Chocolate Chip Cookie Granola Squares

We are heading to Fargo on Friday to visit our old stomping grounds and I’m really excited! It’s been 5 months since we moved and although I’m finally starting to feel at home here, I still really miss our first home. And I’m totally ready to eat some delicious food including pizza, burgers and doughnuts….I should make sure to pack some maternity pants so I have some extra room.

But first on the list is driving by our old house. Our first home together, the home we brought Noah home to after he was born, the home where I instilled a love of cooking in Noah. And one of Noah’s favorite things to make and eat is granola bars. I can’t believe that I haven’t shared any with you all here.

We were taking a trip to Kansas to visit Joel’s family so I wanted to bring a treat that was dairy free for my mother-in-law and something that Noah would enjoy too. These granola squares fit the bill perfectly. They tasted cookie-like but included healthier ingredients that make it a little easier to indulge your sweet tooth.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Granola Squares
recipe slightly adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction

3/4 cup Trader Joes Cookie Butter or Biscoff Spread (or nut butter of  your choice)
2 Tbs.p coconut oil
1/3 cup honey or maple syrup
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. chia seeds
1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
sprinkles, optional

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8×8 pan with nonstick spray or line with foil for easy cleanup.

2. Melt the biscoff and coconut oil in the microwave. Stir in the honey/maple syrup, egg and vanilla until combined. Stir in the remaining ingredients.

3. Dump the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth it out. The original recipe states to bake for 21-24 minutes but mine took more like 30 minutes. Bake until no longer gooey and edges turn golden brown.

Banana Biscoff Muffins

I haven’t posted a muffin recipe in almost 3 months…say what? I think that may be a new record for me. We always seem to have tons of bananas sitting around so I love using them up in banana bread and of course, muffins!

This recipe immediately grabbed my attention because of the use of biscoff spread. If you have never tried this, you must run out and get some right away. It consists of ground up cookies with other ingredients that we don’t want to talk about to make a creamy or crunchy spread that tastes absolutely amazing. I may or may not have eaten it straight out of the jar…. Maybe we shouldn’t talk about it anymore.

I changed this from a loaf to muffins because I was running short on time and didn’t have an hour to bake. Sometimes I have a hard time finding crunchy biscoff spread so you can use the creamy version but the crunchy is sooo much better in my opinion.

The banana and cinnamon-y cookie combination is simply delicious and makes for the perfect quick breakfast or snack on the go!

Banana Biscoff Muffins
recipe from Sugar Plum Blog

1 cup mashed ripe banana
3/4 cup Crunchy Biscoff
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
Banana chips, for garnish (optional)

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Coat muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray or line them with paper muffin wrappers.

2. In a large mixing bowl, using a mixer on medium speed, beat together banana, biscoff, sugar and eggs until well combined and doubled in volume – about 3 minutes.  Beat in baking powder, baking soda, salt and vanilla until combined.  Reduce mixer speed to low and beat in flour until just combined.  Place batter into tins; top with banana chips.  Bake 15-20 minutes or until deep golden brown, well risen, and a toothpick inserted into muffins comes out with moist crumbs attached.  Cool on a wire rack before inhaling.

Honey Lime Fruit Salad

I love to have fruit in the house for healthy snacking but sometimes it can get a little boring on it’s own. When I was a kid, we ate our fair share of fruit salad. Our fruit salad consisted of our favorite fruits mixed with a little cool whip. So yummy! But this time around, I needed a dairy-free version as my in-laws were visiting and my mother-in-law doesn’t eat dairy. I remembered this recipe I came across quite awhile ago and thought it would be the perfect way to make simple sliced fruit a little more special at breakfast.

The honey lime dressing was a bit sweet but had an amazing citrus zing that was just perfect on the fruit. You could use any fruit you like or have on hand for this recipe. I think bananas would be a great addition as long as it was being eaten right away. Don’t mix in the “dressing” too soon or the strawberries will get really soggy. I made it about a half hour before serving so it had a little time to chill together but not too long to get mushy.

