Snacks: Baked by a Crunchy Mom
Since having my third baby, life has been busy to say the least. Trying to get all of them fed three healthy meals, enough sleep, and vitamin D on a daily basis (besides my own health), it has been trying. But these past few months I've been experimenting and being more ingredient conscious than usual. Which makes me question if I'm becoming a Crunchy Mom??
Crunchy Mom…. Describing could be a bit tricky and take too much time. The two adjectives I would describe it as (totally my own opinion and A Lot more to it than this. Look it up for yourself) Organic and Ingredient Conscious…..
I can say, part of me wants to buy organic and worry more about those ingredients. But eating healthy, all and all, is expensive. So my way to be more healthy, without having to buy all those expensive items, is do what I do best…..Bake. And use what I always have in the kitchen anyways.
Being a baker, I've been trying to experiment with new snack options for my kiddos. Snacks are the hardest to keep healthy. Who doesn't love a bag of chips, or a box of cheese crackers (the Worst of them all) or chocolate chip cookies?! If you start looking at the ingredients in those items, you will start going down a rabbit hole. Some good but Mostly bad. I am not one to harp on those terrible ingredients, but recently I have.
The point of this blog was to pass along some of my healthy snacks I've been working on or have been making for years, and hope someone will appreciate my Crunchiness ?
I'll start with Desserts (only because I'm a sucker for sweets) & work my way to Snacks.
My recipes are also not very descriptive. So for those who aren't familiar with baking, just follow this one rule of thumb: Always mix your wet ingredients in one bowl and your dry ingredients in another, before combining.
ICE CREAM: You don't need an ice cream maker to make a delicious ice cream. I use One 14oz can of sweetened condensed milk & 2 Cups of whipping cream. Then after that you add whatever flavors and ingredients you want.
Chocolate: 1/4c cocoa powder
Vanilla: 2tsp vanilla
Mint chocolate chip: 2tsp mint extract, 4-6 drops of green food coloring (if desired), handful of mini chips.
Coffee: 1/4c hot water to dissolve 2Tbs of instance coffee
Smores: 1/4c cocoa powder, crushed nilly cookies or grahm crackers, handful of mini marshmellows, mini Chocolate chips.
Strawberry: 1tsp vanilla & 2 Tbs strawberry jelly
Chocolate Peanut butter: 1/4c cocoa powder, 3/4c peanut butter, mini chips are optional
Nutella: ½ c Nutella & chips on top
1. Whip up the heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks. Then add the can of condensed milk with a spatula.
2. Add your flavor ingredients with the spatula.
3. Line a freezer tupperware or bread pan with parchment. Pour ice cream into pan and cover with plastic wrap.
4. It takes at least 3 hours to get hard enough to scoop.
COOKIES/SWEETS: Next time you want cookies, I recommend looking up a recipe and baking up a batch yourself. Chocolate chip cookies are my “Go 2” cookie but peanut butter, sugar, and even snickerdoodles are Easy batches to whip up. I would give up my CC cookie recipe, but its a secret!
The BEST Brownies
5Tbs melted butter
1-1/4C Sugar
2 Eggs + 1 Egg yolk
1tsp vanilla
1/3c Coconut Oil
3/4C cocoa powder
½ C flour
⅛ tsp baking soda
1 Tbs cornstarch
1/4tsp salt
3/4C chocolate chips
1. Mix the butter and sugar together.
2. Add the Eggs and vanilla
3. In seperate bowl, mix all dry ingredients until incorporated.
4. Add dry ingredients into the butter mixture.
5. Add the choc chips.
6. Use an 8x8 pan and bake at 325° for about 30 min.
Smores Topping for Brownies
6 Graham crackers
2C mini marshmallows
12 snack size hersheys
Use the recipe above but bake for 20 min then top with s'mores topping. Bake for another 5 min or until marshmallows are toasted.
Rocky Road Fudge
3/4C peanut butter
1/4C butter
2C Milk Chocolate
1-1/2C Rice krispies
3C Mini marshmellows
1. Melt PB, butter, and milk chocolate together.
2. Stir in Krispies & marshmellows.
3. Press in a 8x8 pan that is lined with Parchment paper
4. Refrigerat few hours until set.
Easy Fudge
3C Chocolate
14oz Can of Sweetened Condensed Milk
1tsp flavoring (vanilla/ mint)
Add on ideas: peanut butter, white chocolate, oreos, candy canes, pieces of chocolate.
Peppermint Patties
1/4C butter
1/3C corn syrup
1/2tsp Peppermint
4C powdered Sugar
Melting chocolate
1. Mix together in a stand up mixer until all ingredients are incorporated.
2. Form into 1” disks. Freeze for 30min.
3. Then dip into melted chocolate of your choice.
MUFFINS: Banana bread muffins are the best way to get some extra fruit in any kid's diet. Plus you can control the sugar and toppings. My kids like chocolate chips, but I have also done Blueberry. This is another recipe I keep for myself…. But go ahead and look up some recipes. I will tell you I use two bananas and 2 eggs.
