I have made a lot of cookies in my life. I have also witnessed the reactions that cookies have on people. And I have been told by many friends, that these cookies, are “VERY good”. The banana in them is pronounced and the oatmeal is not. The texture is chewy, almost like a chocolate brownie cookie. Give them a try!!
Recipe for Chocolate Banana Cookies with Macadamia Nuts
Equipment: Oven and baking sheets
Yield: 15-24 cookies
Dry ingredients:
2 cups oatmeal
1 and ¾ cups flour
½ to ¾ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ cup raw organic extra rich cacao powder
1 cup chopped macadamia nuts
Wet ingredients:
2 eggs (beaten)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup butter softened
1.5 cups sugar
2 cups mashed/blended bananas
Steps:
Mix the dry ingredients in medium-large bowl (except for the mac nuts)
In a separate bowl, mash the bananas or blend with a hand mixer and measure 2 cups
Mix in the beaten eggs, butter, sugar, and vanilla to the bananas mixture
Add the dry ingredients a little at a time to the wet ingredients and mix well
Then, fold in the chopped mac nuts
Place the mixed dough in the freezer and chill for at least an hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Drop 1 inch balls onto un-greased cookie sheets and bake for 10-15 minutes until the tops of cookies look done (the color changes from light brown to darker brown)
The Sapote “brothers” are my favorite type of fruit ever. Even though sapotes aren’t in the same families. Black sapotes (Diospyros digyna), are great for pudding-like texture and creaminess. Enjoy this as a healthy raw dessert or for breakfast if you allow your self to indulge in AM chocolate.
Black sapote pudding recipe
Ingredients:
1 black sapote
4 bananas
1/3 cup cacao powder
2 tablespoons coconut butter
Steps:
Cream together in blender, food processor or with a hand mixer, chill and enjoy!
This carrot apple beet ginger pulp bread recipe is the perfect way to use your juice pulp. I was inspired to make this recipe after watching so much good fiber go to waste from my carrot apple beet ginger fresh juice recipe. I created it by substituting the banana out for juice pulp in my healthy banana bread recipe. It is also gluten-free because I used fresh ground oat flour instead of wheat flour. You can use just carrot pulp, or just carrot apple pulp. But I would try experimenting with multiple combinations. A little bit of beet and ginger give the bread a zing. This bread will come out moderately dense, slightly chewy, and delicious.
Recipe for carrot apple beet ginger pulp bread
wet ingredients:
2 cups carrot pulp (if other flavorful pulps are mixed it even better – apple, beet, ginger, experiment with flavors. )
½ cup coconut oil (the softer the better, but make sure it is not hot- you don’t want to cook the eggs)
½ cup or less honey
2 eggs (room temperature so the coconut oil doesn’t solidify)
1 teaspoon vanilla
dry ingredients:
3 cups oat flour (freshly ground in your blender!)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
Steps:
Preheat oven to 375F and oil the baking dish (larger loaf pan, round cake pan or whatever.
In a medium to large sized bowl, mix the wet ingredients (except for the pulp). First, add the eggs and beat, then the honey, the vanilla and then coconut oil.
Next, mix the dry ingredients in a smaller bowl
Then, slowly add the dry into the wet and slowly add the 2 cups of the juice pulp (the batter will be thick and stiff)
Place into the baking dish and bake about 25-40 minutes depending on thickness. Done when golden brown on top and knife comes out cleanish.
The year is not complete unless I make at least one batch of my number 1 favorite cookie in the world and share it with as many good people as possible. This recipe is slight adaptation of my grandpa’s rugalech. Abe Piasek was an amazing step-grandpa, baker and friend. He survived the holocaust including 4 concentration camps and moved to the states when he was 18 and started a beautiful family and a career as a baker. After more or less retiring from baking, and after grandma passed, he dedicated himself to telling his story of the horrors of the holocaust in an insightful, friendly, and charismatic way. For more info on how cool grandpa really is you can start here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abe_Piasek or just google “Abe Piasek”.
