Fudgy Marshmallow Oatmeal Cookies

These cookies are s'mores for adults - a gooey, fudgy, decadent cookie made a little healthier with a base of oatmeal and whole wheat flour. Regular cocoa powder can be used, but I prefer the darker flavor of dutched cocoa. These aren't the prettiest cookies since the marshmallows tend to melt and explode, but they make up for their homeliness in flavor.

There are two brands of vegan marshmallows that I know of -- Dandies and Sweet & Sara. Both are good, but Dandies have more of the air-puffed campfire marshmallow texture. If you use the bigger marshmallows from either brand, cut them into quarters or eighths before folding them into the batter.

Fudgy Marshmallow Oatmeal Cookies

2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2/3 cup dutched cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 Tbsp ground flax
1 1/4 cups non-dairy milk (I used soy)
1/2 cup coconut oil
2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup chocolate chips
1 cup vegan marshmallows (I used Dandies and cut them into quarters)

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease two baking sheets.

In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients except for chocolate chips and marshmallows. Add non-dairy milk, coconut oil, and vanilla and mix well to form a dough. Fold in the chocolate chips and marshmallows.

Drop dough on the baking sheets in 2 Tbsp-sized portions, making sure there is a marshmallow in each cookie. For a little more predictability in marshmallow expansion, you may want to fold the dough around the marshmallows instead of mixing them directly into the dough.

Bake for 10-12 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool for at least 5 minutes before transferring them to a plate or rack to finish cooling.

Plum Crumble for One

The problem with desserts is that it can be difficult to find baked desserts that serve just one or two instead of a dozen. It is almost as difficult to find desserts that are low sugar without resorting to fake sugar. This crumble satisfies both of those needs. It is single serving (but can easily be doubled) and only contains a teaspoon of sugar to cut the tartness of the plums. Also, unlike recipes making larger amounts, it only requires a couple pieces of fruit instead of a whole bag.

If you don't like or don't have plums, any other stone fruit can be substituted. You can also substitute the almond butter with peanut butter, or another nut or seed butter.

I confess I had this for breakfast instead of dessert, but since it is mostly fruit and oatmeal, I don't need to feel guilty about that.

Sorry on the blurriness! I didn't realize the focus was off until I uploaded it. By then, I had already eaten the crumble.

Plum Crumble for One

3 plums, sliced
1 Tbsp water
1/4 cup old fashioned oatmeal
1/4 cup white whole wheat flour
1 tsp sugar or maple syrup
1 Tbsp almond butter
1 Tbsp coconut oil

Preheat oven to 375F.

Place sliced plums and water in a small baking dish.

In a small bowl, mix together the oatmeal, flour, sugar, almond butter, and coconut oil. Sprinkle the mixture on top of the plums.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until the topping is lightly browned.

Zucchini Bread

I found myself with a surplus of zucchini this week. I could only find one of my bread pans, so the excess batter became muffins. This recipe makes two loaves of bread or about 18 large muffins. Turbokid screamed "Cupcakes!" when he saw the muffins and devoured two of them.

Zucchini Bread

2 cups grated zucchini (about two zucchini)
3 Tbsp ground flax seed
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup mashed banana (about 1 medium ripe banana)
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp cinnamon
2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp baking soda
3 cups white whole wheat flour

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease two bread pans.

In a small, stir together the ground flax and water and let sit for about 5 minutes. In a large mixing bowl, combine the grated zucchini, flax and water mixture, coconut oil, mashed banana, sugar, and vanilla. Stir in the salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, and baking soda, then add the flour and mix well.

Pour batter into the bread pans. Bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Muffin variation: This recipe makes approximately 18 muffins. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Maple-Chia Granola

I have a difficult time figuring out what to do with chia seeds. I don't like their texture in drinks and I'm usually not in the mood for pudding. This granola is a good, non-threatening way to introduce chia to your diet. It's especially good sprinkled over some plain or vanilla non-dairy yogurt and fresh fruit.

Maple-Chia Granola

4 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup chia seeds
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup maple syrup
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup coconut oil

Preheat oven to 300F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Put all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Spread the granola evenly on the baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, remove from heat and stir well, then bake for another 15 minutes. Allow granola to cool completely on the baking sheet before transferring to an air-tight container. The oats will become crunchier as they cool.

Garbanzo Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies

I'm not gluten-free right now, but I still like to experiment with gluten-free baking. I have never used xanthan gum in my gluten-free baking because everything I've made has turned out fine without it so I think it's unnecessary in most recipes. These cookies are made with garbanzo flour, which gives a beany flavor to the dough but the beaniness disappears upon baking. They are also free of tree nuts, peanuts, and soy. If you desire, you can stir in coconut flakes, dried fruit, nuts, or seeds along with or instead of the chocolate chips. The cookies bake up soft and don't fall apart or crumble like many of the gluten-free recipes I've tried.

*Note* This recipe had a typo. It should have been 1/4 cup non-dairy milk instead of 3/4 cup.

