Coconut Pumpkin Chocolate-Chunk Cookies (gluten free)

Wow. These are great, especially for fall. Rich and pumpkin-y with dark chocolate so they're just the right amount of sweet. 

The recipe was adapted from one in The Sprouted Kitchen cookbook. The husband-wife pair also have a lovely blog with amazing recipes and photography.

You could definitely substitute chocolate chips in these, but I like the uneven sizes of the chunks. Never know when you'll get a giant chocolate bomb!

The Recipe

makes about 20 cookies

3 tablespoons coconut oil
3 tablespoons pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 2/3 cup almond flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
1/2 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup dark chocolate chunks

Preheat oven to 375F degrees.

Melt coconut oil in a small bowl. Add pumpkin, vanilla, egg and whisk well.

In a separate, larger bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Slowly add the wet ingredients, mixing just until combined. Refrigerate

Bake on un-greased baking sheets for about 10-12 minutes, or until lightly browned on top. Remove immediately to a cooling rack.

Chickpea Double-Chocolate Brownies

Apparently I'm into brownies lately. I think that's OK. And because it's late September, I of course have done my obligatory first pumpkin baking session. I made pumpkin bread, swirled with chocolate and almond butter, for the adults, and pumpkin muffins for baby. More on that later.

Most people have heard of black bean brownies (no? that's OK), but what about chickpea brownies? I sensed a challenge.

These are creamy/fudge-y, chocolaty and rather dense. I prefer to eat mine cold straight from the fridge.

So, how do these stack up against the cashew-butter brownies? Well, they're a bit more chocolaty. I think I prefer these.

This recipe was adapted from these vegan, gluten-free black bean brownies from Minimalist Baker. Mine are still vegan and gluten free, if you use gluten-free oats.

The Recipe

makes about 9 medium-sized bars in a 9x9-inch pan

2 tablespoons flax plus 8 tablespoons water
1/3 heaping cup oats
1 can chickpeas (15 ounces) drained and rinsed
1/4 cup coconut oil
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 heaping cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
additional chocolate chips, optional

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line a 9x9-inch pan with parchment paper and oil very lightly.

Combine flax and water in a small bowl and set aside. Meanwhile, pulse oats in food processor until they become a flour-like consistency. Add chickpeas, oil, sugar,cocoa, vanilla, salt and baking powder. Pulse for a minute or two. Add the flax and water. Process until the mixture is very creamy. You don't want any chunks.

If your mixture seems dry, add water a little bit at a time. The batter should be thick so that you have to scoop it out. It shouldn't be pour-able. Stir in chocolate chips and then spread batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle additional chips on top and press down gently.

Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool completely and refrigerate leftovers.

Cashew Butter Chocolate Brownies

These are super creamy and stay fresh for several days. I highly recommend storing them in the refrigerator and eating them cold.

Cashew butter is wonderfully neutral and really allows the chocolate flavor to come through. However, I think you could substitute peanut or almond butter.

You could cut back on the flax seed if you want a slightly less grainy texture. Also, I'm pretty sure these would be great, and even more chocolate-ly, with the addition of some cocoa powder. I was out when I created this recipe.

The Recipe

makes about 15 bars in a 13x9-inch pan

1 1/2 cups flour (I used almond and oat flour)
2 tablespoons ground flax seed
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup oil (I used coconut)
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chocolate syrup (I used this non-dairy kind)
1/2 cup cashew butter
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips - divided

Preheat oven to 325F degrees. Line a 13x9-inch pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Oil lightly.

Beat eggs in a large bowl. Add sugar, oil, vanilla, salt and chocolate syrup. Mix well.

Melt half of chocolate chips in a medium-sized bowl. Once melted, stir in cashew butter until well blended. Add this to the egg mixture.

Beat in flour and flax. Stir in the rest of the chocolate chips. Spread into prepared pan and bake for about 30 to 35 minutes. Do not overcook!

Banana Cornbread Muffins

I've had a lot of ripe bananas lately and was looking for creative ways to use them when I thought of this -- banana cornbread! Why not?

These muffins are super easy and are great for any meal because they're not too sweet. Top with jam for breakfast, or serve alongside some yummy soup or stew for dinner.

