Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

The month of February was not a good month for my stomach. Almost everyday ended with me eating crystallized ginger, drinking peppermint tea, and then lying face-down on my bed with a heating pad under my stomach. I eat mostly whole foods, and for the most part my diet hasn't changed. I just couldn't figure out what was causing this much pain and bloating! After tracking the pain and the foods I ate and talking with our schools dietician, we decided it could be either gluten, broccoli, or spinach. The only way to find out was to take each of these out of my diet for a few weeks and see if the symptoms resided. Long story short, I am now gluten free.

I really did not want to have to take gluten out of my diet. Granted, I don't eat much bread or things of the like anyways, but I just didn't want to be that person: the person who is dairy-free and gluten-free. But here I am, g-free for a month or so, and no stomach pain, bloating, or gas! In order to confirm this sensitivity, gluten needs to be out of a person's system for about two months, so the intestines can heal completely, then it needs to be eaten again to see if a reaction occurs. That will be my job next month.

That being said, mom, there will now be a lot more gluten-free items made in Your Daughter's Kitchen. Which is probably better for all of us since mom is allergic to wheat (not necessarily gluten), and my little sister is supposed to be without gluten for her hyperextension joint problems.


On to these amazing cookies. They are dense, and almost biscuit-like, but sweet like a cookie. I love the banana in this as it makes them sweeter and acts as a vegan egg-replacement. As with most of my recipes, they're great with a cup of coffee. If you're into milk, they would be delicious with that as well. 

If the mixture is a little dry, add a little more almond milk or mashed banana. If you would like them a little sweeter, add some more chocolate chips.

Happy gluten-free, dairy-free living to us all!

Makes 24-28 cookies; about 150 calories per cookie
Adapted from The Simple Veganista

Ingredients

3 cups rolled oats
1 1/4 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
3/4 cup coconut sugar
1 heaping tsp cinnamon
1 heaping tsp baking soda
2/3 cup refined coconut oil (softened or melted)
1/2 large banana, mashed
1/4 cup + 3 Tbsp unsweetened almond milk (at room temp)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup dairy free chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a small bowl, mash banana as smooth as possible, set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine coconut oil and sugar, mix well. Add in mashed banana, vanilla and room temperature almond milk.
4. Add the flour, cinnamon, and baking soda to the liquid mixture, mixing well to combine and scraping the bottom to make sure there are no flour clumps. Add in oats, then chocolate chips, mixing in between.
5. Scoop out rounded tablespoons of mixture and place on sheet about 1 inch apart, flattening slightly. Cookies stay about the same size while baking. Bake for 9-11 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool, and enjoy.

Dark Chocolate Coconut Oil Brownies

The minute I saw this recipe, I knew I had to make it. They're brownies- with coconut oil in the title. Therefore, they are automatically winners in my book. 

Coconut oil is a food item / product I use every single day. I say product purposefully because I use it as a beauty product as well. I use it as face lotion, body lotion, and mix it with vitamin E capsules and put it in my hair. It can be mixed with baking soda and peppermint to make toothpaste or swished around in your mouth to whiten your teeth. Since I can't consume dairy, I also use coconut oil in almost all my baking endeavors. Lucky for all of us, it has become a very popular product and can be bought almost anywhere!

These brownies are not for the faint at heart. Since they use unsweetened chocolate, they definitely live up to their name of dark chocolate brownies. They are very rich and almost fudge-like, which means pairing them with some milk, coffee, or ice cream is UH-mazing. If you prefer more of a milk chocolate brownie, use 60-80% dark chocolate instead. 

These brownies also have a distinct coconut flavor due to the fact they they use unrefined coconut oil, which is again, UH-mazing. Since I love coconut (as previously mentioned ranted about), I loved this. Don't be scared if you don't though! Simply switch it out for refined coconut oil, and you will never know it's there.

I decreased the amount of coconut oil from the original recipe, and also replaced part of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat. In the future, I may try to mess with the sugar, but for now I like these brownies just the way they are: full of dark chocolate, coconut goodness. 

