Tag: snacks

Apple Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

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These cookies came about due to my love for my favorite cookie – Oatmeal Raisin Cookies– and I think they may be the ultimate FALL COOKIE!

I wanted to play around with my go-to recipe by adding some apples to it because apples, cinnamon and oats are such a great combo. While I was setting up more baking area and prepping my ingredients, I found a can of pumpkin puree in my pantry and I knew I had to add it to the mix. I have never had an apple-pumpkin baked good, but I knew these two classic fall flavors would make a delicious oatmeal cookie and it did not disappoint.

Pumpkin adds some great nutrients to these cookies like vitamin A, antioxidants, and extra fiber! Since I knew adding the pumpkin would add some extra moisture to these cookies, I decided to cut down the amount of butter in these and they turned out perfect! 

These come together quickly and also go just as fast. You’ll get about 18 cookies in a batch and I originally only baked 9 of them and they were gone in 24 hrs. I like to only bake half the batch and freeze the rest of the dough to have on hand and easily pop in the oven for fresh baked cookies whenever I’m in the mood. 

Freeze and Bake Later
  • To freeze cookie dough, scoop your cookie dough into your desired sized  portions. Line a plate or cookie tray with parchment paper that will fit in your freezer and place the pre-portioned cookie dough scoops on your tray/plate.
  • Freeze your cookie dough for at least an hour. Once they have set/are frozen, you can transfer them to a freezer safe container!
  • By following this step your cookie dough won’t stick together and you’ll be able to pull out individual cookie dough balls!
  • You can bake them straight out the freezer, just add a few minutes to the baking time. You can also let them come to room temperature and bake as directed!

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I hope you give these cookies a chance and add them to your fall baking round up! Let me know what you think! 

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients
  • 1 egg – room temperature 
  • ¼ butter – room temperature
  • ¼ cup pumpkin puree (not sweetened)
  • 1 tsp vanilla 
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup white sugar
  • 1 tbsp molasses

Dry Ingredients

  • 1 ¾ cup rolled oats
  • ¾ cup all-purpose flour 
  • 2 tsp cornstarch 
  • 1 ¼ tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp pumpkin spice
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 scoop of vanilla/cinnamon protein powder (optional)

Mix-ins 

  • ½ cup chopped apples
  • ⅓ cup raisins
  • ¼ cup chopped walnuts

Directions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Peel and cut your apple. You want your apple pieces to be about the size of a raisin. If the apple pieces are too big they may release too much liquid/moisture into your cookies.
  3. Cream together your butter, brown sugar and white sugar.
  4. Add in your egg, pumpkin puree, and vanilla and continue mixing until it comes together.
  5. In a separate bowl mix your dry ingredients together: oats, flour, cornstarch, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin spice, and salt. If you are adding in protein powder mix it in as well.
  6. Add in your dry ingredients to your wet ingredients and mix until well combined.
  7. Gently fold in your apples, raisins, and walnuts.
  8. Let your dough chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
  9. Scoop your cookie dough onto your prepared baking sheet. I like making scoops about 1 ½- 2 tbsp big. Gently press down on the dough with the back of your scoop/spoon.
  10. These cookies will not spread a lot so you do not need a lot of space in between.
  11. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes until just golden brown. Since they are a big orange because of the pumpkin, you can check the bottom of the cookies to see if they are a golden brown.
  12. Let cool for 5 – 10 minutes on a cooling rack and enjoy! Store in an air-tight container for up to four days or you can freeze part of your cookie dough for later!

Double Chocolate Banana Bread

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Whenever I make this double chocolate banana bread I can’t help but think that somehow I have won the day and I’ll get to snack on the most decadent tasting bread ever yet most of the ingredients could also come together to make a tasty health bowl of oatmeal. So yes, when I go back for my second or third slice I do tell myself it’s okay, it’s like I’m eating oatmeal. Except its super delicious moist double chocolate banana bread that has the most delicious gooey chocolate chunks studded throughout the entire loaf.

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I first made a variation of this recipe a couple years ago but made a few tweaks and I think it’s perfect now. Lately I’ve been loving adding plain greek yogurt to my recipes. I feel like all the breads I have made with it come out super moist and delicious. Secondly, I have been super into cutting some of the oil in the recipe with unsweetened applesauce. Not only does the applesauce help keep down some of the oil, it also brings another source of natural sweetness which helps keep the processed sugar low, which is always a plus, even if it is coconut sugar. I also love using the Enjoy Life Chocolate Chunks to top my breads, which are great if you’re looking for dairy free/vegan chips! You can find these on Thrive Market!

