Peanut Butter & Jelly Oat Snacks

I make these cute little amazingly yummy snacks when I am craving a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  I got the inspiration from a few different places, but haven't seen this exact recipe.  If you don't do peanuts or peanut butter, another nut butter will work as well.  For the batch I made below, I used almond butter. I also use an all fruit spread instead of jam to leave out any added/refined sugar.   These are dairy-free, gluten-free and kid approved too!

Makes about 9-10 1/12 inch (ish) balls

Ingredients:

3/4 cup Crunchy all-natural peanut (or other nut) butter 

2 Cup rolled oats

2 Tablespoons (heaping) fruit spread or jam of choice

3 Tablespoons ground flax seeds

1 Teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup dried blueberries, cranberries, or raisins

Heat almond butter in microwave safe bowl for a short time to soften if it isn't already soft.  Add the fruit spread and vanilla stir to combine.  Add the oats, flax, and dried fruit and stir until all combined.  Use a tablespoon or melon baller to scoop out mixture.  Using hands form into balls about 1-1 1/2 inches in diameter.  Place on a plate and refrigerate for 30 minutes before eating or store in parchment paper lined container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.  

Chocolate Almond Crispy Treats

My biggest complaint about being gluten-free is not having something easily accessible to satisfy my sweet tooth.  These Chocolatey almond buttery treats are SUPER easy to make (no baking required) and satisfy my need for a dessert or sweet snack.  This recipe is a modification of a recipe I found on the Oh She Glows blog a few years back and I have been making it often ever since.  They truly take about 15 minutes to make  and you can be sure they will take a lot less time to disappear!

Serves approximately 6-8 (assuming 2 per person)

Ingredients:
2 cups crispy rice cereal (I like Erewhon)
1/2 cup smooth natural almond butter
2 Tablespoon brown sugar or raw cane sugar
1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon cocoa powder
4 Tablespoons semi-sweet chocolate chips


Line a large plate or cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a medium sized bowl, stir together the almond butter, vanilla extract, chocolate chips, and sugar. Microwave on high for about a minute or until chocolate is melted. Stir well and immediately add the cocoa powder. Stir until combined, then stir in the rice crisp cereal until coated well.

Wet hands thoroughly and shape the mixture into about 1 1/2 inch diameter balls, pressing mixture together firmly into balls so they will hold together. Wet hands after each ball is formed so the mixture will not stick to your hands. Place the balls onto parchment paper and freeze for 5 minutes. You can store them in the freezer or move to the refrigerator after setting.  Let the sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before eating. 

Harvest Bread

Given that fall has finally arrived to the bay area, I thought it would be appropriate to post my all time favorite pumpkin bread recipe.  I can't seem to get enough pumpkin this time of year and will find a way to work it into many recipes.  This one is gluten-free, but not dairy free (contains eggs, butter).  I have tried it with chia and flax seed egg substitute earth balance instead of butter and both have worked well.

Harvest Bread

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or earth balance, softened

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs or egg substitute

1 1/2 cup flour (I use 3/4 Pamela's multi-purpose gluten-free flour and 3/4 buckwheat)

1/4 cup ground flax seeds

1 tablespoon chia seeds (optional)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.   In one bowl cream together butter and sugar, add eggs one at a time and beat well. In a separate bowl mix together all dry ingredients well.  Add pumpkin and flour mixture alternatively to creamed butter mixture.  Fold in chocolate chips.  Pour into a greased 9 by 5 inch pan.  Bake for 55-75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.  

Enjoy!