Better than Trader Joe's PB & J Bars

If you like Trader Joe's Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars, I promise you will LOVE these! They are wholesome, gluten-free, surprisingly filling, and downright YUMMY. 

Not to bag on Trader Joe's bars. They are good. My kids will eat them, as will I. But in a side-by-side comparison, these are tastier.

One thing I LOVE about this recipe is that it makes a TON, so you get a big reward for your relatively short time investment. They will fill a large cookie sheet or 9x13 AND 11x15 baking dishes. These bars keep for days (if you can keep hands off), and they are tasty served cold, medium or warm. 

The recipe involves an oat-based peanut-butter cookie dough on the bottom, your choice of jam, jelly or preserve in the middle, and more of the peanut-butter cookie on top! 

A couple of notes for the preparation process. This recipe has baking soda in it, which is the spreading leavener (baking powder is the rising leavener). So when you put the top layer of peanut-butter cookie dough on the jam layer and you see a ton of holes, no worries!! The dough will spread a it cooks.  (Before-baking pictures above; After pictures below)

Now, on to the recipe!

Better than Trader Joe's 

PB&J Bars

Makes 72 bars

Ingredients

3 sticks butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar

3 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla

1.5 cups natural peanut butter

1.5 teaspoons baking soda

3 cups oat flour (4 cups oatmeal pulsed in blender or food processor until smooth)

3 cups oatmeal

2 cups jam, jelly, or preserves

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Spray large cookie sheets or baking pans with cooking spray. (This recipe will make thick bars on a 14"x18" cookie sheet, or thinner bars on more pans. I like to use one 9x13 and one 10x15 baking dish.)

2. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Add peanut butter and mix until smooth. 

3. Mix baking soda into wet mixture. Stir in oat flour, then oatmeal. Dough will be thick, but still sticky. 

4. Spoon half of the dough into prepared pans. Dip the back of a spoon or your fingers in cold water and spread the mixture so it is covering the bottom of all your pans in an even layer.  Set the other half of the mix aside. 

5. Spoon the jam on to the bottom layer in small spoon fulls all around. Use a rubber spatula or the back of a spoon to spread it in an even layer. 

6. Cover the jam layer with the remaining cookie dough by spooning small amounts all over the top. (See the pictures above for reference)

7. Bake 30-40 minutes, until edges are brown and top is light brown. Middle will still look wet and bubbly, but will settle as it cools. Cool completely before cutting into bars. 

Clean Eating Oatmeal Raisin No-Bake Cookies

Aren't you so glad I have given up refined sugars and flours for the month?? Otherwise I probably wouldn't have developed this AMAZING and EASY new treat that you can feel good snacking on!

I have made two batches of these so far. Right now there are 3 left in the fridge. Even though only my husband and I have given up refined sugars and flours, my kids are enjoying all of our healthy indulgences!! I KNOW he and I haven't eaten THAT many--though we could've...

Oatmeal Raisin No-Bake Cookies
Makes 30 

Ingredients:

3 cups oatmeal (I use rolled oats, but quick oats will work, too)

1/2 cup honey

1 cup natural peanut butter, crunchy or smooth (Almond butter would work.)

1 cup baking raisins (raisins soaked in very hot water 10 minutes, then drained well)

Directions: 

1. Line a cookie sheet that fits in your fridge with wax paper. 

2. Place oatmeal in food processor and pulse until coarsely ground, but not smooth. About three 5-second bursts did it for me. 

3. Add honey, peanut butter, and baking raisins to food processor. Pulse until well mixed. You may need to scrape the sides once or twice during pulsing. 

4. Use a medium cookie-scoop to make 1 inch bon-bons, or scoop with a spoon and roll into 1 inch balls, and place on prepared wax paper.  They can be eaten immediately. Place cookie sheet in fridge to let them harden a bit more before removing to store in an air-tight container. I really like them at room temperature, but I LOVE them chilled!

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Banana Bread Cookies

Creativity in the kitchen so often arises out of necessity, am I right??  In the case of these cookies, I NEEDED something sweet.  However, my husband and I have sworn off refined sugars and flours for the month of January, so my sweet tooth was not easily appeased. 

