RAW CRANBERRY + SWEET CACAO NIB ICEBOX COOKIES



My friend Britney and I usually have this 3 o'clock snack craving everyday.  Not sure why that is but, its there. Does anyone else have that problem?  Maybe we just love food.  But because of that, we are constantly trying to find healthy snacks to keep handy for those occassions.  I LOVE this recipe.  The flavors of the sweet cacao nibs with the cranberries and nuts is just divine.  I shared these with my friend Alicia at work and she loved it!  I have a few taste testers close by and she is one of them.  Thanks Alicia for being a guinea pig for my new recipes!  (And thank you Sydney, Kelsey, Jackie and James for being my other taste testers! ~They live around the corner from me.)



We are all about ridiculously simple recipes here.  We may create a few, slightly more intese recipes, but overall we are all about simplicity and ease.  This recipe only took a few minutes, literally.  I hope you like it as much as I did.  Here it is...



RAW CRANBERRY + SWEET CACAO NIB ICE BOX COOKIES

1 cup raw cashews
1/2 cup raw almonds
1 cup dates
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean
2 tablespoons maple syrup or agave
1/4 cup sweet cacao nibs
1/4 cup dried cranberries chopped small

Process the nuts in your food processor until finely chopped.  Add in the dates and process until the ingredients are mixed well and it starts to get moist from the dates.  Add in the vanilla and maple syrup or agave and process to combine.  Pour all the ingredients into a bowl and fold in the nibs and cranberries.  Mix with your hands until combined.  Shape the dough into 1-1/2" diameter cookie dough logs and wrap with parchment and saran wrap, then put it in the freezer for 1 hour.   Finally, remove the saran wrap and cut the logs into half inch cookie dough rounds. 

Makes about 2 dozen.

Enjoy!!



Join the discussion!

Do you have a favorite raw chocolate spread recipe? We would love to hear what it is! Share it in the comments below. Links are welcome.

RAW CRANBERRY ALMOND BARS WITH RAW CACAO FROSTING

 

Written by Contributor Britney Manuel of BtanJerine, Family Sponge and A Simply Raw Life.  This recipe was originally posted on Family Sponge HERE. It was so popular, that we had to bring the recipe to our viewers as well.  Enjoy!

 

 

At about 3 o’clock PM everyday a little man inside of me says, “it’s time for chocolate!”, and when he talks…I listen! And sometimes much to my dismay, this little man has cheap taste. So in an effort to be proactive I knew I had to at least make a healthier version to tame this wild beast of a chocolate monster within me. So this is what I did!

 



 

 

Raw Cranberry Almond Bars with Raw Cacao Frosting

Bar Ingredients

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4 cups raw almonds
2 lbs. dates
1 cup shredded coconut
2 tablespoons chia seeds
2 cups dried cranberries

Frosting

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1/2 cup maple syrup or agave nectar
1/4 cup coconut oil, warmed to liquid
2/3 cup cacao or carob powder

Directions

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For the Bar

 

Blend the dates in a food processor until it makes a thick chuncky paste, and place in a bowl.  The pulse the almonds in the processor until they are finely chopped and add to the bowl. (I left some bigger chunks so that the texture varied).  Next, pulse the shredded coconut for a few seconds and then add to bowl followed by the chia seeds and dried cranberries.  Work mixture together with your hands until it makes a sticky ball.  Line a 9×13 cookie sheet with parchment paper. Add mixture to parchment paper. Cover ball with another sheet of parchment paper and use a rolling pin to flatten the ball into about 1 1/2 inches. Place the flattened mixture into the freezer for 1 hour.  Cut the bars in individual bar size pieces, then frost.

 

For the frosting

 

Add the maple syrup to the blender first followed by the coconut oil and cocoa powder. Blend well until smooth and then spread desired amount onto each bar. 

After frosting, wrap each individual bar in plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to a week.  They are now ready to eat!   (I'll tell your right now, they won't last that long!)
 

 

Amazingly delicious!!

 

Enjoy!

 

 

Join the discussion!

Do you have a favorite raw bar or granola bar recipe? We would love to hear what it is! Share it in the comments below. Links are welcome.

 



OVERNIGHT OATMEAL







 

 

 

I have been seeing a lot of mason jar recipes on Pinterest and on my favorite food blogs lately.  However, I really fell in love with this recipe and concept.  I try to eat mostly raw, but at times I crave something real breakfast-y if you know what I mean.  This is perfect because you don't cook the oatmeal.  I couldn't find raw oats (groats) so this time I just used organic rolled oaks.  This dish came out just perfect.  I had to pack our breakfast this past weekend and what a cute way to pack a meal.

 

 

My husband doesn't like walnuts, so I put raw sliced almonds and raspberries in his.

 

 

 

I tried raw walnuts and raspberries in mine.  Just delicious.  I added in a tablespoon of chia seeds that are packed with protein.  One tablespoon will give you 3 grams of protein, 6 grams of fiber, and 2.9 grams of omega-3 fatty acids.  

 

Oatmeal has great benefits as well.  Some of you may ask if eating uncooked oatmeal is healthy.  Check out the benefits of oatmeal cooked or uncooked HERE.  Whether cooked or uncooked, oats have high nutritional value and approximately 310 to 390 calories per 100 g serving. This serving size delivers 9 to 11 g of fiber and 13 to 17 g of protein. Oats are also a good source of polyunsaturated fat and monounsaturated fat, which are healthy for the heart. Although they don't pack a powerful punch in terms of vitamins, they are high in several minerals, including calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium and manganese. The soluble fiber in oats helps to eliminate cholesterol and lower blood pressure, and the insoluble fiber helps keep your digestive tract healthy and efficient. The beta-glucan in oatmeal can also help regulate blood sugar, and the lignans can protect the body against cancer.

 

 



 

I got these jars from Ikea.  These SLOM jars with lid are only $2.99.  What I also love about this recipe is that there are no set rules.  You can use any kind of milk you like, use your favorite berries, dried fruit or nuts.  Such a great little recipe! 

 

OVERNIGHT OATMEAL

 

1/2 cups oats

1 tablespoon chia seeds

3/4 cup almond or coconut milk

2 tablespoons dried cranberries

1 table spoon shredded coconut

1 tablespoon raw almonds or walnuts

fresh fruit

 

Mix the first five ingredients in the mason jar.  Cover and refrigerate overnight or at least 5 hours.  Top with the nuts and fruit in the morning and enjoy!

I have also done versions with figs, no dried fruit, with dates.  They have all been really good.  Just choose your favorite combination!

 

Bon appetit!

 

 

 

Oh, and here's my Instagram shot of eating this the other day on the run.  It was the perfect breakfast.