Friendly Food Snobs

sweets

chewy ginger cookies

Chewy ginger cookies are my favourite Christmas baking recipe. Inspired by the cookie at Starbucks, these are even better with the addition of real ginger to help with digestion and fight colds, and give that real ginger taste.

Although delicious as is, after making these a few times, I have been known to stir in chopped chunks of 70% dark chocolate – so amazing and special for the holidays. But the recipe is a classic and if you’re making it for the first time I would stick with it as listed below.

I also will use either fresh grated ginger, or chopped candied ginger depending on what I have, as the recipes notes below. 

There’s something so cozy and warming about the ginger flavour when it’s cold outside. Recipe makes 24 regular cookies.

chewy ginger cookies

chewy ginger cookies

2 + 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (or 2 tablespoons chopped candied ginger)
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup granulated white sugar or raw sugar (for coating dough)

Toss the ginger in the freezer and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Chilling the ginger makes it easier to handle. Combine flour, dry spices, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Beat room temperature butter with egg, brown sugar and molasses. Reserve granulated white sugar for rolling the cookies before baking.

Using a box grater or zester, grate 1 teaspoon of frozen ginger and add to the wet ingredients.  Combine wet and dry and let batter set in fridge for 10 minutes.

Scoop teaspoon size cookies and roll into balls. Dip balls in sugar. Place on cookie sheet and using the bottom of a glass or your finger, gently press each cookie down. Note, don’t crowd the pan as these cookies will spread during baking. Bake for only 10 minutes. Cookies will firm up as they cool.

Guests coming over? Batter can be wrapped in plastic and stored in freezer for a few months, or fridge for up to three days. Merry Christmas, friends!

flourless chocolate cake


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flourless-chocolate-cake
flourless-chocolate-cakeFlourless chocolate cake. Even the phrase makes me hungry. I took this over to Kate and Matt’s for Sunday supper. Served warm, fudge-like in the middle with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Bliss on a plate.

flourless chocolate cake

Ingredients:
1 cup chopped dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 and 1/4 sticks soft unsalted butter
6 large eggs
1 and 1/4 cup white sugar
1 cup almond meal or gluten-free flour
5 teaspoons cocoa powder
pinch salt
1 tablespoon vanilla
icing sugar for serving
coconut oil or extra butter to grease pan

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9 inch springform pan. Using a double boiler or microwave heat the butter and melt in the chocolate. Set aside. Beat sugar and eggs with hand mixer on high until doubled in volume. In a separate bowl combine salt, meal/flour and cocoa. Stir the vanilla into the cooled butter mixture and combine with the eggs. Mix dry and wet. Pour into pan. Place cake in oven and set timer for 30 minutes. After 5 minutes has passed, reduce heat to 350 degrees.  Check at 30 minutes, the top should be forming a crust and the middle slightly wobbly, will set as cools. Let cool for 2-3 hours before releasing the sides of pan. Sift with icing sugar before slicing. Serve warm with vanilla or coconut ice cream.

protein pancakes + divine sundays

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Sundays often start with these gluten-free protein pancakes. Full of oats, egg, cinnamon and fruit they keep us full until lunch.

My dream Sunday starts with these pancakes and ends with a clean house, full fridge from a grocery shop and cup of peppermint tea sipped curled up on the couch. Between those two events, there’s a lot of room to slow down and feel joy.

This recipe has actually been taped to the inside of my kitchen cupboard for years. It even moved into our new house with us. It’s a winner. Hope you enjoy them. Makes four large pancakes or eight small. I serve them with butter, fruit and maple syrup. 

protein pancakes

Ingredients:
1/2 cup oats
1/2 all-purpose flour or gluten-free (I use Bob’s Red Mill Cup for Cup GF)
1 teaspoon each baking powder and baking soda
1 banana mashed
1 egg
2 tablespoons plain yogurt 
1/4 cup almond milk (or your fave milk, dairy works)
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch salt
cinnamon to taste

butter or coconut oil for cooking

Using one large bowl I mix all the wet ingredients, then add the dry in the same bowl and combine with a fork. You can also use a blender. Let batter sit for five minutes for optimal fluffiness. Heat a non stick pan and coat with butter or coconut oil. Using a large spoon scoop pancakes size drops of batter into pan. Flip once you see bubbles. These take a little longer to cook than regular white flour pancakes. 

While I make these one by one, I keep the rest warm in a 200 degree oven. Feel free to add to the wet batter some fresh blueberries or a scoop of plant based protein powder for more protein. Hope you enjoy!

squash pecan muffins for fall

 

squash muffinsFall’s arrived. Sweaters are being yanked out of storage and scarves are back. All I want is cozy.

Muffins made with squash, oats, nuts and coconut oil are perfect for chilly morning with a mug of something hot. Texture is crispy on the top and moist inside. They smell beautiful as they bake and to me, make the house feel warm and cozy. 

You can easily swap out the squash for canned pumpkin puree, or baked sweet potato. You can’t even tell they’re squash, promise. Makes 12.

squash pecan muffins

Ingredients:
1 cup mashed oven roasted acorn squash
3/4 cup all purpose flour or gluten-free flour (I love Bob’s Red Mill)
1 cup oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder (use 2 tsp if using gluten-free flour)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 cup almond milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
3/4 cup brown sugar (1/2 cup is delicious too and slightly less sweet)
2 tablespoon canola oil or coconut oil
1 egg

*optional toppings: pepita seeds or more chopped pecans

Squash can be roasted in advance. Slice in half, remove seeds and bake at 375 degrees skin side down with a little water in a casserole dish for 1 hour. (Or use canned pumpkin puree if you want quick and easy!) Once squash cooked and cooled scoop it out and mash it in bowl you’re using for the wet ingredients. You only need one cup. I freeze the rest in a ziploc bag to add to a soup.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine the muffin’s wet ingredients with brown sugar. Combine remaining dry ingredients. Mix together. Spoon into lined or greased muffin tins. Sprinkle with extra nuts or seeds if using. Bake for 22-25 minutes. (This is long, I know, but it needs it.)

Great with almond butter or regular butter for breakfast. Or drizzled with honey for dessert. 

nut + date bars

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141These little bars have no gluten, no baking time, require minimal effort and then they reward you with how loaded with protein and delicious they are. Love these recipes where the healthier version tastes so much better than store bought granola bars. Perfect for travel, lunches or general snacking needs. Use your food processor or a good quality blender. I use my blender on the same setting that crushes ice. Makes 12 bars. Let’s get started.

nut + date bars

Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted almonds
½ cup unsalted pepita seeds
½ unsalted cashews
pinch salt
1 cup unsweetened cranberries
8 medjool dates pits removed
1 heaping tablespoon of room temperature coconut oil

Line an 8 by 8 or 9 by 9 pan with plastic wrap. The edges at the sides will help you lift out the bars. Pulse the almonds first. Add the pepita seeds, cashews and salt to pulse. Lastly blend in the remaining dates, cranberries and coconut oil. Tumble the mixture into the lined pan. Press down. Wrap it up and store in the fridge for 3 hours or overnight. When set, lift out and slice. Store in the fridge for 10 days or freeze for longer.

Experiment with what you have on hand. Raisins, orange zest, chocolate or crystallized ginger chunks would all be lovely additions. I make these as bars. But if there are little (or big) hands at home that want to help, they could easily be rolled into small balls, and then set in the fridge the same way. Thanks to my own mom and sees for this recipe inspiration!

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