heartyspoonful

"If you have the power to make someone happy, do it. The world needs more of that."

• 2 cups gluten-free oats (not quick cooking)
• 2 tbsp ground flax or ground chia
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• Pinch of salt
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup applesauce (add as required)
• 3 tbsp melted coconut oil
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Add-ins: raisins, dried mulberries, dates, chocolate chips, dried cranberries, pepitas, etc. 

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a square pan with parchment paper and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, mix together oats, ground flax/chia, cinnamon, ginger and salt.

Add in remaining liquid ingredients. Mix until all the oats are covered. For the applesauce, start by adding a tbsp and add more as needed to make the mixture more "well coated".

Fold in add-ins of choice. I added raisins, pepitas, pumpkin seeds and dried mulberries. You can go crazy!

Bake for 20-22 minutes, but careful not to burn the sides as the bars will turn too dry. Let cool completely on a wire rack prior to slicing.

Enjoy!! xx

"Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck."

- Dalai Lama XIV

• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour +
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• Pinch of salt

Wet Ingredients:

• 4 ripe bananas, mashed *
• 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup maple syrup **
• 1/4 cup olive oil or melted coconut oil ***
• 2 tbsp unsweetened almond milk

• 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
• Chocolate glaze for topping (1/2 cup chocolate chips melted with 1 tbsp of coconut oil)

Preheat oven to 350F. Oil donut pan and set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together all dry ingredients.
 + I used whole wheat pastry flour, but regular pastry flour or AP flour should do the trick. 

In a separate bowl, mash bananas and add remaining wet ingredients.
* My bananas yielded just over 2 cups (approximately 2 1/8 cups). 
** Because the bananas were so overripe, I didn't need much sweetener so I used 1/3 cup. Adjust the liquid as needed for the batter (either add more oil or almond milk). 
*** I used olive oil, but if using coconut oil, make sure that all your ingredients are at room temperature. 

Add wet ingredients into dry and mix until well incorporated. Make sure not to overmix. Fold in chocolate chips.

Pour batter into prepared donut pans and bake for 27-30 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for a few minutes before transferring out.

Top with chocolate glaze when cooled.

Enjoy! xxx

"A day without laughter is a day wasted."

- Nicolas Chamfort

• 1 cup oat flour 
• 1/2 cup gluten-free rolled oats
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 2 ripe bananas
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut/almond yoghurt
• 1/4 cup cashew butter (or nut butter of choice)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 flax or chia eggs (2 tbsp ground flax plus 5 tbsp of water)
• Handful of blueberries and raspberries

"We must have a pie. Stress cannot exist in the presence of a pie."

- David Mamet, Boston Marriage

"I will crush your scones."

- Pretty Little Liars

• 2 cups wholewheat flour or spelt flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup walnuts, chopped into fine pieces
• 1/3 cup solid coconut oil (make sure it's not close to liquefying) 
• 2 ripe medium bananas, mashed
• 1/4 almond milk
• 3 tbsp maple syrup

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, combine together the flour, 3/4 of the chopped nuts, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

Use a fork or cookie cutter to cut the coconut oil into the dry ingredients. There should be tiny pieces of coconut oil mixed into the dry ingredients. 

In a small bowl, mix together mashed banana, maple syrup and almond milk. Pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients and mix well. Keep mixing until you have made a dough. You can use your hands for an easier process.

On a clean, flat surface, place the dough and form into a circular form that's about an inch high. Cut into 8 pieces.

Place on baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until lightly golden brown.

Let the scones cool for a few minutes before topping with frosting and glaze. (See below for recipe.) Top with nuts if desired.

Peanut Butter Frosting

• 2 tbsp smooth all-natural peanut butter 
• 2 tbsp of coconut flour 
• 1/4 cup water or almond milk 

Whisk together all ingredients. Depending on the consistency of your peanut butter, you may have a runny frosting if you use all water all at once so I suggest starting by adding a tbsp of liquid at a time. You can also skip on the coconut flour if there's not much liquid to absorb.

Chocolate Glaze

• 2 tbsp cacao powder
• 1 tbsp water

Simply whisk together until incorporated. If it's too runny, then add more cacao powder.

Enjoy! xx

"You have to have a certain persona to be a star, you know, and I don't have that. I'm a banana."

- Harvey Korman

• 1 to 1 1/4 cup of gluten-free oats
• 2/5 tbsp carob powder
• 1 cup (about 7 large) medjool dates 
• 1 large ripe banana
• Pinch of cinnamon
• Mixed nuts as a topping

In a food processor, process the oats (1 cup) until coarsely chopped (not into oat flour). Transfer in a bowl. Then, process the medjool dates until smooth. Add in the oats, carob powder and cinnamon. Blend until mixed. Add in the banana. If the texture is too wet, add more oats. This will depends on the ripeness and size of the banana. It should form a ball when the right consistency is reached.

Then, in a square or rectangular pan, line with parchment paper and transfer the blended ingredients. Top with mixed nuts (I added almonds and some superfoods). Place in freezer for at least an hour to set. Cut in however shape and size that you want.

Enjoy!  xxx