The Grand Ole Granola Bar

This is no hippie café, nay, although if I ever open one I lay claim to that name as of now. Rather, as the photos would suggest, I have been adventuring in the kitchen to finally try my hand at homemade muesli bars.

I wanted something simple & straightforward,  so I google-ized muesli bars & found this dandy recipe on several links.  I am now going to share with you my version, so get ready, 'cause it's crunch time!  

(. . . Pardon the awesome pun, I couldn't help myself.)

What ye shall need:

1 cup pitted dates, packed nice & cosy

1/4 cup syrupy sweetener (I opted for maple)

1/4 peanut butter (any nut butter would probably work wonders)

Couple pinches of salt

1 cup roughly chopped nuts of your choosing, raw or roasted

1 1/2 cup rolled oats

Any additional ingredients that you fancy: dried fruit, extra nuts, seeds, spices, etc.

First off, have your oven set at about 190 degrees C if you fancy toasting the oats and/or nuts.  You can leave them in there anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes.  I would keep an eye & a nose on alert so as to keep track of their progress.  Bitter almonds or burnt oats will lower the tone of the whole affair & who wants a muesli bar faux pas?  (Last one, promise ;)

On the stove, melt together your peanut butter, salt, & syrup in a small saucepan.  When they form a paste-like consistency, turn off the stove & allow to cool.

Pop the dates into a blender or food processor & whiz them up until they too transform to a paste-like texture.

Toss all the dry ingredients in large bowl until you have yourself a confetti of bits & bobs . . .

When you have these components prepped, mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.  My additions consisted of goji berries, some orange chocolate shavings, raisins, & chopped dried figs.

Once well combined, have a baking tray at the ready, lined with parchment, into which you can pour or scoop your mixture.

With the mixture pressed into a flat slab within the baking tray's walls, you can pop it into the fridge or freezer for at least 15-20 minutes.

When you're ready, remove the slab to slice into the portion size of your preference.  Some like squares, some like rectangles, some may go for triangles or have the patience to carve out circles!  A favourite mantra of mine, "hip to be square" had me on team square.   

And that, folks, is my version of a more or less raw, vegan, muesli bar.  Hip to be square, amiright?!  

Crunchy Cacao Nib Cookies

Why hello, stranger.  Yet again, some time has elapsed since last I wrote.  However, I am here because these cookies are pretty dang good & their recipe is worth sharing.  

As a young'un, I was a major fan of the chocolate chip cookie - the USA's special gift to the world.  My earliest cooking experiences mainly involved baking, from recollection, because this was clearly top priority for my taste buds.  Dad would have me assist him in measuring out the ingredients & taught me not to be afraid to do away with the wooden spoon & plunge my hands straight into the ingredients awaiting a good mix.  Of course, our hands were squeaky clean before doing this.  But then your fingers would be caked in cookie dough . . . not a crying shame.

In any case, I decided to whip up some chunky crunchy crumbly goodies based on ingredients I had to hand & inspired by some recipes I've spotted round the blogger traps lately.  Here's what I came up with:

Perfect beauties, I'd say.

So, to get down to business, you will need to preheat that oven to 170 degrees C & gather these ingredients:

1 cup almond flour

1/2 cup coconut flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 TBS melted coconut oil

2 eggs

1/3 to 1/2 cup sweetener of choice (I was experimenting with xylitol - grand success. Alternatively, you could use coconut sugar, cane sugar, maple syrup, but may need to start lower & add according to the scale of your sweet tooth :)

3 TBS almond butter

3/4 cup walnuts or pecans

1/3 cup cacao nibs or dark chocolate chips

To begin, you'll want to mix all your dry ingredients together in one bowl, save for the walnuts & the cacao nibs.

Then you can whisk up your eggs, coconut oil, almond butter, & sweetener.  Pour this gooey mix into the dry ingredients and dive in.  

Admittedly, I was more civilised this baking session & used my trusted wooden spoon.  This mixture is especially moist due to the almond butter which makes for a soft & chewy centre, *cue heavenly voices from on High*

Finally, you can mix in your nuts & chips/nibs.  

Now, you will have to get your fingers a bit caked for this next step.  Grab a little pinch of the mixture & test if its sweetness is to up to scratch.  If so, grab a tablespoon & scoop out portions of the cookie dough onto a lined baking tray.  The dough will probably stick to your fingertips & you might need to lick it off pre hand-wash.  Lucky!

Flatten out your golden goo balls.

These little guys will take approximately 10-15 minutes to cook.  I like an underdone cookie, myself, so I went for the lesser time.

Allow them to cool for a few minutes & they'll be ready for lift-off-the-tray-and-pop-in-your-gob time.

Happy baking!

Yummola Granola

This morning I share with you a simple & delicious recipe that will last you for a good several days to a week.  (Unless you tend towards visiting your crunchy stash & munching on it throughout the day - ahem! Like some . . . then it might last not more that a couple days.)

Did I mention that it is also highly nutritious? Bonus.  It's got all of your good fats & protein & is ideal for a morning feed or something to keep you sustained throughout the day if any hunger pangs ever creep up.

The recipe comes from Sarah Wilson, pioneer of a sweet as sugar-free lifestyle.  This granola is a testament to that possiblity so naturally I cared to share.

Plus, there are tweaks you can make for this granola to add some bells & whistles.  I'll give you the three variations that I have made thus far . . .

The Original & the bomb:

3 cups coconut flakes

2 TBS chia seeds

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

2 cups roughly chopped nuts and/or seeds (my go-to's are almonds, walnuts & pepitas)

4-5 TBS coconut oil (melted)

1-3 TBS Rice Malt Syrup (or, alternatively some Stevia powder sprinkled over or Natvia granules added until you achieve your desired sweetness)

Oven pre-heating to 120 degrees C, mix all your dry ingredients together in a big bowl.  Once well combined, drizzle your coconut oil & (if using) rice malt syrup.  Mix through and spread evenly on a lined baking tray.  

Pop in the oven for 15-20 minutes (or until desired crunch factor is achieved).  Make sure to turn your granola at half time with a spoon so that it gets a nice well-rounded crisp.

Allow to cool once you're a happy chappy and then get even happier when you can launch in!  

Alternatively you can try out the Pumpkin Spice variety (it's a good 'un!) for which you follow the Original recipe, while adding:

1/3 cup pumpkin purée

1 tsp cinnamon powder

1 tsp ground allspice

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground cloves (optional)

If you decide to add some oats for more bulk, bring your coconut oil count to 6 TBS & the pumpkin purée to a 1/2 cup.  Then do your thang and proceed with the mixing.

Now, this next one is possibly my personal favourite.  It's got all the elements thanks to the fact that it tastes like chocolate!  Or perhaps more like a Bounty Bar.  So up next is the Cocoa Crunch:

You will need:

All the same ingredients as the Original but with half a cup raw cacao powder.
I also like to add in some sesame seeds & if you want to try yet another twist (on the twist) give it a go with peanuts or peanut butter.  Alternatively, hazelnuts can give it a nutella flavour.
Just beware of its addictiveness.
It is suitable for breakfast, snacks & dessert.  I love it with yogurt & sometimes a little chopped banana, apple, strawberries or goji berries sprinkled on top with some extra cinnamon to add some more spice to my life.
Let me know how you go if you make any of the above.  I'd be keen to hear :)  

Happy munching x