coconut Archives - Page 3 of 3 -

Happy Labor Day Weekend! Celebrating with some sprinkle fun today.

A few weeks ago, I came across these gorgeous naturally dyed sprinkles. Not exactly healthy, but also not filled with lots of artificial colorants so it makes me feel a little better about serving them to my kids. My poor kids… whenever they see colorful cakes and candy, they ask, “Mom, does this have artificial coloring? Is this okay for me to eat?” I have to admit, I am a party pooper when it comes to artificially dyed food. I am no fun at all. But! I just purchased a 2.9 pound container of these sprinkles. Enough sprinkles to last a lifetime. I must get cool mom points for that, yes?

These Rainbow Sprinkle Energy Bites are no-bake, naturally sweetened, whole-grain, and are the perfect little snack to pack on-the-go or in lunch boxes. The little bites are filled with the goodness of oats, coconut, flax, wheat germ, raw honey, and almond butter. Cacao powder gives them a rich chocolate flavor and adds an extra boost of antioxidants. Sprinkles are completely optional of course, but don’t they add such a glimmer of fun? I used almond butter, but use any nut butter that you prefer. I’m going to try a sunbutter version next to keep it nut-free for school. Using a stand mixer breaks down the oats and gives the mixture a finer texture. A finer texture helps the sprinkles to adhere better, but feel free to mix by hand, especially if you are leaving off the sprinkles. From start to finish, the whole batch took me 20 minutes to make. These are easy, healthy, and deliciously satisfying!

Rainbow Sprinkle Energy Bites

Serves: makes 15 1¼-inch bites

Ingredients

½ cup creamy almond butter, peanut butter, or almond butter
⅓ cup raw honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup old-fashioned oats
⅔ cup unsweetened flaked coconut, chopped
¼ cup ground flax seed
¼ cup wheat germ
3 tablespoons cacao powder
rainbow sprinkles

Instructions

Using a stand mixer, combine the almond butter, honey, and vanilla.
In a medium bowl, combine the oats, coconut, flax seed, wheat germ, and cacao powder.
Add the dry ingredients to the almond butter mixture and mix together on medium-low speed until thoroughly combined. Shape into balls of desired size and dip in a bowl of rainbow sprinkles to coat. Press lightly on the sprinkles to adhere. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Notes

Adapted from Gimme Some Oven

I realize the abundance of granola recipes out there and it seems like I myself am always trying a new variety of homemade granola. This particular recipe is one that I frequently revisit and it remains a favorite. I love that homemade granola is so flexible and adaptable. I’ve written the recipe according to how I made this batch, but I often use honey instead of maple syrup, cinnamon instead of vanilla, quinoa instead of sesame seeds, raisins instead of currants… the possibilities are endless. This granola incorporates an egg white, which helps the granola to maintain its crunchiness after it has been baked.

Coconut Maple Granola

Ingredients

3¼ cups rolled oats
¾ cup chopped almonds
¾ cup chopped walnuts
1½ cups flaked coconut, unsweetened
¼ cup sesame seeds
¼ cup coconut oil
½ cup maple syrup
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg white
½ cup dried currants

Instructions

Preheat oven to 300.
On a large 10 x 17 baking pan, mix together the oats, nuts, coconut, and sesame seeds.
In a small saucepan, melt the coconut oil over low heat. Remove from heat and stir in the maple syrup, salt, and vanilla. Whisk in the egg white.
Pour the syrup mixture over the oat mixture and carefully stir together until the oat mixture is evenly coated.
Bake at 300 for 40-50 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so.
Allow the granola to cool completely on the tray, stirring occasionally to prevent clumps. Stir in the dried currants. Store in an airtight container.

Notes

slightly adapted from Bon Appetit