Clean Eating Coconut Lime Oat Bars

** Recipe from The Gracious Pantry **

* 2 c. quick oats, dry, roasted in oven w/o oil for 15-20 min. or until golden brown
* 1 c. peanut butter
* 1/2 c. honey
* 1/2 c. unsweetened apple sauce
* 1 c. unsweetened, dry coconut flakes
* Zest of 2 limes
* Juice of 1 lime

Heat oven to 350.  Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and knead with your hands.
Spread mixture into a 9x13" baking dish. This will take a little patience as the mixture is thick and needs a little “convincing” to smooth itself out. Just keep nudging it across the dish until you have a nice, even spread.  Bake 30-40 min. or until top is golden brown.  Cut into 24 squares and allow to cool before eating (they stay hot for a while!).

Crispy Black Bean Fritters w/ Creamy Cilantro Dipping Sauce

** Recipe from Mia's Domain **

Black Bean Fritters:

* 3 c. black beans, cooked

* 1 large yellow pepper, seeds removed; diced

* 1 small white onion, diced

* 2 garlic cloves, crushed

* 1 large tomato, diced

* 3 Tbl. chopped cilantro

* 3 Tbl. all purpose unbleached flour

* 2 eggs, room temperature

* Sea salt and black pepper

* Extra virgin olive oil (for frying)

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, stir well to combine. Season with sea salt and black pepper. In a large skillet, add 3 Tbl. of oil to pan on medium heat. When hot, add Tbl. of bean mixture.  Fry on one side until golden brown & crispy (about 3 min.). Flip over for another 3 min. Remove & drain on a paper towel. Season with fresh black pepper & sea salt.  Serve with dipping sauce.

Cilantro Dipping Sauce:

* 1/2 c. sour cream or Greek yogurt

* 1/2 small green chili, seeded & diced

* 1 sm. garlic clove, crushed

* 2 Tbl. chopped cilantro

* 1 tsp. sugar

* Sea salt & black pepper

Blend all ingredients until smooth. Season with sea salt & black pepper.

Sesame Sunflower Seed Grain Free Crackers

** Recipe from Health, Home and Happiness **

* 1 c. unsalted sunflower seeds, hulled (could use pumpkin seeds!)
* 1 tsp. sea salt (the coarse kind is fine)
* 3 cloves of garlic, peeled
* 1 c. sesame seeds, hulled
* up to 1/4 c. water

Heat oven to 350.  In bowl of a food processor, using regular metal blade, combine sunflower seeds, salt, and garlic. Turn food processor on and let it whir for 2-3 min, until seeds have turned into a dense flour. Add in sesame seeds and pulse to mix (sesame seeds don’t need to mix all the way in). Slowly add in water, a couple Tbl. at a time, until seeds all clump together in a ball. Remove and knead to distribute sesame seeds through sunflower seed mixture. Mixture isn’t a very pretty color at this point, but it improves beautifully with baking.  Between parchment paper, roll dough out until very thin for crisper crackers, or up to 1/4" thick for more sturdy crackers, in as close to a rectangle shape as possible. Using parchment paper, flip the whole rectangle of dough onto a cookie sheet, keep crackers on a layer of parchment paper to bake for easy removal. Cut into rectangles with a pizza cutter or sharp knife. We’ll use cut lines to break crackers on after they’re cooked.  Bake 15-20 min, or until golden brown. Allow to cool while still on cookie sheet, then break along scored lines and serve.

Chocolate Chip Toffee Bars

** Recipe from Smells Like Home **


* 2 c. plus 2 Tbl. all-purpose flour
* 1/2 tsp. baking soda
* 1/2 tsp. salt
* 12 Tbl. unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm
* 1 c. light brown sugar, packed
* 1/2 c. granulated sugar
* 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
* 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
* 1 1/2 c. milk or semi-sweet chocolate chips
* 3/4 c. Heath toffee bits

Adjust top rack of oven to center.  Heat oven to 325.  Line an 8×8" baking pan with aluminum foil so that edges of foil overhang two sides of pan; grease foil with butter or cooking spray.  Whisk first 3 ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.  In bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or in a large bowl, mix butter and sugars together until thoroughly combined.  Beat in egg, yolk, and vanilla until just combined.  Add in dry ingredients and beat at low speed until mix is just combined – do not overbeat.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Spread half of dough out in bottom of baking pan with slightly damp fingers to prevent sticking.  Sprinkle toffee bits over dough.  Crumble remaining dough over toffee bits – don’t worry about filling in all gaps; dough will bake together.  Bake 30-35 min, until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow pan to cool on a wire rack for 15 min. before carefully removing bars in foil from pan.  Allow bars to cool completely before slicing.

