Tropical Oatmeal Snack Cookies

My brain is a little (ok, a lot) bit fuzzy these days. I will start talking and completely forget what I was saying, combine two words into one (all the time), and sometimes have to stop and think before finishing a full sentence. It's worse when we're with friends, and I'm talking more than normal. Between pregnancy and the first few months of being a mom, my brain and mouth coordination is subpar at best. So I can't quite remember when I first started talking to Sonja and Alex. It seems like we've been friends forever. They're the type of people you feel fortunate to have in your life, and you know will always be there for you. 

Because I'm a super dork, I just did a search in gmail with Sonja's email address to see when we first started talking. It appears it was about this time 4 years ago! I really can't believe it's been that long. You can tell it was our first set of emails because we used complete sentences and punctuation. Things are quite a bit more casual now.

Over the past 4 years we've grown really close, and I'm not quite sure what I would do without either of them. In that time I've followed along on their journey in trying to become parents, which started years before we ever met. And if you've followed their blog, then you know some of the story. These two are tough as nails. I'm tellin' ya. Even their road to adoption was anything but easy. After finding out I was pregnant, we frequently joked about how funny it would be if we ended up having babies around the same time. Little did we know that very thing was about to happen.

I remember nearly jumping off the couch when Alex sent me a message on February 19th (1 month + 3 days after Lennon was born). He said, "So this is currently going on." And there was the photo of their sweet boy, Larson Ames. I could barely contain my excitement and happiness for them. This sweet little boy found the perfect, most loving parents ever. What a long journey Sonja and Alex had been on to finally reach this moment. I can't even begin to imagine everything they were feeling in those first few days. (If you're interested in reading more about it, their adoption story is amazing.)

So today we're gathering their friends to help celebrate this beautiful, new family with a virtual shower and healthy snack recipes! Huge thanks to Melissa + Sarah for organizing this special event with me. 

Sonja, Alex, and little Larson - My heart explodes for you three, and it feels so special to share these first, sleepy-eyed months with you. Enjoy that sweet boy! Sending love from Colorado! 

Now, to the cookies. 

They're oh-so-chewy and filled with coconut, dried pineapple, nuts, and oats. I've made two batches in the past week, so you know they must be pretty easy to whip up (not a lot of extra baking time these days). They only require 1 bowl and are also vegan and gluten-free, so I dare you to not eat at least 4 spoonfuls of the raw dough. If you need chocolate in your cookies, I think adding a handful of chips wouldn't hurt at all. Enjoy!

A Couple Adopts Baby Shower! 

Flourishing Foodie  |  Avocado and Asparagus Tartines with Basil Pesto
The Full Helping  |  Individual Strawberry Chocolate Crisps
Snixy Kitchen  |  Roasted Lemon Mint Pesto Tartines, Two Ways
This Mess Is Ours  |  Coriander & Lime Scented Cashews
Making Thyme for Health  |  Hemp Ranch Hummus
Two Red Bowls  |  Buttered Eggs on Toast, with Radish & Parsley
Cookie and Kate  |  World’s Greatest Guacamole
Dolly and Oatmeal  |  Sunshine Mung Bean Spread w/ Gluten-Free Za’atar Bread
Edible Perspective  |  Tropical Oatmeal Snack Cookies
Eat This Poem  |  Red Pepper and Walnut Hummus
Brooklyn Supper  |  Roasted Cauliflower Tacos with Cilantro-Avocado Sauce
Gather & Dine|  Muffin Tin Granola Cups with Lemon Greek Yogurt and Berries
The Fauxmartha  |  Laura’s Sunshine Crackers
FoodieCrush  |  Baked Beet Chips
Harvest and Honey | A Healthy Candy Bar

Print Recipe!

adapted from: 1-bowl peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

Tropical Oatmeal Snack Cookies 

gluten-free, vegan // yields about 24 cookies

• 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon ground flax meal + 1/4 cup warm water
• 3/4 cup natural almond butter, if oily, stir thoroughly
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 5 tablespoons melted unrefined coconut oil
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 cup gluten-free rolled oats
• 3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 3/4 cup gluten-free oat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, use 1/2 teaspoon if you don’t add flaked on top
• 3/4 cup 1/4-inch diced dried pineapple
• 1/4 cup raw sliced almonds
• 1/4 cup chopped raw cashews
• flaked sea salt, to top [optional]

Preheat your oven to 350º F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flax and water. Let sit for 5 minutes to gel. Add in the almond butter, maple syrup, melted coconut oil, and vanilla. Whisk until fully combined.

Add in all of the dry ingredients except the dried pineapple and nuts. Stir with a large spoon until you no longer see dry flour. The dough will be thick but not at all dry. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Scoop about 1 1/2-2 tablespoons of the dough and form into a ball between your hands [no need to be perfectly smooth]. The dough will be a bit sticky but should be able to form into balls. Place on a baking sheet with about 2 inches between each cookie. Flatten to about 1/4 inch thickness using your hand or with a flat bottomed glass and a small piece of parchment paper between the glass and cookie. Top with flaked sea salt and bake for 10-14 minutes. 

Let rest on the baking sheet for 15 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to fully cool. Texture will firm as they cool.

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notes: These cookies are subtly sweet. If you'd like a sweeter cookie, add 2-3 tablespoons of coconut sugar, muscovado, or brown sugar to the dry ingredients. It's easiest to stack the dried pineapple and slice in one direction and then the other. Separate pineapple layers before mixing in. You should be able to sub dried mango instead of pineapple if desired. I used dried pineapple with no added sweetener. 