Grandpa and Grandma Piasek sparked my interest in cooking in baking. They always praised every thing I made and making time at every visit to satisfy my desire to learn new recipes or revisit our favorites. I’ve made this recipe so many times with him over the years. From early childhood to adulthood. I honestly cannot remember exactly where my version differs from his, but my family jokes that mine were always a bit better. I think it’s because I added a little more sugar in the dough and sometimes I add egg to the dough? More vanilla? Or like grandpa, they were just trying to encourage me.
Grandpa passed about a year ago at the age of 91. I miss him! This year I definitely couldn’t pass up the opportunity to keep my rugalech skills exercised. I have a few other recipes he taught me on here like his Challah Bread and his sourdough recipe.
This rugalech cookie recipe is not a quick drop cookie recipe. Plan a few hours for it. Get cozy in the kitchen, even better, bring a friend over and teach them how to make it. Experiment with toppings and most of all share! These are hefty little cookie bombs, I recommend having a plan to only have 1 of each type of filling when there are done, especially the first night to avoid rugalech aversions.
Rugalech Cookies
This is a modified version of my grandpa Abe Piasek's famous rugalech recipe. The only true difference is I add a tad more sugar to the dough and skip the breadcrumbs on the jam filled cookies. Typical fillings are apricot jam (which I don't care for) and cinnamon and sugar. Over the years my favorite fillings have become raspberry jam, cinnamon sugar and nuts, and chocolate spread or chocolate chips.
For the Ruglech fillings (approx — may need more or less – keep them close by)
1.5cups granulated sugar
1tbspcinnamon
1smallpackage mini chocolate chipsregular are ok too just a little more bulky to roll
1small jarjam raspberry, apricot, strawberry, whatever you like)
1cupchopped nutsor more to taste
1eggbeaten for egg wash
Instructions
Making the Rugalech Dough
Mix cream cheese and butter together until well blended
Add vanilla and sugar
Add flour a little at a time until well the dough forms a ball that is not too sticky, not too stiff and somewhat elastic. If it is a little on the sticky side it is ok as you roll it out you can add more flour.
Remove from a bowl and leave on the counter on a patch of flour
Roll out the dough
Break of a ball of dough that is proportionate to the amount of space you have to roll out the dough
Roll out the dough into a rectangle shape, turning it over and flouring frequently to prevent sticking
Cut edges to ensure a nice rectangle and put aside the scraps to use again.
Spread an even portion of the filling on the rectangle. Depending on how big you made it you should be able to get two long skinny rolls out of it.
Starting at the widest side, gently fold over the and crease the beginning and carefully and tightly roll until the "log" is about 1 inch diameter. Cut the seam with flour scrapper and then chop log into about 1 inch segments.
Place close together on cookie sheet (un-greased and lined with parchment paper for best results – especially for those jam cookies parchment paper is key).
Before baking gently wash a beaten egg using a pastry brush.
Bake in oven preheated to 375°F for about 15-20 minutes until the bottoms are a tiny bit golden brown and the tops are slightly golden from egg wash.
Cool on cookie sheets and enjoy.
These cookies store well in sealed containers and bags. They also freeze well.
This raisin cinnamon swirl bread recipe will take you back to you childhood. Nostalgic sugar sweetened plump raisins in chewy bread. This recipe is not complicated. Just follow the steps and allow time to let it rise until it doubles in size 2x. This recipe is perfect for a Sunday morning when you are just hanging around the house. Don’t rush the rising process!
Recipe for Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread
Equipment needed:
oven
loaf pan
wire cooling rack (optional)
heavy duty mixer or food processor
dry ingredients (step 1):
½ teaspoon salt
2 -3 teaspoons cinnamon
3 and ½ cup flour
wet ingredients (step 2-3):
⅔ cup milk
½ cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons melted butter
2 eggs
⅔ cup buttermilk (⅔ cup milk + 1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice-let sit for 5 minutes)
Other ingredients:
2 teaspoons yeast (for step 3)
1 cup + raisins, for best results they should be brought to room temperature (for step 8)
Steps:
1) mix dry ingredients
2) add ⅔ cup milk regular milk (not buttermilk) into a bowl and add ½ cup of brown sugar, stir to dissolve
3) add yeast to milk and brown sugar mixture. let sit for 5 minutes. stir to dissolve (make sure you STIR and allow it to dissolve before adding anything else).
