Spice Cookie Bars (Penzeys')

Wow it's been so long since I blogged! I have been very busy at work.  I was in charge of the annual holiday event, which went great.  Also our after school program ended on the 21st;  and the holidays are always busy for us all.  My job ended today, so I start the new year off without a job, but that's alright because I'm going back to school full time to get a certificate at my local community college.

This recipe was made on Christmas morning and I got it from the Penzeys' store.  They are from a woman named Sally K. Field who just wanted to make a healthier snack for her kids when they came home from school, as opposed to brownies.  They turned out to be very yummy and were a hit with the family.

Here's what you'll need:
1 cup seedless raisins
1 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 3/4 cups flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon (the recipe called for Penzeys' China Cinnamon, but I used their regular one)
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts, but pecans would work well too.)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease and flour a 9"x13" pan and set aside.  Place the raisins and water in a saucepan and bring to boil over medium-high heat.  Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes.

Pour into a roomy bowl and add the vegetable oil, sugar and egg.

Mix well with an electric mixer.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, and spices.  Add to the raisin mixture and mix well.  Stir in the nuts, if using.  Press into the pan and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

Let cool before cutting, and enjoy!

Chips Ahoy done the BabyCakes way

Last night I decided I wanted some chocolate chip cookies, instead of going out to the supermarket, I just made some.  This recipe is very easy and not very time consuming (just make sure you melt your coconut oil ahead of time).  This recipe came from my Babycakes Covers the Classics: Gluten Free Vegan Recipes from Donuts to Snickerdoodles.  There is a chocolate chip cookie recipe in Erin's first Babycakes cookbook but I think these are much tastier, and softer on the inside.  They came out delicious.

Don't forget to measure everything out in dry measuring cups!

Here's what you'll need:
1 1/2 cups oat flour
1 cup Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-Free Baking Flour
1 cup vegan sugar
1/4 cup ground flax meal
1/4 cup arrowroot
1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons melted refined coconut oil or canola oil (I used unrefined coconut oil.)
6 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 cup vegan gluten-free chocolate chips (My husband picked up carob chips by mistake but they still worked really well.)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, flax meal, arrowroot, xanthan gum, baking soda, and salt.

Add the coconut oil, applesauce, and vanilla and stir with a rubber spatula until a thick dough forms.  Stir in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed.

Drop the dough by the teaspoonful onto the prepared baking sheets, about 1 1/2 inches apart.  Bake for 7 minutes, rotate the baking sheets, and bake for 7minutes more, or until the cookies are golden brown and firm.  Let stand on the baking sheets for 15 minutes before eating.

The recipe says it makes 36 cookies, but I came out with 40something cookies.  Enjoy!