Coconut Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Bars

I have been trying to find ways to use up some of my surplus of raisins. (I have like 5 lbs…don’t ask.) That is basically the reason why I made these cookie bars which I think is a good enough reason. Well that plus it never hurst to have cookies on hand, right?

Oatmeal raisin is a classic and in my mind, pretty damn classy, cookie combo. Only smart sophisticated people like oatmeal raisin cookies. Haha! But really, oatmeal and raisins are delicious and adding coconut and a little chocolate (if you want), you get a stellar flavor combination. But also smart and sophisticated.

Oh and I made these cookie bars as bars because I didn't want to deal with scooping and watching batches of cookies. And I think they are better for it.

So if you have raisins, you are pretty much all the way there to these cookie bars. If you don’t have raisins, well you can hit me up. I have a shit ton!

Now to the cookie bars!

The stuff. Flour, oats, salt, cinnamon, baking powder, coconut oil, shredded coconut, raisins, a flax egg, vanilla, brown sugar, and some chocolate chips.

To start just dump the soft coconut oil, brown sugar, vanilla, and flax egg into a big bowl. Mix until completely incorporated.

Next add all the dry in and stir until evenly mixed.

Lastly, add in the fixings! Coconut, raisins, and chocolate chips. Stir until combined.

Dump the dough into a parchment lined baking pan. Pat dough down evenly (It helps to wet your fingers so the dough doesn’t stick) then pop the pan into the preheated oven to bake.

Pull from the oven when it’s all golden brown and cookie looking like. About 30 minutes. And when you pull it out, just let it sit in pan on a cooling rack for15ish or so minutes to cool and then you lift it out.

Now you cut them up and eat them up!

Smart and sophisticated. 😉

-C

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Coconut Oatmeal Raisin Bars

makes 16 squares

• 1 1/4 cup flour

• 2 cup old fashion oats

• 2/3 cup warm coconut oil

• 3/4 cups packed brown sugar

• 1 Flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flax seed plus 4 tablespoon warm water)

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1 cup rasinsin

• 1/2 cup coconut flakes

• 1/4 cip mimi chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350

Place the warm coconut oil into a big bowl along with the brown sugar, flax egg, and vanilla. Mix until completely combined. Add in the flour, oats, salt, cinnamon, and baking powder and mix until completely incorporated. Add in the raisins (make sure they are not all sticking together), coconut, and chocolate chips if using and mix until incorporated.

Line a 9x9 baking pan with parchment. Cut it so the ends stuck out a bit so you can grab them after. Dump the cookie dough into pan then evenly spread and press it down. Pop pan Ito oven and bake for 28-30 minutes or until golden brown, slightly darker around edges, and a tester poked into middle comes out clean.

Remove from oven and place on a rack to cool, still in pan, for 15ish minutes. Once the cookies have firmed up a bit, grab ends or parchment and remove fro pan. Cut into 16 squares. Eat.

Store cookies in a airtight container for about a week at room temperature. If you haven’t eaten them all, freeze them.

Lemon White Chocolate Chip Cookies

I was having one of those weeks, a week when I just needed to make some cookies. You know those weeks right? And so cookies were made. White chocolate chip because thats all I had (Or thought I had. I forgot that I dumped all the regular chocolate chips into humongous jar in the pantry) and lemon because it just sounded right and also I had this giant lemon, which is the best part about these cookies. The giant lemon I used was the single lemon that I grew, in my own house, here in Vermont, on my little lemon tree. Crazy right? A $40 dollar lemon (because the plant cost that much), so these are some expansive ass cookies. HAHA.

So I know I make good cookies, but there was something about this flavor combination that had everyone drooling over them. A cookie that is chewy and crisp, but not hard and crunchy. They smell all sweet and citrusy and amazing. Probably the exact perfect cookie that anyone and everyone wants. The littles, they tried to eat them all. Barb, she ate one when she came over then texted me in the middle of the night to ask if I had anymore cookies left. Cameron, the boy (or gigantic man now) stopped over and raved about the cookies and that is saying a lot because that boy is picky. And the mr. of course, was skeptical of the flavor combination at first but that went out the window when he sat down and ate like 4 within minutes. So if you have any doubts, know that these are some good cookies. And also, you don’t need to grow your own lemon for these cookies. A regulate grocery store lemon will be just fine.

