C&C in the Kitchen: Recipes on Repeat

When I find a recipe I have the tendency to make it over and over and over again...

Here are a few of the recipes that are currently on repeat in our house.

Spiced Almond Thumbprint Cookies with Chocolate-Cashew Cardamom Frosting from Dishing up the Dirt

Speedy Veggie ‘n Brown Rice Noodle Bowl with Homemade Teriyaki Sauce from Oh She Glows. 

No-Bake Peanut Butter Granola Bars from Hummusapien

Roasted Cauliflower, Beet and Farro Winter Salad from Joy the Baker

Have a great weekend!

C&C in the Kitchen

In case you are in need of a last minute dessert for tomorrow's Thanksgiving feast, I thought I would share my latest and greatest pumpkin cookie creation with all of you.

They are not only delicious but also healthy!

Ingredients
2 cups pumpkin puree
3/4 cup coconut sugar (maple sugar, raw sugar…whatever your sugar of choice)
1/2 cup melted, barely warm, coconut oil (vegetable oil is okay if it is all you have)
1 egg
1 cup oat flour (1 cup oats into a food processor or Vitamix, blend into a powder)
1 cup almond meal
1 cup oats
1-2 Tbs pumpkin spice (depending on your flavor preferences)
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon milk (I use almond milk)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1-2 cups chocolate chips

Directions
1. Combine pumpkin, sugar, oil, milk, vanilla and egg with a mixer.
2. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon/pumpkin spice, and salt.
3. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well.
4. Add chocolate chips (you could probably add nuts too!)
5. Drop by spoonful on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet or Silpat baking sheet and bake at 350 for 14 minutes.

**They don’t really firm up like “regular” cookies so they will be soft and break apart easily**

C&C in the Kitchen

So, did any of you make the healthy cookies that I posted a few weeks ago? If not, you have been missing out. For those of you that have made them... chances are that you have made them again. They are that easy and that good!

Today I am going to offer you a "holiday" spin on the C&C Healthy Cookies….how about making them into "pumpkin healthy cookies"? Now doesn't that sound tasty??? It took me three batches last week to come up with the perfect recipe. 

It's really simple. All you need (in addition to the previous ingredients) are pumpkin puree and spice!

C&C Healthy "Pumpkin" Cookies

1 large, ripe banana, well mashed

1 Cup pumpkin puree

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Tbs agave (honey or maple syrup also work)

1/4 cup coconut oil, barely warm - so it isn't solid

2 cups rolled oats

2/3 cup almond meal

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1-2 Tbs pumpkin spice (depending on how much pumpkin flavor you like)

1/2 cup chocolate chips

2 Tbs chia seeds

2 Tbs flax seeds

You can also substitute the chocolate chips for walnuts and cranberries and make them even more seasonal. If you do this, I also suggest adding 1 Tbs of maple syrup instead of agave. 

Directions:

- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

- Mash bananas and mix with vanilla coconut oil, agave and pumpkin puree

- Add oats, almond meal, cinnamon, pumpkin spice salt and baking powder. Mix until fully incorporated.

- Add chocolate chips, chia and flax seeds and mix on low.

Bake on a non-stick cookie sheet or Silpat liner for 13-14 minutes! And you get these Delicious and healthy holiday treats!

C&C in the Kitchen: Healthy Rice Crispy Treats

It's time for another sweet treat post. You know we love dessert here at C&C, and we love a "healthy" dessert even more.

If you liked my "healthy" fudge recipe, you will go equally crazy for these "healthy" rice crispy treats. I wish I could take credit for the recipe, but I can't. It was shared with me by my friend Robyn (thanks Robyn) and can be found here.

It's really so simple. All you need are the ingredients in this photo, a saucepan, a baking dish and your freezer. 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Bar

CRUNCH BAR

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

5 tablespoons liquid sweetener (maple syrup, agave, etc.),

1 pinch of fine grain sea salt

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup rice crisp cereal (I used gluten free brown rice crispies)

PEANUT BUTTER SHELL DRIZZLE

2 tablespoons all-natural peanut butter (or any nut/seed butter of choice)

1.5-2 teaspoons coconut oil, as needed to thin out

1 teaspoon liquid sweetener (maple syrup, agave, etc.)

Directions:

For the crunch bar: Line a 9x5 inch loaf pan with two pieces of parchment paper, one going each way. In a pot over low heat, gently melt the coconut oil and then whisk in the rest of the crunch bar ingredients (except the rice crisp) to taste. Once the mixture is smooth remove from heat and stir in the rice crisp cereal. Pour mixture into prepared pan, smooth out, and then freeze for 10-15 minutes, or until the chocolate is solid.

For the PB drizzle: Melt the coconut oil and then whisk in the peanut butter and liquid sweetener. Adjust to taste if desired. Scoop into a plastic baggie. Snip a tiny hole in the baggie and drizzle the PB mixture onto the bar (you can also try drizzling it with a spoon, if desired).

Return bars to the freezer until the PB drizzle is solid, about 5 minutes.

Serve straight from the freezer or fridge. Bars will melt slightly at room temperature so I don't suggest keeping them out long. Store leftovers in the fridge or freezer.

And here is the final result! Tasty and not too terrible for you...my favorite combination! 

C&C in the Kitchen

I love to bake. I love to eat. I love to eat baked goods. Unfortunately, eating baked goods in moderation is not my strong suit. Given this baking/eating addiction, nothing gets me more excited that finding healthy baking recipes.

Recently a friend and fellow barre3 instructor (thanks Jessica C.) introduced me to this amazing recipe for Healthy Cookies. Like I often do, I used the recipe as a base to create my own version of these tasty and healthy treats.

These are probably my most favorite healthy treat ever...they might even be my favorite cookies EVER!

image via

I will call these C&C Cookies. Here is my recipe.

3 large, ripe bananas, well mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup coconut oil, barely warm - so it isn't solid
2 cups rolled oats
2/3 cup almond meal
1/3 cup coconut (I use sweetened)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup walnuts
2 Tbs chia seeds
2 Tbs flax seeds

Directions:
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
- Mash bananas and mix with vanilla coconut oil.
- Add oats, almond meal, coconut, cinnamon, salt and baking powder. Mix until fully incorporated.
- Add chocolate chips, walnuts, chia and flax seeds and mix on low.

Bake on a non-stick cookie sheet or silpat liner for 13-14 minutes!

Here is what my cookies look like from start to finish!

Try this recipe! You won't be disappointed!