This is a perfectly light and refreshing side that will be perfect throughout the much anticipated spring and summer!

Honey Lime Fruit Salad
recipe from Oh You Cook

1 pint strawberries
1 pint blueberries
1  bunch (about 1 1/2 lbs.) seedless grapes
1/4 cup honey
juice from 2 limes (about 2-3 tablespoons)

1. Rinse strawberries, blueberries and grapes then gently pat dry. Hull strawberries, then cut each in half or quarters. Remove stems from grapes and blueberries, if any.

2. Gently combine all three in a large bowl or aluminum tray. Set aside.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together honey and lime juice. Pour over fruit.

Peanut Butter Cup Banana Bread + 1,000 Followers!

Yep, you read that right. You didn’t think banana bread could get any better did ya? But adding peanut butter and peanut butter cups totally does. I got this recipe from my wonderful friend Molly who made this for us while we were going through a hard time last year. Not only was it a sweet gesture but it also opened me up to a whole new world of banana bread.

As you all know, I am kind of obsessed with anything involving the combination of chocolate and peanut butter. So, throw in the banana’s and it’s pretty much a guarantee that I will love it.

This is a quick bread to throw together and I love that the recipe yields just one loaf of bread. So many make two loaves which we never eat in time and it just adds a lot of baking time since I only have one loaf pan. Sure, I could go get another pan but I just can’t really justify it.

It has the perfect amount of bananas, peanut butter and chocolate to make it a delicious after dinner dessert or an indulgent breakfast.

On a random side note, I hit over 1,000 followers this weekend! I am so thankful to each and every one of you that have enjoyed my site enough to sign up to receive emails and read my posts every week! When I started this blog I thought it would just be my way of storing recipes and sharing them with family and friends. I never imagined strangers would want to see what I was cooking every week! You guys are the best and you give me so much inspiration! Thank you so very much!

Peanut Butter Cup Banana Bread

3 very ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup oil
1 egg
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
8 oz bag of Reese’s Mini cups

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Grease your loaf pan with butter or shortening. (I used butter)

3. In a medium bowl whisk together your flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt, set aside.

4. In a large bowl stir together your bananas, peanut butter, oil, egg and sugars.

5. Pour your dry ingredients into your wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Batter will be lumpy.

6. Fold in your Reese’s Mini cups and spread batter into prepared pan.

7. Bake for approx 1 hour or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then loosen the edges of the pan with a knife and remove from loaf pan, transferring bread to a cooling rack.

Crispy Rosemary Hummus {Lightened Up}

Looking for a healthy, protein packed snack? I’ve got the thing for you! This isn’t your typical hummus but still ends up delicious and is much better for the hips. It’s lightened up with the use of greek yogurt rather than the traditional tahini and it also uses less olive oil.

Another twist on this hummus is flash fried rosemary which infuses the olive oil and adds an awesome crunch throughout the hummus. I think the addition of the rosemary helps with mask the missing nutty flavor of the tahini.

Crispy Rosemary Hummus
recipe from A Spicy Perspective

2 15 oz. cans garbanzo beans, drained
1/3 cup plain greek yogurt
2 ½ Tb. olive oil
3-4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 tsp, lemon juice
1 large garlic clove
1 tsp. salt
Pepper to taste

1. Place the oil in a small skillet over high heat. Once smoking, flash-fry the rosemary sprigs for 30 seconds per side. Remove and place on a paper towel, reserving the olive oil.

2. Place the garbanzo beans in the food processor with the yogurt, rosemary-infused oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper. Puree to desired consistency.

3. Pull the crispy rosemary leaves off the stems and place them in the food processor (save a few for garnish if you wish). Pulse until the rosemary has worked through the hummus.