S'mores Cookies

** Recipe from The Girl Who Ate Everything **

* 11 Tbl. unsalted butter, softened
* 1 c. brown sugar, packed
* ½ c. granulated sugar
* 2 large eggs
* 1 tsp. vanilla
* 1 tsp. baking soda
* ½ tsp. sea salt
* 1 tsp. cinnamon
* 2 ½ c. flour
* 1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
* 1 c. mini marshmallows
* 3 regular sized Hershey’s bars, broken into pieces
* 1-2 pkgs. graham crackers, broken into squares

Heat oven to 375. Line baking pans with parchment paper.  Lay out graham crackers side by side on pans as close as possible (they should be touching).  In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, sea salt and cinnamon to combine. Set aside.  In bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter with white and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until combined.  Add flour mixture to butter mixer and combine on low speed.  Fold in chocolate chips and marshmallows. Chill dough in refrigerator for 1 hr. to overnight.  Place Tbls. of dough on graham crackers about 1 – 1 ½" apart.  Press down slightly with fingertips.  Bake 5 min. then remove from oven to press Hershey’s bar pieces on to the top. You can place as many pieces or as little as you want depending how much chocolate flavor you want.  Bake 5 – 7 more min, or until dough is beginning to turn golden brown at edges. Remove to a wire rack to cool. For clean cutting make sure cookies are completely cool and cut with a sharp knife.

Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball

** Recipe from Taste of Home **

* 1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened 
* 1/2 c. butter, softened 
* 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract 
* 3/4 c. powdered sugar 
* 2 Tbl. brown sugar 
* 3/4 c. miniature semisweet chocolate chips 
* 3/4 c. finely chopped pecans 
* Graham crackers (or other cookies)
 
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, butter & vanilla until fluffy. Gradually add sugars; beat just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Cover & refrigerate for 2 hrs.  Place cream cheese mixture on a large piece of plastic wrap; shape into a ball. Refrigerate for at least 1 hr.  Just before serving, roll ball in pecans. Serve with graham crackers or desired cookies.

Conversation Heart Fudge

** Recipe from Family Fun **

Dark Chocolate Layer:
* 1 1/4 c. semisweet chocolate chips
* 1/2 c. sweetened condensed milk
* dash of salt
White Chocolate Layer:
* 1 1/4 c. white chocolate chips
* 1/2 c. sweetened condensed milk
Other ingredients/materials
*  aluminum foil
* 64 conversation hearts

Line an 8" square pan with foil. Set aside.  In a med-size, micro-safe bowl, combine dark chocolate layer ingredients. Microwave mixture on high at 30-sec. intervals until chocolate is melted (about 1 min.), stirring at each interval. When mixture's smooth, use a spatula to spread it evenly into pan.  In another med-size micro-safe bowl, combine white chocolate layer ingredients. Repeat melting process as described in step 2, but stir at 20-sec. intervals, as white chocolate tends to scorch easily. Spread white chocolate evenly over dark chocolate layer.  While fudge is still warm, use a knife to gently score it into 1" squares, then put a candy heart on top of each square.  Chill fudge uncovered in fridge for at least 2 hrs, or until firm. Lift foil to remove fudge from pan & place whole hunk of fudge on a cutting board. Use a large knife to cut apart squares, then peel off foil from bottom.

Flourless Chocolate Chip Cookies

** Recipe from Chocolate Covered Katie **

* 3/4 c. rolled oats
* 1/4 tsp. baking soda
* 1/8 tsp. salt
* 2 Tbl. brown sugar
* 1 Tbl. plus 2 tsp. white sugar (If you have no sweet tooth, you can omit!)
* 2 Tbl. chocolate chips
* 1 Tbl. oil or pre-melted margarine
* 1-2 Tbl. nondairy milk (start with 1)

Heat oven to 375.  Blend first 5 ingredients together.  Mix in other ingredients & spoon onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake 6 min.

