oh I'll just eat half" of course I ate the whole thing and was so uncomfortably full laying in bed reading my book!

We store them in a gallon ziplock bag in the fridge (the second batch is currently in the freezer), and he just grabs one or two on his way out the door in the morning.

Do you have any go-to portable breakfast recipes?
Please share!
-Tay

Funfetti Cookie Dough Bites

My husband has been wanting funfetti cake for awhile, but I try my best not to purchased pre-packaged items any more and have been baking from scratch as much as possible. I also have been trying out subbing flours, sugars, oils, etc. in an attempt at being "healthier" with our occasional treats.

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Funfetti Cookie Dough Bites 
egg & nut free, can easily be made dairy free with milk substitution, and gluten free with flour substitution

• 15 level tablespoons of whole wheat flour
• 1/8 + 1/16 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 twists on my sea salt grinder
• 6 tablespoons coconut oil (melted just to liquid, not hot)*
• 3/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• confetti sprinkles- amount of your choice, I just eyeballed it
• small handful of dark chocolate chips
• 3 teaspoons coconut sugar
• 3 teaspoons raw sugar
• 3 teaspoons milk*

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2) Mix all dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, sea salt, sprinkles, sugars) together in a bowl
3) Add wet ingredients (coconut oil, vanilla, milk) and stir until soft dough forms, similar to play-dough
4) Fold in the chocolate chips (I used my hands)
5) Form into 1/1.5 inch balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet
6) Bake for 8min
7) Remove from oven but let cool on pan for 5min

The recipe made 10 bites for us, we stored the leftovers on the counter in a plastic container. I'm sure you could store them in the fridge or freezer as well. If you wanted them warm just pop them in the microwave for 5-10sec.

*If you aren't a fan of coconut I suggest using a different type of oil or butter as a substitution. My husband and I agreed they were a bit dry and could probably have used a tiny bit more milk, you'll have to play around with to get the consistency you like.
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While they are yummy on their own, I think they would be delicious crumbled over vanilla Greek yogurt or some homemade coconut ice cream!

Do you enjoy trying new recipes? Subbing ingredients? Let me know if you make these and what you think and/or what you changed!
-Tay


This recipe is adapted from ChocolateCoveredKatie.com