OATMEAL TRAIL MIX COOKIES

august 29, 2016 by celebrating sweets 10 comments

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Healthier oatmeal cookies that are soft and chewy, sweetened with honey, and filled with your favorite trail mix. A wholesome and delicious treat for lunchboxes, snacking, or dessert.

Today I’m sharing a recipe for a classic cookie with a delicious twist –  Oatmeal Trail Mix Cookies. These cookies are soft and chewy, sweetened with brown sugar and honey, filled with your favorite trail mix, and loaded with Bob’s Red Mill Old Fashioned Rolled Oats.

Cookie perfection is coming your way!

I created this recipe because I wanted a snack/treat for my kids that was both delicious and wholesome. With the back to school season in high gear I’m always on the lookout for lunch box snacks, after school treats, or quick grab and go breakfasts for this busy time of year.

My family loves trail mix, so I decided to take our favorite trail mix and add it to oatmeal cookies. In an effort to make these cookies a little more nutritious I used white whole wheat flour, I swapped some of the refined sugar for honey, and I used my favorite Old Fashioned Rolled Oats from Bob’s Red Mill.

Oats are an incredibly versatile whole grain; they are rich in dietary fiber and can help reduce cholesterol. My family loves oats in any recipe – Overnight Oats, Granola, Baked Oatmeal – they devour it all. Although if I’m being completely honest, my kids would definitely say that these cookies rank as their favorite way to eat oats.

If you have children that you’re sending off to school they would be thrilled to find one of these cookies in their lunchbox. My son, Jake, is ecstatic when I surprise him with an occasional treat in his lunch. These cookies also make a great after school snack for welcoming your little ones home from school. Or wait until after dinner and share a plate of cookies as a family (adults love these too!). They are perfect anytime, anywhere!

Tip: These cookies keep well for several days. Make a batch at the beginning of the week and enjoy them in the days ahead.

Here are some coupons towards Bob’s Red Mill products. I hope you try this recipe soon!

5 from 1 vote

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OATMEAL TRAIL MIX COOKIES

Healthier oatmeal cookies that are soft and chewy, sweetened with honey, and filled with your favorite trail mix. A wholesome and delicious treat for lunchboxes, snacking, or dessert.

 Course Dessert, Snack

 Prep Time 15 minutes

 Cook Time 10 minutes

 Total Time 25 minutes

 Servings 14 medium/large cookies

 Author Allison - Celebrating Sweets

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar make sure it's fresh and soft
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/4 cups Bob's Red Mill Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
• 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• cups Heaping 1 1/2 roughly chopped trail mix divided (see note)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. With a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat butter, brown sugar and honey for 2-3 minutes, until smooth and creamy. Add egg and vanilla and beat to combine.
2. In a separate bowl, combine oats, flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Stir in 1 cup of trail mix by hand. Cover the dough and refrigerate for two hours or up to overnight (you can skip this step and bake immediately, but I prefer the final texture after chilling).
3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners. Scoop the dough into two tablespoon balls and place a couple inches apart on the baking sheets. Use the remaining 1/2 cup trail mix to press some pieces onto the top of each dough ball (this makes the trail mix more visible and makes for a prettier cookie). Lightly press down on the dough balls to flatten just slightly. Bake for 9-11 minutes (see note), until the edges of the cookies are done and the very center is still slightly underdone. Do not over bake, as they will finish cooking on the baking sheet. Place the baking sheets on wire racks and allow the cookies to cool completely.

RECIPE NOTES

Trail mix: You can use a store bought variety or you can make your own by combining nuts, seeds, dried fruit and/or chocolate chips. The combination I like best for these cookies is a mixture of pecans, walnuts, almonds, pepitas, dried cranberries, raisins, and chocolate chips.
Bake time: If using less than 2 tablespoon dough balls, lower baking time by a couple of minutes. The center of the cookies should look slightly underdone when you pull them from the oven.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

PEANUT BUTTER HONEY NO BAKE GRANOLA BARS

september 12, 2016 by celebrating sweets 10 comments

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Easy No Bake Granola Bars flavored with peanut butter and sweetened with honey. Perfect after school snack for the kids or healthy snack for you!

It’s back to school time for us here in Arizona. Now that I have a Kindergartner (how/when did that happen? *sobs*), I am transitioning into my role as the mom of an elementary school aged child. That means packing lunch, preparing after school snacks, and making sure I send him off to school with a full belly.

I try to feed my kids a balanced, nutritious diet and I’m always looking for ways to satisfy their sweet tooth (OK, and mine too) with something that actually has some nutritional value. I’ve been relying on these No Bake Peanut Butter Honey Granola Bars lately for breakfast or afternoon snack. I’ll even drizzle a few with melted dark chocolate and pass them off as dessert.

This recipe is made up of rolled oats combined with peanut butter, honey, and a touch of salt – that’s it! There’s no need to bake them, press them into a pan and chill in the refrigerator until they firm up. I like to store these in the refrigerator, they hold together best if they are slightly chilled.

The great thing about this recipe is that you can make these as regular peanut butter and honey granola bars or you can switch things up with the mix-ins of your choice. You can add a handful of mini chocolate chips or raisins, a couple tablespoons of chia seeds, or you can drizzle them with melted chocolate.

These bars are really filling; a little goes a long way. They contain protein and fiber and the perfect touch of natural sweetness from honey. They can easily be made gluten free by using gluten free oats.

I hope you enjoy this easy and delicious recipe. Mix up a batch and stick ’em in your fridge. You’ll be surprised at how quickly they disappear!

