Joey’s Favorite Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

Two weeks ago my sister ran her first sprint Triathlon in Lubbock, Texas in preparation for the Ironman 70.3 Buffalo Springs Lake. She’s really serious about her training and finished 1st place in her age division, and 8th place overall for females. Did I mention this was her first triathlon? Wow!

Our cousins Brooke and Joey live out in Lubbock and let Brit stay with them for the race. Brit and my mom made these chocolate chip pudding cookies, and Brooke and Joey fell in love with them, especially Joey!

I just love it when someone raves about something sweet. It’s probably the biggest compliment ever when that whole batch of cookies or whole pan of cake is gone in just a few hours.

Half kidding/half dead-serious, Joey told us to bring these cookies with us when we came to Gordon that next weekend for Nanny’s 93rd birthday.

These cookies are so good, you’ll have a hard time burning out on them so even though we just made them, we were more than happy to whip up another batch. Only bad thing for Joey was that this time, he had to share the cookies with all our family in Gordon. In fact, after just 2 hours there were only 3 cookies left!!

My Dad, Joey, and Harper petting this pretty white horse at the stables.

As always, it was great to see close family and celebrate another milestone as Nanny turned one year older. Despite being such a huge state, it’s nice to have nearly everyone in our family live in Texas!

If you like these pudding cookies, you’ll also probably like our Chocolate Chip Dreams recipe. The dream cookies also have instant vanilla pudding to keep the cookies soft, but the only difference is that the dreams have shortening and nuts, whereas these do not. These cookies also bake at a slightly cooler temperature and for a little bit longer.

Which do I like better: Joey’s pudding cookies or the Dream cookies? That’s a tough call. Dreams have always been a favorite of mine, but I may end up calling these a tie-breaker. I feel like Joey’s are crispier on the outside and chewier on the inside. The dreams are just chewier and softer throughout. Half the time I don’ have shortening on hand, so I’ll probably end up making Joey’s cookies more.

P.S. Joey – We’ve dedicated these cookies to you, “Joey’s Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies” since you love them so much!

Enjoy!!!

Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

Joey’s Favorite Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 25 mins

Serves: 30

Ingredients

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened (1 1/2 sticks)
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 (3.5 oz) packet instant vanilla pudding mix
pinch of salt
1 (11.5 oz) bag (2 cups) semi-sweet chocolate chunks

Instructions

Preheat 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat.
To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment combine the butter, sugars, egg, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until creamed and well combined, about 4 minutes.
Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the flour, pudding mix, baking soda, salt, and beat on low speed until just combined, about 1 minute.
Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the chocolate chunks, and beat on low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds.
Using a small cookie scoop, roll into balls and place on prepared cookie sheet. Bake for about 10-11 minutes, or until edges have set and tops are just set. Even if slightly undercooked, pale, and glossy in the middle, don’t overbake. Immediately slide parchment paper onto a wire cookie rack or the countertop and let cool for 5 minutes. Then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling.

King Arthur Fudge Brownies For Nanny’s 93rd Birthday

King Arthur Brownies

This past weekend we headed out to Gordon, Texas to celebrate my great aunt Nanny’s 93rd birthday! A small group of our extended family came out, and we had a blast.

Nanny LOVES chocolate so my mom and sister and I made her these King Arthur Fudge Brownies. We brought four containers of individually wrapped brownies so Nanny could freeze them and pull them out one at a time when she had a craving for something sweet.

Of course before we gave Nanny her brownies, they had to pass the “taste test” with my Dad. 🙂 They passed his test, as well as mine. True to their name, they are nice and fudgy and would be perfect with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top!

Birthday — Nanny with her great grandkids and great niece. Let’s cut into the cake already!

For the whole family, my cousin Brooke made her grandmother Nanny a chocolate cake, as seen above. Her little 2 year old boys loved it, and while they are only two years old, they definitely know the word, “more”! lol.

We had a great time in Gordon as usual and want to thank Aunt Jan and Uncle Kimmy for hosting and for the great BBQ. We had delicious sausage, briquet, baked beans, fresh fruit and a strawberry spinach salad. Yum!

Happy Birthday again Nanny, and can’t wait until the 94th!

