Hazelnut Chia Pudding - two ways!

Today I'm excited to share a few of the magical secrets (sort of) of chia seeds! Of all the "superfood" "health craze" foods out there, chia seeds are by far the one I can get behind in the biggest way. They are SO much fun to create dishes with, and packed with omega 3's, which just about everyone could use more of. 

While I love to toss chia seeds into all sorts of dishes, their ability to make this crazy easy pudding is what truly classifies them as magic in my world. I'll include some more notes about how many things you can do with this basic recipe, but for the sake of simplicity today I'm sharing a straight up hazelnut chia pudding as well as one packed with some dark chocolate powder for a nutella-esque yet totally healthy treat. 

Chia seeds' magic comes in the way they interact with liquid when soaked. The outer shell absorbs some of the liquid to create a gel-like texture. So when you mix together enough chia seeds with any liquid, you end up with a pudding-like texture of delicious. All it requires is a minute or two of whisking, and a few hours in the fridge. MAGIC! 

I'll be honest, the first time I stumbled across a reference to chia pudding, I didn't waste much time at all whipping up my first batch... and I was immediately hooked. If chia seeds weren't so darn expensive, I'd probably still be eating chia pudding every morning of the week for breakfast. It's not only totally delicious, but it's so packed with nutrients that it's a great start to the day and keeps you full for hours! 

The best part? This pudding is incredibly flexible, and easy to experiment with. The constant you need to keep an eye on is your balance of chia seeds to liquid, but as long as you maintain that balance - the options are endless! Use any type of dairy/nut-milk you want, or coconut milk! Mix in some pureed fruit to make a fruity version, change up the sweetener or sweetness level, add whatever flavor you like! Or... pack that pudding full of chocolate for a totally healthy dessert : ) 

For the sake of these photos, I kept things simple... but this pudding can also be topped with anything you like. I love having it for breakfast with a little granola and fruit sprinkled on top! 

This chia pudding will be on the thick side, and can easily be made thinner by decreasing the amount of chia seeds added to the mixture! 

Hazelnut Chia Pudding

2 cups hazelnut milk 

2/3 cup chia seeds 

4 tsp vanilla 

1/4 cup maple syrup 

1/4 cup cocoa powder (optional, for chocolate version) 

• Combine all ingredients in bowl or jar, and whisk together for about a minute until the chia seeds remain suspended in the liquid. 
• Refrigerate for a few hours, or overnight, until a pudding texture has formed. 
• Enjoy! 

Hazelnut Milk 

1 cup hazelnuts 

2 cups water 

• Optionally soak hazelnuts over night or for a few hours in water. This allows for a better extraction of all that hazelnutty goodness, but the milk can be made just as easily without this step! 
• In a blender, blend the nuts and water together (use the soaking water if you soaked the nuts!) on high power for about a minute. You want the nuts to be very broken down and the liquid to look super milky! 
• Using a nut milk bag, cheese cloth, or a fine mesh sieve, strain the milk into a container. Be sure to squeeze all the liquid you can out of the nuts! 
• Store any extra nut milk in the fridge for later use! 

Chocolate Quinoa Bars with ginger

Have we talked about my sweet tooth? With nothing more than a quick glance over my posts, coming to the conclusion that I have a serious sweet tooth wouldn't be a challenge. My love for sugar is a serious part of who I am, and what I love to do in the kitchen. While cooking never fails to excite me, I'd be hard pressed to find something that brings me more joy than whipping up something sweet - no matter how simple or complex the recipe might be. A little piece of how Toot Sweet got it's name! 

I am a full on sugar-fiend and I'm not afraid to admit it. I even wrote a jingle about it, and it's sung frequently around our house - often while snacking on something sweet, of course! 

These bars, of course, still fit into that category - but there is something different here. There is also a hearty dose of health in these babies! I've been thinking a lot about how I can please that sugar tooth of mine, while also doing some work to better my diet this year. How can I (and you!) manage to eat less processed sugar and more whole grains without feeling like my cravings are satisfied? So when I saw the inspiration for this recipe, I knew I had found something magical! 

(of course, this tall glass of Monday afternoon iced coffee helped launch me quickly into the kitchen)

Caramelized honey binds together a whole slew of nuts and seeds packed with protein, nutrition, and healthy omega 3's - quinoa, hemp seeds, chia seeds, almonds, and walnuts. Then it's all topped with a nice layer of dark chocolate, chunks of crystalized ginger, cacao nibs, and vanilla flake salt. It makes for a perfect crunchy, chocolatey, just sweet enough treat that could pass just as well as a dessert or as a mid afternoon snack. 

Now, it wouldn't be right to take any sort of credit for these beauties. The real genius is Tieghan over at Half Baked Harvest, and this recipe differs only slightly from her Superfood Chocolate Quinoa Bark. 