I had some bananas sitting on the counter that I was guarding with my life so they would ripen enough to use in my sugar-free-sweet-treat-making endeavors.  Finally they began to turn brown, and I set to work. 

Now I know that raisins in cookies are not enjoyed by all. Usually you love'em or hate'em.  I am in-between. I love them if they are soft and don't break up the uniform texture of the cookie too much. I hate them if they are hard.  I think the Love'em camp would be larger if more cookie chefs took the time to plump their raisins in water before adding them to recipes.  Sun-Maid has figured this out and has done it for you with their Baking Raisins, available at grocery stores or on Amazon. 

You can also measure out your raisins, cover them with boiling water, and let them sit for about 10 minutes. Then drain off the water (but don't squeeze the raisins), and they are ready to add to your baking! 

But if you absolutely hate raisins in any form or fashion, leave them out. These cookies can stand on their own, with our without the addition of raisins!

Banana Bread Cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups whole-wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup coconut oil, softened

1/2 cup honey

2 eggs

3 very ripe bananas, mashed well

3 cups rolled oats (oatmeal)

1 cup baking raisins (raisins soaked in hot water 10 minutes, then drained), optional

1 cup chopped pecans, optional

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment, silpat, or coat with cooking spray.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together. Set aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and coconut oil until smooth. Add honey and beat well. Beat in eggs. 

4. Add 1/2 flour mixture to wet mix. Mix in bananas, then add remaining flour mix. Stir in oatmeal, raisins and pecans. 

5. Place rounded teaspoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets. Bake 10 minutes, until edges just begin to brown and tops no longer look wet.  Cool, then store in airtight container. 

Participating in these link-ups. 

Protein & Fiber Rich Blueberry Bars

This summer FLEW by for our family and fall has sneaked up on me like a ninja in the night. I didn't do HALF of what I had planned to this summer, but one thing I did do was go blueberry picking-- twice! So, my freezer has an abundance of blueberries.  

So although blueberry season is over, I wanted to share this new-favorite recipe I developed that uses blueberries (fresh or frozen!) and is full of healthy redeeming value. You can feel good about your family indulging in these puppies!

I had to hide away two of these bars to photograph soon after I made them because they were disappearing so fast! They were yummy right out of the oven, but also once they cooled.  They have a buttery, whole-wheat and oatmeal crust, a sweet, lemony tofu-based filling, and are topped with blueberries and more buttery wheat and oatmeal goodness. 

The whole wheat, oatmeal and blueberries provide a significant amount of healthy fiber, and the tofu adds a shot of protein that make these bars not only yummy, but pretty darn healthy for a delectable dessert! 

This was my first experience using tofu in a dessert. I was a bit apprehensive. I didn't tell my family what was in these until they had tried them.  I was THRILLED that they turned out so well and were so enjoyed! Win-Win!!

I made these at night and quickly snapped a picture of them right out of the oven.  Although it's a bit dark, I'm glad I did. This pan was attacked soon after this photo was taken.

Protein and Fiber Rich Blueberry Bars

Makes 32 bars

Ingredients

Crust and Topping:

2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 cup oatmeal

1 cup salted sweet cream butter, softened

Lemon Tofu Filling:

24 oz firm tofu, drained

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 tablespoon lemon extract

Blueberry Layer:

4 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup lemon juice

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line a 10"x15" baking dish with aluminum foil.  Two 8"x 8" or  9"x 9" square dishes will work. Coat lightly with cooking spray.

2. In large mixing bowl, whisk wheat flour, powdered sugar and oatmeal together. Cut in softened butter until well incorporated (I used my cookie-dough paddles for cutting in the butter).  Reserve 2 scant cups of this mixture in a separate dish, and press the rest of it into the prepared pans. 

3. Using the same mixing bowl (no need to clean out the crumbs), beat the tofu, sugar, vanilla, lemon juice and extract together. Mixture may seem chunky (no worries!).  Spread the tofu mixture evenly over the first layer.

4. Sprinkle sugar, lemon juice, and flour over the blueberries and mix gently. Spread the berries over the tofu layer. 

5. Sprinkle reserved crust mixture over the top of the blueberries.  Place in center of oven. Bake 50-55 minutes. Cool and cut into bars. Store in refrigerator. 

