No Bake Cookie Balls

I love baking but do not always like to heat the house as the temperatures increase. I also sometimes find myself in a bind and do not have enough oven space for baking while I am making the REAL food for a dinner gathering at my home. I get around this predicament by making NO BAKE TREATS!

No Bake Cookie Balls are blank slates that can be customized. Options will be noted with the ingredients. The Cookie Balls last a week stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container ... if they last that long!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Don't Go Nuts Roasted Chocolate Soybean Spread (or nut butter/soy butter/seed butter of your choice)
• 4 tbsp butter or coconut butter softened 
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla (coconut)
• 1/2 cup gluten free four (I used a 1-1 blend ... you could swap flours but may need to adjust moisture)

Instructions:

• In a stand up mixer, mix the soy/nut/seed butter and butter until they are creamy
• Add sugar and flavoring 
• Add gluten free flour
• Form into small balls and refrigerate for about 30 minutes

OPTION:
Indent a thumbprint in the top of the ball
After they chill to "set" you can serve with fresh fruit, jam, soy/nut/seed butter, or candy in the imprint

NOTE: 
They seem very soft when forming and refrigerating
They are stiff when they first come out of the refrigerator and soften within a few minutes. 

Chocolate Banana Spread

Chocolate and Bananas go together like Peanut Butter and Jelly. The blank canvas I used today was Don't Go Nuts Chocolate Roasted Soybean Spread. I added roasted bananas for an additional layer of flavor and texture.

Ingredients: 1 to 1 ratio of Spread to Roasted Bananas

Instructions: use a fork to mash roasted bananas and combine mashed bananas with the spread.

Serving: Shown here - enjoy with bread (gluten free vegan banana bread is pictured), rice crackers, apple slices, or strawberries (organic is suggested).

Enjoy this naturally sweet treat for breakfast, as a mid day snack. or as a dessert!

Chocolate Banana Balls

I made Chocolate Banana Balls featuring Don't Go Nuts Chocolate Roasted Soybean Spread. I added Roasted Bananas to the mix to layer in flavor and texture. The result was a chewy/fudgy bits layered with chocolate and banana flavor. Refrigerate for up to 30 minutes after making so the ingredients "set".

Base Ingredients:
1/4 cup Don't Go Nuts Chocolate Roasted Soybean Spread
1/4 cup roasted bananas
2 TBSP coconut butter (melted)
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup brown sugar

Options:

• substitute another gluten free flour
• roll ball in shredded coconut
• roll ball in cocoa

Gluten Free, Nut Free, Vegan Cookie Sandwiches

A cookie is good ... two are better...making them into a sandwich is great!

When you bake a batch of cookies, you can play with a few of them and "dress them up". Keeping with the theme of limiting allergens, I used Do't Go Nut's Chocolate Nut free Roasted Soybean Spread as my filling. I know I enjoy chocolate and peanut butter together ... this is a NUT FREE way to marry the two flavors!

Gluten Free, Nut Free, Vegan Cookies

Gluten Free, Nut Free, Vegan Cookies

I modified for a second time ... my Gluten Free 6 Ingredient (Nut) Butter Cookie Recipe posted 4-8-15 and first modified 4-16-16 to adapt the recipe to omit eggs.

Today...I omitted the NUT!

I used 1 cup WOW Butter in place of the nut butter

For a little extra variety I replaced the flax seeds with chia seeds. This modification created a crunchier cookie rather than a softer and chewier cookie.

These cookies started with the THREE INGREDIENT PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE recipe that has gone viral as an inspiration. I added a few simple pantry staples but did not add additional time. My modifications reduced the sugar but not the taste.

MY BASE from 4-8-15:
BASE INGREDIENTS:
1 cup NUT BUTTER - pick the flavor you prefer ... homemade or store bought ... creamy or chunky
1/2 cup SUGAR
1 EGG - I prefer free range/cage free
1/2 cup FLAX SEED
1 TBSP VANILLA

 TODAY's Modifications:
A flax egg replaced the egg
WOW Butter was used (Soy Butter)
Chia Seeds replaced flax seeds

Enjoy playing with your food and modifying tried and true recipes to make something new in 2018!