I Like Cookies | Chewy Almond Butter Oatmeal & Dark Chocolate Cookies

February 1, 2013 by 55 Comments

Almond Butter Oatmeal and Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies | Once Upon a Recipe

I’m a bit of a cookie snob. I mean, not all cookies are created equal. You know?

For me, a good cookie has three requirements. First of all, and most importantly, a good cookie has to be chewy. Not hard, not cake-y, not crispy, but chewy. Secondly, I like cookies that have some heft. Don’t get me wrong, a good buttery chocolate chip cookie can easily win my heart. But most often, I love a cookie that’s got substance – oatmeal, coconut, raisins, chocolate – you know, good mix-ins! And finally, I really prefer cookies that are thick as opposed to thin. Thickness matters.

Almond Butter Oatmeal and Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies | Once Upon a Recipe

We’re still talking about cookies. Don’t get distracted!

And if the cookies can maybe possibly be considered healthy…even better. Now, I’m going to use the term “healthy” quite loosely here. These cookies do have plenty of sugar. BUT! They are filled with many good-for-you ingredients like oats, flax, almond butter, coconut oil, and dark chocolate. If you use gluten-free oats, you can call these gluten-free. And if you use vegan chocolate (most good-quality dark chocolate is considered vegan), then they become vegan too. Which means we can share these cookies with all of our gluten-free and vegan friends! Bonus!

Almond Butter Oatmeal and Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies | Once Upon a Recipe

This is really good news for me because when I make a batch of cookies this good, I need to get them out of my house, like, immediately. Otherwise I will eat more than the daily recommended intake of cookies. Unless that number is somewhere in the double digits. In that case, I’m doing fine.

Almond Butter Oatmeal and Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies | Once Upon a Recipe

These cookies are so darn chewy and so freaking good. Seriously. But please don’t take my word for it. Mix up a batch for yourself and then invite me over to help you eat them. I’m real considerate like that.

Almond Butter Oatmeal and Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies | Once Upon a Recipe

Chewy Almond Butter Oatmeal & Dark Chocolate Cookies (adapted from Eat Live Run)

You have the option of making these cookies gluten-free, if desired. Just use gluten-free oats! If you want to make them vegan-friendly, just be sure to use vegan chocolate. Makes about 30 cookies. 

1/4 cup coconut oil, room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

3/4 tsp. salt

3 1/2 cups regular oats (or gluten-free, if desired)

1 cup dark chocolate chips (or chopped dark chocolate)

1 cup almond butter

2 TBSP. ground flax mixed with 6 TBSP. warm water (aka. a flax “egg”)

2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare your cookie sheet(s) by lining them with a Silpat or parchment paper.

Cream together the coconut oil, almond butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until well blended. Add the vanilla and ground flax + water mixture. Mix well.

In a separate bowl, combine the oats, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Add to the wet ingredients along with the dark chocolate chips. Mix until just combined.

Roll the dough into small balls (golf ball size) and place three inches apart on the cookie sheets (12 per sheet). Do not flatten the dough balls. Bake for 10-12 minutes until puffy and just barely beginning to brown around the edges. Let cool for 5-10 minutes (or until set) on the cookie sheet before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container with wax paper between each layer. I imagine these would freeze well too, but they were eaten too quickly for me to need to do such a thing!

Almond Butter Oatmeal and Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies | Once Upon a Recipe

Have a great weekend friends!
Filed Under: Sweet Treats Tagged With: , , , , ,

Snack Attack | Chewy Granola Bars

December 4, 2012 by 19 Comments

Granola Bars

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friends, the holiday season is upon us! Have you noticed?

Christmas music has begun to play in the stores, new seasonal drinks are now available at Starbucks and the like (Peppermint Mochas!), and every evening when Bella and I get out for a walk, there are lights twinkling inside and outside of all the houses. (Oh, and it’s also dark by 4:30pm, hence the craptastic photos. Sorry friends, I couldn’t wait to share this recipe!) I love this time of year, but I must say, it really has creeped up on me this time around. Christmas is merely a few weeks away!

Granola Bars

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Every year when December hits, I find myself scrambling to bake Christmas goodies, get my shopping done, and partake in fun holiday activities. Sometimes I am scrambling so much that I forget to take a breath and enjoy it all. And really, the main reason I am so in love with this time of year is that there is practically a standing excuse to gather together with friends and family to celebrate. There is something purely magical about coming together, eating delicious food, and toasting to the season with those people that bring joy to your heart. Call me a cheeseball, but I just luuuurrrrrve it.

On my bucket list for this holiday season:

  1. Go on a sleigh ride. I don’t know how I’m going to make this happen, but I’m sure gonna try! Anyone got a horse I could borrow? And a sleigh?
  2. Make a gingerbread house. Even though gingerbread houses never seem to get eaten (who wants to eat all that candy and cookie business after it’s been gathering dust for weeks?!), the process is so darn fun! And by process I mean putting more candy in your mouth than you put on the house. Magical.
  3. Watch one Christmas movie every week from now until Christmas. Top on the list – Elf, A Charlie Brown Christmas, and It’s a Wonderful Life (which I’ve never seen before – how?!)
  4. Fill a huge thermos with hot chocolate and Bailey’s, get a group of my favorite people together, and go tobogganing.
  5. Learn how to play an easy Christmas tune on the guitar. A party ain’t a party without a sing-a-long.
  6. Donate to those in need. I am very inspired by this.