Chocolate Quinoa Bars 

1 cup quinoa

1/2 cup honey 

2 Tbsp coconut oil 

2 tsp vanilla  

1/2 cup almonds, chopped 

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped 

1/4 cup hemp seeds 

1/4 cup chia seeds 

12 ounces dark chocolate 

1/4 cup crystalized ginger, finely chopped 

flake salt & cacao nibs to sprinkle on top (optional) 

• Rinse quinoa under cold water. Place a few paper towels on a sheet pan or cutting board, then spread the quinoa over the top and let dry for about 5 minutes. 
• Combine honey and coconut oil in a medium saucepan placed over medium heat. Stir as the mixture warms, until the two combine easily. Remove from heat. 
• Add vanilla, quinoa, nuts, and seeds to the honey mixture and stir until everything is evenly coated. 
• Cover 1-2 baking pans with parchment paper, and spread the mixture in a thin layer over the parchment. You'll want to use one large sized pan, or two if your pans are smaller. This is also a preference thing! Spread the mixture in a thinner layer, and you'll have a thinner, crisper bar. Spread it thicker and they'll be more like mine - and a little softer. 
• Bake at 350 for 20-40 minutes (depending how thin it is). You want it to be a dark golden brown, and for the quinoa to look caramelized. 
• While the base start to cool, melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave (stirring ever 30 seconds at the least). When it's smoothly melted, spread the chocolate over the base in an even layer, getting it as close to the edges as you can. Sprinkle with crystalized ginger, cacao nibs, and flake salt. 
• Place the pan into the fridge and let the chocolate set for about 30 minutes.
• Carefully transfer it onto a cutting board, and cut into squares. Layer into an airtight container with parchment, and store in the refrigerator. 

oatmeal cookies with cherries, chocolate, and almonds

What happens when you pack a rich buttery dough with an outrageous amount thick rolled oats, dried tart cherries from Traverse City, cacao nibs, almonds, and dark chocolate chips? Did you say pure heaven? Because I'm pretty sure that's what these cookies are.

I've been making versions of this recipe for years now - often packing them with whatever dried fruit or nuts I have in the pantry.  While they're always satisfying, I don't think any combination will ever match the perfection of tart cherries, chocolate, almonds, and crunchy roasty cacao nibs. So mix it up, make these on a whim, but do try your best to include the cacao nibs - they're my favorite part! 

I topped my cookies with a hearty sprinkle of this new salt from The Meadows here in Portland. Flakey sea salt from whales is absolutely covered in vanilla bean specks, creating a perfectly sweet, salty, and herbal infusion to top chocolate filled cookies. I've been itching to make some cookies since I bought it - knowing they would be the perfect use. 

This recipe will make a serious batch of cookies, and I'll be honest - it's more cookies than I want to have in the house unless I'm planning to bring them somewhere (or planning to have cookies for breakfast all week). Thankfully, this dough freezes like a dream! I love pre-scooping cookies and freezing them for later. Just give them time to freeze on a baking dish or sheet pan, then toss them into a freezer bag for later! You can bake them right out of the freezer (or just eat cookie dough straight from the freezer whenever you get a craving... you know you will!). 

I love making these with all whole wheat pastry flour. The fine grind of the flour results in a cookie that doesn't taste like it was made with whole wheat, and you can rest assured that you're getting in some whole grains when you eat a few too many cookies. Whole wheat flour + thick rolled oats is sure to equal a healthy cookie despite the two cups of sugar and big mound of butter! 

Depending on your tastes (and what you have in your cupboard), you can always make these with your typical all-purpose flour, or a mixture. You're in charge here! I will, however, take a moment to sing my praises for whole wheat pastry flour. While I've learned that it isn't a totally foolproof alternative for white flours - in more recipes than not you can replace white flour with this magic (a simple one to one substitute, or a mixture!) and have stunning results. I've aways been a little weary of baking with whole grains, because some baked goods I just want to keep as they are. Whole wheat pastry flour has been my glorious answer! Cookies, pancakes, quick breads, muffins, pasta and more. Whole wheat can be so much less overpowering than it often is! 

Okay. Stepping down from my little whole wheat pastry flour soapbox. Use it. Don't use it. It's up to you. But me? I'm a convert! 

Cherry Chocolate Almond Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, softened 

1 cup cane sugar 

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs 

1 Tbsp vanilla extract 

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour, all purpose flour, or a mixture of the two

 1 tsp baking powder 

1 tsp baking soda 

1/4 tsp salt 

2 1/2 cups thick rolled oats 

1/2 cup almonds, roughly chopped

1 cup dried tart cherries 

1/2 cup cocoa nibs 

1 cup chocolate chips 

• Cream together the butter and sugars in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, with a hand-held mixer, or with a strong arm and a good wooden spoon. 
• Mix in the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla, stirring to incorporate after each addition. 
• In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 
• Add the flour mixture into the butter mixture, and stir until just combined. If you're using a stand or hand mixer, do this on the lowest setting to avoid over-mixing the dough. 
• Add the rest of the ingredients, and continue mixing just until they're evenly distributed. 
• Scoop spoonfuls the dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment, silicone, or butter and bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes, until just cooked. 
• Let rest on a cooling rack until completely cool,