Orange Blueberry Muffins

I was in the baking mood recently and had a big container of blueberries that I needed to be used up so I went on the hunt for something sweet to whip up. Whenever I think of blueberries, muffins immediately pop into my mind. They are my favorite kind and there are so many different varieties out there.
And as you all know, Noah is an enormous fan of the muffin. If he could choose, it would always be chocolate but he’s down with blueberries too. He has been wanting one at every meal so he runs to the kitchen, grabs the big bowl of them and brings them to the table, prying the lid off to help himself. All the while he is saying “Noah want a muffin….Noah have a muffin for {insert meal time here}.” He is a bit addicted to food like his mama!

These were bright, moist and yummy. I liked the idea of the sugar topping but I think a streusel topping with some grated orange peel mixed in would be amazing. I kind of have a thing for streusel.

Orange Blueberry Muffins
recipe from Taste of Home Cupcakes, Muffins and More

1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 cup orange juice
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup canola oil
3 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries*
1 1/2 tsp. grated orange peel

Topping:
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1. In a small bowl, combine the oats and orange juice. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Combine the oil, eggs and oat mixture; stir into dry ingredients until moistened. Fold in blueberries and orange peel.

2. Fill paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Combine the topping ingredients; sprinkle over batter. Bake at 400 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire rack.

*If using frozen blueberries, do not thaw before adding to batter.

Vanilla Bean Granola

Happy Thanksgiving a day early! I hope that you are all ready for your Thanksgiving festivities and are able to spend this wonderful holiday with family and friends. I am so thankful for all the wonderful people in my life, especially those boys of mine. Here they are on Thanksgiving last year.

Here’s a sweet and simple breakfast idea for tomorrow morning. Or, for all you crazies out there, a quick breakfast to eat on the go while you wait in line at 3:00 in the morning on Friday. Now don’t get me wrong, I love me some Black Friday shopping but I need my beauty sleep. Me not getting enough sleep is not a pretty picture for anyone involved….you will get the grumpy, angry eyebrows. Trust me, when sleep deprived I do not use them sparingly.

Vanilla Bean Granola
recipe from Rachel Cooks

3 cups thick cut rolled oats
1 cup raw almonds, chopped
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons toasted wheat germ
1 tablespoon ground flax-seed
4 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
the pulp of two vanilla beans

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray or line with parchment or Silpat. In a large bowl, stir together oats, almonds, coconut, salt, brown sugar, wheat germ and ground flax. 2. In separate small microwavable bowl, stir together canola oil  and vanilla. Heat in microwave for 30 seconds on 50% power. Add in vanilla bean pulp and whisk with a fork to separate beans. 3. Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and stir until everything is well coated. 4. Spread granola in an even layer over the baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, stir, and then bake for 15-20 minutes longer until golden brown. 5. Let cool completely, stirring occasionally to break up chunks. 6. Store in airtight container. Makes approximately 5 cups.

Baked Spinach Dip

Besides cucumber dip, this is my absolute favorite dip/appetizer EVER. And it’s obviously healthy since cream cheese, bacon, mayo, cheddar cheese, spinach is such a prominent ingredient. Duh. How could you go wrong with that list of ingredients? It’s really one of those things you indulge in rarely, but when you do it’s totally worth every.single.calorie.

You can bake this dip in a bread bowl or baking dish or you can throw it in the crock pot on low a few hours before serving. I have made it all three ways and I have to say my favorite is when it’s just in a baking dish. It seems to get more melty and gooey that way which is always a good thing in my opinion. If I am making this for a party where people will be eating over the course of a few hours, I either put it in the crock pot after all the ingredients have been mixed up (like stated above) or bake it in a dish then put it in the crock pot on warm.

This dip almost always graces our football gatherings…it’s kind of become a requirement and expectation.

