Gluten Free Recipe

ALMOND MONSTER COOKIES

August 7, 2021 by Sarah Baade Leave a Comment

My Dietary Changes

I’ve been making some changes in my day-to-day eating habits… again. I promise the end result in this post is a recipe for my incredible Almond Monster Cookies but hear me out on the journey. If you’ve been following me for very long, you might know that I was vegetarian for a while. There is so much that I love about a vegetarian diet but right now, it just isn’t realistic for me. If you’re curious, about the details, you can read more here. Family members of mine recently changed their diet to include gluten-free, dairy-free, and intermittent fasting. I know that intermittent fasting is not something I want to follow but their changes got me thinking and exploring. I’ve been curious about anti-inflammatory foods for a long time and have been reading up on some beginner level information. I certainly don’t claim to have a background in nutrition or medicine. Please don’t look to my choices as any type of advice or expert recommendation. I am simply sharing what is currently working for myself. Right now, I am significantly reducing gluten, dairy, and caffeine in my diet. As I do not have a true allergy to any of these items, I am not holding a strict elimination of these items.

Four rows of cookie dough balls on a tray with a scooper of dough above it.

What I’m Noticing

That Almond Monster Cookie recipe is still coming. First, let’s talk about what I am noticing most by reducing gluten, dairy, and caffeine. An INCREASE in energy. That’s right, more energy with less caffeine! It seems almost counterintuitive but it is a remarkable change. I have an easier time waking up in the morning. My energy maintains throughout the day rather than crashing once the coffee wears off. The other big difference I’m noticing is reduced puffiness under my eyes. I’m not talking slight puffiness from not sleeping well, I’m talking significant puffiness for which I’ve seen multiple doctors for. My docs have happily offered me lots of allergy meds and even botox type of injections. Not one of them ever mentioned diet change to me. I am so thankful to say the puffiness under my eyes has reduced significantly. No it isn’t completely gone, but I’m not self-conscience about it like I have been for a few years now.

Tray of monster cookies with three small plates, each with a cookie on it.

Challenge Accepted

Alright, let’s get down to the Almond Monster Cookies – that’s really why you’re all here, right?! I’m sure many of you have at least tried a gluten free and/or dairy free dessert at some point. You know how bad that experience can be. Listen, I love baked goods and I am not willing to completely give them up. You know what? I’m also not willing to give up quality flavor or texture in those baked goods. In other words, I’m up for the challenge of creating fantastic gluten-free, dairy-free dessert options. These Almond Monster Cookies are definitely monster sized and absolutely delicious. They have a lighter flavor and texture compared to the traditional peanut version but still include the candies and oats you expect in a monster cookie. Give these a try and tell me, do you miss the gluten? I think you’ll be too busy reaching for a second cookie to even reply here.

Almond Monster Cookies

Sarah Baade

These almond monster cookies are definitely monster sized and absolutely delicious. They have a lighter flavor and texture compared to the traditional peanut version but still include the candies and oats you expect in a monster cookie.

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Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 24 cookies

Ingredients

2 ½ cups almond flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable shortening (butter flavored)
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup sugar
3 large eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup creamy almond butter
1 ½ cups old fashioned oats
1 cup mini chocolate chips
1 cup plain m&m candies
½ cup almond slivers

Instructions

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together almond flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together shortening, brown sugar, and sugar.
Beat eggs and vanilla into sugar mixture.
Mix in almond butter.
Gradually mix in dry ingredients.
Stir in oats, chocolate chips, m&m's, and almond slivers.
Cover and chill dough for a minimum of 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Roll dough tightly into golf ball sized balls and space out six on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Bake 18-20 minutes or until cookies are golden in color.

Notes

If you are baking these for someone who has a gluten allergy, please be sure to use gluten-free certified products.
I used an ice cream scoop to make it easier to get the dough into such a large ball.
I have made this dough up to 2 days ahead of when I planned to bake the cookies. Just be sure the bowl is covered with a lid or plastic wrap so it doesn’t dry out.

Keyword Almond Cookies, Almond Monster Cookies, GF Cookies, Gluten Free, Homemade Cookies, Monster Cookies

Peanut Butter Date Energy Bites

July 18, 2021 by Sarah Baade Leave a Comment

Food Trends

Some people may think food trends are a recent experience created by social media but they really have a much longer history than that. In my grandmother’s old recipe box, I have recipes for jello molds that included shrimp. Yes, you read that right, shrimp jello. I honestly can’t think of very many foods that would gross me out more than shrimp jello. But let me tell you something, my grandmother wasn’t a strange woman, this was a trend back in the 1950’s. I have no idea if she actually made those recipes or not but I can tell you with certainty that I have no intention of ever making shrimp jello myself. In fact, I generally avoid food trends on here altogether. I know that you already have access to dalgona coffee or whatever other trend you want on TikTok and Instagram. However, I recently went down the rabbit hole of energy bites and created my own Peanut Butter Date Energy Bites. Once you try these, I know you’ll understand why I’ve added this trendy snack to this site.