Fauxreo Cookies

** Recipe from G-Free Foodie **

Cookies:
* 6 oz. butter, room temperature
* 7 1/2 oz. sugar
* 3 oz. brown sugar
* 1 Tbl. salt
* 3/4 tsp. baking powder
* 1/2 tsp. baking soda
* 2 tsp. instant coffee powder
* 1 Tbl. vanilla extract
* 5 egg yolks
* 8 oz. rice flour, sifted
* 6 oz. cocoa powder, sifted
* cocoa for rolling out the dough
* a few tsp. of hot water or coffee

Filling:
* 6 oz. butter or shortening
* 10 oz. powdered sugar, sifted
* 1 Tbl. vanilla extract
* 1/4 tsp. salt

Heat oven to 350.  Using a hand or stand mixer, cream together butter & sugars, along with salt, baking soda, powder, espresso, and vanilla bean seeds, just until combined.  Then (while still mixing) add in vanilla & yolks, one at a time. Once mixed in, use a spatula to scrape bowl down. Turn mixer back on. While mixing, add flour & cocoa. Mixture will be quite stiff, but continue mixing on low until uniform.  Divide dough in half, flatten each portion into a disc & wrap with plastic and refrigerate about 30 min. or up to a week.   If cookie sheets are dinged up or uneven, line them with parchment paper to create a flat surface for the cookies. Otherwise, simply have two, ungreased sheet pans at the ready.  Using cocoa powder instead of flour for dusting, roll dough to 1/8” thickness. (Thickness is very important, so check with a ruler! Two 1/4” wafers plus filling will give you a Fauxreo that’s nearly an inch thick. No good!)  Slide an offset spatula between rolled dough & counter, this will loosen dough from any places where it might be sticking. Use a 2” round cutter to punch out wafers. Use a butter knife to help lift and transfer cookies to pans.
Cookies will not spread very much during baking, so you can place them quite close together. Set aside.  Gather up, knead, and re-roll scraps, likewise arranging on a cookie sheet.

If you want a decorated top on your cookie, follow the next steps!!  (If you prefer a smooth-top cookie, then skip to baking!! :)  Now gather up any remaining dough (about 3 oz) and transfer it to a mixing bowl. Add a little hot water or coffee, just a teaspoon at a time, and mix until dough has been thinned into a paste. You can always add more liquid, but you can’t take it away, so add slowly and let each addition mix in fully before adding more.  When mixture has reached a consistency like frosting, transfer it to a piping bag fitted with a very small tip, or a zippy bag that has just a tiny hole poked in the corner. Use a heavy duty zippy bag, thin sandwich bags will burst during piping.  Pipe some sort of design atop each cookie.  Bake the cookies for about 12 min.

While the cookies are cooling, make up the filling.  With a hand or stand mixer, cream together the shortening/butter & powdered sugar, along with vanilla & salt. Scrape down bowl occasionally as you mix, and then let mixer run, on med. speed, about 10 min. Mixture will become very fluffy and white over this time, and will also become less gritty.  Transfer filling into a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip. Alternately, you can portion the filling with a melon-baller sized ice cream scoop, or by using zippy bag with the corner snipped off as a makeshift pastry bag.  In either case, wait until the cookies have cooled completely before filling.  Flip half the Fauxreo wafers upside down. Onto each, pipe or scoop a small dollop of filling (a 1/4 oz. “Double Stuf” and 1/8 oz. for regular) into center.  To finish, top with another wafer and press down until filling reaches almost to edge of  cookies. You must apply a very even downward pressure so filling will spread out evenly. Finally, transfer Fauxreos to an airtight container and refrigerate for several hours. It is this last step that is most important. After whipping the filling, it will be especially soft. Refrigerating it (especially if you’re using butter) is crucial for solidifying filling and helping it to bond with the wafers.

**  Make Neapolitan Fauxreos by dividing the finished filling into three portions. Leave one portion plain. Mix 2 Tbl. cocoa powder into another. Mix 3/4 oz. freeze dried strawberry powder into the third. Fill the cookies as directed.
**Make peppermint Fauxreos by including 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract in the cookie dough itself and 1/4 tsp. peppermint extract in the filling. Add a few drops of red/pink food coloring.