Garbanzo Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup non-dairy milk

1 Tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot powder

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups garbanzo flour

3/4 cup chocolate chips.

Preheat oven to 350F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a mixing bowl, use a fork to combine brown and white sugars, coconut oil, non-dairy milk, and cornstarch. If your kitchen is cool, it might be easier to mix with an electric beater because coconut oil solidifies below 76F.

Stir in vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Mix in garbanzo flour until well combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Drop dough by the tablespoon onto the cookie sheets.

Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, allow to cool for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Herbed Biscuits

These flaky biscuits are a great compliment to the French Lentil and Kale Soup. They are soy-free and whole grain.

Herbed Biscuits

2 cups white whole wheat flour
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 Tbsp dried Italian herbs
4 Tbsp coconut oil
1 cup non-dairy milk (I used almond)

Preheat oven to 450F.

Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Using a fork or your hands, cut the coconut oil into the flour mixture. Add the non-dairy milk and mix well.

Form biscuits and place on a cookie sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Number made depends on how big you like your biscuits. I generally get 8-12 biscuits from this recipe.

Love Lotion #1

I love the tension-relief body lotion I made recently, but what I really wanted was something more lotiony and less buttery. The Thieves lotion I made at a craft night in December had a wonderful texture, but the scent wasn't my favorite. Since my little jar is almost gone and I found a little bottle of ylang ylang essential oil on clearance, I thought it was time to experiment with some more refreshing and less wintery scents. I reduced the butter content from my original recipe to get a softer result. Like the original recipe, it goes on a bit oilier than commercial lotions, but that oil gets absorbed into your skin and leaves it silky.

I'm not sure how to describe the scent of this lotion. It is both citrus and floral, light and sensual. I think it's perfect for Valentine's Day, especially if you're like me and not so fond of the rose and patchouli scents of most "sensual" blends. Scent preference is subjective, so you might get a different impression of this combination than I do. I started with orange and ylang ylang, but felt it needed something additional so I added a few drops of lavender for a subtle floral undertone.

Love Lotion #1

1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup pure shea butter
1/3 cup almond oil (or apricot or jojoba oil)
1 tsp Vitamin E oil
15 drops orange oil
10 drops ylang ylang oil
3 drops lavender oil

This the same basic process as the Tension-Relief Body Lotion, so check out that recipe for photographic instructions.

Measure the coconut oil and shea butter in the top of a double boiler. Boil the water in the lower half until the coconut oil and shea butter are melted. Remove from heat, stir, and let cool for about 10 minutes. Place in the freezer for 20-30 minutes, or until partially solidified.

Stir in almond oil, Vitamin E oil, and essential oils. Whip with a hand mixer or stand mixer, scraping the sides often, until a smooth, lotion-like consistency is achieved.

Scoop the lotion into a clean glass jar and store in a cool place.

This batch made about 9oz of lotion.

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

I can't pass up the mint and chocolate combination. It has always been my favorite flavor for desserts even though I'm not normally a chocolate-lover. I make these cookies with white whole wheat flour, which is a lighter-tasting variety of whole wheat.

Fresh from the oven.

Cookie dough ready for the freezer.
Are you like me and eat way too many cookies when you make a batch? Try baking just what you need and freezing the rest so you can pop a couple in the oven when you have a craving or when the kids think they need cookies. Freeze tablespoon-sized scoops on parchment paper, then transfer to freezer bags or another container so you can just pull out a few scoops, defrost, and bake!

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup non-dairy milk,
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp peppermint extract
2 cups white whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

With a hand mixer, cream together sugars and coconut oil in a mixing bowl. Add non-dairy milk, cornstarch, and extracts and mix again. The coconut oil will harden if the milk isn't at room temperature, but don't worry about that. Sift in flour, salt, and baking soda and mix well. Fold in chocolate chips.

Drop dough by the tablespoon onto the cookie sheet. These cookies hold their shape well, so you may want to flatten them slightly. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Raw Coconut-Lime Cookie Balls

My current obsession is raw cookies. They are free of most allergens, quick to make, and a healthy snack to eat in the 3-second lull between group exercise classes and chasing two hyperactive toddlers. This is a variation of the versatile sunflower seed cookie I posted last week and they taste like Lara Bars. If you want a more Larabar-like bar, you can roll them flat and cut them before refrigerating instead of rolling them into balls.

Raw Coconut-Lime Cookie Balls

1/2 cup raw almonds
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup unsweetened dried coconut (plus more for rolling cookies in)
1 cup pitted dates
1/4 cup fresh-squeezed lime juice
1 Tbsp coconut oil

Pulse almonds, seeds, and coconut in a food processor until a coarse flour forms. Add dates and pulse into the dates are well incorporated. Add the coconut oil and lime juice and process until a dough forms.

Roll 1/2 Tbsp-sized portions of dough into balls and roll the balls in shredded coconut, if desired. Refrigerate for a few hours to overnight, and store in fridge.