By Sara Tesser
Quarantine has brought out the inner baker inside everyone! From the classic banana bread to the more challenging sourdough, everyone seems to be turning their kitchens into a gourmet bakery. I’m going to be sharing four healthy, easy, yet delicious recipes that I have been enjoying throughout my quarantine.
CHOCOLATE BISCOTTTI
- These chocolate biscotti’s are another crowd pleaser! They are approved by not only my entire family, but also by my aunt and uncle! They require a little more time and attention to detail as compared to the others, but it’s well worth it- trust me! The recipe is from Amy’s Healthy Baking (https://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2020/01/26/the-ultimate-healthy-double-chocolate-biscotti/)
Ingredients:
¾ cup (90g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free
½ cup (40g) unsweetened cocoa powder
½ tsp baking powder
1 large egg, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup (96g) coconut sugar
2 tbsp (28g) finely diced dark chocolate
How To:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg and vanilla extract. Stir in the coconut sugar. Add in the flour mixture, stirring until fully incorporated. Fold in the diced dark chocolate.
3. Transfer the cookie dough to the prepared baking sheet, and shape into a long and skinny rectangle that’s 2 ¼” wide and ¾” tall using your hands or a spatula. (If the cookie dough sticks to your hands, rub them with a little neutral-tasting oil first!)
4. Bake at 350°F for 33-35 minutes. (The outside should be very dry and crusty!) Let the rectangle of baked cookie dough cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes (no more and no less!).
5. Transfer the rectangle of baked cookie dough to a cutting board. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the rectangle into ½”-thick strips (no wider!), working from one short end of the rectangle to the other. (Both diagonal strips and horizontal strips will work!) You should end up with cookies that are ½” thick, ¾” tall, and 2 ¼”+ wide.
6. Place the cookies onto the original baking sheet with one cut side facing down and the other cut side facing up. Bake at 350°F, flipping the cookies halfway through, for 6-8 minutes (for centers with just a bit of “give”) or 12-16 minutes (for centers that are completely hard and dry). Cool completely to room temperature on the baking sheet.
BANANA MUFFINS
These banana muffins are a 15/10 and literally flew out of the basket in my kitchen. Not only are they healthy, they’re also taste approved by my dad and brother (who don’t care very much about the nutritional value). The recipe is from instagram influencer @thehealthyaddiction and makes around 9 muffins.
Ingredients:
2 over ripe bananas - mashed
2 cups almond flour (sub 1 cup for protein powder if you want)
2 egg whites
1/4 cup Sweetener
1/4 cup coconut oil (to lower fat: sub 1/2 cup non fait plain greek yogurt)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
A generous serving of chocolate chips:)
How To:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease muffin pans (can be made into a loaf too)
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl EXCEPT chocolate chips
- Once batter is formed, then add in chocolate chips
- Scoop batter into muffin tin and bake for about 20-25 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean! (If you’re making it into a loaf it’ll probably need to bake for about 45ish minutes)
PEANUT BUTTTER MUG CAKE
Sometimes making 12 cookies sounds great, but when there aren’t enough people or a large enough appetite in your house to consume it all, what to do with the leftovers can sometimes get tricky. Enter this single serving peanut butter mug cake to solve all your baking troubles! It tastes like a decadent peanut butter chocolate chip cookie straight out of the oven not to mention it’s gluten, grain, and refined sugar free! This recipe is from the Instagram account @thenutritiousnorm
Ingredients:
2 tbsp flour (I used gluten free)
1 tbsp of peanut butter powder
1/2 tsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp coconut sugar
1/2 tsp stevia
1 tbsp nonfat greek yogurt
2 tbsp almond milk
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla
Load on the chocolate chips:)
How To:
mix all the ingredients together in a mug microwave for 1 min and 20 seconds
PEANUT BUTTER OAT BALLS
Last but certainly not least, these peanut butter oat balls are one of my staples! I always have them in the fridge for dessert or just a quick snack. They don't use any processed sugar or sweetener, just the natural sweetness of dates.
Ingredients:
1 cup of pitted dates
3 tbsp of peanut butter
1 tbsp of chia or flax seeds
2/3 cup of rolled oats
How To:
- Pulse pitted dates in food processor until they’re in small pieces
- Add oats, seeds, and peanut butter and pulse until combined
- Roll into 1-inch balls (should create around 12)
- Put them in the freezer for ~15 minutes to set
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Hope you enjoy all these sweet treats! Tag us in a post if you make any of them:)