So Much To Make: no-bake

Showing posts with label no-bake. Show all posts

Thursday, January 14, 2016

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!

Participating in these link-ups.

Monday, July 27, 2015

No-Bake Cookies with Crio Bru

Have you tried Crio Bru? If you like chocolate--especially if you like rich, dark chocolate--you will LOVE Crio. I am a huge fan. I drink it several mornings a week. Crio is a drink made from 100% roasted and ground cocoa beans, and it is brewed like coffee. I brew mine in a french press. My favorite way to drink it is iced with a pack of Truvia sweetener and a shot of creamer. So delicious!

A beautiful feature of Crio grounds is that they can be re-used in baking. And after making a few recipes with my used grounds, I never throw them away. They are too deliciously valuable!

I buy my Cri Bru on Amazon, and it is also available in many grocery and health-food stores. I am NOT being compensated for this recipe post--I'm just sharing a product I truly love with my many chocolate-loving readers!

After some questions on social media from readers, I am posting a link to the french press I use. I'm sure there are others that work well out there, but I can personally attest to the ease of use (and ease of cleaning!), as well as the effective brewing ability of this press:

Now on to how to use the grounds to make your chocolate no-bake cookies over-the-top with rich yumminess!

Here are the used grounds. They should be damp, but not at all juicy. This recipe uses 1 cup of previously-brewed Crio grounds. If you brew daily, you'll have a cup in less than a week. The grounds expand when they are brewed, so they accumulate pretty fast. I just scoop them into a bowl after each brew and keep them covered in the refrigerator.

Place your cup of grounds into a food processor/blender.

Pulse for about 1 minute total, scraping the sides a couple of times. The grounds will still be coarse, but less rough than they started out.

Now make the chocolate candy base for your no-bake cookies by melting 1 stick of butter, 1 cup of sugar, and 1/3 cup of cocoa powder. Once melted, stir in the processed Crio grounds. Bring to a boil and boil hard while stirring for 2 full minutes. This breaks down the sugar so the cookies aren't gritty. Don't boil more than 4 minutes, though, as the sugar will start becoming too hard.

Remove from heat, and stir in 1 cup peanut (or other nut) butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla.

Stir in 2.5 cups of quick oats. Similar recipes for no-bake cookies call for 3 cups of oats, but the Crio grounds add fiber and bulk, so these only call for 2.5 cups.

Drop by heaping tablespoons onto wax paper. Refrigerate or freeze to set.

I kept these in my freezer for a few days and LOVED grabbing one when I needed a little chocolate treat. My kids discovered them and they were gone shortly after. The chocolate flavor in these are SO incredible! And they have less sugar and more health benefits than most cookies, so you can feel good eating them and sharing them with your family!

Here's the recipe:

No-Bake Cookies with Crio Bru

Makes 30 cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup previously brewed Crio Bru grounds

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 cup peanut (or other nut) butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups quick oats

Directions:

1. Place previously brewed Crio grounds in a food processor and pulse 1 minute, scraping sides 2 times. Set aside.

2. In a medium saucepan, melt butter with sugar and cocoa powder, stirring until smooth. Add Crio grounds and bring to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil 2 full minutes. Remove from heat.

3. Stir in peanut butter and vanilla until smooth. Stir in quick oats. Immediately drop by heaping tablespoon onto wax paper-lined baking sheets. Place in freezer of fridge to set.

Participating in these link-ups.

Thursday, June 18, 2015

Healthy Ginger Cookie Dough Balls

Have you tried crystallized ginger? I bought some the last time I was at Costco (in the snack/dried fruit section). It has such a strong taste that I really only need one or two pieces at at time. And since I'm the main one eating it, I decided to try using it in a no-bake treat.

These cookie-dough balls are like nothing I've had before. My entire family loves them. The ginger taste comes through well, but not overwhelmingly. It gives these a fresh-baked taste, even though they are no-bake! I've made two batches already--one I shared with a gluten-free friend for her birthday; the other I packaged cutely and gave to my son's teacher as part of her end-of-the-year gift.

They can be whipped up--start to finish-- in just a few minutes. You will need a food processor or good blender.

Healthy Ginger Cookie Dough Balls

Makes 18

Ingredients:

3 cups old fashioned oatmeal

1/2 cup crystallized ginger, chopped small (use your food processor if it is a strong one)

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup nut butter, salted (I used cashew butter)

Directions:

1. Measure oatmeal into food processor or blender. Pulse until coarsely ground. Set aside

2. Beat ginger, coconut oil, honey, and nut butter until well mixed. Stir in (or use cookie dough paddle on stand mixer) oatmeal flour, 1/2 cup at a time. If the dough becomes too stiff to add more oatmeal flour before you add it all in, stir in a tablespoon more honey/ oil.

3. Form balls or use a cookie scoop to make heaping spoonfuls of dough onto parchment or wax paper. Place in refrigerator to set.

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

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).