King Arthur Fudge Brownies

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 45 mins

Serves: 24

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups Dutch-process cocoa
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. expresso powder
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch pan and set aside.
In a saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter, then add the sugar and stir to combine. Return the mixture to the heat briefly, just until it’s hot (about 110-120 degrees F), but not bubbling; it’ll become shiny looking as you stir it. Heating this mixture the second time will dissolve more of the sugar, which will yield a shiny top crust on your brownies.
Transfer the sugar mixture to a medium-sized mixing bowl. Stir in the cocoa, baking powder, salt, espresso powder and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs, stirring until smooth.
Add the flour and chocolate chips. Stir until smooth.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the brownies for about 30 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, or with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. The brownies should feel set on the edges, and the center should look very moist, but not uncooked. Remove them from the oven and let cool on a rack before cutting and serving.

Cherry Orange LARA Power Balls

I love protein/power ball recipes. They are almost always no-bake, easy recipes that are a whole lot healthier than the prepackaged stuff you buy at the grocery store. Plus, all the ingredients are all-natural… you know what’s going in them…. so there’s no preserves. 🙂

These taste just like the LARABARs you find at the store. Feel free to make substitutions for different flavor combinations. For example, instead dried cherries, use dried blueberries, appricots or cranberries. Instead of peanuts, use cashews. Just make sure you use the same ratio of fruit/date mixture to nut mixture.

My next combo will be “blueberry muffin” with dates, dried blueberries, cashews, and lemon zest. Yum! Or you could do a “PB&J” version with dates, fresh cherries, peanuts, and 1-2 tablespoons of creamy peanut butter. The flavors are endless!

Let me know your favorite and enjoy!

Cherry Orange LARA Power Balls — Process your dates and cherries in a food processor.

baby — One of my favorite pictures. She loves to swing!

Cherry Orange LARA Power Balls

Prep time: 15 mins

Total time: 15 mins

Serves: 15-20 balls

Ingredients

1/2 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup seedless/pitted whole dates
1 cup peanuts
1 tsp. finely grated orange zest
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Instructions

Place the dates and cherries in a food processor. Blend until it becomes like a paste. Transfer the blended dates and cherries to a bowl.
Add the nuts to the food processor and pulse until chopped fairly small (but not too much, not nut flour. You want texture). Add the nuts, along with the cinnamon and orange zest to the fruit paste. Use your fingers to knead the nuts into the paste.
Roll into one-inch balls or you can mold them into individual bars wrapped in cling wrap. Refrigerate the balls after making to maintain freshness and let the form set. If you find your Lara bars are a bit crumbly add a few tablespoons of warm water and process again.

Coca-Cola Cake

My mom and I have always seen recipes for Coke Cake via Pinterest, blogs, and other magazines, and have been wanting to make one. This cake is very similar to Mrs. Kelm’s Chocolate Cake, except you add Coca-Cola in the Coke cake!

Mrs. Kelm’s is still hands down our favorite chocolate cake, but this cake was still very tasty. It has bit more of a sugary taste than Mrs. Kelm’s due to the Coca-Cola, so that’s good news if you’re a sugarholic!

The recipe is super easy to whip up so enjoy!

coca-cola cake

A little history behind Coca-Cola: John Pemberton, an Atlanta druggist first sold his caramel-colored concoction in 1886. Using a three-legged pot, he stirred up his mixture and carried it a few doors down to Jacobs’ Pharmacy where he mixed it with carbonated water. The drugstore began selling the fizzy delight for just 5 cents a glass; and the rest is history.

Coke has some of the catchiest advertising slogans in the industry. Which ones do you remember?

“Drink Coca-Cola” (1886)
“The Pause That Refreshes” (1929)
“Ice-cold Sunshine” (1932)
“The Best Friend Thirst Ever Had” (1938)
“Where There’s Coke, There’s Hospitality” (1948)
“Sign of Good Taste” (1957)
“Things Go Better With Coke” (1963)
“It’s a Real Thing” (1971)
“Coke Adds Life” (1976)
“Have a Coke and a Smile” (1979)
“Coke Is It!” (1982)
“Can’t Beat the Feeling” (1989)
“Always Coca-Cola” (1993)
“Life Tastes Good” (2001)
“Coca-Cola…Real” (2003)
“Make It Real” (2005)
“The Coke Side of Life” (2006)
“Open Happiness” (2009)

Harper says “Next time make a Dr. Pepper cake please!!” Lol. 🙂 Harper’s granddad is a huge Coca-Cola fan, but her daddy loves Dr. Pepper!