The Recipe

makes 12 muffins

1 banana
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup almond milk
scant 2 tablespoons coconut oil (or oil of your choice)
1 egg
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour
1/4 cup flaxseed
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking poweder

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Lightly oil a muffin tin or line with paper cups.

Mash banana in a large bowl. Mix in applesauce, milk, oil, egg and honey. Whisk until thoroughly combined. Stir in the rest of the ingredients, being careful not to over mix.

Bake for about 25 minutes or until golden brown on top. These go great with some raspberry or strawberry chia seed jam.

Cherry-Studded Seed Bread

This bread makes you feel good. It's not too sweet, kinda dense and moist. And I just love biting into one of those tart cherries. It was inspired by Angela's bread here.

Whisk the wet ingredients separately. The hot water helps to melt the cashew (or almond butter).

My bread was a little soft and under cooked in the middle, but I didn't mind. It's hard to get quick breads just right with the baking times! And this is vegan, so no worries about raw eggs.

The Recipe

makes one loaf

1 ripe banana
1/4 cup cashew butter (or almond butter)
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup almond milk (other other milk of your choice)
1 heaping tablespoon coconut oil
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1/3 cup boiling, or very hot, water
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 3/4 cups flour (I used oat and chickpea flour, and a little white)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup unsalted sunflower seeds (or other seeds like pepitas or flax)
1 cup pitted tart cherries (fresh or frozen)

Preheat oven to 325F degrees. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper and lightly oil.

In a medium-sized bowl, mash banana with fork. Whisk in cashew butter, applesauce, milk, coconut oil and chia seeds. Pour in hot water and whisk again. Add sugar and vanilla. Stir well.

In a separate large bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add wet mixture and stir just until moistened. Fold in seeds and cherries. Reserve a few cherries for the topping, if desired. Pour in prepared pan and gently press in reserved cherries.

Bake for about 75 minutes, or longer if needed. My loaf was a little mushy in the middle, but I didn't mind!

Coconut Banana Bread

This bread is great because it uses only one bowl. That's right, only one big bowl to wash at the end. It comes together quickly and also happens to be quite tasty. I don't do a lot of quick breads in the hot summer months, but this is just tropical enough to pass.

It was inspired by this gluten-free banana bread from the Minimalist Baker. Mine is dairy free, but it isn't gluten free. There's also the option to make it vegan.

Stir the dry ingredients in just until moistened. Don't beat them together!

Sprinkle fancy-cut coconut and/or almonds on top for a very pretty final product. I also topped it with a bit of demerara (large grain) sugar.

The Recipe

makes one 9x9-inch square pan or one giant loaf

3 medium-sized ripe bananas
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg (for vegan: 1 tablespoon chia seeds soaked in 3 tablespoons water)
1/4 cup almond milk (or coconut)
6-ounce container almond yogurt (or other plain yogurt)
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup shredded coconut
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup oats
1 1/4 cup unbleached white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup ground flaxseed

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.

Mash the bananas in a large bowl. Add the sugar, egg, almond milk, yogurt, vanilla, coconut and cinnamon. Beat until well combined. Add the baking powder and salt. Whisk together again. Gently stir in the rest of the ingredients until batter is moistened. Don't worry if it looks lumpy.

Top with extra coconut and sliced almonds, if desired.

Bake for about 1 hour and 20 minutes, or longer if needed. The baking times will vary depending on your pan size. A loaf pan will take longer, while the square pan may be done a bit sooner.

Check bread after an hour to make sure the top isn't getting too brown. Cover with aluminum foil, if necessary. Let cool for several hours before slicing and eating.

Peanut Chocolate Oat Bars

I'm really craving peanuts and chocolate lately, so this is the result of those hankerings. It's moist and crumbly, not as dense as you might think for having oats.

You certainly don't have to ice or glaze these bars. My peanut butter cravings got the best of me, though, and I ended up making a very simple topping: peanut butter, almond milk and powdered sugar. Yum!

The Recipe

makes about 12 medium-sized bars

1 1/4 cup unbleached flour
1/2 cup oats
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup agave syrup
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup oil (I used canola)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 heaping tablespoons peanut butter
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Grease and flour an 8x8-inch or 9x9-inch pan.