Red bowl sitting on a white plate with energy bites.

The Exception

And yet, that general rule is being broken today. I’m actually quite late to this energy bite food trend. I initially looked at it as something to avoid on here – like shrimp jello. But here’s the thing I’ve learned, some food trends are around because they are fun to make or because they look interesting. Other food trends exist because they are legit worth the recipe. So, these Peanut Butter Date Energy Bites are my exception to the rule of avoiding trends in this space. I’ve been snacking on dates and peanut butter for a while – its a simple and healthy snack option. But adding in a few extra ingredients and blending it together in a food processor makes this snack even more delicious.

Crumbled ingredients in a food processor.

A Couple of Tips

Yes, this is an incredibly easy recipe. However, I do want to give you a couple of tips to make it as easy as possible for you. First, do yourself a favor and buy dates that are already pitted – this will save you the time of pitting them yourself. I recommend pulsing the dates in the food processor before adding the rest of the ingredients in. If your ingredients start to clump together into a large ball, break them up and then keep pulsing until you get a crumbly consistency. From there, you are ready to scoop and form those crumbles into a bite sized ball.

Peanut Butter Date Energy Bites

Sarah Baade

These energy bites are naturally sweetened by dates, naturally gluten free and dairy free, and absolutely delicious.

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Course Snack

Servings 20 energy bites

Equipment

Food Processor

Ingredients

12 oz pitted medjool dates
½ cup creamy peanut butter
½ cup old fashioned oats
2 teaspoons ground flax
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions

Place dates in a food processor and pulse until broken into small pieces.
Add remaining ingredients and blend until crumbly. Scrape sides and break large clumps apart as needed.
Scoop crumbles into your hand and form into 1" balls.

Notes

Energy bites can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week in the refrigerator.

Keyword Dairy Free, Dates, Energy Bites, GFCF, Gluten Free, Healthy Snack, No Churn Peanut Butter Ice Cream, Peanut Butter Date Energy Bites, Vegan, Vegetarian

Looking for more peanut butter treats?

Peanut Butter Bliss No Churn Ice Cream

Peanut Butter Cut-Out Cookies

Portobello Lettuce Wraps

June 11, 2018 by Sarah Baade Leave a Comment

Last month was full of traveling. My husband, daughter and I flew out to Oregon to visit family for a few days. Then I flew to Seattle, WA for a work training. The following week we drove to Kansas to visit more family. I am incredibly thankful for these opportunities but it also completely wore us out. I can’t help but think the exhaustion is partly due to a shift in diet. Whenever I travel I end up eating more junk food than I normally would – certainly more than I should. I’m not alone in this habit, right?!?

Now that I’m back home I’m craving healthy food. I always find the easiest way to eat healthy is to cook at home. When I’m coming up with recipes I typically start with what type of dish I want to make and then figure out the details and ingredients. However, this particular recipe started with the sauce. I actually tried it out on some peeled carrots and it tasted pretty great (give it a try if you need an easy salad) but it wasn’t quite what I wanted as a final product. After some brainstorming, I came up with these lettuce wraps. This is such an easy dish to make, it might just make it onto my regular dinner menu rotation.

Tips:

You can easily make the sauce the night before and then refrigerate it until you are ready to use it.
The easiest way to crumble the tofu is to do it by hand. Alternatively, you could put the tofu in a bowl and break it apart with a fork.

Portobello Lettuce Wraps

Serves 4

½ cup balsamic vinegar

½ cup + 1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons ginger, finely chopped

2 Tablespoons peanut butter

½ teaspoon salt

16oz firm tofu,

4 medium Portobello mushrooms, rinsed, stemmed & chopped

2/3 cup water chestnuts, chopped

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

2 heads of bib or butter lettuce

Optional additions: rice, crushed peanuts, sliced green onion.

Directions:

In a small saucepan, over low heat, whisk together balsamic vinegar, ½ cup olive oil, ginger, peanut butter and salt until ingredients are fully combined. Remove from heat.

Press tofu with a paper towel to absorb moisture. In a large pan, heat remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Crumble tofu into pan and sauté until it starts to brown. Stir in mushrooms and continue to sauté until mushrooms are tender. Reduce heat to low, stir in water chestnuts, crushed red pepper and sauce.

Spoon rice and mushroom filling into lettuce leaves and garnish with peanuts and green onions.

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