Cookies and Sweet Chia Puddings

Making lots of treats for my hubby really helps me get through the hard Iowa winters, and so I have lots of recipes to share with you!

But first, since I'm talking about winter, check out how much snow we have already!

The sidewalk by my house!

To start with, here's a recipe by Ani Phyo from her book Ani's Raw Food Desserts. I first read it in Get Fresh!, but you can find the recipe here as well. It's really good! If you don't have raw oats, you can use regular thick oatmeal. It won't be raw, but if you use high quality organic ingredients, it will still be yummy and full of nutrition. Remember, if you're beating yourself up because you've had some cooked oats and it makes you feel bad, give thanks instead for all the wonderful food in your life! Some may be raw, some may be cooked, but if you are high raw, I bet your diet is pretty amazing already. You can read the recipe below... Or watch Ani make the cookies! I made mine into heart shapes using a cookie cutter, but you could make round ones too.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies -- How cute are these?!

Ingredients:
1 cup raw oats
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup firmly packed pitted Medjool dates
1/2 cup raisins

In a food processor, blend the oats, cinnamon and dates until broken down but with still a little texture. Add the raisins and pulse a few times. Shape, and keep refrigerated.

Next on the list are Cowboy Cookies! If you've never had raw cookies before (or even if you have) you might be a bit weary of trying them, but these are really good! I made some chocolate chips just for them, and my husband had 3 within the first hour after they were ready. I got this recipe from the lovely Happy Raw Kitchen.

Cowboy Cookies

Cowboy Cookies
Ingredients:
- 1 cup oat flour, made from ground oat groats, sprouted and dehydrated if desired.
- 1/2 cup cashew flour, made from ground cashews, soaked and dehydrated if desired.
- 1/4 cup dried shredded coconut
- 2 tablespoons melted cacao butter, measure after melting
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons yacon syrup, or date paste/syrup made from blended soaked dates, or agave nectar flavored with yacon powder
- 1 tablespoon agave
- 1/4 of a vanilla bean, seeds only or 1/2 tsp. extract
- 1/4 cup raw chocolate chips or chunks
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans, or other nut of choice
- 1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
- pinch of salt

Chocolate Chips:
This chocolate is so delicious and melt-in-your-mouth, you won't be able to stop after the first bite! Since it uses coconut oil instead of cacao butter, it needs to be kept in the fridge or freezer. This recipe makes great chocolate chips to use in raw cookies!

Ingredients
- 1/3 cup cacao powder, sifted
- 1/3 cup melted coconut oil (about 3 ounces)
- 1/8 t. Celtic sea salt
- 2 T agave nectar

Directions
- Sift the cacao powder into a bowl, and set aside.
- Mix the coconut oil, salt, and agave nectar with a fork.
- Freeze or refrigerate, and cut into squared chocolate chips, if desired.

Cookies Directions:
1. Combine oat flour, cashew flour, coconut, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl.

2. Add melted oils, yacon, agave, and vanilla, and mix well.

3. Stir in chocolate and nuts. I reserve a little of each to press into top of cookies after shaping.

4. Shape into cookies, top with reserved nuts and chocolate if desired and chill. Make 12 cookies.

And finally, how about a couple recipes for chia pudding? Chia seeds are so high in calcium, protein, and a multitude of other nutrients, eating them regularly can help insure you are filling in any nutritional gaps in your diet.

Orange Blossom Scented Chia Pudding

For orange blossom lovers! If you are a fan of this delicate Middle Eastern ingredient, you will love this chia pudding. Soaked in a creamy cashew milk sweetened with dark agave nectar and flavored with orange blossom water, the chia seeds absorb the liquid to yield a creamy pudding. The inspiration for this recipe is the traditional Lebanese "Muhallabia" pudding, usually made with milk and rice powder.

Ingredients
- 1/3 cup raw cashews
- 1 cup water
- 1 T orange blossom water, available at any Middle Eastern food store
- 2 T agave nectar
- 2-4 T chia seeds, depending on how thick you want your pudding to get

Directions
- Blend the cashews, water, orange blossom water, and agave nectar in a blender until smooth, about 1 minute.
- Pour the milk into a bowl, and add the chia seeds. Stir until they are evenly distributed in the liquid.
- Set aside to thicken in the fridge or on the counter, stirring occasionally. If on the counter, refrigerate the pudding after about 20 minutes.

Not-Tella Chia Pudding

Chia seeds are soaked in a luscious blend of raw cacao, hazelnut milk, coconut and vanilla. Such an easy way to get superfoods into children (and reluctant adults!) :)

Ingredients (serves 4)
- 1/2 cup to 1 cup chia seeds, depending on how thick you like your puddings
- ½ cup Raw Cacao powder
- 3 T + ½ cup agave nectar
- 1 cup raw hazelnuts
- 1 ½ t pure vanilla extract
- 2 T raw organic coconut oil
- Celtic Sea Salt

Directions
- Blend the hazelnuts with 3 cups water and 3 T agave. Strain the liquid through a nut milk bag or cheesecloth to remove the fiber. Mix 2 cups of hazelnut milk with the chia seeds. Let stand, stirring occasionally.

- Blend the remaining 1 cup of hazelnut milk with the cacao powder, agave nectar, vanilla extract and coconut oil, along with a dash of sea salt. Mix in the soaked chia seeds, and refrigerate.

The pudding will keep well for a week in a sealed container.

I hope you enjoy these recipes! And to end on another sweet note, here's are 2 pictures of my cats, Romeo and Jules :)