baking Archives - Fresh and Fit

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Cherry Chocolate Breakfast Cookies

These chewy and fiber-rich cherry chocolate breakfast cookies are the perfect start to your day! Each cookie is full of protein, antioxidants and old-fashioned oats for a satisfying grab-and-go breakfast.

Breakfast is one of my favorite meals although I typically start my day with a strong cup of coffee. Whether it’s a skillet full of eggs and homestyle potatoes or a stack of pancakes, breakfast food just covers all of the bases to feed any craving. To earn the title of “Breakfast Cookie”, this recipe adds only a little bit of pure maple syrup to sweeten, relying on the natural sweetness of ripe banana, dark chocolate chips and dried cherries. Feel free to omit the maple syrup though if you want a less sweet cookie. You’ll notice even with the maple syrup, these are not an overly sweet cookie. These cookies aren’t just great for breakfast; keep them handy for a quick afternoon snack or post workout fuel.

The ripe banana also takes the place of added fat, making for a super moist and chewy cookie. I have nothing against fat and I’m a big proponent of healthy fats, from grass-fed ghee and avocado oil. But sometimes it’s fun to play around with using bananas, applesauce, zucchini and even avocado in place of fats in recipes.

One of the best parts about this recipe is there’s no need to use a hand-mixer or standing mixer. Just one medium mixing bowl. Once all of the ingredients are mixed thoroughly, the dough is refrigerated. This allows the oats to absorb the moisture and create a sticky texture that will help the cookies hold together. Next, 1/4 cup scoops of the oat dough are scooped onto a baking sheet and formed into round cookies. This eliminates the worry of the cookies spreading. Enjoy cookies with a big glass of your favorite milk or coffee for dunking!

Tip: I used slightly damp fingertips to form the cookies to help prevent the oats from sticking to my hands and shape easier.

Cherry Chocolate Breakfast Cookies

Ingredients

2 cups + 1/2 cup old fashioned oats, divided
2 large eggs
1 large ripe banana, mashed
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup dried cherries
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
1/8 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking powder

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350ºF and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Add 1/2 cup of old fashioned oats to a food processor and pulse until ground like flour. Set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together egg, mashed banana, maple syrup and vanilla bean paste. Stir oat flour, 2 cups of oats, cinnamon, sea salt and baking powder into mixture until moist. Stir in chocolate chips and dried cherries. Chill in refrigerator for 15 minutes.
Scoop out 1/4 cup mounds of dough onto prepared baking sheet. Use fingertips to shape into cookies. Bake for 13-15 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for 15 minutes. Store in a airtight container for up to 1 week.

http://freshandfit.org/cherry-chocolate-breakfast-cookies/

Berry Scones with Coconut Honey Glaze

Spring is a time when most of us are trying to be health minded and choose lighter fare. But we still want to indulge without feeling light we’ve abandoned our healthy way of eating. Well, these ‘Berry Scones with Coconut Honey Glaze’are low in sugar but full of fresh flavor and coco-nutty aroma. I have omitted the dairy for those who are avoiding it and instead used unsweetened almond milk. I also cut the fat using 1/2 ripe banana and 1/2 coconut oil, which adds a nice touch of natural sweetness. You can use your favorite vanilla protein powder for a boost of protein, taking this recipe from a dessert to a pre or post workout snack.

*Note* These are a very light, moist, fall-apart scone, NOT dense and solid like one might expect from the scone. If you find that they are too moist of a scone for you, omit the coconut oil and just stick with the mashed banana for moisture or vice versa.

Berry Scones with Coconut Honey Glaze

Ingredients

For scones
2 c oat flour, finely pulsed oats
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 c coconut oil, soft
1 c unsweetened almond milk, microwaved for 30 seconds.
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 ripe banana mashed
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 c blueberries
1/3 c dried cranberries
For glaze
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp coconut oil, melted in microwave 15 seconds.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350. Cover an 8 in round pie pan in aluminum foil and spray with non-stick spray. Scones will be easier to lift out.
In a food processor or blending gadget, pulse oats until fine.
Combine oat flour, protein powder, baking soda and sea salt in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl mix together mashed banana, coconut oil, vanilla extract, and almond milk (almond milk is microwaved so it doesn't solidify coconut oil)
Stir wet ingredients into dry. Stir in cranberries and blueberries.
Pour batter into pan. Smooth with back of spoon or spatula. Bake for 30 minutes.
Whisk together coconut oil and honey for glaze.
After scones bake 30 minutes, carefully removed from oven.
Drizzle scones with honey coconut glaze and return to oven for 5 minutes.
Allow to cool at least 15 minutes before lifting from pan and peeling off aluminum foil.
Slice scones into triangles.

http://freshandfit.org/berry-scones-coconut-honey-glaze/

Strawberry Shortcake Muffin Top Cookies

In honor of the first day of spring, I want to share with you these bright and fruity strawberry shortcake muffin top cookies. That’s right, they are so light and fluffy that they are a hybrid of a muffin and a cookie. They are made with quality ingredients and fresh ripe strawberries, a seasonal springtime staple. Happy Spring!

1 and 1/4 c organic non-gmo all purpose flour
1 cup diced organic strawberries divided
2/3 c organic brown sugar packed
1 tbsp organic granulated sugar
1/2 c grass-fed butter softened
1 cage-free organic egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp lemon zest
1/2 c organic powdered sugar
1 tbsp organic whole milk

Preheat oven to 350. Dice strawberry, purée half in a food processor and toss the other half in a small bowl with granulated sugar.

In a medium bowl using a hand mixer, cream together butter and brown sugar. Add egg, puréed strawberries, lemon zest and vanilla, mix until just combined.

In a separate bowl, combine flour and baking soda and salt. Mix dry ingredients into wet.

Stir in sugar coated strawberries.

On a parchment paper lined baking sheet, place dollops of dough 2 inches apart using a tablespoon or ice cream scoop.

Bake for 12-14 minutes. Allow to cool.

For icing, mix together milk and powdered sugar, drizzle over cookies with a fork or piping bag.

Baked Apple Chips

Baked apple chips are super easy to make. In fact, the hardest part is waiting for them to bake. They make a nutritious snack that is crunchy, tart, and sweet with a nice cinnamon spice.

2-3 ripe apples

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 200. Thinly slice apples using a mandolins or knife. Place onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

Bake for 2 hours. Flip apples over and bake 1 hour longer. Turn off oven and allow apples to slowly cool. Once oven is cool remove apples.