P.S- I may have eaten the majority of this pan by myself (don't tell)


Adapted from Pinch of Yum
Makes 12 brownies, 267 calories each

Ingredients:

4.5 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp unrefined coconut oil*
1 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F, and line 9x9 or 7x11 glass baking tray with parchment paper
2. Combine chocolate and coconut oil in microwave save bowl. Melt in microwave, stirring every so often to prevent burning.
3. Pour chocolate mixture into bowl with brown sugar, stirring with whisk to combine. Add eggs and stir until mixture is thick.
4. Whisk in salt and flour. Batter with be thick and heavy.
5. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Bake for 22-25 minutes until edges are set. The less you bake them, the more fudge-like they will be.
6. Let cool in pan. Cut and enjoy! Pairs great with a cold glass of milk, ice cream, or coffee (place a sliced banana on top and you could even call it breakfast)


*for a less coconut-flavored option, use refined coconut oil

Ginger Cookies with Chocolate Chunks

Christmas is coming, Christmas is coming! Finals are done. I finished all my Christmas shopping. My sister's boyfriend graduated from college. Last weekend, I saw the Broadway show Newsies in Chicago with my sisters and mom. Now, my entire family is together (for the first time ever with all 9 of us) in Arizona. It's a busy time of year for me and basically every other person. Despite all the busyness, I love Christmas season: the snow, the beautiful lights and, of course, the baking!

My problem is always that I can't eat any normal Christmas cookies. Stupid dairy. So what do I do? Remake my favorites without the dairy! These cookies are a great combination of the classic gingerbread taste, with gooey dark chocolate. They are definitely different than your classic gingerbread Christmas cookie, but I like it. My mom has dubbed these one of her new favorite Christmas cookies, and I would place them on that list as well.

These cookies, definitely bring out the zingy ginger-taste. As of this summer, ginger has become one of my favorite flavors, especially ginger candy. The bonus of ginger is that it is great for stomach aches and indigestions too! Starting during my freshman year of college, I have had stomach problems more than a normal 20-something year-old should ( I blame the food at my school). This year, ginger has become my natural remedy for my upset stomach.

On that note, if you are not a huge fan of ginger, I would cut it back a little in this recipe. The dark chocolate helps to soften the flavor and cut the ginger-taste, but they are still very gingery!

Enjoy these cookies, the Christmas season, and all the family, friends, and delicious food that come with it!

Adapted from 101 Cookbooks
Makes about 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

2/3 cup coconut sugar
150 grams bitter sweet dairy free chocolate, chopped (I used 88% cacao)
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
4 1/2 teaspoons ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup molasses
1 1/2 Tbsp fresh grated ginger, peeled
1 egg, beaten

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and line baking sheets with parchments paper.
2. Finely chop the chocolate bar into 1/8 inch pieces, or smaller
3. In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, ground ginger, and salt together
4. Grate ginger. Heat coconut oil until just melted (I used the microwave). Stir in applesauce, molasses, sugar, and fresh grated ginger. Add the egg to the mixture, making sure the mixture is only warm, not hot. Finish mixing then add wet mixture to flour mixture and stir until combined. Stir in the chocolate.
5. Roll dough between palms into 1-inch balls then place a few inches apart on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 7-9 minutes until cookies puff up and tops darken and begin to crack.

Pumpkin Muffins with Chocolate Chips

As previously, mentioned: I love fall. If you care to know the reasons why, look at my recipe for Apple Bread. If you care to eat amazing pumpkin muffins, keep reading here. This muffin is yet another great fall recipe. Technically, I should be posting Christmas recipes right now. It is the second week of December after all, and Christmas is coming oh-so-soon. Here in Indiana though, it's still feeling rather fall-ish. There's no snow on the ground, rather it has been 40 degrees and rainy this past week. Only one more week here though, then I am on my way to the motherland(!!!) AKA Minnesota....minus a stop to Chicago and Arizona on the way (or not so on the way). 

Anyways, back to the muffins. These muffins are sweet enough to eat as dessert, yet light enough to eat for breakfast. The recipe pairs the favorite fall pumpkin flavor with every women's year-round favorite: chocolate. When warm, the chocolate chips melt in your mouth for some great chocolatey goodness. These muffins are gluten-free and dairy-free as well as refined-sugar-free and oil-free. They are not flavor-free though, so no worries there. OH! They also pair great with coffee, which is important since we know I love foods that pair well with coffee.

Enjoy these muffins next time you want a great breakfast, snack, or dessert- because they're that good and that versatile. 

