Cashew Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you read my weekly menus at all, you know that one of my favorite snacks if a handful a cashews with dried cranberries.  While I was eating this snack one day, the though occurred to me that it would make a great combination in a cookie...so I took my hazelnut butter cookie recipe and modified it a bit and voila my favorite snack is now my favorite cookie, no joke!  My boys loved it, minus the dried cranberries (they don't like dried fruit, yet), so either way these are amazing cookies!

Cashew Chocolate Chip Cookies
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup roasted cashew butter (recipe below)
1 cup coconut sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cup GF flour blend
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup dairy-free chocolate chips (I used a combination of Enjoy Life mega chunks)
1/2 cup roasted cashew halves
1/2 cup dried cranberries, optional

Directions
Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening, cashew butter, and coconut sugar.  Add egg and vanilla, mix well.

In a separate bowl, stir together the flour blend, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; add to butter mixture and mix well.  Stir in chocolate chips, cashews, and nuts.  Roll into 1-1 1/2 inch balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly brown on edges and just set in middle.  Cool slightly on cookie sheet before removing and placing on wire rack.

Roasted Cashew Butter

8 oz (about 2 cups) roasted, salted cashew halves

1 tablespoon coconut oil

Directions

Combine the oil and nuts in a blender and blend until smooth.

This post was shared on Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Allergy Free Wednesdays, Gluten Free Fridays, Allergy Friendly Lunchbox Love, and Whole Food Fridays.

Cranberry Pomegranate Sauce

Are you still needing some help for Thanksgiving?  Well, here's a fantastically simple and delicious cranberry sauce.  Honestly, I never touched the stuff until the past year or so, but I love the rich, tart sauce combined with savory meats...it really is a perfect match.

My favorite way to eat cranberry sauce is actually not with turkey, I know strange.  My favorite way is sandwiched between french toast and a ham steak...seriously, if you have leftover cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving, give this a try, it's AMAZING!

Cranberry Pomegranate Sauce
12 oz Fresh Cranberries
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup pomegranate juice

Directions
Combine the cranberries, honey, and pomegranate juice in a sauce pan and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat.  Cook, while stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes or once the cranberries have burst and the mixture thickens into a sauce.  You can serve it warm or at room temp.  It keeps well in the fridge, so it can definitely be made ahead of time.

This post was shared on 5-Ingredient Mondays, Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Gluten Free Wednesdays, Allergy Free Wednesdays, Waste Not Want Not Wednesdays, Whole Food Fridays, and Gluten Free Fridays.

Orange Cranberry Muffins

We got some cranberries in our Bountiful Basket this week, so I decided to use them in muffins.  This recipe is easy to throw together and like all muffins, it tastes best when they are fresh out of the oven.  This would be the perfect way to start out your Thanksgiving day...so go try it!

This post was shared on Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Gluten Free Wednesdays, Allergy Free Wednesdays, Whole Foods Fridays, Gluten Free Fridays, and Allergy Friendly Fridays.

Orange Cranberry Muffins
1 3/4 cup gf flour blend
2 tablespoons baking powder*
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup agave nectar
1/4 coconut oil, melted
1 teaspoon orange zest
1/2 cup orange juice
1 cup fresh cranberries, halved

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F. Grease or line muffin tins and set aside.

Mix together the dry ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl.  In a separate bowl mix together the rest of the ingredients (except the cranberries). Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well.  Fold in the cranberries and spoon into the muffin tins (you should add about a 1/4 cup into each tin).

Make at 400F for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.

Makes 12 muffins.

*note: if you can't find corn-free baking powder, you can use 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda for 1 teaspoon of baking powder...it isn't doubling acting, but it will work.

Cranberry Orange Granola

I've been in a cooking rut lately...or just really, really busy with life outside of the kitchen...or both.  Life has been crazy busy.  My boys both started school last week and this week and I have a huge project at work that has me going in at odd hours day and night...so, I've been thinking of recipes, but haven't had much time to play in the kitchen.

Finally, today, I took the afternoon off of work (mainly because I had to go back in later in the evening) and I finally got to test out one of the recipes that has been stewing in my head for who knows how long.  And can I just say, it's amazing...really, it's about the best granola I've had. And what's great about this recipe is that you can easily change it up pretty much any way you want to with nuts, fruits, etc.

This post is featured on Allergy Free Wednesdays, Allergy Friendly Friday and Whole Food Fridays.

Cranberry Orange Granola
2 cups gluten free rolled oats
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup buckwheat grouts
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup flax seeds
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon orange zest
2/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup dried apple pieces

Directions
Preheat oven to 300F. Grease a large baking sheet/pan and set aside.

Combine the oats, nuts, buckwheat, and seeds in a large bowl.  Add in the honey, coconut oil, vanilla, and orange juice and mix until everything is evenly coated. 

Spread the mixture onto the baking sheet and bake for ~45minutes, stirring every 15-20 minutes.  Remove from oven once the granola has turned a golden brown.

Mix the orange zest, cranberries, and apple pieces into the granola.  Continue mixing the granola every half hour while it cools on the baking sheet.

Once cooled, place granola in an airtight container.  If stored at room temp it should be good for about a week.  If stored in the freezer it will last a couple of months.