Coconut Almond Bars

In my search for gluten free snacks I found a great recipe on Elana's Pantry for Coconut Bars, they really are delicious! I decided to combine the coconut bars with my love of almonds. What came out were these delicious coconut almond bars.

Coconut Almond Bars
(adapted from Elana's Pantry recipe)

1 cup coconut milk
1/3 cup of coconut oil
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup almond butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
1/8 teaspoon stevia
1/2 cup blanched almond flour
1 tablespoon coconut flour
1 1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 eggs
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips


1. Mix coconut milk, oil, honey, almond butter, vanilla, almond extract and stevia in a food processor or blender. (I used a blender)
2. Add almond flour, coconut flour, 1 1/4 cups of coconut, and salt. Mix well.
3. Add eggs. Mix.
4. Pour mixture into greased 8x8 Pyrex dish. (I use a thick layer of coconut oil)
5. Sprinkle on remaining coconut and chocolate chips.
6. Bake at 350º for 30 minutes. (I have left them in longer, up to 45 minutes, seems to just make them firmer)
7. Cool for 30 minutes, then place in fridge and serve after chilled. (This step is very important!)

Adventures in Baking: Chocolate Chip Cookies

-I recently discovered a recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies, and decided to try it out. They look absolutely delicious! Let me just give you a little background on my baking skills... everything comes from a box.  I had to make a few alterations because i didn't have all the ingredients, but I think they turned out pretty tasty.


Chocolate Chip Cookies
8oz Salted Butter
3/4 cup Organic Granulated Sugar
2 tablespoons Organic Agave
1 1/8 cup Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
1 1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons pastry flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 bar semi-sweet chocolate



- Preheat oven to 350. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or non-stick baking sheets.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with paddle attachment cream butter and sugars.
- Add eggs one at a time, mix well.
- Reduce speed to low and add flours, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla, and chocolate; mix until well combined.
- Using an ice cream scoop to scoop cookie dough onto sheets, about 2 inches apart.
- Bake until lightly brown, but still soft, about 15-20 minutes.





Some things I learned...

- I found that gathering all my ingredients, and portioning everything out into separate bowls before starting makes the process much faster and less stressful.
- Cutting the chocolate into astrips with a knife makes a nice ripple effect.
- Refrigerating the dough for a day or 2 makes all the difference. After I mixed the dough I baked 2 cookies to try them out they tasted pretty good but the edges were a little crispier than I would have liked. The refrigeration also makes the dough easier to work with.