Adapted from Running with Spoons
Makes 8 muffins

Ingredients:

¼ cup almond butter
¾ cup canned pumpkin
1 egg
6 Tbsp. honey
½ cup rolled oats
2 Tbsp. ground flaxseed
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground nutmeg
½ tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ cup mini dairy-free chocolate chips, plus more for sprinkling

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F and prepare a muffin pan by lining 8 cavities with muffin liners
2. Add all ingredients except chocolate chips to a blender and blend on high until batter is smooth and creamy.
3. Pour batter into bowl and stir in chocolate chips by hand
3. Scoop batter into prepared muffin pan, filling each cavity until it is about ¾ full
4. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the tops of muffins are set and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Check muffins at 10 minutes and sprinkle with extra chocolate chips. When done, allow muffins to cool in pan for about 10 minutes before inverting onto cooling rack. 
5. Muffins can be stored in an air-tight container for up to a week

No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Bars

My willingness to write long descriptions of my food endeavors is close to nonexistent right now. I currently have 6 recipes written up and photographed simply waiting to get a description, therefore this is going to be brief. But who wants a long intro anyways? I'd rather just get to making some yummy food!

Anyways, last week my good friend Lauren (owner of Not Your Ordinary Kitchen) came over and we whipped up these babies, along with Fig Zucchini Pasta and 2 others things (to be posted soon). Basically, these bars are good- real good. They take about 5 minutes to make and an hour in the freezer. They are very rich, so the mini bar size is perfect. Eating these is almost like eating Muddy Buddies, but in a bar- so like heaven. There we go, brief intro! Now eat up!!

Adapted from Hungry Happens
Makes 24 mini bars; 200 calories per bar

Ingredients:

1 cup natural creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup coconut oil
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup dairy free chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Line and 8x8 inch baking dish with parchment paper
2. In a medium bowl melt peanut butter, maple syrups, and coconut oil in microwave; takes about 1 minute. Stir occasionally to keep mixture from burning.
3. Remove from microwave and mix in the rest of the ingredients.
4. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish, smoothing top with spatula. Freeze for 1-2 hours or until set.
5. Pull entire dessert out of baking dish then cut into 24 bars. Do this quickly as bars soften fast! Enjoy! Store leftover bars in airtight container in fridge.

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Chocolate has been calling my name lately, which is odd because I am normally not a chocolate-craving person. On the other hand, black beans in cookies always scare me a little. I am always scared the cookie will be too 'beany.' These cookies do not fall into that trap. The chocolate shines right on through and really hits the chocolate-craving spot. They are so easy to make and use household staple ingredients (or at least Hawkins household staples).

A bonus of these cookies? They are dairy free, refined sugar free, and vegan. The could also be made gluten free by using gluten free rolled oats. Another bonus? The family liked them. Emma even asked for a second one. This is always the biggest test, and the cookies passed!

So enjoy some chocolatey goodness!

Makes 10-12 large cookies or 20-24 small cookies
Adapted from Deliciously Ella

Ingredients:

2 cups black beans (1 1/3 16-ounce cans)
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 heaped Tbsp cacao powder
2 Tbsp coconut oil
1 1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup cacao nibs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Drain and rinse black beans. Add black beans, maple syrup, cacao, and coconut oil to blender and blend until smooth.
3. Transfer chocolate mixture to bowl. Add oats and nibs to bowl, and stir until combined.
4. Scoop large spoonfuls of cookie dough, roll into balls, and place on cookie sheet. Flatten cookies slightly using your fingers or the back of a spoon; cookies will not expand while baking.
5. Bake for 17-20 minutes, until firm. Let cool then enjoy!

Chocolate Valentine's Cupcakes

Better to post late than never, right? I made these cupcakes as part of my gift to my boyfriend for Valentine's Day. The boy is a picky one when it comes to food, especially desserts. The basic rule of thumb is chocolate. No caramel, no mint, no fruit, no coconut- just chocolate (and sometimes peanut butter). I wanted to make him something that he would like, but something that I would eat too. The line between these two things is a thin one, but I was up for the challenge.

The original recipe calls them muffins and omits the frosting. In order to please my boy, I added frosting. So the muffins became cupcakes and soon the cupcakes bore little hearts on top to theme the day.