…to name a few. What are some of the activities on your holiday bucket list?

Granola Bars

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The holiday parties have begun. Time to get my arse in gear. But in all of this busy-ness, one cannot forget to eat! No problemo, I’ve got you covered with a dense and energy-packed granola bar that you can grab for a quick breakfast or snack on the run. I have been searching for ages for the perfect granola bar recipe. One that is chewy, not too sweet, and somewhat healthy.  The original recipe (taken from Whitewater Cooks) uses corn syrup, but I substituted brown rice syrup with great results. I’d really like to find a way to cut down a bit on the butter and sugar, but for now, it will do. This recipe makes a rather large batch, but they freeze very well once cut and put into an airtight container. I have also cut the recipe in half without issue – just use a smaller cookie sheet.

Feel free to change these up by adding your favorite mix-ins. I definitely recommend including the sesame seeds as they add a delicious crunch to these chewy bars. Any kind of dried fruit can be subbed in for the raisins, and some dark chocolate chips would take them to a whole other level.

Don’t forget to stop and smell the balsam friends. 😉

Granola Bars

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chewy Granola Bars (slightly adapted from Whitewater Cooks)

Makes 24 very generous bars.

1 cup butter, softened

1 ½ cups peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)

1 ½ TBSP. vanilla

2 cups brown sugar

1 cup brown rice syrup

6 cups large flake oats

1 cup shredded coconut, toasted

1 cup sunflower seeds, toasted

1 cup sesame seeds, toasted

2 cups dried fruit/chocolate

Lightly toast the coconut, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds in a skillet over medium heat, then set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, peanut butter, vanilla, and brown sugar. Add in the brown rice syrup and mix, and then add the remaining ingredients and stir by hand.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a large (ie. 12 x 18 inch) cookie sheet with parchment paper and press the mixture into the pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown around the perimeter and just set in the centre. Let cool slightly and then cut into bars. Freeze if the bars will not be consumed within a few days.

Granola Bars

Filed Under: Snacks Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Things Are Working Out | Lemon Coconut Cookies

July 31, 2012 by 25 Comments

Hello friends. My mind is full and cluttered today, so rather than fill your screens with my typical mutterings, I thought I would share a passage from a book I’ve been enjoying lately. If you’ve never heard of Melody Beattie’s Journey to the Heart, you should check it out. Journey to the Heart is a book of daily meditations – lovely and inspirational words to guide you on the path towards spiritual growth. If you just rolled your eyes, and spiritual growth isn’t your thang, keep scrolling for a wicked recipe. If you’re intrigued, keep on reading.

Many of my yoga instructors routinely read passages from this book, and during one particular class I connected so strongly to the passage that was shared that I approached the instructor afterwards to ask her what she was reading from. I picked up a copy of the book not long after that, and I’ve been slowly working my way through it. If you like what you hear, you might wish to get your hands on a copy too.

Things Are Working Out (Journey to the Heart: Daily Meditations on the Path to Freeing Your Soul, HarperCollins, 1996, p. 255-256):

Right now, this moment, things are working out. We natter away, trying to control, shape, and form. Trying to figure things out. We back off, then come closer. We worry and wonder. But things are working out. Things are working out as beautifully and Divinely as possible. The dance of life is taking place in sync with the rhythm of the universe.

Everything is working out, moving forward, evolving. There is a rhythm, an energy, a life force that continues, that shapes, that grows. You do not have to fight, resist, control, or even understand it. All you need to do is be – be present for your life, your love, yourself.

Your soul will lead you on. Your inner voice, your heart, is leading you on. Quiet your mind and trust that where you are and where you’re being led is perfect.

You don’t have to try to get it all together. You don’t have to strive to “have it all.” You already do have all that you need.

How many times have you been through an experience, fretting and fearful about the shape things were taking, only later to exclaim, Oh, I see now. Things were working out all along! Learn to say and believe that now.

Let your mind see what your soul already knows: things are working out perfectly. 

Sometimes it’s easy to worry and over think where we are at in our lives – are we doing enough? Are we doing too little? Relax. Breathe. Everything is working out, let’s enjoy the journey.

Be present. 

And now, a delicious, sweet, tart, chewy cookie for you to enjoy on this spectacular, overwhelming, complicated journey that is life. Lemon and coconut lovers, this one’s for you. As well as those who are curious about what would happen if a macaroon and lemon cookie had a lovechild.

Lemon Coconut Cookies (from Hershey’s Kitchens)

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

Zest from 2 lemons (about 2 tsp.)

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup shredded coconut

Powdered sugar, for rolling

Preheat your oven to 300°F. Beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add the eggs and lemon zest, and beat until well mixed. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in the coconut. Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least an hour (or overnight), until the dough is firm enough to handle.

Roll the dough into 1.5-inch balls, roll in the powdered sugar, and place two inches apart on a lined baking sheet. Bake for 16-18 minutes until the edges are set. Move the cookies to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.

The last two photos in this post were taken with Instagram, an iPhone app. If you are an IG user and want to follow my daily foodie (etc.) life, you can find me at @onceuponarecipe. 
Now go make these cookies!
Filed Under: Summer, Sweet Treats Tagged With: , , , , ,