Whisk together the flour, oats, flax, salt and baking soda in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and add the agave, applesauce, oil, egg, vanilla and peanut butter. Whisk these together in the well and then combine with the dry ingredients. Stir in the peanuts and chocolate chips.

Bake for about 35 minutes (depending on pan size). Do not overcook. They will be lightly browned on the top when done. Allow to cool before cutting. You can eat these as is, or frost with some melted chocolate chips (just sprinkle some on while it's cooling and spread), or a simple peanut butter icing.

Chia Seed, Prune and Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

Don't let the prunes scare you. These granola bars, held together with a prune-applesauce puree, are seriously addictive. I can't stop eating them. I had to put some of my last batch in the freezer just to get them out of sight!

And you can definitely add whatever unsalted nuts, seeds and dried fruit you happen to have on hand or really like. This recipe is easily adapted.

The prune puree is sweet so no other sugar is needed.

I actually haven't tried it, but bet the dough is delicious just to eat on its own. Since these are vegan, taste as much as you like!

The Recipe

makes one 9x13-inch pan of bars

1 cup oat flour
1/2 cup oats

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup unbleached white flour

1/4 cup wheat germ

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup tightly packed prunes soaked in 3/4 cup water

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/3 cup coconut oil

2 tablespoons chia seeds mixed with about 6 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup pepitas (or other seeds such as sunflower)
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup large raisins (or other dried fruit)
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to about 350F degrees. Line a 9x13-inch pan with waxed paper and lightly oil.

Combine dry ingredients (first seven ingredients) in a large bowl. 

Puree soaked prunes (including water) with applesauce in a food processor or blender. Add to dry ingredients along with the oil, chia seeds and vanilla. Stir in the rest of the ingredients until combined.

Bake for about 25 minutes or until the top is lightly browned.

Chocolate Shoo Fly Pie

After seeing a shoo fly pie from a neighborhood pie shop, I decided I wanted to attempt this ooey-gooey and sweet confection. And of course, I wanted chocolate in there somewhere! That's where this recipe comes from. It's a delicious cold weather dessert to enjoy with some tea or coffee in front of a warm fire.

The end result was very sweet, yet balanced, because of the molasses. I loved the addition of chocolate. My husband said he wanted even more chocolate. I told him it was a molasses pie with chocolate, NOT a chocolate pie with molasses :-)

I used semi-sweet chips, but imagine this pie would be just as yummy with dark or milk chocolate, depending on your preference. Make sure the crust is completely covered in chocolate.

The liquid/molasses mixture looks kind of strange and watery. Don't worry, it will come out just fine.

The Recipe

makes one 9-inch pie

Crust

1 cup unbleached white flour
1/3 cup wheat germ or whole wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

1/3 cup canola oil

Pie
1/2 cup unbleached white flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup oats

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons butter or other shortening (I used vegan butter spread)
1 egg
1 cup dark molasses

3/4 cup cold water

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup boiling water

1/2 cup to 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.

Make the crust by combining the dry ingredients and whisking in the oil and milk until a ball of dough forms. Add a little more milk if the mixture seems too dry. Either roll it out or pat it into a pie pan. Place in refrigerator while preparing the filling.

For the pie, mix together the flours, oats, cinnamon and sugar. Cut in the shortening until there are coarse crumbles. Set aside about 1 cup of this for topping the pie.

In a separate, large bowl, combine the egg, molasses, cold water, vanilla and remaining crumb mixture. Whisk together thoroughly. In a separate small bowl, mix baking soda with boiling water. Add to molasses mixture and whisk together again.

Spread chocolate chips in the bottom of the pie crust. Dump the filling over the chocolate chips. Sprinkle the crumb mixture over top.

Bake for about 50 to 55 minutes, until the filling is no longer jiggly. Serve with some whipped cream, ice cream or coffee, if desired.

Raspberry Jam Oat Bars

It's been pretty cold lately, which has inspired me to do a lot of baking. I like turning the oven on and just standing in front of it sometimes :-)

These delicious little oat bars are super healthy (vegan) and are topped with homemade raspberry chia seed jam. The recipe below was adapted from the Raspberry Chia Seed Jam Oat Crumble Squares from the Oh She Glows blog and recipe website (thanks Angela!). I love her recipes and photos, just lovely.