Overall, these were so easy to make and turned out great! They were rich and chocolatey with a touch of peanut butter taste. The cupcakes are gluten free, dairy free, and their only sugar is honey. The added frosting is a normal frosting recipe (I had to leave something normal for him), so it contains sugar, butter, and milk. I simply left some unfrosted for myself to eat. Best part of the story? He liked them! No complaints and no suspicions. It's the little victories in life that matter.

Makes 8 cupcakes

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:
1/2 cup peanut butter (almond butter, or any other nut butter would work too)
1 ripe medium banana
1 egg
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 Tbsp. ground flaxseed
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup Enjoy Life dairy free chocolate chips


Frosting:
2 Tbsp butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp Milk 
Splash of vanilla 
(<1/4 tsp)Pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F and prepare a muffin pan by putting 8 muffin tins in pan. Set aside
2. Add all ingredients except for chocolate chips to a blender and blend on high until batter is smooth and creamy. I used a Magic Bullet since I don't own a blender at school. This worked great as well, just be sure to put the liquid near the blade. Stir in chocolate chips by hand.
3. Pour batter into prepared muffin pan, filling each cavity until it is about 3/4 full.
4. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the tops of cupcakes are set and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool in pan for ~10 minutes before removing.
5. While cupcakes bake and cool make the frosting by adding all ingredients to a small bowl and mixing thoroughly with an electric hand mixer.

 If adding frosting and heart:
1. Allow cupcakes to cool completely. Using 1-inch heart shaped cookie cutter, punch out a heart from the center of two of your cupcakes. The heart will be extremely thick.
2. Cut the heart in half so you are left with two thinner hearts.
3. Frost the remaining cupcakes using a knife and place heart on top.

Chocolate, Peanut Butter Custard Cups

For how much I love making my own food, I rarely do it while at school. Something about sharing one kitchen with 300 other girls just isn't all that appealing to me. This was one of the three times I made it down there this semester, and man was it worth it.

I made these custard cups way back in October when my boyfriend and I celebrated 6 months. 2 months later, I am finally posting the recipe (yay for Christmas break). These cups are extremely rich, so it's hard to eat a lot. Yet at the same time they are so good, so it's hard to stop. They are nice because you can make them one day and eat them later, or save them for a week in the fridge. Either way, they taste delicious! 

The original recipe, comes from Green Kitchen Stories. They made the cups with almond butter, but in order to make them more boyfriend-friendly I substituted it with peanut butter. He still didn't fully buy into them, but I liked it so much I finished his off. I keep telling myself that one day I'll get him to enjoy food that doesn't come from a package.

The key to successfully making these is keeping the egg from coagulating. Coagulating. Don't worry, I had to look this word up too. Basically, keep the eggs from turning into a clumped solid. There are a couple of steps that are necessary in order to do this. 1. Don't use the egg whites! They turn solid easier than the yolks when heated. If you have ever made any type of custard, you know this. 2. Pour the hot milk mixture over the eggs slowly, while continuously stirring. 3. Bake the cups in a pan filled with hot water, this helps them heat more slowly, allowing everything to heat equally. 

When baking these, I used mason jars. I'm a poor college student after all, so that was al I could find in my dorm room. They worked perfectly fine and were super cute. Any small glass dish will work!

Makes 3-4 servings

Ingredients:

1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp all-natural peanut butter
2 organic egg yolks, room temperature
2 tbsp honey
1 pinch sea salt
3 1/2 oz /100 g dairy-free dark chocolate (minimum 70%), coarsely chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300°F. Whisk together egg yolks, honey and sea salt in a medium sized mixing bowl. 
2. Heat coconut milk, vanilla extract, and peanut butter to a low simmer, stirring to make sure the peanut butter completely dissolves. This can be done on the stove (but I cheat and use the microwave).
3. Remove the milk from the heat and add dark chocolate and stir to make sure it melts into the milk. Slowly pour the melted chocolate mixture over the eggs while constantly whisking. This is important to prevent the eggs from coagulating. 
4. Place 3-4 oven-proof small ramekins, glasses or cups inside a deep baking pan and fill the pan up with hot water. Pour the custard into the cups and carefully place the baking pan on a rack inside the oven. 
5. Bake until the center is almost set, about 30 minutes (custards will firm as they cool). Let cool completely and then refrigerate for 1-2 hours before serving.

Creamy Chocolate Shake

Sometimes I get this crazy chocolate shake craving. It's rare, but when it happens this is the perfect fix. Smooth, creamy, and chocolatey; this shake hits the spot every time.

