Maple Granola with Coconut and Cinnamon

"Mom... can you make granola??  And when you pack my lunch tomorrow can you pack a little bag for Ellie too?  She's been asking for it."

Music to my ears.  I love then the kids ask for something healthy when they don't even know it's healthy.  And better yet, I'm getting special requests from high school girlfriends.

Years ago the kids turned up their noses at the thought of granola, but with a little tweaking they've discovered a new love.

Always working to get "healthy stuff" into the kids, granola makes it easy.  Starting with fiber-rich oats (gluten-free if desired) we add flax and hemp.  Maple syrup brings sweetness and a depth to the mix, and nuts and dried fruit more protein as well as additional vitamins.  A touch of coconut oil give the concoction that much desired crunch and shredded coconut even adds a little touch of the tropics.

So easy to mix together and versatile to your tastes, give it a go and maybe you'll have special requests too.

Hot Cocoa Snickerdoodles

Being a Food Blogger comes with perks.  My favorite?  Mail days that bring new cookbooks filled with gorgeous photos right to my door.  Such a day usually calls for an afternoon at the beach or an early stop in the pickup line as I simply can't wait to get my nose into the book.

Many times a certain recipe jumps out and I know right away what I want to make for our review, but with this latest book, Decadent Gluten-Free Vegan Baking
 by Cara Reed, I couldn't decide.  Hence... this is my second recipe (with permission!!) from this book, and to be honest, I'm wishing I could just start at the beginning of the book and simply blog my way through.

Baking is my fist love in the kitchen, but I have to note here that I'm not a gluten-free baker.  As I mentioned in our last post (Cara's Ginger Wafer Thins), Liv thought she didn't like "gluten-free stuff", but this book is quickly changing her mind.  My son is severely lactose intolerant, and as such I'm are always looking for dairy-free recipes, hence I often turn to vegan sources and this book has become a new, highly praised source for me.

Research.... ;)

Seriously... Hot Cocoa Snickerdoodles??  My family is swooning, and I actually had to make a second batch to get a photo shoot in.  Luckily, they are all at school and work this morning, and I'm continuing the taste test portion of this post as I type.  All in the name of work of course... I want you to know how these snickerdoodles taste right from the oven, then an hour after baking, 2 hours after baking, and so on.  (Note: So far every hour is simply fabulous, however I will keep trying just to be sure.)

Tender and with a perfect snickerdoodle texture, these cookies bring what I think of as a Mexican Hot Cocoa flavor with the added cinnamon and chocolate.  Perfect for an after school treat (if there are any left by the time the kids get home), I can also see these cookies on my holiday trays or wrapped in a little bag for a hostess gift.  How perfect would a holiday gift of the book along with a bag of these cookies be??!

Thanks Cara for letting me post two recipes from your book.  I've got my eye on those Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes next!!

Ginger Wafer Thins from Cara Reed's Decadent Gluten-Free Vegan Baking

"Hey Liv... I'm making cookies today from the cookbook I got in the mail a few weeks ago.  So I'll have some when I pick you and Taylor up from dance and you guys can be my taste testers, OK?"

"Sure!!  Oh wait... is that the gluten-free book you got?"

"Yep."

"Oh... never mind then.  I don't like gluten-free stuff."

So went our conversation this morning, and apparently my daughter thinks she doesn't like gluten-free goods.  Funny, because she's been eating some pretty darn spectacular treats all week, and... they've all been gluten-free recipes from Cara Reed's new book, Decadent Gluten-Free Vegan Baking.  And... she liked them so much she's even been asking for extras so she can share with friends.

Our mail day Instagram!

Today I made Cara's spicy Ginger Wafer Thins (gluten-free AND vegan) and brought Liv what I had left over after performing my own taste test (which may or may not have had less than half the batch remaining...).

She and her girlfriend, hungry after 5 hours of dance rehearsals, gushed as they finished the rest of the gingery crisps, and her face was positively priceless when I told her the cookies were gluten-free.  Her comment of, "Well... I guess I do like gluten-free stuff!" made us all laugh.

While our family isn't particular to gf, I do tend to stick to vegan foods as I can guarantee a dairy-free meal or treat for my severely lactose intolerant son.  Cara Reed's beautiful new book opened our world even further with some 180+ pages of incredible baked goods my whole family can enjoy.

From cookies to scones to cupcakes and even donuts, every recipe we tried met or exceeded the "awesomeness" expectation we had after reading the descriptions that introduced them.  Cara has taken all the guess work out of swapping ingredients to remove gluten, milk and eggs from recipes, and her recipes work.  And she doesn't use "weird" ingredients that are meant as substitutes, just real ingredients using the right techniques.  Once you put together one of her Gluten-Free Baking blends (I did need to buy ingredients I don't usually have on hand for those), you're good to go.