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Trail Cookies (Sugar-free, Gluten-free, Milk-free, Bad Fat-free)

And they're not gross! They are tasty, even. I promise. My kids have all approved.

In hopes of seizing the forecast sunny (!!) day this weekend, I decided to try out an idea for a healthy but hearty cookie to take along on our excursions.  It doesn't have any weird unnatural sweeteners, bad fats, or ingredients that are hard to find or expensive. My recipe made about 60 cookies and cost about $6 to make. Not bad eh?

I used homemade date paste instead of refined sugar to sweeten them. You can find the tutorial for making your own date paste here on Chocolate and Carrots. These cookies aren't as sweet as a typical oatmeal cookie (more in the realm of a muffin's sweetness), and they are full of delicious texture and moisture.

I'm so excited to pack these up for our hike this weekend! Now we won't be tempted to stuff our pockets with Halloween candy! 

Here's the recipe: 

Trail Cookies

Makes 5 dozen

Ingredients:

1.25 cups date paste (see link above for how to make your own.)

1.5 cups natural unsweetened peanut butter

1/2 cup coconut oil

3 large eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

4.5 cups rolled (old-fashioned) oats--gluten free

1 cup dried fruit, chopped to raisin-size (I used cranberries, raisins, and blueberries)

1 cup finely chopped nuts (I used pecans because I love them)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare baking sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats.

2. In a large mixing bowl, beat date paste, peanut butter and coconut oil. Add in eggs and beat well.

3. Beat in vanilla, sea salt, and baking soda.  Mix in remaining ingredients 2 cups at at time.

4. Use a medium cookie scoop to place on cookie sheet 1 inch apart. Press down to flatten slightly. Bake 9-10 minutes. Cool and store in refrigerator or freezer. 

Here's a glimpse of the hike we took these cookies on this weekend.  My only complaint: I should have packed more! We gobbled them up!

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Guilt-free Chocolate Bonbons

I am SO excited for this recipe! I have seen similar "energy ball", "protein bites", etc, around, but I wanted to come up with a recipe that was quick and easy, healthy, and used ingredients that are pantry staples or easy to find. AND I wanted them to truly taste good.

SUCCESS!  My ENTIRE family liked these. And to make sure it there was no familial bias, I gave one to my neighbor to try. Her response: "Oh, I could eat ALOT of these."

The beautiful thing is, YOU CAN! And with no eater's remorse. They are truly packed with healthy goodness. 

Here are the ingredients that make the "glue" that holds these bonbons together. 1/4 cup of each in your food processor and...

...you get this chocolate concoction that looks like a thick brownie batter.

Add 2 cups of rolled oats, then stir in 1/2 cup of chocolate chips (if desired).

I used my small cookie scoop to form the bonbon shape. I rolled about half in coconut flakes (not everyone in my house appreciates the finer tastes in life).  

Put them on a wax-paper lined cookie sheet and refrigerate about 1 hour.

No Refined Sugar (except in choco chips). No Gluten. No Bake. No Bad Fats. No Guilt!

Guilt-Free Chocolate Bonbons

Ingredients

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup chia seeds

1/4 cup roasted, salted peanuts

1/4 cup cocoa powder

2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

1/2 cup coconut (optional)

Directions

1. Put first 6 ingredients in a food processor and pulse until incorporated. 

2. Add oats and pulse just until mixed in.

3. Stir in chocolate chips.

4. Form 1.5 inch balls (or use a cookie scoop). Roll in coconut if desired.

5. Place on cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Refrigerate 1 hour before serving.

Makes 22

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Purge the Pantry Trail Mix

I have what you'd call an "outdoorsy" family. We like to hike, bike, camp, and be in the woods.  

I also have a very HUNGRY family. And I love having snacks I can grab that I know will satisfy both their hunger and their taste-buds.   This trail mix does both, so it is a big winner!  

I am calling it "Purge the Pantry" Trail Mix because it is a great way to use up whatever you have in your pantry. For me, I needed to get some Cheerios eaten. I guess I've conditioned my kids (and hubby) to have too much of a sweet-tooth, so all the unsweetened cereal I buy goes untouched. 

