No-Bake Fruit n' Nut Breakfast Bars

It's Wednesday.

You know what that means? We're half way to the weekend, so Happy hump day!

If you've ever made snack bars at home, you're aware that most of the store-bought one's don't have much in comparison. Larabar's and Vega are awesome though, and no I was not paid to say that.

You've also most likely noticed just how many additives and un-natural ingredients most have. Added preservatives, fillers, colourings, high-fructose corn syrup and other fake processed sugars like maltodextrin...these things are NOT clean. Anything with palm oil is also a no-no. It turns off our natural appetite suppressors grehmlin and leptin.

I usually vote for a sweet breakfast over a savory one. That's what make these the perfect eat clean grab-and-go meal on those days when there's no time to throw breakfast together. We all have those days now and then.

Of course they also double up nicely as a sweet ending to a meal.

These bars will serve you well on day hikes, long drives, and early mornings.

Using toasty nuts in this recipe really add to the flavour of these bars.

They are grain-free and gluten free, and perfectly chewy, with a bit of crunch from the toasted nuts. If you prefer to use all the same nut instead of a variety feel free.

Adapted from: Eat Clean Diet Cookbook.

No-Bake Fruit n' Nut Breakfast Bars  gluten-free, vegan option Yield: 9 bars

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Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup raw, unsalted slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup pecans
• 1/4 cup coconut butter
• 1/2 cup natural smooth almond butter
• 2 tbsp blackstrap molasses
• 1 tsp honey, or maple syrup
• pinch sea salt
  
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 tsp matcha green tea powder
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup chopped dried apple

Directions:

1. Toast the nuts: place almonds and pecans in a large frying pan, set on stove top at medium-high heat. Do not add any oil or cooking spray - the nuts have enough oils on their own to cook. Frequently stir or give them a shake until they turn a golden brown and become fragrant. Don't overcook. Remove from burner and let cool for several minutes.
2. Transfer nuts to a cutting board or food processor to give them a coarse chop. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine coconut butter, almond butter, molasses, honey and sea salt. Heat this mixture over a double broiler just enough to soften the ingredients. Mix well. Remove from heat.
4. Add vanilla, matcha green tea, chopped nuts and sesame seeds to butter mixture. Combine well.
5. Stir in dried cranberries and chopped dried apple.
6. Press into a 8"x4" baking pan.
7. Let the dough set in the refrigerator for half an hour.
8. Cut into bars. Store in an airtight container or place bars in individual zip-bags so they are ready to go when you are. Keep refrigerated.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Peanut Butter, almond butter, hazelnut butter, cashew butter...I love them all and wish I could use them as toothpaste!

If you have a serious cookie craving then you have come to the right place. These peanut butter cookies are now one of my new favourites. They have a bit of a twist on the classic peanut butter cookie.

I decided to make them gluten-free, so for the flour I used my all purpose gluten-free blend, which I had leftover from last week's Blueberry-Peach Cobbler. If you don't have any problems with gluten and you want to, you can substitute plain old everyday all purpose flour with the exact same measurements I give for the gluten-free flour. However, these cookies turned out amazing using the gluten-free all purpose flour mix. In fact if you gave these cookies to your friends and family and then told them that they were gluten-free they probably wouldn't believe you. That's how much faith I have in this flour mix.

These are lightly spiced with cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. The butter is cut back because of the addition of peanut butter. They're similar in taste to a ginger cookie with the molasses and warm spices.

They are a very thin cookie but don't let that fool you. They're soft and chewy on the inside. And the little bit of chocolate brings it all together.

This is my new addiction!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies gluten free (yields 1 dozen)

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Ingredients:

• 1 cup + 1 tbsp all purpose gluten-free flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon, divided
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (or ground nutmeg)
  
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar (lightly packed)
• 1/3 cup light peanut butter
• 3 tbsp butter, softened
• 2 tbsp molasses
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 ounces chocolate chunks
  

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together flours, baking soda, 1 tsp cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Set aside. Combine granulated sugar and remaining 1 tsp cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.
3. In another medium bowl, beat together brown sugar, peanut butter and butter on medium speed of electric mixer for about 1 minute. Add molasses, egg, and vanilla. Beat again until smooth.
4. Working a little bit at a time, stir flour mixture into peanut butter mixture until all the flour mix is incorporated. Stir in chocolate chunks. The dough will be stiff. Using your hands, shape dough into 2 inch balls. Roll balls in reserved cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place on cookie sheet at least 2 inches apart (6 per sheet is best). Flatten cookies slightly using a fork.
5. Bake for 7 minutes. They may appear undercooked, but that’s okay. Remove cookies from oven and immediately transfer from pan to a wire rack to cool.