2011 12 Days of Cookies

The crazy shoppers are out in full-force today!! Isaac and I were included in the craziness this morning while shopping at the following:

• SOTJ winter farmers market – we got some local honey and bee pollen.
• Target – Went in to pick up a prescription, came out with $100 dollars worth of stuff. <– Not sure how that happened.
• Original Gravity – home brew supply store for Isaac
• Umami Coffee and Tea
• Fin and Feather – our favorite pet store <– they had a tiny yorkie puppy for sale that I got to hold! Isaac is always trying to convince me that Olive needs a friend and while holding that little one I almost gave in.
• Ellwood Thompsons – it was 2:00 and a quick lunch was totally necessary

Despite being out for about 4 hours, we still don’t have all of our Chrismukkah presents yet. Doh!

Better get on that ASAP considering the rest of the weekend (and next week) are going to be pretty busy, including an early morning wake up tomorrow so I can head to my sister’s house for our annual cookie bake. Woo-hoo!

Speaking of cookies, I have two final treats to share as part of the 12 Days of Holiday Cookies Series. If you’ve ever wondered what personal trainers indulge in during on the holidays, you’re in luck because today’s recipes were developed by two of my favorite fitness gurus (Monica of Monica Nelson Fitness and Sarah of Sarah’s Fit). If you’re looking for a healthy treat this holiday season, either of these would be perfect choices.

First up, Sarah’s bars, which have a healthy secret ingredient that no one will ever notice. I won’t tell if you don’t! And the best part – one serving of this dessert has just 100 calories, 1 g of fiber and 3 g of protein!

Sarah Fit Pumpkin Pie Bars

Original Post on Sarah Fit

Makes: 16 bars / Total Time: Prep 15-minutes, Cooking 35-minutes

Ingredients:

Filling:

• 1 cup Garbanzo Beans aka Chickpeas
• 3/4 cup of Pumpkin Puree
• 1/2 cup of Almond Milk, Unsweetened Vanilla (or milk of choice)
• 1 heaping tbsp Peanut Butter
• 1 scoop Vanilla Protein Powder – optional
• 1/2 cup of packed Brown Sugar
• 1 Egg White (or flaxseed egg)
• 1 tsp of Pumpkin Pie spice (may substitute with cinnamon)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder

Topping:

• 1 Egg White
• 2 wedges The Laughing Cow Light Swiss
• 1 tbsp Sugar
• 2 tbsp Chocolate Chips

Bottom:

• Graham Crackers (enough sheets to cover bottom of pan)

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven at 350 degrees. Line a 9×13 baking dish with enough graham crackers to cover the bottom. It’s OK if the crackers overlap or if there are spaces. You can also use a ready-made pie crust if you prefer, or create your own graham cracker bottom by crushing up 4 sheets of graham crackers and adding 1 tbsp of melted butter. Press firmly into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes before adding additional ingredients. I wanted a simple recipe so I just used the graham crackers as sheets.
2. Combine in a food processor all filling ingredients. Blend until it is a smooth like consistency that is uniform throughout. If you are using a mini processor. You may need to do this in batches. Note: The garbanzo beans (aka chickpeas) will need some liquid to blend well. Pour on top of graham crackers.
3. Combine topping ingredients except chocolate chips in a food processor and blend well until it is a smooth like consistency. Drizzle on top for a marble appearance. Sprinkle with chocolate chips.
4. Bake for 30-40 minutes depending on size of baking dish and oven. The larger the dish the less time it will take to cook since the wet layers are not as thick. Let cool for 10-15 minute before serving. Cut into bars or serving like pumpkin pie if you used a graham cracker pie crust.

These tasted best after they sat for a few hours and cooled down to room temperature.

Next up, Monica’s Crispy Rice Squares. They are made with brown rice, look delicious and remind me of my Brown Rice Krispy Treats. I love her addition of Kashi Go Lean Crunch!

Easy Crispy Rice Squares

Original Post on Monica’s Blog / Inspired from Clean Food

Serving Size: Makes about 1-1 1/2 Dozen

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup brown rice syrup
• 1/3 cup good quality maple syrup
• 1/2 cup cashew, or peanut, or almond butter
• 1/4 cup semi-sweet dark chocolate chips or vegan chips
• 3 cups crispy brown rice cereal
• 1/2 cup toasted sesame seeds (or I sometimes use chia seeds, optional)
• 1/3 cup Kashi Go Lean Crunch Cereal (this too is optional but I love the crunch factor so I add this in, plus I always have it)
• chocolate chips to garnish

Directions

1. In a med. Dutch oven over med-low heat, combine syrups and your choice of nut butter until smooth. Add chocolate chips and stir until melted. Fold in rice cereal, Kashi cereal (if using) and sesame seeds (secret ingredient) (or chia) and stir to coat everything, Press batter into 8×8 dish and refrigerate until firm (at least 20 mins), it is hard to wait, I know. Cut into squares and store in airtight container.

For even more healthy options, check out Monica’s full list of holiday cookies and treats on her blog.

As I mentioned, these two recipes are the last of the 12 Days of Cookies Series! I’m sad to see the series end, but I have some fun stuff on tap for next week including a giveaway, some holiday recipes and homemade holiday gift ideas. Woo-hoo!

Have a great weekend friends.

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