If you are switching to gluten-free or vegan goods, you will definitely have predisposed ideas of what you are looking for in a cookie or cupcake, and I have to admit many times I'm disappointed with the finished products I find in stores or bake myself.  Not so with Cara's recipes.  She's done the research and testing for you, and you can count on consistently fabulous results from her recipes.

With a chapter on Childhood Favorites, Cara brings special treats like Girl Scout's Thin Mints to everyone's plate, and now no one needs to go without due to an intolerance or allergy.  We haven't tried the Strawberry Frosted "Pop-Tarts" or Hot Cocoa Snickerdoodles yet, but they're next up on our list and I'll definitely keep you posted.

Cara... thank you for bringing baked treats back into our house that my whole family can enjoy.  Your book is a treat to read with its gorgeous photos and your recipe descriptions make me feel like we're old friends simply chatting about what we're going to make.  The book is already splattered with batter and has pages turned down for future dates, definitely signs of a new favorite.  Thank you!

Chocolate Dipped Almond Butter Bites

Almond Butter, where have you been all my life???  I know, you were right there on the shelf, just below my beloved peanut butter, but I never noticed you.  And when I did, I didn't have the nerve to try.  Then one day I needed you for a recipe.  You sat in my fridge for a few weeks and I wondered, "What should I do with the rest of this?".  Somehow, thankfully, you talked me into spreading you on a waffle after the kids went to school...  And it was love.  Pure, brilliant, why-did-I-wait-so-long love.  Almond Butter?  I love you.

Such is my relationship with my now beloved almond butter.  We've gotten to know each other so well I've actually started making it myself so I'm never without its awesomeness.  Almond butter hasn't been embraced by my family like me, making me feel like we have something special... Almond Butter and I.

Hence, when looking for treats to bake I frequently reach for the 'ole peanut butter and then everyone is happy.  But yesterday, I didn't.  Yesterday everyone in the family left.  My husband flew himself off to the Big Island of Hawaii for "work", Liv spent the day and night with a girlfriend and my son worked and was out late.  And the Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookie recipe from Cooking Light that flashed through my facebook feed stopped me in my tracks.  How would it be with almond butter?

I can tell you how it would be with almond butter.  Fabulous.  Amazing.  Even spectacular!!  Easy to whip together and baked into little bites, their version of the recipe called for mini chocolate chips.  But I didn't have any, so... why not melt dark chocolate and dip the little guys?  Done.

Tossing the bites into the fridge to firm up I forgot about them for a few hours.  Then finding them as I thought about dinner for myself, I pulled a cookie right from the fridge.  Cold, and a little hard, the chocolate cracked as I took my first bite and the cookie yielded a firm, yet giving texture.

Taking them out to photograph the humidity immediately clung the the chilly chocolate and the chocolate and cookie softened up to a lovely, soft, full of fabulous almond butter taste.  Preferring the fresh from the fridge, though, I replaced the plate after our photo shoot, and while working around the house I'll admit to stopping at the fridge nearly every time I passed.

Leaving a handful on the plate, the pups and I made our way to bed, and I think I might have even dreamed about my new almond butter loves.  The next morning I thought, "Maybe just one before breakfast...", but my dreams were dashed as I opened the fridge to find an empty plate, plastic wrap sticking up just wide enough for an 18-year old male hand to fit through, and a note.  "These are good".

Luckily... I know how to make almond butter.

Homemade Corn Tortilla Chips

Did you whip up a batch of Classic Guacamole today??  Or perhaps it was a nice Grilled Tomatillo Mango Salsa?  And when you were at the store did you get all the ingredients on your list... except the tortilla chips??  I just may have done exactly that, but my to my family's happiness all was not lost.  Actually... all was better.

Tomatillo Mango Salsa

Spying a bag of corn tortillas in my pantry my mind went to work.  Hmmm... DIY Corn Tortilla Chips??  Probably made with corn tortillas, right?

Pulling out a few of the fragrant rounds (I love the smell of corn tortillas) we cut them into triangles and strips (and yes... they really can be cut with a cutter into heart shapes too), drizzled with our favorite avocado oil, sprinkled with a few pinches of smoked paprika and a grind of salt and we baked.  And then we ate.

Nicely salted, flavored and crisped to perfection, these Baked Corn Tortilla Chips brought a fraction of the fat than the store bought bags, and the whole family actually begged for another batch.

20 minutes is all you need to whip up a crispy batch of your own.  Now you're happy you forgot that bag at the store!!