To the cookies!

The stuff. White and brown sugar, coconut oil, a flax egg, a lemon, vanilla extract, flour, salt, baking soda, and white chocolate chips.

Simple and straight forward. Grab a big bowl and add in the sugars, coconut oil, flax egg, vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice. Mix until completely combined. Add in the baking soda, salt, and flour. Mix again until combined.

And don’t forget to to mix in the chocolate chips!

Up close for your pleasure.

Scoop dough onto baking sheets and give them a little tap to flatten the tops. Not too smooshed, just a bit, and toss that pan into the oven to bake.

And would you look at that, baked to perfection.

Place cookies on rack to cool.

And thats it.

Pile of cookies, cup of coffee… Do it. Do you.

-C

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Lemon White Chocolate Chip Cookies

makes 2 dozen

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup coconut oil, softened

• 3/4 cup white sugar

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flax mixed with 3 tablespoon warm water)

• 1 Large lemon ( or 1 hefty tablespoon zest and 1 tablespoon lemon juice)

• 1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips (the vegan ones, if you care)

Preheat oven to 350

Place oil, sugars, vanilla, flax egg, the zest of the lemon, and a tablespoon of lemon juice into a big bowl, Mix together until completely incorporated. Add in a the flour, salt, and baking soda and mix until dough forms then add in the white chocolate chips and mix until combined.

Stoop out dough balls, about 2 tablespoons worth, onto a baking sheet. Make sure to give each ball a good amount of room because these cookies will spread a good bit. Give each dough ball a little press, not completely flat, just a little tap so the tops are not domed and then place cookies into oven to bake. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until the cookies are turning slightly golden brown on top and golden brown on the bottom.

Once out of the oven, place cookies on a cooling rack to cool. Be careful because they are really fragile until they cool.

And then eat your cookies.

Store cookies at room tempature in airtight counter for up to a week. OR freeze them for a few months. But they will be gone in days so yeah.

Blackberry Black Pepper Scones

10 years ago, or maybe even longer, the mr and I planted 2 little blackberry canes in the way way back yard of our first house. Nothing big and we were not expecting much, which was good because for the years we lived there after that, nothing really happened with them beside becoming bigger and more thorny.

And then we moved and I kind of forgot about them.

But the other day while the mr was over there (we still own the building and have a barn that the mr works out of) he told me to go check out the bushes. Holy shit, those suckers are humongous, viscous as all hell, and were dripping (literally) with big, fat, juicy blackberries. So many in fact that I could barely pick them off before they all started to just fall off. I filled up two big containers, after eating like 2 pounds at least, and could have gotten more but I had no where else to stick them. Plus I was covered in gashed from the thorns. So I left the rest for another day.

I asked what the mr wanted me to make with the berries (in between eating big handfuls of the berries) and he asked for scones. So scones it was. Easy enough but I felt that I needed to add a little something something to spice it up a bit and that is why I added the black pepper. And because I like pepper and berried together and figured everyone will too. And let me tell you, so far they do, like really really do.

I mean who wouldn’t like a sweet and spicy scone made with hand picked berries from berry bushes long ago planted with love that grew into monsters with thorns the size of knives that nearly killed me?

No one wouldn’t. Everyone wants a scone.

And don’t worry if you don’t have killer blackberry bushes in which to harvest berries from. You can buy them too. Just won’t be as special is all. HA.

To the scones.

The stuff. Flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt are in the big bowl. Then there is coconut oil, almond milk, sugar, vanilla, and apple cider vinegar. And course ground black pepper and blackberries that I froze. You need to use frozen berries or else you will have yourself a hot mess.

Easy peasy. Dump pepper and sugar into the bowl with the rest of the dy and mix well. Dump in the solid coconut oil and cut it in like you would butter, until it is crumbly. Add in the milk, vinegar, and vanilla and gently mix until most the dough starts to come together, then add in in frozen berries.

Dump the dough onto a lightly flour surface. Yes, the dough is barely sticking together but that is alright, just smash and pat it until it sticks and comes together. Once together, pat it down into a round disk about an inch thick. Just know, as you are working it, the berries are gonna start to break apart which is totally fine, but your hands will turn purple.