Spinach Dip
recipe from Taste of Home The New Appetizer Cookbook

2 pkgs. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened (I use 1/3 less fat)
1 cup mayonnaise (I use the reduced fat olive oil kind)
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry*
1 cup (4 0z.) shredded cheddar cheese
1 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. dill weed
1 to 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 round loaf (1 lb.) unsliced sourdough bread
Assorted fresh vegetables
Tortilla chips

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and may until blended (I sometimes use my food processor for this to make quicker work of it). Stir in spinach, cheese, bacon, onion, dill and garlic; set aside. This can be made ahead of time and refrigerated until it’s time to bake.

2. Cut a 1 1/2-in. slice off top of bread; set aside. Carefully hollow out bottom, leaving a 1/2-in. shell. Cube removed bread and place on a baking sheet. Broil 3-4 in. from the heat for 1-2 minutes or until golden brown; set aside.

3. Fill bread shell with spinach dip; replace top. Place any dip that doesn’t fit in the shell in a greased baking dish. Wrap bread in a large piece of foil. Place on a baking sheet.

4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour or until dip is heated through. Cover and bake additional dip for 40-50 minutes or until heated through. Open foil carefully. Serve dip warm with veggies, reserved bread cubes and tortilla chips.

*Make sure it is really dry! After it is thawed, I put it in a kitchen towel and squeeze the heck out of it until no more liquid drips through the towel (sometimes I go through two towels). I didn’t dry it enough once and a weird green liquid collected on the top of the dip. It tasted fine but looked quite unappetizing.

Chocolate Pudding

Whenever Joel was sick growing up, his mom always made him butterscotch pudding. So when Noah had Croup, followed only days later by Hand, Mouth and Food Disease I knew pudding would be a perfect little treat that wouldn’t hurt his sour throat. He had basically been living on yogurt, smoothies and popsicles so he was very glad to indulge in a chocolate-y dessert he had never eaten before. And I think I created a monster because he totally loved it…not that I’m surprised, he’s a total and complete chocoholic.

Chocolate Pudding
recipe from Smitten Kitchen
Serves 6

1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 cups whole milk
6 ounces 62% semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Combine the cornstarch, sugar and salt in the top of a double boiler. Slowly whisk in the milk, scraping the bottom and sides with a heatproof spatula to incorporate the dry ingredients. Place over gently simmering water and stir occasionally, scraping the bottom and sides. Use a whisk as necessary should lumps begin to form. After 15 to 20 minutes, when the mixture begins to thicken and coats the back of the spoon, add the chocolate (it took mine more like 30 minutes – I don’t think the water was simmering enough). Continue stirring for about 2 to 4 minutes, or until the pudding is smooth and thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.

2. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a serving bowl or into a large measuring cup with a spout and pour into individual serving dishes.

3. If you like pudding skin, pull plastic wrap over the top of the serving dish(es) before refrigerating. If you dislike pudding skin, place plastic wrap on top of the pudding and smooth it gently against the surface before refrigerating. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 3 days.

Crock Pot Applesauce

Remember our apple picking adventure? Well, we came home with LOTS of apples for the sole purpose of homemade applesauce for that boy of mine. It’s one of his favorite snacks and I love making it for him rather than buying it. It’s so simple to throw together (whether in the crock pot or on the stovetop) and it requires very few ingredients which you can control.

I have made strawberry, blueberry, raspberry and pumpkin applesauce with lots of success. I usually don’t add any sugar to homemade applesauce but I made an exception here because it was such a small amount and I just love cinnamon and brown sugar together.

This is wonderful eaten on its own or baked into Applesauce Spice Cake or Caramel Apple Cake Pops.

Crock Pot Applesauce
recipe from Skinny Taste

8 medium apples
1 strips of lemon peel – use a vegetable peeler
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
3 inch cinnamon stick
5 tsp. light brown sugar (unpacked)

1. Peel, slice and core apples. Place them in the slow cooker. Add the cinnamon stick, lemon peel and brown sugar.

2. Set crock pot to low and cook for 6 hours. Stir apples occasionally, apples will slowly become a delicious applesauce.  Remove cinnamon stick and use an immersion blender to blend until smooth or if you prefer a chunky sauce, leave sauce intact.