Pistachio Lemon Granola Bars
The number one thing I hear in response to my love for cooking is always how stressed cooking makes people feel. People often associate cooking and childhood memories around it with a stressed out parent struggling to get the big meal out on the special holiday. And to that, I say, I totally get it.
Michael Pollan, whose documentary series I just started watching on netflix, talks about how the entertainment industry plays on this stress by making cooking shows that portray cooking as something better left up the pros (iron chef anyone?) and the food industry has been telling us we're too busy and too stressed to cook for years so that they could valiantly come in and save the day.
The first time I made these granola bars, my vitamix died mid-blend of homemade almond butter. And as I was trying to figure out what the hell was wrong I burnt approximately $15 worth of pistachios that I had just spent 20 minutes shelling. I slammed the pan of burnt nuts down on the counter, yelled at my husband about how next time will be paying extra for store-bought almond butter and pre-shelled pistachios and screw the fact that I was trying to be responsible and save money because look where it got me! Then I slammed the door of our bedroom and put my legs up the wall for a couple deep breaths.
So yeah, I totally get it how cooking can be stressful. That's one of the reasons I prefer to cook alone without a time limit and without a crowd to please, and preferably with a good playlist in the background. As ocd as I sound, I need to start with an immaculate kitchen, and clean as I go, even if it takes longer. This, by the way, drives my husband nuts. But my kitchen is my workspace, and a clean kitchen takes away stress and makes the whole cooking process much safer, trust me.
Somehow after picking out the black nut pieces, these bars came out just as I imagined. They're adapted from one of my favorite food blogs, Cookie and Kate, and inspired by my favorite larabar flavor, lemon! I'm such a sucker for tart, springy lemon. The bars are bound together with a combination of nut butter and honey and packed with so much protein and fiber they could almost qualify as breakfast.
I stocked up on homemade granola bars before this semester of grad school started, and individually wrapped them in plastic wrap then tossed them in a freezer bag on the door of the freezer. They defrost in about 30 minutes, and warm perfectly in the toaster if you're in a rush. Super filling and totally guilt-free on-the-go-treat that will ultimately save you money and leave you feeling fuller than any store-bought kind. Bring these to work or class and people will be jealous. Just saying. They're pretty awesome.
Yields 12-16 bars
Ingredients:
1/3 cup pecans (1.5 oz)
2/3 cup shelled pistachios (1.5 oz)
1/3 cup pepitas
2/3 cup dried cranberries (or dried fruit of your choice)
1 3/4 cup old fashioned oats
1 packed tablespoon lemon zest (from about 3 lemons)
1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon salt (decrease if your nut butter is salted)
1 cup almond butter or peanut butter (I did half and half)
1/2 cup honey (or maple syrup)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Line an 8x8 (for 12 thick bars) or 9x9 (for 16 thinner bars) inch baking dish with parchment and set aside. Toast the pecans, pistachios and pepitas in a skillet over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fragrant.
In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the oats for about 5 seconds until broken up significantly, then transfer to a large mixing bowl. Once the nuts & pepitas are toasted add them to the bowl of the food processor along with the dried fruit and run for about 10 seconds then transfer to the mixing bowl with the oats. Add the lemon zest and salt and whisk to combine.
In a small bowl bowl (or liquid measuring cup) combine the nut butter, honey, vanilla extract, and lemon juice and stir until combined. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine. I found using my hands to integrate the ingredients into a thick, sticky batter was easiest, but you could also use a wooden spoon and some elbow grease. If the batter seems too dry add in another small scoop of nut butter.
Press the batter into the parchment lined baking dish (the bottom of a drinking glass works best for this) then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight. Cut into bars and serve. Bars store best individually wrapped in plastic then stored in a freezer bag in the freezer. Stored this way they should last up to 6 months.
Roasted Pear + Salted Caramel Cheesecake Bites with Speculoos Cookie Crust {vegan}
Thanksgiving is coming! I have to be honest, normally Thanksgiving gets me super stressed. It's the ultimate foodie holiday, and when you're a person whose known by family and friends for cooking, people have expectations. Nate and I normally plan for weeks, I decorated a pinterest-inspired table with gords and pretty votives, and we food prep together for at least a solid week.
Thanksgiving is sort of our holiday. We've spent every thanksgiving together since we met and this will be our 8th. Every year it seems like we spend it with different people in a different place, and we love that about the holiday. We love everything this holiday stands for: inclusiveness, good food, and gratitude.