3) mix until combined and makes a soft dough
4) knead for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic and then place in oiled bowl covered with towel. (although metal bowls are said to conduct too much heat, and rise the dough too quickly. even though I live in the tropics, where it is always warm and humid, my place is windy. I find that my dough rises good in my kitchen aid bowl.)
5) let rise until double in size (no matter how long it takes).
6) after doubled in size, punch down and turn over onto lightly floured surface, let rest for 10 minutes
7) roll out dough into large rectangle, a good 5 inches or more long than your loaf pan
8. Add raisins and rolls into a loaf, tuck the sides in and place in the loaf pan and let rise again (until doubled in size (can be ½ hour to 2 hours).
9. bake in an oven at 425 degree F until the top starts to brown
10. reduce to 350 degrees F for about 20 more minutes. Cool on wire rack and love it.
I love cookies and cookie dough and cookies. This recipe for coconut oatmeal cookies is made with coconut oil instead of butter. Therefore, this recipe is dairy-free for those who are sensitive to butter. Also, coconut oil is full of medium-chain fatty acids that aid in your overall health. As a rule I bake as much as I possibly can with coconut oil.
Because these cookies are made with coconut oil, don’t expect the same vibe as your typical oatmeal raisin cookies. This recipe is also designed to be less sweet than the typical cookie recipe. In general, this is also a great practice. Our world is now addicted to sugar. Our taste buds have evolved to expect super sweet baked items. Try gradually reducing the amount of sugar you put in your recipes. Your taste buds and bellies will be pleasantly surprised. Also, you can try reducing the sugar and putting a few drops of alcohol-free stevia, which is calorie-free and completely plant derived.
To make this recipe gluten-free, you can substitute the flour in this recipe with your favorite gluten-free flour mix. Alternatively, you could try substituting other flours like Spelt, Einkorn etc.
This recipe for cinnamon buns with coconut oil is a very special treat in my house. It is not exactly a quick recipe as you have to let the dough rise twice. When developing this recipe I was inspired by a recipe from Allrecipes.com http://allrecipes.com/recipe/ninety-minute-cinnamon-rolls/ . The Allrecipes.com recipe I found duplicated across the web with slightly different instructions.
A healthier version of cinnamon buns
The first time I made them I could taste the butter in every bite. It was a little too rich for me. On me and my boyfriend’s first year anniversary he begged me to make it healthier. Mainly he wanted me to make cinnamon buns with coconut oil instead of butter. In this recipe I still use just a little bit of butter in the filling because I was scared it would not come out good. In the future I will probably try it with no butter, or maybe make like a nut butter filling instead of serving it with nut-based frosting.
This recipe also features a little honey instead of sugar in the dough so the dough itself is not overly sweet. Then for the frosting, instead of refined powdered sugar, I use macadamia nuts and pure maple syrup which gives the icing a dose of nutrition that you can feel good about slathering on to your buns.
Recipe for cinnamon buns with coconut oil and served with macadamia nut frosting
Yield: Makes about 12 rolls
Equipment: Bread mixer like a kitchen aid for kneading (otherwise a food processor or other heavy duty mixer) and a blender for the icing.
Ingredients for the dough:
dry ingredients:
3 and ½ cups unbleached white bread flour
1/4 ounce packet of active yeast (2 ½ teaspoons)
½ teaspoon salt
wet ingredients:
¾ cup whole milk
1/4 cup organic coconut oil (4 tablespoons)
1 medium-large egg
1/4 cup water
1-2 tablespoons Big Island honey
Ingredients for the filling:
one cup brown sugar
1-2 tablespoons cinnamon
4 tablespoons coconut oil (solid state preferred)
2 tablespoons butter
Ingredients for the frosting:
1 and ½ cup macadamia nuts
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/4 cup water or less
Steps for the buns:
1) Mix 2 and 1/4 cup flour (reserve 1 cup for adding after wet ingredients). ingredients together in large mixing bowl.
This recipe, and any other recipe where the dough must be kneaded, is best with a heavy duty stand up mixer that has both a paddle attachment and a dough hook. If you have one, use it and mix the dry ingredients briefly with the paddle. If not, you should be using either a hand mixer, other stand up mixer, or a large food processor will get you half way there.