Flatten and cut. Just about scones now, but not quite.

Place scones on a baking sheet and brush the tops with a little milk then lighty sprinkle more sugar and black pepper on the tops and then pop them into a hot oven.

Bakes and lovely and cooling ever so slightly..

Grab a plate, something hot to drink, and more berries because you can never have to many berries.

And eat. Still warm and all sorts of good.

Blackberry black pepper scone. Now you have them and everyone will want them. But know, there is no shame in hiding what you don’t not want to share.

-C

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blackberry black Pepper Scones

makes 8-12 scones (depending how big you cut them)

• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

• 1/3 cup white sugar plus a tablespoon more for dusting tops

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 1/2 teaspoons course ground black pepper plus a little more for dusting tops

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup solid coconut oil

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1 hefty cup frozen blackberries

• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

• 3/4 cup cold plant milk plus about a tablespoon more for brushing on top

Preheat oven to 375

In a large bowl mix together the flour, baking powder and soda, salt, sugar, and pepper until well combined. Dump in the solid coconut oil and using a fork or pastry cutter, cut it into the dry until the mixture becomes crumbly. You do not want to fully incorporate the oil. Now dump in the cold milk, the vanilla, and the vinegar and gently mix until a dough starts to form. Dump in the blackberries and continue to gently mix until the dough just start to stick together.

Dump dough onto a lightly flour surface and gently squish, mush, and part the dough until it forms a ball. The berries will start to break apart and that is ok. Then flatten the dough into a disk that is about an inch thick. Take a knife of dough cutter and cut in half, then those halves into half, and then those halves in half. (8 pieces) You can even cut a few smaller if you want.

Place cut scones on a baking sheet and brush the tops with remaining milk then sprinkle tops with sugar and a little more pepper

Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Once baked, remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

Eat, warm of room temperature. Just don’t wait too long.

Store left overs in airtight container at room temperature for 2 day, 3-5 in fridge, or freeze individual scones for months. Just pop them back into a hot oven for 10 or so minutes to reheat.

Brownie Brownies

Things that run through my mind while I am trying to do annoying paperwork.... I need to repot all my plants. And why is paper made out of trees and not banana peels or avocado skins? And are people really that crazy about avocados that it is now a trend to propose with a ring in a avocado? Apparely it is a thing now and I don't feel very good about it.  And why haven't I made brownies in a long time?

Paperwork set aside, I couldn't repot my plant because I need to get potting soil, I didn't want to think to much more about avocado rings because, blah, but I could make brownies. I did a quick hustle and got all the stuff together. A measure and a mix, a little time in the oven, and then done. Wonder no longer, the brownies were made. And perfect timing too cause a bunch of littles were on their way over to trash my house. Got to have some chocolate sugary things to fuel their madness. Now when to finish all that paperwork......

 This is a good recipe to have on hand because it is simple, doesn't require to have any fancy stuff to make them so I always have the ingredients, and they make the  house smell like chocolate. As far as brownies go, these are more fudgy then cakey. Just so you know. 

The stuff. Cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and salt.  Also some coconut oil, vanilla, sugar, ground chia seeds, coffee, and chocolate chips.  All to become brownies. 

The coca powder, sugar, vanilla, chia seeds, and hot coffee get whisked together with the melted coconut oil (which I melted in the microwave in the bowl first). Whisk it until smooth and lump free. 

I usually mix dry together before I add  it to the wet but I really didn't want to get another bowl so I sprinkle on the baking powder, then the salt, then top wth the flour. Use a rubber spatula to fold the dry into the wet unit just incorporated to avoid over mixing he batter. 

Can't forget the chocolate chips. Fold those chocolate chips into the batter as well.

Pour batter into a well greased and lined pan and pop it into the oven to bake.

20ish minutes later you are looking at a pan of brownies. And when I pulled them out I realized that there was something missing. 

More chocolate and sprinkles.

Melted the chocolate with coconut oil and smothered it all over the suckers and sprinkles on the sprinkles . 

Cut up and ready to go.

Brownie Brownies because because. 

-C

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Brownie Brownies 

makes and 8x8 pan which could feed anywhere  between 1person to 9 people. 