Coca-Cola Cake

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 35 mins

Total time: 50 mins

Serves: 15

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup coca-cola
1 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
FOR THE FROSTING
1/3 cup coca-cola
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 pkg. (16 oz.) powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.
In an electric mixer, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
In a small saucepan, stir together the cola, butter and cocoa powder over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Pour into the flour mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until moistened.
In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla until blended. Add to the batter, whisking constantly.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.
FOR THE FROSTING: About 5 minutes before the cake is finished, begin the frosting. In a small saucepan, bring the cola, cocoa powder and butter to a boil. Remove from heat. Whisk in the powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Pour immediately over the hot cake in an even layer. Leftovers should be covered and stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Overnight Oats

I LOVE LOVE overnight oats otherwise known as swiss oatmeal. I first discovered swiss oatmeal in Switzerland on a study abroad trip, and then found that Corner Bakery had it on their breakfast menu. I could eat Corner Bakery’s swiss oatmeal for breakfast every morning if I had the chance, but since that’s a little unpractical, I discovered how to make my own recipe HERE.

Anyone can make swiss oatmeal/overnight oats, because it is so EASY and so versatile. You can change just 2-3 ingredients and create a whole new recipe.

This chocolate peanut butter overnight oats recipe is a spinoff of my original one. The basic ratio to use in overnight oats is equal parts milk: yogurt: oats (1:1:1). In this recipe I used unsweetened almond milk (you can use skim milk, whole milk, coconut milk, chocolate milk, etc.), greek yogurt (you can use plain yogurt, vanilla flavored, etc.), and rolled oats (this is the one ingredient I don’t ever change up).

I added PB2, which gives it a nice peanut butter/chocolate flavor without the added calories and fat. Just 1 tablespoon is 22.5 calories. 🙂 You can use regular PB2, but I like the chocolate version. I also added 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder and 1 teaspoon of pure maple syrup to sweeten it up naturally. What goes better with peanut butter and chocolate than banana? I added banana and a little chopped peanuts for some crunch. Yum!!

Again, the flavors are unlimited for overnight oats. You can add dried fruits, any kind of nut (walnuts, pecans, pepitas, etc.), chia seeds, flaxseeds, fresh fruit, and honey. Have fun experimenting…. just remember the 1:1:1 ratio of milk: yogurt: oats.

Enjoy!!

chocolate peanut butter overnight oats

Can’t forget to post a baby picture!! This little one turned 6 months old this week. Time sure flies by!!! She’s still a petite thing… 3 percentile in weight and 2 percentile in height. Been in the less than 3 percentile since she was in the womb. Looks like we got a horse jockey or gymnast in our midst! lol 🙂

Chocolate Peanut Butter Overnight Oats

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 8 hours

Total time: 8 hours 5 mins

Serves: 1

Ingredients

8 ounce mason jar
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 Tbsp. chocolate PB2
1 tsp. unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp. pure maple syrup
1 tsp. chia seeds
pinch of cinnamon (optional)
1 tsp. mini chocolate chips
1 tsp. unsalted peanuts
1/4 chopped banana

Instructions

In a mason jar mix together almond milk, greek yogurt, chocolate PB2, and unsweetened cocoa. This takes about 30 seconds or a minute. Then whisk in maple syrup and chia seeds.
Stir in rolled oats until all ingredients are combined. Add a pinch of cinnamon, if desired.
Place lid securely on and store overnight in the refrigerator.
In the morning, give it a stir, and add a little more almond milk to loose it up and give it the consistency you want. Sprinkle chocolate chips, peanuts and bananas on top.

Whole Grain Morning Glory Muffins

Good morning!! If you’re looking for a healthy muffin with EVERYTHING in it, you’ve met your match.

My sister found this recipe via Cookie Monster Cooking for these hearty whole grain morning glory muffins and we all just fell in love with them. Brittany lives a lifestyle of eating wholesome ingredients and zero processed foods, and these passed her test!

