Dark Chocolate Pistachio Raw Bars

I have been on a kick making homemade raw bars or homemade "larabars".  First, there were the Chocolate Chip Cookie Raw Bars, and since then I have made a few others varieties -- including Dark Chocolate Cherry and Vanilla Walnut Shortbread.  Loved 'em both!  However, these are my favorite so far.  Its no surprise since one of my favorite snacks is dark chocolate chips, pistachios and dried cherries -- the perfect trail mix blend. 

 

I've made these bars twice now because I love them so much.  That's saying a lot because I normally prefer to experiment with new flavors and recipes.  I prefer to store them in the freezer because they last longer and they get soft at room temp. 

 

If you have any raw bar recipes, send them my way!

 

Cranberry Orange Granola

 

I realize I post a lot of granola recipes.  Hopefully, you love it just as much as I do.  I mean, how can you not?  The possibilities are endless when it comes to variety and flavor combinations! 

 

In case you haven't noticed, the blog got a little face lift.  It was long overdue.  I also updated the "about me" section and I have my wonderful AND creative sister, Sarah, to thank for that!  I said thank you with a bag full of granola -- bursting with citrus flavor, lightly sweetened with honey and packed full of good-for-you ingredients like coconut oil, flax seeds and plenty of nuts and seeds.   

 

I had to save some for myself, especially after I saw ohJoy! snacking on homemade granola with honey and riccotta -- a delightful little afternoon treat!   

"Paleo" Maple Granola

 

Happy Monday!  I hope everyone had a great weekend.  We had such a fun weekend celebrating Molly's birthday and enjoying the gorgeous weather! 

 

If you've been following Mag-Pie's for a while, you know how much I love granola.  Although I do not follow a Paleo diet at all, this recipe for Paleo "granola" sounded great to me.  I've already made multiple batches and can't get enough.  Its sweet and salty and packed full of nuts and seeds.  A delicious snack whether you are Paleo or not.  Just be careful not to eat the entire batch in a day :) It is seriously addicting!

Baked Oatmeal with Blueberries and Bananas

I thought I'd take a break from all of the sweet treats to share a simple breakfast idea with you. 

 

I love oatmeal.  This has not always been the case.  I used to be an oatmeal hater.  I forced myself to suck it down during my first job in Chicago, when the easiest thing to do was grab a pack of the Quaker instant (super sweet) stuff on my way out the door -- maple and brown sugar was my go-to. 

 

Then I discovered overnight oats.  Yogurt, almond milk, rolled oats and naturally sweetened with bananas or berries -- my new go-to!  However, on the weekends, baking is my preferred prep method.  The banana bread baked oatmeal still takes the cake but I love the addition of berries in Gina's version!  If you're feeding a larger group, follow her recipe for baking the oatmeal in a larger pan.        

Crunchy Cherry-Almond Granola Bars

I can't take credit for finding this recipe.  My mom made them and they are absolutely delicious.  I'm a snacker and like to have granola bars around for an easy snack to grab on the go -- a few of my favorites are Luna, KIND and Clif Mojo but homemade bars win any day.  One of my very first posts was a homemade granola bar recipe by Ina that I also love.  In terms of nutritional value, I think these ones score a little bit higher.  Anyways, these were too good not to share even if I didn't make them -- thanks, Mom!

Sweet and Spicy Roasted Nuts

I've been posting sporadically once again!  However, I still love to share all of the delicious things I've been making.  I have a few recipes in my back-log from the holidays.  These sweet and spicy roasted nuts make a great appetizer for a gathering or a snack to keep around the house.  I included them in a little hostess-themed gift box that I made for Sarah for Christmas.  We love the sweet and spicy combo!

 

I've only baked a few times since Christmas.  For New Year's Day I made Soft Batch Cookies using whole wheat flour and white and dark chocolate chips, even with the whole wheat flour (its all I had!) they turned out amazing.  I also made a batch of clean-eating Applesauce Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (adpated from this recipe) -- no added sugar, coconut oil and no flour so you can feel a little better about eating these. 

 

 I've have actually been cooking quite a bit but the picture taking just hasn't been happening.  I'll work on making it happen because I have a few new great dinner ideas to share! 