20 minutes and a stack of corn tortillas is all your need for fresh, crispy chips!

Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Chunks... Gluten, Dairy Free and Irresistible!

How do you feel about Wednesday?? A thought provoking question that recently appeared as a college application essay for the University of Chicago.  With our life currently revolving around college essays and everything college application related, my son brought this one to me with a look of utter disbelief and asked, "What would you write?"

Hmmm... Wednesday.  Sort of an innocuous day that really doesn't bring much emotion.  The weekend is still too far away to get excited about, yet we are already half way through our week of insane schedules, so I feel like we are getting there.

Wednesday, for us, brings a late start to school and an extra hour of sleep that somehow makes this day a little brighter than some of the others.  Especially as my alarm goes off after the sun rises, not as it merely thinks about peeking its rays over the horizon.  Waking to the sun, and usually a few minutes before the alarm goes off, my Wednesday sets off to a good start.

With the usual errands filling the day, Wednesday seems to pass rather uneventfully with each one mostly like the next or the last, but will admit to enjoying a few hours to myself with the pups as the kids are at school and my husband at work.  Noontime, though, brings thoughts of the kids returning soon and a knowledge that they will be hungry.  As such, my thoughts turn to food, and today, to cookies. Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Chunks to be exact.

Gluten and dairy free, these irresistible little bites bring Wednesday to a new level.  Bursting with peanut buttery flavor, the crumb sort of melts in your mouth and has you immediately reaching for another.  The semi-sweet chocolate chunks add an additional layer of depth, and again, have you immediately reaching for another.

So, as for Wednesday... while I'm not thinking my somewhat indifferent thoughts on the day will get me into college, this Wednesday has shaped up to be a pretty good one.  How do you feel about Wednesday??

Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Chunks
Gluten and dairy free (not that anyone would know it!) these cookies whip together in a flash and disappear just as quickly.  Just what anyone would need to perk up their Wednesday!
adapted from a recipe found in Real Simple
Printer Friendly

1 cup peanut butter (we use Jiff**)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp baking soda
1 handful chocolate chips (we used Trader Joe's Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunks)

Preheat oven to 350ºF, and line two baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.

In a medium bowl combine all the ingredients and using a wooden spoon, stir well to combine.

Drop rounded teaspoons of dough onto your prepared baking sheets (place about 2 inches apart and do not flatten).  Bake for 7-9 minutes, or until the cookies are puffed, golden and a little cracked on top.  Remove from the oven and allow to firm up on the cookie sheet for about 5 minutes.  I dare you not to eat one!!  ;)

Remove from baking sheet and place on a wire rack to cool.  Enjoy!

**Liv Life Note:  We've made these both with natural peanut butter (I used Trader Joe's brand) and with Jiff cream and with Jiff crunchy peanut butters.  While all were a delight to eat, those made with Jiff had a more "cookie-like" texture. 

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies with Chocolate Peanut Butter Ganache

Some holidays are meant to be celebrated with flair, and today is indeed one of those days.  National Peanut Butter Day ranks right up there with Christmas and Thanksgiving in my book, and remains a "holiday" that I sometimes entertain celebrating daily.

If you are a familiar reader of Liv Life, you may remember a peanut butter recipe or two... those Peanut Butter Waffle Sandwiches are still being requested by my carpool girls, along with the PB Granola which also remains favorite. Peanut Butter Krispie Treats?  Well they've earned the third spot on our list of all time viewed posts.  Apparently I'm not the only one with Peanut Butter love.

As such, we most certainly couldn't let National Peanut Butter Day go by without a peanut butter treat, and with chocolate also pretty darn high on our happy scale, why not go all out and put the two together??

Enter Fine Cooking's recipe for Peanut Butter Cookie Sandwiches by one of my favorite bakers, Abby Dodge.  I don't think I've found a recipe from Abby that I don't love, and the well worn page in my October 2007 Fine Cooking magazine evidences that this one is no different.

Being a dairy as well as gluten free recipe, this one meets the requirements of my lactose intolerant son and has him smiling and eating without worry.  For those not needing gluten/dairy free conditions, you'll never know the difference.  Actually, when we started making these my family had no dairy issues, so the recipe was simply made out of pure peanut butter love.

Pure peanut buttery taste shines in this flourless cookie, and the bite becomes ever so addicting as the chocolate center sets up, bringing an irresistible creamy crunch that surprises that palate.  Described in the reviews on the Fine Cooking site as "The ultimate last meal cookie", I don't think there is anything further I can add.

With that, let's celebrate...

   Happy National Peanut Butter Day 2013!