I bought Cheerios at Costco recently, and they were just sitting in the pantry getting old; I needed to use them.  I also had several boxes of instant oatmeal packets that weren't going away fast enough.  A couple weeks ago, before we left for a hike,  I came up with a plan to combine the Cheerios with the oatmeal to make a snack mix, and it worked! Everyone loved it and asked for more!

It is super fast and easy, and it makes enough to fuel several kids for several outings!

 Here is your basic line-up: 6 cups of unsweetened cereal (Cheerios, Chex, Crispix, etc), 4 packets of flavored instant oatmeal, 1/2 cup liquid sugar (light corn syrup, honey, maple syrup, agave nectar, etc), 3 tablespoons of oil that is solid at room temp (butter, coconut oil). 

Add-ins: Pictured is just what I had in my pantry.  Your add-ins might include other nuts, dried fruit, M&Ms, chocolate chips (remember chocolate melts, though), pretzels, etc.  For mine, I added in about 1.5 cups of nuts and 1 cup of Craisins and raisins to the base recipe. What I love about this mix is it can be different every time you make it!

Here is the full recipe:

Purge the Pantry Trail Mix

Ingredients:

6 cups of dry, not-sugary breakfast cereal (Cheerios, Chex, Crispix, etc)

4 packets of single-serving flavored instant oatmeal (I like the maple-brown sugar or cinnamon spice)

1/2 cup of liquid sugar (light corn syrup, honey, agave nectar, maple syrup, etc)

3 tablespoons of butter (or other oil that is solid at room temperature)

2-3 cups of add-ins: nuts, pretzels, dried fruit, etc.

Wax paper for cooling

Directions:

1. Mix cereal, oatmeal, and any nuts or other dry ingredients in a large microwavable bowl. Set aside any dried fruit or chocolate to be added later.

2. Put liquid sugar and butter in a small microwavable bowl.  Microwave on high 30 sec to 1 minute (if it starts boiling pull it out). Stir until butter is all melted.  

3. Pour sugar-butter mix over dry mix and stir to coat.  Microwave this uncovered for 3 minutes, removing to stir every minute. 

4.  Stir any dried fruit into the mix.  Spread the mix on wax paper to cool.  Stir in chocolate add-ins after the mix has cooled.

5. Store in air-tight container or zipper-seal bags. 

Cooling on the wax paper.  This is a good time to take a taste!

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Life of the Party

"New Fashioned" Oatmeal Pie

Oatmeal Pie. If you've never had it, you are missing out. It is NOT like eating a bowl of hot breakfast with a crust around it, so don't even go there.

It is a closer relative to the best pecan pie you've ever had. NOT the kind that is 80% sugary gel sandwiched between a crust and some nuts.  Think about the ideal  pecan pie, where everything is perfectly melded together in each bite. Sweet, but not so sweet that your throat burns and you feel a diet coming on.

An ideal Oatmeal Pie is like the perfect oatmeal cookie and the perfect macaroon were in a tornado and they ended up combined in a way only fate could orchestrate;  and they are resting together after the storm in a flaky crust made of their close relatives, butter and coconut oil.

This is a "New-Fashioned" Oatmeal Pie because I based my recipe on one from a cookbook that belonged to my grandmother, but I changed it to make it more conducive to today's health knowledge. (i.e.: ALOT less sugar, more oats and coconut).

We had it last night for our family night treat, but since I was out of natural light by that time, I had to vigilantly guard the last piece so I could get a decent photograph this morning to show.  My boys wanted it for breakfast, for lunch, for snack, etc.  I think I may need to whip up another.

Here it is fresh out of the oven. The house smelled heavenly.

"New Fashioned" Oatmeal Pie

Ingredients:
1 unbaked pie crust (I used Yesterfood's Coconut Oil Pie Crust #1)
3 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup flaked coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°.

Beat together eggs, sugars, and butter.  Add oats, coconut and vanilla and mix well. Pour into pie crust.

Bake 30-35 minutes, until no longer liquid in the middle.

Allow to cool at least 1/2 hour before serving. Delicious warm or cold or in-between.

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Saturday Dishes