No Bake Sweet Potato Energy ballz

•  
•  
•  
•  
  
•  
• Because who doesn't love a good ball? Especially one packed with protein and nutrients?
•  
• Ingredients:
• 1 large sweet potato, roasted
• 1 scoop Slap Vanilla Protein
• ¼ cup old fashioned oats
• 2 tbs. vanilla sunflower butter ( I tried to make my own and it did not really work out so well...so mine was more like a sunflower flourish/butterish mix I did not add enough oil) (can use butter of choice was trying to mix it up rather than using pb)
• 1 tbs. ground flax seed meal
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• Trader Joe's hemp seeds (to roll the balls in)

 Directions:

1. Roast the sweet potato in the oven for about 40 minutes. 
2. Peel skin from the cooked sweet potato.
3. Add the potato to a mixing bowl. 
4. Using a fork mash the potato up. 
   
5. Add the protein powder, cinnamon,flax, and oats. Mix with fork until combined.
   
6. Add the sunflower butter and mix until combined.
7. Place in fridge for about 20 mins to chill. Take out and spoon into balls. 
8. Place on plate and put in freezer to harden for about 15 mins. Take out and roll in hemp seeds. ( I did this because am planning on freezing the extras anyways.)
9. Place in an freezer container and place back in the freezer. ( I keep mine frozen because they are just unfrozen when I get to work and when I want them.) 

Happy Easter!

These cookies are ....buttery, chewy, crispy, and most importantly stuffed with some chocolate goodness. Happy Easter enjoy!

Ingredients: 

• 1 stick of unsalted butter softened at room temperature 
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup pastry flour
• 1 bag of mini Cadbury dark chocolate Eggs, crushed ( I left some whole as well- you want a variety- whole, halves, pieces, and the crumbs!)
• Sweetened coconut flakes  (optional)

Directions.

• Crush eggs! 
• In your mixer add the butter, sugar, and vanilla. Mix until combined.
• Add the egg and mix until thoroughly combined.
• Add the baking soda to your flour
• Slowly add in flour mixture making sure that everything is combined. Mix until all is combined. 
• Add in the amount of mini eggs you so desire to! Use the mixer to start and then to ensure an even distribution mix with hands. 
• Create a large ball out of the dough and then spoon into balls and place on plate to chill. Roll half in coconut flakes

•  at this time I placed the cookies in the freezer for about 30 mins
• Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Place cookies on pan 
• Bake for 10-15 minutes- until tops are brown- the centers will still be a tad gooey if you add as much chocolate as I did :) 
• Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes and then have self control unlike myself and move to a cooling rack. 
• Enjoy warm or cool! (Of course a nice class of milk goes well or a nice cookie sundae or cookie ice cream sandwich :) )
•  

The indescisive coffee cake......

                                        

 

 

I had something I needed to bake for. I signed up for a breakfast bread but then wanted to make cookies but then happened upon a post for "funfetti coffee cake". Of course the title having the word FUNFETTI pulled me in. It came from one of my go to blogs Amy's healthy baking. The reason why I love her blog so much is because her recipes are "doable" healthier recipes. They are not recipes they are 100% percent clean but are healthy OR MUCH healthier than the original recipe would be. Don't get me wrong I follow a bunch of instagram accounts that are all clean and such and make some of the recipes as well but sometimes you want recipes like Amy creates OR you want the real thing. It is called balance. I find that her blog is the best with that. Ok back to the recipe. The main ingredient in her version that makes it "funfetti" is fruity pebbles. I did not have any of those but I did have mini- cadbury eggs. That is an even swap, right?! I mean the eggs are colorful. I know there are some odd people on this planet who do not like chocolate so I did half with the regular topping and half with the mini- eggs. Enjoy! 

 

 

for the cake batter: 

1¼ c ap flour

½ c white wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

2 tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg

¼ tsp cloves

3 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

¾ cup brown sugar

2 tbsp plain Siggis Yogurt (or plain greek yogurt)

1 egg

hearty pour of vanilla

½ c + 2 tbsp skim milk

cadbury mini eggs (crushed)

 

for the streusel topping: 

 

3 tbsp ap flour

2 tbsp brown sugar

¼ tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp (pule a little more) unsalted butter, softened

1. Preheat the oven to 350°
2.  line a 8”-square baking pan with parchment (or spray it)
3.  prepare the streusel: mix all ingredients in a bowl. Mix with hands until a crumble forms. Set aside.
   
4. FOR the CAKE: mix the the all-purpose flour, spices, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
5. In your mixer bowl, cream the butter, sugar, and vanilla until fluffy. 
   
6. Add in the yogurt, egg and mix until combined.
7. Add in the flour mixture. Mix until combined. 
8. Add in the milk and mix.      
   
9. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and sprinkle the streusel topping on top of half and sprinkle the mini eggs on the other half.
10.  Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until a knife comes out clean. 
    
    
    
    
    
    
11. Cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before slicing and enjoying.

Served warmed up with some milk....or coffee :) 





Recipe adapted from: http://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2013/05/07/a-fruity-tradition/

Coconut Cashew Carrot Balls

                                     

Enjoy as a snack or top a yogurt bowl like I did! 

SO GOOD. Recipe adapted from  http://twistoflemons.com/cashew-coconut-carrot-cake-bites/

Ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1 cup Trader Joe's roasted unsalted cashews
1/4 cup cashew butter (I made it with the same type of cashews)
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
Optional coconut flakes

Directions:
1. Pulse carrots in food processor and then set aside.

2. Pulse cashews into a crumble.
3. Add carrots back in and add the rest of the ingredients.
4. Combine until a ball forms.
5. Transfer dough to a bowl to chill.
6. Roll into balls and enjoy!

Cherry Overnight Oats with a twist

Finally getting on the overnight oats train.......I am searching for easy to go breakfasts that keep me full. Giving the overnight oats a shot. I really like Amy's blog and found a tasty sounding recipe. I changed it around a bit but it is pretty similar, just switched a few ingredients. Also, the cherries are good post workout for muscle recovery!


Cherry Overnight Oats

¼ cup oats- I actually used Trader Joe's multigrain hot cereal mix
½ cup  plain Siggi's yogurt
¼ cup skim milk 
¼ cup ( or a bit more like 1/2cup) cherries- I used frozen ones and chopped them up to spread the love.
1 tsp of Trader Joe's Coffee Flour.....yup coffee flour :) (obviously optional) -if you do not use this I would use a 2tsp of another sweetener!


Directions:

1. Add all of the ingredients to a mason jar.

2.  Stir until combined.

3. Put lid on and place in the fridge for least 8 hours or overnight.
     (if you make a few ahead consume within 3 days.)


recipe adapted from:  http://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2015/05/17/cherry-pie-protein-overnight-oats/

Another birthday another experiment.

It is my mom's birthday and she told me last month all she wanted was a derby pie. It is not a traditional derby pie if you are to search the recipe online but one a friend has shared with me. Due to the reason it is a shared recipe I have not posted it. I have posted a couple of variations of it though (basically it is a chocolate chip cookie pie) . A few weeks ago I made the pie so I didn't want to make it again because I like to switch things up. Therefore, I gathered some other things my mom really likes and combined it with the derby pie recipe. This variation was now created....Enjoy!

Oreo Derby Pie:

Ingredients

-1 cup butter melted and cooled
-2 eggs
-1/2 cup AP flour
-1/2 cup white sugar
-1/2 cup dark brown sugar
-nice pour of vanilla

- 1 and 1/2 half cups of dark chocolate chips
-one chocolate cookie crust (or chocolate oreo crust)
- one snack sized container of golden oreos



Directions
pre-heat oven to 325.
1. In mixer add butter and sugar and beat until smooth and combined.
2. Add in eggs and vanilla and mix until combined.
3. Add in the flour and mix.
4. fold in the chocolate chips.
5. Add to the cookie crust.
6. crumble (I just broke apart with my hands) the golden oreo cookies and place on top of the batter in the crust.

7. Bake for one hour at 325. Top should be golden brown.
8. Enjoy heated or at room temp with some ice cream and milk :)

It has been a while I know....gooey cookie bars

No excuses it has been too long. Work and life just got the best of Betty and haven't baked as much (been branching out a bit more) I will be making up for it though.  Tried something new with cookie bars today. Enjoy :)


INGREDIENTS:
1 cup pastry flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
a pinch of salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup dark brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
hearty pour of vanilla extract
1 dark chocolate bar chopped and shaved ( I used a Trader Joe's one)
about one cup of the salted caramel morsels



DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line a 7 x 11 baking dish with parchment paper. 
2. In your mixer, beat together the butter and sugars until combined. Leave to the side.
3. While that is mixing in a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
4. TO the butter and sugar mixture: Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
5. Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
6. Fold in the chocolate chunks.

7. Press 3/4  of the cookie dough into the prepared dish.

8. Add the salted caramel morsels to the top of the layer of cookie dough.

9. Drop the remaining cookie dough in spoonfuls over the morsels.

10. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the top of the bars are light golden brown

11.Let cool and then cut into squares and enjoy.

recipe adapted from: http://www.browneyedbaker.com/salted-caramel-chocolate-chip-cookie-bars/#.V-aBHCFtp6c.facebook