One of the things I enjoy most about having the kids home with me in the summer is working together with them in the kitchen. Often times I try to find ways for them to help me with dinner preparation- grating cheese, stirring pasta, shelling peas, shucking corn, etc. Once in a while I’ll try to think up a sweet and healthy treat that’s a little more exciting than just dinner and that I know would be especially fun for them. This chocolate millet crunch was our most recent little project. It’s simple enough for the kids to make almost on their own, but tasty enough that it’s hard to just eat a few pieces. These are little mounds of chocolate coated puffed millet, chopped hazelnuts, and goji berries with just a touch of shredded coconut sprinkled on top. Puffed millet can be found in the cereal aisle of a natural foods store and although I find it rather bland on its own, it complements the chocolate nicely and it adds a certain crisp lightness that I love. These must be served chilled to get a crunch, which makes them perfect for those hot days when you just need a little bit of chocolate. [Read more…] about Chocolate Millet Crunch
Continue ReadingVanilla Hazelnut Butter
A super simple post for today, but it’s something the whole family has enjoyed so much that I wanted to share it. Chocolate hazelnut butter is of course a well-loved favorite, but recently we’ve discovered how pleasant this vanilla hazelnut butter can be. It’s pure hazelnut flavor, enhanced by vanilla and lightly sweetened by medjool dates. While the consistency is not as creamy as some nut butters, it’s still very spreadable and is lovely on toast or crackers. Up later this week- a special Valentine’s Day treat using this vanilla hazelnut butter!
PrintVanilla Hazelnut Butter
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw hazelnuts
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3-4 medjool dates, soaked in warm water for 20 minutes
Instructions
- To remove the bitter skins off the hazelnuts, roast the hazelnuts in a single layer for 10-12 minutes in a 350 oven. Transfer the hazelnuts to a kitchen towel, and use the towel to rub the skins loose. (Removing the hazelnut skins always seems a bit tedious to me so this time I did not stress about getting every skin peeled and the results were just fine.)
- Drain dates, but do not squeeze water from dates. In the bowl of a food processor or high speed blender, place the toasted hazelnuts, vanilla, and dates. Process or blend until hazelnuts become smooth and have a spreadable consistency, scraping down sides when necessary. Length of time needed to process depends on the strength of the appliance, ranging between 5-10 minutes.
Notes
*If medjool dates are extra soft, soaking may be unnecessary.
*Updated 10/21/2015: After some more experimenting, I’ve found the best results are achieved when hazelnuts are ground FIRST into a creamy nut butter to which the dates and the seeds from one vanilla bean are then added and blended into the nut butter. I’ve found this method to yield the creamiest consistency.
Chocolate Hazelnut Toaster Pastries
I have faint memories of being a child and envying the kids that packed pop tarts as their on-the-go breakfast for the bus ride. At least in my mind, those looked like the best breakfast treats ever. While my parents were not extreme health enthusiasts during my childhood, they did strive to provide healthy meals and snacks for us and thus pop tarts were not part of the family diet. In my own mission for my children to have a healthy and wholesome way of eating, I try to limit the amount of processed food and sugars that they eat, but I also try to provide a reasonable amount of treats so that they aren’t left feeling deprived. These Chocolate Hazelnut Toaster Pastries are one of our latest treats and are my healthier version of pop tarts. Of course, they are wonderful straight out of the oven, but they conveniently reheat well in the toaster.
Rather than making my own chocolate hazelnut butter this time, I decided to keep things simple and used my favorite store-bought version, Justin’s. It worked beautifully and helped with being able to finish these off fairly quickly. To make this a bit healthier than a traditional pie pastry, I used spelt flour along with ground sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds. The seeds add an element of nuttiness to the crust and the oils from the seeds decrease the usual amount of butter necessary for a crust pastry.
I had planned on adding a drizzle of melted chocolate on top, but in the end I decided a simple sprinkle of coarse salt and turbinado sugar was enough for me. Do not skip this step- it makes a surprisingly big difference! Go ahead and add a drizzle of melted chocolate though if you want to be extra fancy. Enjoy!
PrintChocolate Hazelnut Toaster Pastries
- Yield: about 10 pastries
Ingredients
- 2 cups spelt flour
- 1/4 cup raw unsalted pumpkin seeds
- 1/4 cup raw unsalted sunflower seeds
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled
- 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
- about 1/2 cup chocolate hazelnut butter
- coarse finishing salt and turbinado sugar for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- In the bowl of a food processor, add the pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. Process until seeds are finely ground. Add the flour, sugar, and salt and pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse again until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- In a small bowl, combine vinegar and 6 tablespoons of ice water. With the food processor running, gradually add the vinegar and water. Process just until mixture begins to clump together. Transfer mixture to a lightly floured surface and finish kneading together by hand. Form dough into a disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill about 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to make a rectangle approximately 16- inches x 11-inches. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 3-inch x 2 1/2-inch rectangles. You should have 20 rectangles.
- Take one rectangle and spread 2 teaspoons chocolate hazelnut butter in the middle, leaving a border around the edges. Top with another rectangle and use a fork to crimp the edges together. Repeat with the remaining 18 rectangles.
- Sprinkle tops with a generous pinch coarse salt and turbinado sugar.
- Bake for 11-13 minutes, until edges start to turn light golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes on tray and then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
pastry crust adapted from [url href=”http://www.amazon.com/Whole-Grains-Every-Day-Way/dp/0307336727/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417702863&sr=8-1&keywords=whole+grain+every+day”]Whole Grains Every Day Every Way[[/url]/i]