Brown Sugar & Winter Spice Granola

 

I have a great breakfast idea for you this weekend!  This is probably my favorite granola I've made thus far.  Well, I love every granola recipe I've shared with you.  The difference with this recipe is the method -- it results in big granola clusters -- my fav!

 

When you read the directions, you might be shocked by the amount of cooking time (75 minutes + an additional 30 minutes!).  It works though with the low cooking temp -- low and slow! 

 

Peanut Butter Toffee Clusters

 

I still have a few recipes to share with you from my holiday baking spree.  My mom and I made these candy cups for our neighbors.  I love homemade confections!  Chocolate, peanut butter, honey roasted peanut and toffee all in one little bite?  Obviously, with that combination, they are amazing!

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Scotchies & The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap

 

 

**Please disregard the less than impressive photography in this post.  :)

 

Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies will always remind my of my childhood.  These were always one of my mom's favorite cookies to make and we loved them.  I love the original recipe so much but I also love to experiment and switch things up.  Butterscotch combined with creamy peanut butter and honey roasted peanuts = a winning combination!

 

I made these for the "Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap" this year.  I was so excited to share one of my favorite recipes with fellow bloggers -- New South Food Company, Adventures of the Yankee Kitchen Ninja and Home Cooking Memories were the recipients of my cookies.  Hope you enjoyed!! :)

Below is a little description of how the whole swap worked!

"The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap brings together food bloggers from around the world in celebration of all things scrumptious. The premise is this: sign up. Receive the addresses of three other food bloggers. Send each of them one dozen delicious homemade cookies. Receive three different boxes of scrumptious cookies from other bloggers. Post your cookie recipe on your blog. See everyone else’s cookie recipes.

This year we are even more excited to be partnering with Cookies for Kids' Cancer, a national non-profit organization committed to funding new therapies used in the fight against pediatric cancer, which claims the lives of more children in the US than any other disease. By participating in this cookie swap you are not only contributing to the food blogger community, but also supporting a great cause."

I also received a dozen delicious cookies from three different bloggers -- Cherry Chocolate Chip Jubilee Jumbles from Teaspoon of Spice, Soft Ginger Chewies from Little House, Big Heart and Cowgirl Cookies from Pink Tiger in the Kitchen.

I am so happy I decided to participate in the cookie swap this year and am already looking forward to next year!

Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Bark

 

This pumpkin spice bark would be a great addition to your Thanksgiving spread!  I love to have snacks and appetizers out when guests arrive and its nice to have something sweet and salty!  Place alongside a bowl of salty mixed nuts and you are good to go. 

 

I actually used the bark as a garnish in pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting for a co-workers birthday -- they were a hit and the bark made for such a nice presentation.

 

My favorite thing about bark is how quickly it comes together.  Its nice to have a few easier cookie and candy recipes to include in your holiday cookie tray!  The key is not to burn the chocolate and move quickly to spread an even layer of chocolate and get those toppers secured in the chocolate.  My all-time favorite bark recipe is double chocolate salted peanut bark.

 

Pumpkin "7-Layer" Magic Bars

 

This past weekend my mom gave me the task of making dessert for a family lunch.  On the menu was a baked potato bar and turkey chili.  The perfect Fall lunch if you ask me so we had to have the perfect Fall dessert.  I can be very indecisive when it comes to menu planning -- especially deciding on desserts.  I sifted through all of my recipes and shared a few options with my mom.  She picked these... I was hesitant...  BUT I'm so glad I let her pick.  These were top notch. 

 

I feel like a broken record but, I'll say it one more time, I am obsessed with pumpkin and all of the flavors of Fall.  Pumpkin, apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves -- all of these flavors come together in this "magic bar".  I even decided to use gingersnaps as the base instead of a graham cracker crust -- so happy I did! 







Chocolate Chip, Pistachio & Cranberry Cookies

Its been quite a while since my last post.  Its not that I haven't been baking, I just haven't been focusing on the blog.  I've actually been baking quite a bit!  Since I know I still have a few followers checking back for updates, I decided I'd share some of the goodies that I've been making.  Also, thank you to Julie for sharing my pumpkin blondies with her readers in her post today!