But this year we're going low-stress, simple. I've pulled too many all-nighters and written to many papers in the past two weeks to stress about a holiday!
One thing I know is I will be eating these little beauties. They are the creamiest, tastiest cheese cake bites that will please vegans and non-vegans alike. The crust is made from crushed up speculoos cookies the cheese cake base is a date sweetened blend of coconut milk and toasted cashews with spiced roasted pear, all topped with salted caramel. Guys, I had no idea vegan caramel was possible, let alone this good!
Roasted Pear + Salted Caramel Cheesecake Bites with Speculoos Cookie Crust
makes 18 cheesecake bites
For the crust:
1 1/2 cups speculoos cookie crumbs, (or sub graham cracker)
1/4 cup coconut oil
For the filling:
1 cup raw cashews
8 dates, pitted
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1 can full-fat coconut milk
1 medium d'anjou pear, (relatively firm)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
For the caramel
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt
1 can full-fat coconut milk
fluer de sel for finishing
Make the crust. Preheat the oven to 350. Fill muffin tins with 18 wrappers. In food processor, blend cookies into crumbs. Stir in melted coconut oil until evenly coated, then divide the crumbs among muffin tins. Press the crumbs down to form a crust - a shot glass works great for this. Bake for 8-10 minutes until fragrant and golden brown.
Make the filling. With the oven still on, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and top with cashews. Cook for 8-10 minutes, rotating halfway through, until just slightly brown and very fragrant.
In in the bowl of a food processor with a blade attachment, or blender, add cashews and dates and blend for about a minute. With the food processor running, slowly pour in the coconut oil, followed by the coconut milk. (Make sure to do it in this order. If you put it all in at once the liquid will splash everywhere and make a huge mess. I know from experience.)
Peel, core, and dice the pear. Combine pears, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt into a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the juices begin to release and the mixture looks gooey like jam. Pour the pear mixture into the cheesecake mixture and stir to combine.
Divide the filling among the muffin tins and refrigerate for at least two hours.
Meanwhile, make the caramel. Combine all of the ingredients in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally for 30-40 minutes. The mixture will bubble up slightly, darken in color, and eventually thicken and reduce to the consistency of caramel. Keep cooking until it has reduced to about 1 1/4 cups. Transfer to a jar.
Just before serving top the cheesecakes with caramel, you will have extra, and sprinkle liberally with chunky sea salt.
Homemade Speculoos Cookies {vegan}
By now I think everyone has tried the wonder that is speculoos cookie butter. The stuff is practically liquid gold, and these are the cookies that started it all. Speculoos, sometimes called Speculaas, cookies are a classic spiced holiday treat from Belgium. Think, gingerbread cookie, but better. I did my research and these are as classic as they can get with a gamete of spices including cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, white pepper and cardamon. They are warm with subtle spice and perfect with a steamy mug of coffee or tea.
Traditionally they're made with butter, but I tweaked a couple things and found using coconut oil instead made them just as good if not better, so they are completely vegan.
Homemade Speculoos Cookies {vegan}
Makes about 120 tiny cookies
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon cardamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup coconut oil, very cold/solid
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup milk of your choice (I used almond)
Measure the coconut oil and place in the refrigerator while you prepare the other ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine flour, spices, salt, and baking powder and whisk until completely incorporated, set aside. Add sugar and cold coconut oil to a stand mixture fitted with a paddle attachment. Cream the coconut oil and sugar together with the mixer on medium for about 3 minutes, then add the vanilla.
With the mixer on low, pour about 1/2 cup of the flour mixture into the coconut oil mixture, follow with a splash of milk, repeat until all of the flour and milk is incorporated and the dough starts to form an almost cohesive ball. Divide the dough in half, forming into the shape of a disk if you'll be rolling out the dough and using cookie cutters, or forming into a cylinder if if you'll be cutting them into cookie slices. Wrap the dough in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment. If using cookie cutters, on a floured work surface, roll the dough out until it's 1/4 inch thick, punch out cookies, and cook for 12-15 minutes until golden brown - they will continue to crisp up as they cool. If using sliced cookies, they will cook for closer to 20 minutes.
Notes: Here are the cookie cutters I used. I bought them two Thanksgivings ago amid Paula Deen's scandal and remember them being less than half this price. We use them every holiday season, but any kind of cutters will work!