Nutty Breakfast Cookies

• Cookies for breakfast? The point is, you could eat these for breakfast. And since a lot of people still insist on saying breakfast is the most important meal of the day, then maybe these are on point. I prefer them as an after school snack. Because these little fuckers are full of nuts. So not for school. NOT for school. Almond flour! Peanut Butter! Man, they are rich. And taste great. And not too sweet. You know what? They ARE perfect for breakfast. Go ahead, and indulge. Now I really want a cookie.

• 
  
• equipment needed:
• 
  
• mixing bowl
• measuring cups
• measuring spoons
• kettle
• spoon for stirring
• whisk
• baking sheets with silicone mats or baking parchment
• oven

ingredients:

a) wet ingredients

• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• • 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter (all natural please -- I used the organic smooth one from bulk barn)
  • 1/2 cup coconut nectar (or sub in another liquid sweeter if you prefer -- maple syrup/honey etc)
  • • 1 tsp vanilla extract
    • 
      
    • 
      
    • -------
    • b) dry ingredients
• 1 1/2 cups oat bran
• 1 1/2 cups almond flour
• 1/2 tsp ground vanilla bean
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp sea salt salt
• 
  


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• c) stir-ins
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup hemp hearts
• 1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (fair trade please)
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut

directions:

preheat oven to 345

1. combine wet ingredients (part a) and mix well, whisking, let cool a little

2. stir in the oat bran, almond flour, vanilla bean, baking soda and sea salt (part b)

3. stir in the stir-ins (part c)

4. scoop 12 per baking sheet (lined with silicone), and flatten and shape a little with your hands or a fork

5.  bake at 345 for 20 to 25 minutes
6. cool and remove from baking sheet
7. makes 24 large cookies. Store in the fridge in an airtight container

get creative! sub in dried cranberries for raisins! throw in walnuts instead of pumpkin seeds! there is no wrong when it comes to these awesome cookies!

crackerrrrrrs

I love crackers. Crunchy, savoury little nibbles. My fave are the ones made with green pea flour. This are also awesome. Almond flour, coconut flour, and pea flour. You know what that means? Means they are good for you.

These ones are no good for school (obvi) but they sure taste good for a snack at home. Or have a small handful with an apple for a quicky lunch. I love chili powder more than I should, so these are awesome for me.

equipment needed:

silicone baking mats or parchment

rolling pin

baking sheets

mixing bowl

mixing spoon

measuring cups

measuring spoons

ingredients:

1 cup blanched almond flour
1 cup raw almond flour
1 cup tapioca starch
1 cup green pea flour
1/4 cup coconut flour

1 tsp sea salt
2 tsp chili powder
dash stevia powder
1 tsp baking soda
(optional 2 tbsp nutritional yeast)

4 tbsp coconut oil

1 cup water
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar




directions:

1. combine in order listed -- work the coconut oil in using a fork before adding the water
2. roll flat on 2 pieces of baking parchment or 2 silicone baking mats
3. place on baking trays and score with a plastic spatula or something like that to make lines along which to break after baking
4. bake at 345 for 30 minutes
5. bake at 200 for 60 minutes

Where Brownies Fear to Tread -- vegan brownies

We really do make the most amazing brownies. They are dense and fudgey, chewy and utterly satisfying. This are made without refined sugars, and are gluten free. I use either raw almond flour or finely ground raw sunflower seeds for these. Raw sunflower seeds can be reduced to a delicate powder in a seed or coffee grinder, so they have an ideal texture for baking. Beautiful, really. And the flavour is calm enough that it doesn't balance of whatever you put them in. Pumpkin seeds -- aka pepitas, bless their little green hearts -- have  such a strong flavour that you must use them purposefully, not just as an alternative. Yes, so these ones. These brownies. A few tweaks here and there, the recipe evolves a little. But they are great. Next time I'll grind up a couple of espresso beans with the chia seeds, and maybe a chili flake or two. You know, for fun.

equipment needed:

hand blender -- aka immersion blender

seed grinder -- or coffee grinder

mixing bowls

mixing spoons

measuring cups

measuring spoons

kettle for boiling water

oven

2 square silicone baking pans (8x8 each)

cooling rack

ingredients:

a)

1 1/2  cup pitted honey dates

1 1/2 cups boiling water

1/2 cup extra virgin coconut oil 

1 cup coconut nectar

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1  tsp vanilla extract 

b)

1/2 cup hemp hearts 

c)

1/2 cup tapioca starch

1/4 cup chia seeds, finely ground

1 cup raw almond flour or finely ground sunflower seed flour

1/4 cup coconut flour

1/2 tsp ground vanilla 

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cream of tartar

1 cup raw cacao powder

d)

coconut sugar to sprinkle on top -- use plenty, it's awesome that way.

directions:

preheat the oven to 345

1) in a mixing bowl, put your ingredients from part a) and let them sit for 10 minutes. Add b) and let sit for another 10 minutes at least. If your dates start out very hard, give it longer. Give it an hour!!

