Grandma Baking CookiesDessert Recipes

Although dessert are typically viewed as "unhealthy," club members have contributed some really tasty dessert recipes that can safely be considered healthy, or at least "half-healthy." With sugar in so many products nowadays, its a great time to begin experimenting with some really great alternative sweeteners, such as brown rice syrup, agave nectar, honey, and molasses.

 

 

Oatmeal Nut and Raisin Cookies

a vegan recipe contributed by Steve and Toni Roberts

1 cup oat flakes
½ cups raisins
¾ cups water
⅛ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons sesame oil or walnut oil
½ cup whole wheat pastry flour (or other flour)
½ cup leftover brown rice (cooked)
3 tablespoons sunflower seeds
1 tablespoon rice syrup or barley syrup
½ cup black walnuts chopped

Roast oats by stirring in a skillet. Boil water and pour over oats and raisins, let sit 10 minutes. Mix in salt, cinnamon, oil and rice syrup. Then add flour, brown rice and seeds.  Shape by the spoonful into round, flat cookies on an oiled baking sheet.  25 minutes at 375.

back to top

 

Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Cookies (for Dogs)

a vegan pet recipe contributed by Loraine Sweetland


2 cups whole wheat flour
½ cup corn meal OR wheat germ
¼ cup flax seed, ground
½ cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon molasses
1 cup non-dairy milk (rice milk, almond milk, or soy milk)

Combine dry ingredients. Mix the peanut butter and molasses; stir into dry ingredients. Stir in enough non-dairy milk to make a thick dough. Sprinkle flour on a cutting board and roll out dough. Cut with desired shapes and bake in 375F/190C oven for 15-20 minutes (around 10 minutes if you’re using very small shapes).

back to top

 

Nut Crust

a vegetarian recipe contributed by Donna Blankenship

1½ cups chopped walnuts or pecans
1 to 2 tablespoons ghee, softened
3 to 4 tablespoons agave or honey

Heat oven to 400ºF. Butter a 9 inch springform pan. In medium bowl, combine pecans, agave and butter. Mix well; press onto bottom and 1 inch up sides of prepared pan. Bake 10 minutes, until golden brown. Cool on wire rack. This is good for a Tofu type cheese cake. Or, you can press into a regular pie pan and bake for 5 min. and fill with any pie filling that needs to be cooked as prebaking makes a less soggy crust. Doing a no-bake pie filling, cook for the 10 minutes or until golden brown.

back to top

 

Homemade Granola

a vegan recipe contributed by Beth Cunningham

2  cups  old fashioned Quaker Oats                 
1  cup walnuts/almonds or combo                
½ cup pumpkin seeds
¼ cup flaxseed
¼ cup sunflower Seeds
½ cup unsweetened coconut
¼ cup cold pressed oil, sunflower or safflower
¼ cup agave nectar

Mix first 6 ingredients.  Mix the oil and agave together, then mix in with the grain, nuts and seeds. Spray oil on a cookie sheet and then spread the above evenly.  Bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes, stir in pan, bake another 15 minutes and stir in pan.  Bake an additional 5 minutes for a total of 40 minutes.  Remove from oven, stir again and let cool.  Put into a plastic container or a Ziploc bag for storage.  Store in pantry, and use within 3-4 weeks.

back to top

Best Millet Pudding

a vegan recipe contributed by Loraine Sweetland

¾ cups millet, uncooked
4 cups soy milk
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup dates, chopped
2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a medium-sized casserole dish. Cover dish. Place in oven, bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown on top. Serve warm or cold, with or without soy milk. Serves 4.
From The Optimal Diet: The Official CHIP Cookbook, by Darlene Blaney and Hans Diehl.  Autumn House Pub., 2009.

back to top

 

Pumpkin Pie with Tofu Sweet Cream

a vegetarian recipe contributed by Donna Blankenship

½ cup agave nectar
½ tsp sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger  
¼ tsp ground cloves
2 large eggs or egg substitute
1 can (15 oz) pure pumpkin
1 cup tofu sweet cream
1 unbaked 9” (2 ½ cup nuts) Nut crust in a spring-form pan

Mix; agave, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in Pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in sweet cream. Pour onto pie crust. If using a spring-form pan wrap bottom of outside of pan with foil so that if there is a leaking of ghee in nut crust there will not be a mess in the oven. Bake in preheated 350ºF oven for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack until cool and then cover with foil and place in refrigerator until chilled and set (about 4 or 5 hours or overnight).

back to top

 

Quick Chocolate Pudding

a vegan recipe contributed by Donna Blankenship

2 - 10.5 ounces silken tofu, firm packs
¾ cup agave nectar
3 teaspoons vanilla or almond extract
½ cup cocoa or carob powder

In blender, whip tofu until smooth. Mix agave and cocoa powder, stir until smooth. Add vanilla or almond. Add chocolate mixture to tofu and continue blending for 1 minute.

back to top