Category: Snacks

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Pretzel Sandwiches

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Sweet, creamy cookie dough. Crunchy salty pretzels. Smooth silky chocolate. Everyone will love these bite-sized sandwiches. For a soy-free batch, I used crispy plantain chips instead of the pretzels… which was a truly awesome experiment.

cookie dough pretzel sandwiches 2

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Pretzel Sandwiches

1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup vegan buttery spread, such as Earth Balance
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2/3 cup sorghum flour
2/3 cup tapioca flour
2/3 cup icing sugar, sifted
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/3 cup plus 1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
About 64 knot-shaped pretzels (I use Snyders Gluten-Free)
2 teaspoons coconut oil
Fine sea salt (optional, but recommended)

Put the maple syrup, vegan buttery spread, and vanilla extract in a bowl or a stand mixer. Using a hand mixer or the stand mixer, beat until well combined. Add the flour, icing sugar, and salt. Beat until fluffy and well-mixed. Add 1/3 cup of the chocolate chips and beat until combined.

Lay a piece of waxed paper on a large plate. Use your hands to roll the mixture into truffle-sized balls (about 32). Squish each ball to about 1-inch thick between two pretzels to make a sandwich. Repeat with remaining balls and pretzels. Put in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Nearing the end of the 15 minutes, put the remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips and coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 30 second intervals on medium-power, stirring between each one, until melted and smooth.

Dip half of each sandwich into the melted chocolate, then put it back on the waxed paper. Sprinkle with salt, if desired. Freeze or refrigerate until chocolate is set. Store leftovers in the refrigerator or freezer.

Three Seed Crackers

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Once you have all of the ingredients on hand, you can prep and bake these crackers in under 15 minutes, which is great timing to coincide with heating up some soup to dunk them into. These crackers are ridiculously easy, loaded with nutrition, and make a huge batch: the perfect soup companion. Mix and match the flours and add-ins to your taste–they are pretty foolproof.

crackers

Three Seed Crackers

1 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup teff flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup hemp seeds
2 tablespoons chia seeds
2 tablespoons black or white sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 to 3/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 450F. Tear off a sheet of parchment paper the size of your baking pan. If you want very thin crackers, use two baking sheets.

Put the sorghum flour, teff flour, baking powder, seeds and salt in a large bowl. Whisk well. Add the olive oil and about 1/4 cup water. Stir to mix, adding additional water for it to become cohesive.

Place the dough directly on the parchment paper. Roll thinly—the thinner the dough, the thinner the crackers will be. If necessary, divide on two parchment sheets for thin crisp-style crackers. Cut the dough with a sharp knife into squares; you don’t have to pull them apart, just cut through to the pan.

Transfer sheets to oven and bake for about 3 to 5 minutes, until they are firm enough to move (very thin crackers will take only a few minutes). They will slightly shrink, making it easy to flip the crackers using a metal spatula. Bake for another 4 to 5 minutes, depending on thickness. Let cool on the pan before serving or storing. They will become more firm as they cool.

Raw Cacao Buckwheat Granola

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The combination of cacao and hazelnuts is a classic, and the hint of dates, prunes and raisins adds just the right amount of sweetness. This recipe makes use of a food dehydrator to maintain its raw state. The reasoning behind the low temperature is because it is believed that when food is heated above that level, nutrition is minimized, proteins are damaged, and phytonutrients are destroyed. Dehydrating also removes the water from foods and preserves its enzymes and nutrients. One of my favourite ways to use my dehydrator is making granola, and this is a basic recipe that I use that is open to endless combinations.

cacao-buckwheat-granola

Raw Cacao Buckwheat Granola

  • Servings: 1 1/2 pounds
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4 cups water
2 cups raw buckwheat groats
1 cup hazelnuts, soaked 2 hours, rinsed, drained, and coarsely chopped
3/4 cup raisins, soaked 30 minutes and drained
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup pitted soft honey dates
1/4 cup pitted soft prunes
1/4 cup raw cacao powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional; not raw; try powder for a raw version)
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup unsweetened cacao nibs

Soak the buckwheat in the water for 45 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a fine sieve or colander lined with cheesecloth. Drain well. Rinse well, about 5 to 8 times, until the water is completely clear and the buckwheat no longer feels gelatinous. Set over a bowl and let sit 4 hours. Rinse a second time, ensuring the water runs clear. Let sit another 4 hours, then rinse well once more.

During the buckwheat preparation, soak the hazelnuts and raisins if you haven’t already done so. Put the water, dates, prunes, cacao powder, vanilla extract (if using), salt, and cinnamon in a food processor. Process until smooth. Scrape the mixture into a large bowl. Add the rinsed and drained buckwheat, hazelnuts, raisins, and cacao nibs. Mix well. Sample the mixture; though the flavors will become more prominent when dehydrated, you may want to add additional cinnamon or salt to taste.

Spread the mixture in a single layer on dehydrator trays, using trays designed for small items or fruit leather. Dehydrate at 105 degrees F (40 degrees C) for about 8 hours until the top is dry and firm. Use your hands to break up the pieces and flip them over. Continue to dehydrate for 6 to 8 more hours, until dry and crunchy. Store in a sealed container at room temperature or in the refrigerator or freezer.