2) in a separate bowl, combine your ingredients from part c). Make sure they are really well stirred together

3) when your dates are super soft and saturated, use your immersion blender to puree the concoction to  smooth and velvety perfections

4) mix your puree and your ingredients from part c) together

5) divide evenly between 2 square silicone pans (or a large rectangular is fine if that's what you've got)

6) sprinkle a tbsp or so of coconut sugar on top of each pan before you put them in the oven

7) bake for 50 minutes at 345

8) cool before cutting and removing from the pan

** chickpea flour sticks with chili powder -- vegan, gluten free, grain free,

I get my chickpea flour  -- in this case besan flour -- from the Indian market up the street. I made these with it. One time with chili powder and mesquite, another time with garlic and oregano. The thing they had in common both times is that they were delicious. But personally, I thought the flavours worked a little better with the garlic and oregano. Although a two year old who was with us seemed to disagree, if the vast quantity of chili powder chickpea flour sticks he ate was any indication.

equipment needed:

measuring cups
measuring spoons
mixing bowl
mixing spoons
silicone mats
baking sheets


ingredients:

1/2 cup warm water
2 tbsp coconut sugar
2 tsp bread yeast

1/4 cup chia seeds
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1 1/2 cups chickpea flour
1/2  cup raw almond flour

1 tsp sea salt
3 tsp chili powder
2 tbsp mesquite


directions:

1. mix together the warm water, coconut sugar, and yeast, and set aside to proof
2. in a bowl combine the dry ingredients
3. add the water/yeast mixture to the dry ingredients and mix to form a dough
4.  roll dough into sticks -- sprinkle with large salt
5. let rise for a while
6. bake at 345 for 20 minutes

Double Layer Chocolate Cake with Ganaaaaaaaaaache

So it's like this. I was under orders by Spoiled Rotten Kid to make a double-decker chocolate cake with chocolate icing. This one whipped up in a trice, and is pretty darn wholesome. The taste is delicious, and it's rich and gooey and pleasing in the ways that chocolate cake should be.

Anyway, I mixed all the ingredients save the water together, and then added the water and mixed that. Which means the ingredients can be combined ahead of time, and just turned into batter when ready to bake.

Super simple and super easy, even if I did use both coconut sugar and date sugar. The main criticism people have of my recipes is that they can have too many ingredients. Hopefully this will seem simple all the same.


The frosting is thick and gooey, and made of good things like dates, coconut oil, and cacao. The two together make a really nice dessert that has none of the sin and all of the virtue.

Chocolate Layer Cake:

ingredients:

1/4 cup finely ground chia
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/2 cup date sugar
1 cup coconut sugar
1 cup chickpea flour
1 cup almond flour (or use raw sunflower seeds and make a fine flour by grinding them up)
1/2 cup raw cacao powder

1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground vanilla bean
1/2 tsp sea salt

2 cups water


directions:

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the ground chia, tapioca starch, date sugar, coconut sugar chickpea flour, almond flour, cacao, baking soda, ground vanilla bean, and sea salt. If you don't use ground vanilla bean and instead like vanilla extract, please don't add that here.
2. Stir all the ingredients together until it's a nice homogeneous mixture.
3. It's a dry, shelf-stable concoction, and you can either use it now, or put it in a sealed container to make your cake later.
4. If you choose to use it now, prepare 2 round 8 inch baking pans by covering them well with coconut oil and using parchment paper rounds to line them. Preheat your oven to 345.
5. add in the 2 cups of water to your dry ingredients, and mix really really well. If you're using vanilla extract instead of ground vanilla bean, you can add it here. Yay! Mix!
6. evenly divide the batter into the 2 pans.
7. bake at 345 for about 40 minutes, or until the top is resilient.
8. remove from the oven, let cool a little in the pans, then run a knife around the edge of the pans, and gently tip out the cakes and place on a cooling rack
9. I often let cakes cool before removing the baking parchment.