Honestly I can say that these are the best tasting “healthy” muffin I’ve ever eaten. Loaded with shredded carrots, grated apple, coconut oil, pure maple syrup and honey for sweetness, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg for flavor, unsweetened coconut, walnuts, and raisins; these muffins aren’t lacking in the ingredient list.

While they are a bit time intensive to shred the carrots, grate the apple, and measure out the long list of ingredients, they are well worth it. Feel free to double the recipe and freeze some for later; they still taste delicious.

Enjoy!

Whole grain morning glory muffins

Whole Grain Morning Glory Muffins

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 17 mins

Total time: 37 mins

Serves: 12

Source: Cookie Monster Cooking

Ingredients

1 cup white whole wheat flour
1/4 cup oat bran
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 large egg
1/3 cup melted coconut oil
2/3 cup milk or almond milk
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. orange zest
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup grated apple
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, plus more for sprinkling on tops

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with liners. Set aside.
Whisk together the white whole wheat flour, oat bran, all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. In another medium bowl, whisk together the egg, coconut oil, milk, honey, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and orange zest. Add to the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Gently fold in the carrot, apple, raisins, coconut, and walnuts.
Divide the batter evenly in the prepared muffin tins, filling each about 2/3 to 3/4 of the way full. Sprinkle the tops with additional chopped walnut, if desired.
Bake for about 15-17 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into middle comes out clean. Let cool for about 5 minutes, then remove the muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.

Chili Cheese Frito Corn Salad and Houston

We were in Houston this past weekend visiting relatives on my side, and attending a wedding on Matt’s side. We stayed with my aunt Jolene, one of the best cooks I know, and someone in which you’ve heard me talk about a lot!

Jolene didn’t disappoint when it came to food. Her breakfasts are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G with a capital A. We had flaky buttermilk biscuits, sausage gravy, bacon, grits, scrambled eggs, and fresh fruit. Yum!

For lunch she had prepared homemade roast beef drip sandwiches sandwiched between a steak bun and melted provolone cheese. For dessert we had homemade strawberry shortcake and yes, homemade whipped cream!

Dinner was one of our favorites. Matt and I both love Mexican food, and Jolene prepared tacos with homemade taco seasoning, corn tortillas, homemade pico de gallo, and this delicious Chili Cheese Frito Corn Salad.

I’ve never had a chilled corn salad before, but I loved this one. Matt too. Matt loves just about anything with corn… corn bread, corn bread stuffing, summer bounty corn casserole, etc. His favorite chip is a Frito, so all his favorite foods were pretty much combined into this one salad.

The best part of the salad are the salty, crunchy, crushed Chili Cheese Flavored Fritos that go on top. I’m not a big chip person, but I remember getting the Chili Cheese flavored chips from the vending machine in middle school. 🙂

Next time I’m sitting down to some homemade tacos or enchiladas, I’ll be sure to whip this corn salad up as well. Enjoy!

cousins — Cousins: Madeline, Sarah, Robin and Harper

chili cheese frito corn salad

Chili Cheese Frito Corn Salad

Prep time: 5 mins

Total time: 5 mins

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

2 cans (14.5 oz) corn, drained
1 can (14.5 oz) Fiesta or Mexicorn, drained
1/3 green bell pepper, chopped fine
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp. mayo
1/2 bag Chili Cheese Flavored Fritos, coarsely crushed

Instructions

Combine all ingredients except for the Fritos in a bowl. Refrigerate overnight.
Before serving, add about one half bag of coarsely crushed Chili Cheese flavored Fritos. (Note: we only added as much Fritos to the corn salad as we thought people would eat. Since we figured we would have leftover corn salad, we did not want soggy Fritos. The next day, we simply added more crushed Fritos just before serving).

Mallory’s Chocolate Meringue Pie

Matt’s birthday was last month and so to keep the tradition going, I made Mrs. Kelm’s chocolate cake…. the BEST birthday cake in our world, and one that has been made over and over again for the past 25 years. Click HERE for the recipe.

While you can’t beat Mrs. Kelm’s chocolate cake as a birthday cake, you can’t beat Mallory’s chocolate meringue pie as a birthday pie!