2) Heat the milk until bubbly and add the 1/4 cup coconut oil
3) Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add 1 egg, 1/4 cup water, honey to taste, milk and coconut oil mixture.
4) Mix until incorporated. Slowly add the remaining 1 cup of flour to the bowl and when the dough starts to come free from the sides of the bowl you need to stop the mixer and knead it by machine or by hand.
Kneading the dough
5) Kneading, if you have a heavy duty mixer with a dough hook, you can replace the paddle attachment now with the dough hook. Set to the lowest speed and let it knead for 5 minutes (do not over do it). If you do not have a dough hook, than turn it out on to lightly floured surface, and start kneading! Set a alarm for 8 minutes and don’t think about it until it goes off. If the dough is uniform and elastic it’s probably done.
6) Let rest for 10 minutes, place a towel over it for better rest.
7) Meanwhile mix the cinnamon, coconut oil, butter and sugar together.
8) Flour a large surface like a clean counter or large cutting board. Roll the dough into a large rectangle (about the size of a pan, 12X9 and about 1/3 inch thick).
9) Spread the cinnamon/sugar mixture with a rubber spatula or spoon evenly on the rolled out rectangle dough.
10) Starting at the longest side, roll the dough gently into a log.
11) You can try cutting with a knife, but no matter how sharp it is, it’s hard to cut without handling or deflating the dough.
Instead, you could be a pro and use a piece of unscented dental floss, placed under the roll to wrap around and cut off the perfect bun. In some of the pictures below, you’ll notice I tried making heart buns. To do this just unroll the most forward side and curl it to the center to make a heart.
12) Place in 2 round cake pans oiled with coconut oil, slightly touching.
13) Then let these rise for 30 minutes until they are almost doubled in size.
14) Finally, bake in oven at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes until golden brown on top.
Step for the icing:
1) While the buns are baking make the icing.
2) To do the icing add the mac nuts, vanilla extract, and maple syrup into a high powered blender and blend until smooth adding little bits of water as needed to make a smooth consistency.
3) When the buns are done, cool on a wire rack for a few minutes.
This recipe for healthy oat flour banana bread is famous among my family and friends. It is inspired by a recipe on www.plantoeat.com blog. It is a little bit different than your typical sweet and gooey banana bread. Instead, it is gluten-free and made with simple healthy ingredients like coconut oil, and unprocessed sugar like maple syrup or honey. It’s texture is still moist, filling, and it is just sweet enough. If you want an extra treat try it with the passionfruit cream cheese frosting.
Why unrefined sugars or sweeteners are best
Refined sugar either comes from sugar cane or sugar beets. If the package does not say sugar cane, than you can bet the sugar comes from genetically modified sugar beets. In the refining process they strip raw sugar of any remaining nutrients. They also use chemical processes to ensure uniform texture, shape and color, which may result in levels of chemical residue of Phosphoric Acid, Sulfur Dioxide, and Formic Acid in the sugar. In contrast, unrefined sugars are in a more pure form. Usually unrefined sugar comes from sugar cane juice which is rich in minerals like Phosphorus, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, and Potassium. In addition, when sugar is refined and processed there are many harmful ingredients that are added to the sugar as a result.
Unrefined natural sweeteners are even better for you than unrefined cane sugar. These have even more nutrients and may require less processing. I come from the Northeast of the US where Maple trees are abundant and the maple syrup industry thrives. Therefore, maple syrup is my sweetener of choice. However, maple syrup isn’t always affordable and it is definitely not the local choice. That being said many of my recipes use honey interchangeably with maple syrup. This lends a slightly different, but just as pleasing taste. Other options include: coconut sugar, date sugar, brown rice syrup, molasses, and sucanat.
Recipe for healthy oat flour banana bread:
Wet ingredients:
6-8 small-medium bananas
½ cup coconut oil (liquid)
2 eggs (room temperature)
1/4 cup maple syrup (honey, or sugar is ok)
1 teaspoon vanilla
Dry ingredients:
3 ½ cups oats (I use regular, old fashioned, but quick oats work fine as well). Blend these in a high speed blender on pulse. Until they are fine but still a little crumbly. Use 3 cups of this in the final recipe.
½ teaspoon salt
1 and ½ teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder (aluminum free is best for your health)