4.67 from 3 votes

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PEANUT BUTTER HONEY NO BAKE GRANOLA BARS

Easy No Bake Granola Bars flavored with peanut butter and sweetened with honey. Perfect after school snack for the kids or healthy snack for you!

 Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

 Prep Time 10 minutes

 Total Time 10 minutes

 Servings 9 -12

 Author Allison - Celebrating Sweets

INGREDIENTS

• 2 2/3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• cup Generous 1/2 honey
• Generous pinch of salt
• Optional mix-ins: mini chocolate chips, raisins, chia seeds (see note)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place peanut butter and honey in a large microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 10 second increments until the peanut butter and honey can be easily combined, but are not hot (this should happen quickly). Stir well. Add oats and salt and stir until well combined, use your hands if you have to.
2. Dump into a greased 8x8 baking dish and pack and flatten into an even layer. Cover and refrigerate until firm. Slice into bars or squares.

RECIPE NOTES

Mix-ins: I typically use a handful of raisins or mini chocolate chips or 2 tablespoons chia seeds. If using mix-ins, reduce the oats to 2 1/2 cups.

These bars hold their shape best if they stay chilled. I store them in the refrigerator.

MOCHA POKE CAKE

september 15, 2016 by celebrating sweets 20 comments

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This Mocha Poke Cake recipe was created as part of a shop compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are my own. #FoundMyDelight #CollectiveBias

A chocolate and coffee flavored cake that is poked, drenched with a creamy mocha filling, and finished with espresso whipped cream. Moist and spongy and loaded with coffee flavor, this cake is for all you coffee lovers.

I’m bringing new meaning to the term “coffee cake.” This cake is filled with actual coffee – threelayers of it! Coffee lovers, settle in. This one’s for you!

It is no secret that I love coffee. I especially love iced coffee. I sip on it first thing in the morning, I’ll bring it along in the car when I’m carting my kids around town, and when it’s time to sit down at the computer to share recipes with you, I always have a glass of iced coffee within arms reach.

Iced coffee is now easier than ever! International Delight is making iced coffee convenient with their ready to drink iced coffee now available in the refrigerated tea/juice section at Walmart (see more below). International Delight’s Mocha and Caramel Macchiato Iced Coffee is affordable and easy – all you do is open and pour! It’s also great to add to recipes, which is what I did with this delicious Mocha Poke Cake.

Let me paint a picture for you. We start with a simple boxed chocolate cake mix. When preparing the cake batter we are going to swap the water for International Delights Mocha Iced Coffee; this will add the perfect chocolate-coffee flavor to our cake. After the cake is baked, we’re going to poke it and then pour over a mixture of sweetened condensed milk, espresso powder, and more International Delight Mocha Iced Coffee. Then, for our third layer of coffee goodness, we are going to top the cake with espresso whipped cream.

Doesn’t it sound “delightful”? ← See what I did there? 😉

This cake is moist and spongy and it’s drenched in that luxurious chocolate-coffee mixture. The cake practically melts in your mouth, and that light-as-air espresso whipped cream is the perfect compliment.

Now, what’s left to do?

1) Pick up some International Delight Iced Coffee 

2) Pour some of that creamy coffee over ice

3) Take a few sips (*exhale*)

4) Get baking!

Your coffee loving self with thank you.

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5 from 4 votes

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MOCHA POKE CAKE

A chocolate and coffee flavored cake that is poked, drenched with a creamy mocha filling, and finished with espresso whipped cream. Moist and spongy and loaded with coffee flavor, this cake is for all you coffee lovers.

 Prep Time 30 minutes

 Cook Time 30 minutes

 Total Time 1 hour

 Servings 15

 Author Allison - Celebrating Sweets

INGREDIENTS

CAKE:

• 1 boxed chocolate cake mix plus ingredients needed to prepare
• 1 1/4 cups International Delight Mocha Iced Coffee see note
• 2 teaspoons espresso powder

FILLING:

• 3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup International Delight Mocha Iced Coffee
• 1 teaspoon espresso powder

TOPPING:

• 1 pint chilled heavy cream
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons espresso powder
• 3 tablespoons chocolate sprinkles or mini chocolate chips optional
• Fudge sauce optional

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare the cake mix according to the box directions but swap the water for an equal amount of International Delight Mocha Iced Coffee. My cake mix called for 1 1/4 cups water so that is how much Iced Coffee I used. Stir 2 teaspoons espresso powder into batter. Pour the batter into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake according to package instructions, about 30 minutes.
2. Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the filing. Whisk sweetened condensed milk, 1/2 cup International Delight Mocha Iced Coffee and 1 teaspoon espresso powder. Poke the cake all over with the back of a thin wooden spoon. Pour the condensed milk mixture evenly over the cake, allowing it to soak into the holes. Let the cake cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until chilled.
3. Whip heavy cream, powdered sugar and 2 teaspoons espresso powder until stiff peaks form. Spread over the cooled cake. Top with sprinkles, mini chocolate chips, and/or fudge sauce.

RECIPE NOTES

You're going to swap the water needed to prepare the cake mix for an equal amount of International Delight Mocha Iced Coffee. My cake mix called for 1 1/4 cups water, so that is the amount of International Delight Mocha Iced Coffee I used in the cake itself. If your cake mix calls for a different amount of water, adjust the amount of Iced Coffee accordingly.

I like to store this cake in the refrigerator.

Reminder: Look for International Delight Iced Coffee at Walmart in the refrigerated tea and juice section.