Mallory is a sweet friend of ours from church who came to see Harper when Harper was just a few weeks old. Mallory also made us a homemade chocolate meringue pie which was to die for. It’s hard to believe Mallory is only in the sixth grade and only just got her very first Kitchen Aid stand mixer for Christmas. You’d have thought she had been baking for years!

The first time she made us her chocolate meringue pie, she delivered it to us pipping hot and just out of the oven. Matt has no patience for waiting for desserts to cool, so he dug right in, and thus I wasn’t able to get a good picture for the blog.

We made it known to Mallory how good her pie was, so when she saw Matt’s birthday announced in the church bulletin, she decided to surprise him and bake another chocolate pie!

Had I known she was baking the pie, I probably wouldn’t have made him Mrs. Kelm’s chocolate cake. Ends up, Matt totally ditched my cake, and ate the ENTIRE chocolate meringue pie in just 3 days!! I think I ate only one tiny sliver of the pie because I knew how much Matt adored it, and I didn’t want to eat all of HIS birthday pie…. even though I could have had one or two or three more slices myself. 🙂

Enjoy, and thank you Mallory for sharing your homemade chocolate meringue pie with us. I only hope I can make it as well as you can!

chocolate meringue pie

Mallory’s Chocolate Pie

Cook time: 15 mins

Total time: 15 mins

Serves: 8

Source: our friend Mallory

Ingredients

CHOCOLATE PIE:
1 3/4 cup sugar
2 cups milk
3 Tbsp. butter
3 egg yolks (save the whites)
4 Tbsp. cocoa
6 Tbsp. flour
2 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 baked pie crust
MERINGUE
4 egg whites
6 Tbsp. sugar

Instructions

TO MAKE THE CHOCOLATE PIE: Mix the flour, milk, sugar, cocoa and egg yolks over low heat until thick, stirring frequently in a pot. Remove heat and add vanilla and butter, mix well.
Pour into baked pie crust.
TO MAKE THE MERINGUE: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Combine egg whites and sugar. Add egg whites one at a time. It will thicken up. Beat until it forms stiff white peaks. Add to pie and bake until golden brown, about 15-16 minutes.

Oat Cakes and QuiltCon

Armed and ready for our first road trip, my mom had these delicious oat cakes ready to go.

Last week my mom, her friend Jenni, Harper, and I went to the 2015 QuiltCon in Austin, Texas. QuiltCon is the international show and conference of the Modern Quilt Guild. Basically there were lots of modern quilts, which was cool to see.

One quilt was even made out of Goodwill clothes. Care to guess how much they were asking for it? $12,000!!!! Talk about pure profit for that quilter!

Below are just a few of my favorites from the show. More info about QuiltCon HERE.

goodwill quilt — The Goodwill quilt. It was made out of clothes all purchased from Goodwill. The asking price was $12,000!

I recently got interested in quilting and am in the process of making Harper a baby quilt, so I thought it would be fun to tag along with my mom and Jenni. I’m still a rookie, but hope to be making lots of quilts soon!

Mom and Jenni take their quilt show road trips very seriously, especially when it comes to nice hotels. Every year when they go to the quilt show, they stay at the Four Seasons. Usually the quilt show is in Houston.

Harper was excited and said, “I don’t always spend the night in hotels, but when I do I make sure it’s really fancy!” lol. We ended up staying at The Four Seasons Austin, which was a really good decision. Not only does the hotel back up to miles of hiking trails along Lady Bird Lake, it was also just one block away from the Austin Convention Center which is where QuiltCon was. That was a life saver for me as it allowed me to go back to the hotel every 3 hours to feed Harper or let her take a nap.

four seasons — Mommy said no jumping on the bed!

Want to know the best part of the trip?? The food! Austin is is known for their outstanding restaurants and dining, and while we didn’t eat out, The Four Seasons had some amazing cuisine.

For dinner we dinned at Trio Restaurant. Unfortunately I didn’t get a picture, but I ordered the Purple Potato Gnocchi with caramelized broccoli, broccoli puree, manchego cheese. My mom got the Jumbo Lump Crab Cake with pickled peach, spicy mayo and house mustard atop salad greens. Jenni got the stuffed pork chop. To finish it off, we all ordered room service: cheesecake in a jar topped with fresh berries! All extremely delicious!