Thick Gooey Ganache Frosting:

You'll need an immersion blender or another blender for this ...

ingredients:

1 1/2 cup pitted honey dates
1 cup hot water (just boiled is good)
1/2 cup extra virgin coconut oil


1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp sea salt


1/2 cup raw cacao



directions:
1. combine the hot water, dates, and coconut oil. Let sit for at least 10 minutes to fully soften dates.
2. add the sea salt and vanilla extract, and puree with an immersion blender until beautifully smooth,
3. stir in the cacao
4. cool. I stuck it in the refrigerator for a little while.
5. use. It was perfect for generously filling and frosting an 8 inch double decker round cake. Or eat by the spoonful. I dare ya. Double-dog, double-decker dare you.


When the cake is cool and the frosting chilled, assemble your cake. When you layer a cake, get an appropriate plate, and place the first layer top side down. The bottom side is flat and even, and makes a much more receptive layer for frosting. Some pros will shave off the top of the cake to make it flatter, but I'm of the flip-it-over school of cake layering. Put a generous portion of the frosting on the first layer, and spread it gently towards the edges. Top with the second layer, nesting it securely onto the bed of frosting you have put down. Make sure the second layer goes top side down, so the flat bottom (tee hee) is upper-most. Scoop frosting onto the second layer, and smooth out towards the edges, and along the sides. This part can take a little practice, but with patience your cake will look very nice. This frosting will show the painterly brush strokes of your application, and not a smooth glassy finish because it's a little sticky. If you want a really smooth glazed look, there is a glaze I made in the past for cake that will achieve that.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip -- 5 ingredients not including the salt/baking soda

Kim, Brooke, and Claire came over to play briefly yesterday. Brooke confessed that Claire had been wishing to make treats for him because in her 7 year old heart she felt it was terribly unfair that he couldn't have treats just because he's diabetic. They'd tried to make some chocolate chip oatmeal cookies from a recipe they'd found online (using krisda chocolate chips which are sweetened only with erythritol and stevia and taste great) but the results were sadly inedible. So I thought I'd put together a batch of something that centred on almond flour. Kim and Brooke don't cook a lot so I wanted to make these with few ingredients. I'm not counting the salt and baking soda, or the water (is that cheating, Kim????????) These whipped up in a flash, baked in 20 minutes, and were out of the oven before the trio had to leave, so everyone got to enjoy some.

So, here they are. Five-ingredient chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. No high glycemic sweeteners. Lots of wonderful, blood-sugar stabilizing almond flour.  And all ingredients easy to come by. If you need nut free, just grind up some raw sunflower seeds into flour and use those instead. That is what I will be doing to transform these into a lunch-box treat come September.

They are super-duper-delicious, which to me is of the point of cookies, diabetic-friendly or no.

1 cup oatmeal (I used large flake)
2 cups almond flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1 cup coconut sugar

1/2 tsp ground vanilla bean (optional. OPTIONAL. DON'T HATE ME. You can use a tsp of extract if you want)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup water

1 cup krisda chocolate chips



1. combine ingredients excluding water and chocolate chips
2. stir well, then add water and mix into dough
3. add in chips, and stir well
4. scoop small balls of cookie dough onto a lined baking sheet (I use silicone liners, but parchment works)
5. flatten with a wet fork into rounds

preheat oven and bake at 345 for 20 minutes

They stuck to the silicone mat a little bit, so it was best to let them cool before removing them with a stainless steel spatula.

makes approx 3 doz depending on size

Cake! Simple gluten free, grain free cake. Lovely.

Let them eat cake. Let them eat simple cake. Let them eat a piece of cake. Let them eat gluten free, grain free, sugar free cake. Cake cake cake. Let them eat cake.


This cake is lovely.

Simplest cake in the world. Taste like a cake you might read about in a story of long ago. Simple light spice flavour, uncomplicated taste, mildly sweet, and fully satisfying. And you don't have to grind anything ... but I confess the xanthan gum gets me a little, and I like to use a hand blender to fully incorporate it ...

3 cups of water
1 cup coconut sugar

1 tsp sea salt

1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ceylon cinnamon (I went heaping this time)
1 tsp ginger (again, a little rounded)

1 tsp xanthan gum

1/4 cup white chia seeds
1/2 cup hemp hearts

3 cups almond flour
1 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup coconut flour


directions:

preheat the oven to 345!