Now about these cookies.  The flavor combination of nuts, dried fruit and chocolate is spot on and the sprinkling of sea salt on top is the perfect final touch!  I have made more batches than I can count and they have become one of my favorite cookies. 

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Granola

I can't take any credit for this recipe.  Well, I did make it and eat the entire batch (you've been warned -- it is addicting).  Anyways, I didn't discover it or come up with the genius idea to create granola using all of the delicious flavors of an oatmeal cookie.  My baking bestie sent me the recipe multiple times and then begged me to make it.  So here it is -- the best granola you've ever tasted.

Almond Joy Cookies

These cookies put a little spin on your traditional chocolate chip variety -- taking flavors from an Almond Joy.  If you love coconut as much as I do, you will love these.  The moisture from the shredded coconut creates a soft and chewy texture.  I'm already thinking of other chocolate chip "candy bar" cookies that I can make -- next up, I think a Snicker's cookie is in order.

Almond Butter Granola

Check out those clusters!!  Whenever I open a bag of store bought granola, I pick out all of the clusters because they are definitely the best part.  I'm always disappointed when I can't create those clusters with my homemade granola recipe... until now.

I kind of just threw this combination together and the results were perfect.  The taste is nutty and not-too-sweet and the texture is super crunchy.  I even got to use my homemade Honey and Sea Salt Almond Butter.

Honey and Sea Salt Almond Butter

Nut butter definitely ranks in my top 5 favorite foods.  I've made homemade almond butter a few times before -- I couldn't get enough of the Maple Cinnamon flavor that I shared with you a few months ago.  This honey and sea salt version is a little more traditional, if that's your thing.

Feel free to roast raw almonds on your own.  That is what I have done in the past.  This time around, I bought dry roasted, unsalted almonds at Trader Joe's.  No need to roast so this came together in minutes!

Side note -- I love watching the almonds whirl around the food processor, transforming from their whole state to this silky spread.  Its the little things...

Maple Cinnamon Almond Butter

I keep a very lengthy list of recipes that I just never seem to get around to making.  Homemade nut butter has been on my list for, ohhh, about a year and a half.  Guess what?  In the past week, I have made TWO batches of almond butter.  

Unfortunately, the first batch didn't last long.  There was a little kitchen mishap -- I dropped my glass jar full of CHOCOLATE COCONUT ALMOND BUTTER on my tile floor.  Shattered everywhere.  I almost cried because it was the most delicious almond butter I have ever tasted.  I will be making it again very soon, but until then, I'll be enjoying this batch of maple cinnamon almond butter.  

Sometimes I eat it with a banana, or perhaps an apple, but mostly straight from the jar.

Soft Batch White Chocolate Chip Cookies with Pistachios and Sea Salt

Do you remember soft batch cookies?  Soft, thick and chewy -- growing up, I always thought these were so much better than homemade cookies.  Looking back, that's crazy talk!  Nothing beats a homemade batch of cookies.

Anyways, these cookies remind me exactly of delicious, processed soft batch cookies.  The original recipe that my Mom sent to me (thanks, Mom!) was a classic chocolate chip cookie recipe.  I made 'em a little fancier with the addition of white chocolate, pistachios and a little sprinkling of sea salt!

If you're a fan of white chocolate cookies, we also think these are pretty tasty:

White Chocolate and Pretzel Peanut Butter Cookies

White Chocolate Gingerbread Blondies

White Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies

White Chocolate Coconut Blondies

Lemon Cookies with White Chocolate and Toasted Coconut

Pistachio & Cranberry White Chocolate Bark

One of my favorite parts about the holidays is the baking, of course!  However, we all know it is also the busiest time of the year.  That is why I LOVE chocolate bark.  No baking required and it comes together in minutes, leaving you with plenty of time to spend with family and friends.

Last year, Molly made this Double Chocolate Salted Peanut Bark -- delicious!!

Chipotle and Rosemary Roasted Nuts

With the holiday season in full force, I like to keep a list of ideas for entertaining.  These mixed nuts the perfect snack to set out before you serve appetizers or your meal.  They also make a great homemade gift!