The avocado is great in here because it makes it super creamy, but you can't taste it at all. If you don't have hemp protein powder, don't worry about it. I like to add it in for a little extra protein, but it's not necessary.

makes 1 large shake

Ingredients:

1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup water
1/2 avocado
1 frozen banana OR 1 banana and 4 ice cubes
2 Tbsp hemp protein powder
1 Tbsp honey
1.5 Tbsp raw cacao powder

Directions:

1. Put all items in blender and blend until smooth.
2. Enjoy!

Scotcheroos, The Right (Fat) Way

This type of food is way out of my normal food repertoire, but I was assigned to make these bars for my mom's best friends 50th birthday party this weekend. Specifically, I was told to make "fat bars," which is what my high school calls the bars. Of course, there is not recipe online for something with the name "fat bar," so scotcheroos were the closest I could find.

The thing about the fat bars my school makes is that they are at least 10 times better than scotcheroos. They are creamier, richer, and bigger. They have lots of peanut butter and are coated with thick chocolate. They stick all over your teeth and you have to have milk to wash one down. Basically, everything about them is completely indulgent and I ate them a total of one time my entire high school career.

In order to make the scotcheroos into a fat bar, I had to change it up- I had to make them more fat! For the bars I used more peanut butter to make them gooey and rich and I crushed the Krispies so make them more dense and one texture. For the top I decreased the butterscotch chips and increased the chocolate chips to make them more rich and chocolatey and I added shortening to give the top a shiny hard look. Basically, this is a recipe for scotcheroos, the right way.

Ingredients:

1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 1/4 cups creamy peanut butter
6 cups Rice Krispies cereal

1/2 cup butterscotch chips
2 1/2 cups chocolate chips
large spoonful vegetable shortening (do not substitute)

Directions:

1. Place wax paper in a 9x13 inch pan; set aside. Pour cereal in large bowl, crushing it with your hands as you go. The cereal doesn't need to all be crushed, this is done to make the bars more dense and less airy. Some pieces will be whole, some will be near powder. Set cereal aside.

2. Place sugar and corn syrup in microwave-safe bowl and microwave  until sugar is dissolved and mixture is almost boiling. Microwave at 50% power and stir every 20-30 seconds to prevent burning. Stir in peanut butter until melted and combined; you may need to place it back in the microwave a little bit to soften the peanut butter.

3. Pour liquid over measured cereal and stir until well-coated. Press the mixture into the prepared pan using a rubber scraper.

4. Melt the chocolate chips and butterscotch chips in a microwave-safe bowl at 50% power; stirring every 20-30 seconds. Spread evenly over cereal, make sure to get all the way to the edge (no one wants a piece with no chocolate on top). Let sit to firm, or refrigerate for faster firming time.

Almond Meal Coconut Cacao Cookies

Today was my first day home for spring break, so of course, what did I want to do the most? Bake something. I figured as a good sister I should make something for my little sister to eat when she came home from school. These almond meal cookies with coconut and cacao nibs from my Sprouted Kitchen cookbook caught my eye. They looked quick, were gluten free, and I had all the ingredients (almost), so I went for it.

My mom, sister, and I all tried these cookies and agreed they were delicious. If my sister likes something that is remotely healthy, then I know I have hit the jackpot. These melt in your mouth straight from the oven and are perfect with a cup of coffee.

The only replacement I made in this recipe was for the muscovado sugar the original recipe called for. It called for 1/3 cup, which I replaced with coconut sugar and agave because I didn't have any muscovado. Muscovado is unrefined brown sugar and gives the cookies moisture along with a caramelly taste. Feel free to also replace it with brown sugar if you do not have any of the above ingredients.

Recipe makes 18-24 cookies, depending on size. I made 22: 90 calories per cookie.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups almond meal
1/4 cup cacao nibs
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1 Tablespoon agave nectar
1 egg
3 Tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Stir together almond meal, cacao nibs, coconut, baking powder, salt, and sugar.

2. In another bowl beat egg until it has doubled in size and is all one color. Whisk in the melted coconut oil, vanilla extract, and agave.

3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and mix until just combined. Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes, or up to a day.

4. Preheat oven to 375 F. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place on baking sheet with no parchment paper on it. Gently press on tops of cookes to flatten a little.

5. Bake for 6-8 minutes, until edges are barely brown.