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This recipe also comes together in a pinch and requires your usual ingredients, nothing special you’ll need to purchase. I like to use the Enjoy Life chocolate chunks in my breads but feel free to use any chips that you’d like, mini chips are a great option. I also think the adding in some peanut butter chips to this recipe would be amazing! I like topping mine with almond butter!IMG_2312

 

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Recipe

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients

  • 2-3 very ripe bananas – 1 cup mashed                  IMG_2312
  • 1 egg, room temperature 
  • 2 tbsp plain Greek yogurt 
  • 1 tsp vanilla 
  • 2 tbsp oil – melted coconut oil/olive oil
  • 2 tbsp applesauce
  • ½ cup coconut sugar 
  • ¾ cup chocolate chips + additional for topping

Dry Ingredients

  • 1 cup gluten free oat flour
  • ½ cup almond flour
  • ¾ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ cup cocoa powder
  • Pinch of salt 

Directions 

  1. Preheat your oven to 350F and line your loaf pan with parchment paper, set aside. 
  2. In a large bowl, mash your spotty ripe banana and then add in wet ingredients until well combined: egg, Greek yogurt, vanilla, melted coconut oil, and apple sauce. Once well combined, add in coconut sugar and mix well.
  3. In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients together until well combined: oat flour, almond flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
  4. Add in dry ingredients to the wet ingredient bowl. Mix until well combined and there are no clumps of flour left. 
  5. Fold in chocolate chips!
  6. Pour batter into your prepared loaf pan. I like to top my loaf with additional chocolate chips at this stage. 
  7. Bake for 40-45 minutes, just until your toothpick comes out clean. You may need to poke it with the toothpick in a few different spots if you run into any chocolate chips while checking if it is done.
  8. Let cool for 10-15 minutes before slicing! Can be stored in a air-tight container for 4-5 days, I recommend storing it in the refrigerator. 

Carrot Zucchini Muffins

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Confession, sometimes I have a hard time falling asleep because I have so many recipe ideas running through my head or I’m super excited to bake something the next day (pretty strange I know!). Well that was definitely the case with this recipe. I knew I had some zucchinis in the fridge that I needed to use up and I originally thought to make a zucchini walnut loaf which I was pretty excited about but then I decided to switch it up to muffins.

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The next day I wanted to add a carrot cake vibe to these muffins and decided to add in shredded carrots, raisins and lots of spices! After tasting the first one I was hooked – a little butter and honey took them to the next level. These muffins are not too sweet that they could make the perfect breakfast complement to some fruit or a quick snack. 

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However I knew they could also be a great sweet treat or dessert with a little frosting. Going with the carrot cake inspo, I decided I’d go with a cream cheese frosting. If you would like a sweeter muffin, this cream cheese frosting perfectly complements these muffins. This frosting recipe below is just enough for 4-5 muffins, so if you would like them all frosted just double the recipe! 

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Recipe

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients

  • 1 cup shredded zucchiniIMG_2388
  • ½ cup shredded carrot
  • 3 medium eggs (can use 2 large eggs)
  • 3 tbsp applesauce 
  • 2 tbsp olive oil or melted coconut oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • ½ cup coconut sugar

Dry Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cup gluten free flour (I like Bob’s Red Mill)
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp nutmeg
  • ½ tsp ground ginger
  • ¾ tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ½ cup walnuts
  • ¼ cup raisins

Maple Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

  • ¼ cup cream cheese – softened
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • Walnuts for topping

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350F and line a muffin tin. You should have 12 standard muffins from this recipe. 
  2. First you will want to remove excess liquid from your shredded zucchini. I like to leave the skin on the zucchini for some extra color! Once you measure out a cup of shredded zucchini you will wring it out to remove extra liquid. You can do this by using a cheesecloth or lining up a couple of paper towels and placing the zucchini in the middle of them, bundle it up and squeeze. Once you have the zucchini wrung out, place it in a large bowl with your shredded carrots. 
  3. Add in wet ingredients to shredded carrots and zucchini: eggs, applesauce, oil, and vanilla until well combined. 
  4. Add coconut sugar to the wet ingredient mixture and mix until well combined.
  5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt. Combine until you can tell the spices are evenly mixed into the flour. 
  6. Add in dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Do not overmix. The batter will be a bit thick. 
  7. Fold in your walnuts and raisins. 
  8. Use a ¼ c measuring cup to fill your muffin tin. This recipe makes 12 muffins, but you can definitely make 9-10 larger ones. 
  9. Bake for  25 – 28 minutes, around 25 minutes, check to see if they are done with a toothpick, if it comes out clean, they are done. If there is still batter on the toothpick, leave in the oven for a few more minutes. 
  10. Let cool for a few minutes. Store in an airtight container for 4-5 days.

Optional frosting:

First make sure your cream cheese is softened/room temperature. Using a hand blender or stand mixer, mix together all frosting ingredients until it is smooth and creamy: cream cheese, maple syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon. Make sure your muffins have completely cooled before frosting them. I like to top my muffins with extra muffins.