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup white sugar
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 2/3 cup melted coconut oil
• 1/2 cup hot coffee
• 2 tablespoons  ground flax or chia seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips plus 

Optional chocolate glaze is 1/4 cup chocolate chips and 1 teaspoon coconut oil. And sprinkles to finish.

Preheat oven to 350

Combine the melted coconut oil (I microwaved the coconut oil in the bowl) sugar, cocoa powder, ground chia, vanilla, and hot coffee in a medium bowl. Whisk together until completely combined and smooth. Let sit for a few minutes then add in the flour, baking powder, and salt together and fold in in with a spatula. Once combined, add in chocolate chip and fold those in as well. Be careful not not overmix or you will end up with gummy brownies. 

Grease and line a 8x8 baking pan. and pour/scoop the batter in. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until a test in the middle barely cames out clean. (under baking is better then overtaking)

Remove from oven and let cool completely

To make the chocolate glaze, combine chocolate with coconut oil and microwave for 30 seconds then mix until a smooth consistency. Pour onto cooled brownies, disperse, then cover with sprinkles .

Cut into squares and eat..

Blackberry Pie Crumble Squares

The house next door to us is for sale and in the backyard of the house is a whole lot of blackberry bushes. The mr and I have been hopping the fence over there like ninjas and filling large bowls of berries and sneaking back home to eat our weight in those blackberries. (Ok, not entirely true. We are not good enough ninjas to jump the fence so we have been walking through the fence gate. Plus we checked with the current owner, she told us to pick all we wanted to. We are not asshole ninjas stealing fruit)

So many berries. I check every few days and they just keep on coming and I am not one to let perfectly good berries (or any food) go to waste, so I just keep picking. I froze some , ate so so many, and then I was going to make a straight up pie but decided to do pie bars instead because one, I couldn't find my pie plate (I think Shannon has it) and two, these are just a bit less formal, like pie can sometime be. Plus easier to share because they are cut into little squares and hold there shape really well. And lets be honest, I didn't want to have to roll out pie dough if I didn't have to.

Such a good way to use up and share an excess of berries. Now off you go to make some pie crumble bars while I go play with the kittens (I'll tell you all about the kittens tomorrow....)

The stuff. Flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. A little soy milk and coconut oil, a lemon, and arrowroot powder. And of course lots of blackberries.

The flour, salt, baking soda, and sugar get mixed in a big bowl then the coconut oil get mixed in into a crumble.  Now in goes the soy milk to get it all a little wet.

A little more then half the mixture gets patted down into a greases and lined pan

Berries, sugar, arrowroot powder, lemon juice and lemon zest go into a bowl. Give it a mix.

Dump and distribute all over recently patted down dough..

And crumble the rest of the crumble all over the top.

Now into the oven it go.

All cooked and cooling while you put away the clean dishes (or anything that will distract you for at least a half hour while they cool.)

And when they have cooled enough to cut, it's time for you to eat.

And yes, these are totally perfect for dessert and breakfast.

-C

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Blackberry Pie Crumble Squares

makes 16 squares

For the crust

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup coconut oil melted then cooled to soft
• 2/3 cup cane sugar
• 4 tablespoons soy milk

For the berry filling

• 3 cups fresh blackberries
• 3 tablespoons arrowroot powder
• 1/3 cup cane sugar
• zest and juice of a lemon

Preheat oven to 375

Mix the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder together in a large bowl. Add in coconut oil and incorporate with a fork or pastry cutter until the dough looks crumbly, add in soy milk and mix in with for again just til until incorporated. (think pie dough-like)  Don't worry if some of the dough seems dry, it's fine.

Grease and line a 9x9 pan. Dump a little more then half of the dough mixture in and pat down to cover bottom of pan. Try to make sure it's all an even thickness.

In a separate bowl, toss together the berries, sugar, arrowroot powder, lemon zest and juice of that lemon. Dump the mixture into pan and evenly distribute over dough. Take the remaining dough and crumble all over the top then just stick it into the hot oven.

Bake for about 50 minutes or until the crumble on top is a nice golden brown.

Remove and let cool completely before cutting.

Cut then eat.

Store squares in fridge, some even say they taste better cold.