Be on the lookout for the hashtag #ACoupleAdopts on social media today! Lots of fun posts happening!

Ashley

Apple Spice Crumb Muffins

This post is sponsored by Bob's Red Mill.

I'm craving fall like no other right now. The weather is slowly making a shift, but I'd like to speed things up a bit. Colorado weather can be so wacky this time of year. So while we're still having some pretty warm days here, I'm pretending it's fall with the foods I eat, including these Apple Spice Crumb Muffins that I've consumed approximately 9 of in 2 1/2 days (hmm, maybe more?).

Inside these muffins you'll find some of my very favorite ingredients and one ingredient that I've never really done much baking with before. I typically leave hulled hemp seed hearts for smoothies, oatmeal toppings, and the like, but I wanted to see how they would fair in a hearty breakfast muffin. Turns out, very well! They're so soft that you really don't even notice their presence in these muffins, except for a bit of added flavor. It's not like biting into a crunchy nut or sunflower seed. They pair tremendously well with the oat, buckwheat, and almond flour combination and earthy spices like cinnamon, clove, and molasses.

You all know I'm a huge fan of Bob's Red Mill products, whether they sponsor my work or not. I've been using their products for years + years and am always impressed by the quality and variety of what they offer (which seems to be expanding all of the time). I know most of you are on board with BRM as well, which is why I continue to work with them and feel it's such a good fit in this space.

Per the usual, I have a heavy list of notes at the end about substitutions and a couple tips, so be sure to check them out. While the ingredient list is somewhat long for these muffins, they're not tricky to make, and I promise you won't be disappointed once you get to the eating part. They're the perfect fall breakfast muffin, studded with little bites of apple and topped with one of my favorite crumb toppings ever. I included hemp seeds in the topping, as well as grated apple, oats, oat flour, coconut sugar, etc. It melts in your mouth.

Hopefully the photos sell you on these babies and hopefully you love them so much you eat 9 in 2 1/2 days just like me. Actually, I think I lost count. 

Print Recipe!

Adapted from my: Vanilla Muffins + Blueberry Crumb Muffins

Apple Spice Crumb Muffins

gluten-free, dairy free // yields: 12 standard muffins

for the muffins:

• 1 cup GF oat flour
• 3/4 cup buckwheat flour
• 1/2 cup almond flour 
• 1/2 cup hulled hemp seed hearts
• 1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons coconut sugar 
• 1 1/2 tablespoons ground flax seed meal
• 2-3 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk
• 1/3 cup applesauce
• 3 tablespoons blackstrap molasses
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 medium-sized, crisp apples 
• 1/3 cup melted coconut oil

for the topping:

• 1/3 cup oat flour
• 1/4 cup GF rolled oats
• 1/4 cup softened coconut oil
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar
• 3 tablespoons hulled hemp seed hearts
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 medium-sized, crisp apple 

Preheat your oven to 350° F. Line a 12-mold muffin pan with liners.

In a large bowl, stir all dry muffin ingredients together well. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs. Then whisk in the milk, applesauce, molasses, and vanilla extract. (Hold off on the oil + apple.)

In a medium bowl, place all topping ingredients except for the apple in a bowl. Mix together with your fingers or a fork until crumbly and thoroughly combined. 

Peel 2 apples. Dice 1 cup of the apple at 1/4-inch size. Set aside. Grate the remaining apple and drain lightly in the fine mesh strainer if extra juicy (give a light press until it's not drippy). Measure a lightly packed 1/2 cup. (If needed, peel and use the 3rd apple.) Mix the 1/2 cup grated apple with the topping mixture and set aside.

Whisk the coconut oil in with the wet muffin ingredients and immediately pour into the dry. Stir until just combined (when you no longer see dry flour). The mixture will be thick. Fold in the 1 cup of diced apple.

Scoop into the muffin liners almost to the top and gently spread. (I kind of tap the tops to spread the batter.) Crumble all of the topping mixture over each muffin. Bake for 20-24 minutes, until a toothpick comes out nearly clean (should be slightly sticky/tacky but not wet/gooey). Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then carefully place on a cooling rack until fully cooled (about 1 hour). Texture firms and becomes fluffier once fully cool.

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Notes:

• If you are sensitive to coconut flavor, use refined coconut oil or sub another baking oil in the muffins and use butter or vegan butter in the topping.
• Almond meal can be subbed for almond flour.
• Honey can be subbed for the molasses but the overall muffin flavor will change.
• Sucanat, muscovado sugar, cane sugar, and brown sugar (lightly packed) can all be subbed for the coconut sugar.
• Feel free to add other spices if you like. (ie: ginger, all spice, etc.)
• If you leave the hemp seeds out of the muffins, you may want to decrease the liquids slightly. I haven't experimented with this.
• Braeburn apples worked perfectly, whereas Honey Crisp were actually too juicy and needed to be drained of excess liquid.

I'll be back again soon with a pregnancy update and then another recipe! It feels good to be back in this space a bit more lately. Stay tuned!

Happy Friday + happy weekend. 

Ashley

Today's post is sponsored by Bob's Red Mill, and I received compensation + product for writing this piece. Opinions are always my own. If I didn't love it, you wouldn't hear about it. Thanks for your continued support!