The jam doesn't take long to whip up. I'd suggest making a little extra, or just saving a bit, to eat on toast later. I did!

The Recipe

makes one 8x8-inch square pan of bars

Jam
16 ounces frozen raspberries

2 tablespoons chia seeds
3 tablespoons maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Bars
1 tablespoon ground flax seed

4 tablespoons water
1/4 cup sugar (I used maple sugar)

1/3 cup oil (I used coconut oil)
2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups oats
1 1/2 cups flour (I used a mixture of white and whole wheat)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt (I used pink Himalayan)

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line an 8x8-inch square pan with parchment paper.

Mix the frozen raspberries, chia seeds and maple syrup in a saucepan on the stove over medium. Stir until the raspberries are broken down and the mixture has thickened (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Let the jam cool in the refrigerator.

Combine flax seed and water in a small bowl and set aside. Combine the sugar, oil, honey and vanilla. Mix in the flax seed and water (it will have thickened slightly). Add in the rest of the ingredients to form a crumbly mixture. If it seems too dry, add a few teaspoons of water.

Press about two-thirds of batter into prepared pan. Spread jam on top. Sprinkle the rest of the oat crumble mixture on top.

Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes in the pan, then lift parchment paper out and place on baking rack. Store leftovers in the refrigerator or freezer (if they last that long!).

Orange Chocolate Banana Bread

I'm calling this "bread" even though it's loaded with chocolate and a delicious glaze. I ate it for breakfast, and lunch, and dinner. It's that good. It was inspired by this recipe from the 101 Cookbooks blog/journal, which I absolutely love!

It's wonderful having giant chocolate chunks in this, but chocolate chips will work, too. Also, I was surprised by how yummy the glaze was. If you're in a super sweet mood, you could definitely double up on it.

The Recipe

makes one hearty loaf pan

2 cups flour (I used 1 cup whole wheat)
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground flax seed (optional)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped dark chocolate (I kept mine in big chunks)
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup applesauce
2 medium-sized ripe bananas - mashed
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
freshly grated orange zest - to taste

Glaze:
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 cup powdered sugar
freshly grated orange zest
2-3 teaspoons orange bitters or orange juice

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Grease and lightly flour a loaf pan.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, flax, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, mix the rest of the ingredients except for the chocolate. Stir until well combined.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir just until moistened. Fold in the chocolate chunks, again being careful not to over mix.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for about 50 to 60 minutes. Check it after about 30 minutes to make sure the top isn't getting too brown. Cover with foil if necessary.

While the bread is baking, whisk together all glaze ingredients. Spread glaze over bread after it has cooled, otherwise it will melt and all fall to the sides.

Avocado Peanut Butter Brownies

The secret ingredient in these super fudgy brownies -- avocado! Yep, that's right. You can't even taste it and the fat makes the brownies so creamy, especially after a day in the refrigerator. Honestly, I think these were better after sitting for a day, so plan ahead.

Make sure to get the avocado mashed and really smooth (I used my mixer), otherwise you'll end up with chunks in your brownies. Oh yea, these are also dairy-free and egg-free, if you're into that.

The Recipe

makes one 9x13-inch pan

2 avocados
1/2 cup peanut butter
8 ounces dark chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup almond milk
2 tablespoons water (can omit if your mixture seems moist enough)
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 3/4 cup flour (I used about 1/2 cup whole wheat)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

To swirl in:
3/4 cup peanut butter
4 to 5 tablespoons powdered sugar
3 to 4 tablespoons almond milk

Topping:
4 ounces chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line a 9x13-inch pan with foil and grease slightly.

Mash the avocados really well either in a food processor or with a mixer. Melt the chocolate chips and 1/2 cup peanut butter in on low heat in the microwave. Combine with the avocado and mix well. Add vanilla, milk and water.

Combine the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the chocolate mixture. Spread in prepared pan.

Combine the peanut butter, powdered sugar and almond milk. Dollop on top of brownies and swirl in. Top with additional chocolate chips if desired.

Bake for about 30 minutes. Do not overcook. These will be best slightly underdone. There are no eggs, so nothing really has to cook.