The next morning lived up and perhaps surpassed dinner’s menu. Harper was slow to rise, so I ordered the Bircher Swiss Muesli via room service. It was the best swiss oatmeal I’ve ever had! It had vanilla yogurt, oats, raisins, diced green apples, and grapes. Yum!

Mom and Jenni ate downstairs at Trio Restaurant again. Mom ordered the Egg White Frittata with spinach, goat cheese, and oven-dried tomatoes, while Jenni got the Trio of Pancakes: banana-blueberry, gingerbread, and oatmeal pecan.

Four Seasons Bircher Muesli — Four Seasons Austin Bircher Muesli

As I sit here drooling about the food I’m writing about, lets talk about these oat cakes. The best way I can describe them is as a cross between a muffin and scone. You cook the oat cakes in a muffin pan, but unlike a light and fluffy muffin, they are dense and thick like a scone.

Oats, whole wheat pastry flour, pure maple syrup, golden flaxseeds, and coconut oil make up the wholesome ingredients included, which make these great to snack on.

These oat cakes are nothing like anything you’ve ever had, but if you’re like me, you’ll love them! At first you may think you overcooked them because they are pretty dense… a lot like a hockey puck, lol. Don’t worry, they are just loaded with oats and made to taste this way. I seriously could eat one of these instead of a chocolate chip cookie every day.

Enjoy!

oat cakes

Oat Cakes

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 25 mins

Total time: 40 mins

Serves: 12

Adapted From: “Super Natural Every Day: Well-Loved Recipes from My Natural Foods Kitchen” by Heidi Swanson

Ingredients

3 cups / 10.5 oz / 300 g rolled oats
2 cups / 8 oz / 225 g whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp. aluminum-free baking powder
2 tsp. fine-grain sea salt
1/4 cup/ 1.5 oz / 45 g golden flaxseeds
3/4 cup / 3 oz / 85 g chopped walnuts or pecans, lightly toasted
1/3 cup / 2.5 oz / 70 g extra-virgin coconut oil
1/3 cup / 3 oz / 85 g unsalted butter
3/4 cup / 180 ml maple syrup
2 large eggs

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F with a rack in the top third of the oven. Butter a standard 12-cup muffin pan. (You can also use a 24-cup mini muffin pan. Just shorten the bake time by 10 minutes).
Combine the oats, flour, baking powder, salt, flaxseeds, and walnuts in a large mixing bowl.
In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine the coconut oil, butter, and maple syrup, and slowly melt together. Stir just until the butter melts and sugar has dissolved, but don’t let the mixture get too hot. You don’t want it to cook the eggs on contact in the next step.
Pour the coconut oil mixture over the oat mixture. Stir a bit with a fork, add the eggs, and stir again until everything comes together into a wet dough. Spoon the dough into the muffin cups filling them completely.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the edges of each oat cake are deeply golden. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool for a couple minutes. Then, run a knife around the edges of the cakes and tip them out onto a cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

No Bake Lactation Bites

no bake lactation bites

Just like I said with my milk makin’ cookies recipe, you don’t have to be the mother of a newborn to enjoy these. Those lactation cookies and these no bake snack bites just have wholesome ingredients which promote lactation. Trust me, these won’t turn you into a milk producing cow! lol.

There’s actually a special word for these kinds of foods and it’s called galactagogues. “Galacta-what?” Galactagogues are substances that naturally promote breast milk production. They generally include herbs or foods that increase a mother’s supply. While you can take them as supplements or teas, you can also consume them as delicious cookies or snack bites!

So, what foods are considered to be galactagogues?

*whole grains, especially oats/oatmeal
dark leafy greens (kale, spinach, broccoli)
fennel
garlic
chickpeas
*nuts and seeds, especially almonds
ginger
papaya
spices like cumin seeds, anise seeds, fennel seeds, and turmeric
*brewer’s yeast

The foods listed above with an asterisk * are included in these yummy snack bites.

I actually have an almost identical snack bite recipe from a few years back, but they don’t have brewer’s yeast and there’s a little less honey. I like this recipe better. The extra bit of honey make the bites easy to roll into balls, and add a natural sweetness without refined sugar.

Enjoy!

no bake lactation bites