1.  combine the ingredients in the order listed. If you are like me, you might want to take a hand blender to the mixture after you add the xanthan gum so that you can incorporate it well ... other wise maybe mix it in fully into your almond flour and coconut flour prior to adding those so that it doesn't clump up.

divide into 2 square silicone pans, push it down with a rubber scrapper and smooth the top. bake at 345 for 60 minutes

cool fully before removing
(I cut it into squares with a blunt stainless steel spatula so as not to score the silicone, and then lifted them out. Lovely!)

Fancy Maple Pecan Muffins -- version 2.

So, now I've made a second version of this nut filled treasure trove of abject yumminess. The first was sweetened entirely by maple syrup. This second gives up half of its maple-y goodness for a helping of coconut sugar. The result. Fantabulous. No deliciousness is sacrificed, and the second batch was devoured with ferocity and joy by all who came in contact with them. I took a couple of dozen to a lunch, and the crumbs were fought over, to put it succinctly.

ingredients:

1/4 cup coconut oil

2 1/2 cups water

1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp ground vanilla bean
1 tsp ceylon cinnamon

1/4 cup ground chia seeds
2 tbsp arrowroot flour

2 cups almond flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup coconut flour

1/2 cup pecans -- little pieces

pecan half to put on top of each one
coconut sugar to sprinkle on top of each one



directions:

1. combine ingrediens in the order listed
2. scoop into muffin cups
3. bake at 345 for 60 minutes

Maple Pecan Baby Cakes

Genius. Genius. Genius. Genius. That is all.

ingredients:

1/4 cup coconut oil

2 cups water

1 cup maple syrup
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp ground vanilla bean
1 tsp ceylon cinnamon

1/4 cup ground chia seeds
2 tbsp arrowroot flour

2 cups almond flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup coconut flour

1/2 cup pecans -- little pieces

pecan half to put on top of each one
maple syrup to drizzle on top of each one -- just a few drops, really



directions:

1. combine ingrediens in the order listed
2. scoop into muffin cups
3. bake at 345 for 60 minutes

Simple Wafer Cookies -- vegan, gluten free, sugar free

The thing about these is they are way less time consuming than cookie cutter cookies. A simple, not too sweet, plain-jane little wafer cookie. Gluten free, grain free, vegan, sugar free, and simple. Snack or dessert, perfect for grubby little kindie kids as a after-school stabilizer with a cup of cold red tea (I chill herbal tea as a colourful drink for the kids. A couple  drops of stevia can be a good addition.)

ingredients:

1/4 cup coconut oil -- melted if it's not already soupy due to summer conditions
1/2 cup coconut sugar + (approximately) 1/4 cup water to make 1/2 cup total
2 tbsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp ground vanilla bean
1 tsp ceylon cinnamon
1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup white chia seeds finely ground
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups almond flour
1/4 cup coconut flour


coconut sugar to sprinkle on top -- optional


directions:

1. combine the ingredients in the order listed
2. chill the dough
3. roll the dough  in two parts  and cut into perfect squares after trimming the  edges. Or cut into imperfect squares. They will still taste good.
4. bake at 345 in a preheated oven for 12 minutes then dehydrate for 3 hours at 170 to 200
5. cool and break into pieces
6. store in an airtight container

Banana muffins -- gluten free, grain free, sugar free, vegan, and delicious

Okay, so these are amazing. If you like banana. The GENEROUS sprinkling of coconut sugar on top gives a wonderful coating when fresh from the oven. My husband and son have loved every bite they've eaten (I've made batches for the past two weeks), and the recipe is fool-proof. Awesome vegan gluten free goodness. They've been enjoying them with our vanilla date ice cream.

ingredients:

2 cups very ripe banana


1 cup water
4 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp vanilla extract

4 tbsp ground chia seeds
1/2 cup coconut sugar



1/2  tsp sea salt
1 tsp ceylon cinnamon

2 cups almond flour
1 tsp baking soda

2 to 4 tbsp coconut flour

coconut sugar to sprinkle on top

directions:

1. puree the bananas

2. mix in water, melted coconut oil, lemon juice, and vanilla

3. stir in the ground chia

4. add the coconut sugar

5. stir in the salt and cinnamon

6. add the almond flour

7. mix in the baking soda

8. stir in the coconut flour

9. scoop into muffin cups -- I used 24 small ones

10. sprinkle coconut sugar on top

11. bake at 345 for 45 minutes

Gluten Free Vegan Brownies Rock the World

Gluten free vegan brownies. Grain free, sugar free, deeply, richly delectably chocolatey. These are like an homage to the best thing about brownies. The dense, chewy, moist, chocolate richness. Oh yessssssssss ..... The taste is pure decadence. Amazingly, they are not bad for you. A guilt free brownie? Apparently I am a genius ...

ingredients:

1 1/2  cup pitted honey dates

2 cups boiling water

1/2 cup extra virgin coconut oil 

1 cup coconut sugar

2 tbsp arrowroot flour

1/4 cup chia seeds, finely ground

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp ground vanilla 

2 tbsp vanilla extract 

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 cup raw cacao powder

1 cup almond flour

1/2 cup ground hemp hearts -- should practically be a paste

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup coconut flour

coconut sugar to sprinkle on top -- use plenty, it's awesome that way.

directions:

preheat the oven to 345

1. pour the hot water over dates in a bowl, and let sit for about 10 minutes to soften, along with the coconut oil, so it can  melt

2. add the coconut sugar, then puree the whole thing with a hand blender (immersion blender)

3. add in the apple cider vinegar, the ground chia seeds, arrowroot powder and the cacao, and mix very well

4. add in the vanilla, and sea salt, and mix well

5. add the ground hemp seeds

6. add the almond flour

7. add the coconut flour and the baking soda

8. mix well and thoroughly and rapidly

9. 

10. divide the mixture into 2 square silicone baking pans

11. sprinkle the top with a little coconut sugar (or a lot)

12. bake at 345 for 60 minutes

13. allow to cool in the pan before removing

Banana Cake -- vegan, free of gluten and cane sugar

There are banana eaters in this house. I am not one of them. Occasionally, they let some bananas slip through the cracks. When this happens, and we end up with a very brown, very ripe banana sitting on the counter, I freeze it. The banana eaters in this house quite like banana bread and banana cake in all its incarnations. This one is delicately imbued with ceylon cinnamon and vanilla, and uses chia seeds, almond flour, and coconut flour.

ingredients:

2 1/2 cups mashed OVERRIPE bananas

1/2 cup coconut oil

2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp ceylon cinnamon

1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup finely ground chia seeds

1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 cup almond flour
1 cup coconut flour

2 tsp baking soda


extra coconut sugar for sprinkling on top. I went crazy and used around 3 tbsp ...

directions:

1. combine the ingredients in the order listed
2. I used a hand blender to puree but you can do it how you like. Fork?
3. scoop the (thick) batter into a square silicone pan (I used a 9 inch) and flatten and smooth
4. sprinkle the top of the cake with plenty of coconut sugar before baking
5. bake at 345 for 60 minutes

Big ridiculous vegan gluten free chocolate Birthday cake -- 4 layers, baby!!

My son asked me to make a really huge cake for his birthday. So, I did. Four layers of delectable chocolate cake, filled with rich vegan chocolate ganache, frosted all over with a gooey chocolate icing. Fantastic. It was a big hit, and good to the last piece that was still moist and flavourful a week later ... at which point we fell into a cake coma ...

ingredients:

2 cups hot water
1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil (organic and unrefined)

1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/2 cup date sugar

1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar


4 tsp egg replacer + 1 cup cool water

1 cup raw cacao

2 tbsp ground vanilla bean

1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp stevia powder

 2 1/2 cups almond flour

1/2 cup ground chia seeds

4 tbsp coconut flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

directions:

preheat the oven to 345
prepare your baking tins. I did a double batch and used 2 x 8" silicone square pans  and 2 x 9" square silicone pans and just gave them a once over with coconut oil. For metal pans, use coconut oil as well as parchment.

1. combine the first 2 ingredients. Let them sit for a few minutes until the coconut oil melts.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients in the order listed.
3. divide into your pans. Makes 3 small round layers, 2 eight inch square layers, or 24 small cakes
4. bake at 345 for 1 hour in the upper half of the oven
5. allow to cool at least a little before removing from the pan. Cakes will be more delicate than traditional flour cakes.

I chose to fill with ganache, and frost with a gooey thick chocolate icing:

Ganache filling

Gooey Chocolate Icing