After finding that yummy banana bread recipe, try to make a double chocolate batch. Here is what I did….
Double chocolate Chip, just add 1/4C cocoa powder and remove ½ C flour.
GRANOLA BARS: This one is my new favorite snack! It seriously tastes just like those quaker granola bars, ALL kids love! The base recipe doesn't call for any nuts but you are welcome to add as you desire.
2C Rolled Oats
4Tbs coconut oil
1/4C brown sugar
⅓C honey
1/2tsp Vanilla
2C Rice Krispies
1/2tsp Salt
1/4C mini chips & crazins
1. At 350° toast the oats for 5-7 minutes. (Optional: if you add nuts, toast those with the oats)
2. In a saucepan, add Oil, sugar, honey, and vanilla. Melt together until incorporated. Let cool a little.
3. In a large bowl, mix rice krispies and oats. Add Honey mixture over until fully incorporated.
4. Add Chips & crazins
5. Press in a 8x8 pan lined with Parchment. Refrigerat for an hour.
PITAS & NAAN: It took me a few months of experimenting to get the perfect ratio of flour and liquid. Everyone seems to have their favorite ratios and ingredients. If you are up for the challenge, experimenting is worth it. Otherwise, here is my favorite….
2C Flour
1tsp Baking Powder
1/2tsp salt
2Tbs Evoo
3/4C warm water
1.Mix the flour, Baking powder, and salt together. Then add the warm water and EVOO together. Form into a ball.
2. Cut into 2oz balls and let sit 10-15min.
3. Roll out paper thin and fry up on cast iron. 1min on each side.
NAAN: is basically the same process just slightly different ingredients
4C flour
1tsp baking powder
1/2tsp baking soda
2tsp salt
1Tbs yeast
1C warm water
3/4C plain yogurt or buttermilk
BREAKFAST: This one is just general for me since I'm a “Bread Lady”. Besides making all the bread we eat, my kids Love my bagels & English muffins. Pancakes, French toast sticks, and waffles are also staples at our house….
*Side note.. My husband makes his own kefir. All you need is to buy the kefir grains and feed it everyday with milk (same process as Sourdough). It is the best way to get GOOD PROBIOTICS. I highly recommend it for anyone with stomach issues.
Kefir Pancakes
1C Kefer
1 Egg
2tbs melted butter
1.5C flour / 250g
2tsp vanilla
1/2tsp salt
2Tbs sugar
1tsp baking soda
1tsp baking powder
Kefir Waffles
2C Keifer
2C flour
2Tbs sugar
2tsp Baking powder
1tsp baking soda
1/3c melted butter
2 Eggs
1tsp vanilla
French Toast Sticks (with Any bread)
One Loaf of bread cut into straps
5 Eggs
1Tbs milk
2tsp vanilla
1/2tsp cinnamon
2tsp sugar
1Tbs brown sugar
1Tbs cinnamon & sugar mix
1. Mix all ingredients in a shallow pan and sit for 15 min.
2. Spread evenly on greased pan, and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture
3. Bake at 400° for 20 min. Turning half way through.
4. I freeze in an airtight container. You just need to nook in the microwave for a minute to defrost.
STILL WORKING ON:
I have made crackers before, but my kids weren't really into them. I don't blame em… they tasted chalky (i used my sourdough on those too). BUT, I do have a Cheesy Cracker recipe I just tried today. They are yummy! Still needs work but here's that recipe in case you want to try too.
Cheesy crackers
1-1/2C sharp cheddar
4Tbs soft butter
3/4C Flour
1/2tsp salt
1Tbs Milk
1. Food process all ingredients except milk.
2. Add milk slowly until it forms a ball.
3. Roll dough out on a floured surface ⅛” thick about an 8x10 rectangle.
4. Using a pizza cutter, cut into 1” squares. Then poke a hole in the middle of each square.
5. Place on greased baking sheet ¼” apart
6. Bake at 350° for 12-15 min or until the edges just start to get dark.
Fruit Leather : I just tried this for the first time yesterday. It tasted delicious (my 6 and 4yr old loved it) but needed more baking. Think I needed to lay it more even and bake a little bit longer. The experiment continues for this one….
2C chopping fruit
1C applesauce
1. Food process and lay a thin layer on Parchment paper.
2. Bake at 175° for 3hrs or until no longer sticky.
3. Cut into straps and roll up to eat.
Hope you enjoyed my thoughts and took at least one recipe away with you. And if you happen to look at some of those snack ingredients, you can thank me later. Being Crunchy is not so bad!
Bon Appétit
