Cocoa Coconut Honey Cinnamon Almond Butter

As I am running low on my current homemade almond butter, it's time to make some more! Almond butter is one easy thing to make. And it is very versatile--you can add any flavors you'd like. I've really enjoyed my honey cinnamon almond butter, so I wanted to stick with that, but I wanted to experiment a little by adding a couple other flavors. I began by preheating the oven to 350 and mixing about a cup of almonds with a couple Tbsp honey and about a tsp cinnamon.

I used my hands--the best tool.

Slightly a messy job.

 

Next, I spread the almonds on a baking sheet and placed them in the oven. Every few minutes I stirred them around and changed the sheet's direction. In total, the nuts were in the oven for about 15 minutes.

Next, I scooped the almonds into the food processor. I also added about 1 Tbsp coconut and 1 tsp cocoa. I'm not sure how much flavor the cocoa contributed, but I wanted to add it anyway. Then, I gave the mixture a whirl. 

After about ten minutes of swirling and scraping the particles off the edges, the almond butter was finished.

And, boy, was it tasty!

This creation has many uses. I like it on toast, on English muffins, on Whole Wheat Banana Oatmeal Muffins, on fruit such as apples and bananas, in oatmeal, in cookies, and by the spoonful to name a few! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do :)

Glorious Oatmeal

Lately, I have been on an oatmeal kick. I think this is my first one ever in my life, but I simply can't get enough. First of all, it is warming, and even though Dallas is not too chilly (i.e. the high today is 74), it is a wintery thing to wake up to. And Christmas is less than a week away! Furthermore, the health benefits of oatmeal are astounding. It can lower blood cholesterol, it has lots of fiber, it keeps one feeling full longer because of its complex carbohydrates, and it stabilizes blood sugar levels. What more can one ask for? Oh yeah, and by simply adding a few ingredients it becomes delightful to one's taste buds!

In today's oatmeal, I started by cooking oats and oat bran with water. Then I mixed in about 1 Tbsp pumpkin, 1 Tbsp homemade honey cinnamon almond butter, a couple dashes of cinnamon, and about 1 Tbsp ground flax meal. Next, I added about 1/4 cup homemade coconut granola, and I sliced in 1/2 banana, and splashed in some milk. Let me tell you, it was a pleasant, energizing start to the day.   

Whole Wheat Banana Oatmeal Muffins

One of my favorite things to have for a night snack is a warm scrumptious muffin. I had run out of my last batch of muffins. So, of course, this was an excuse to get back in the kitchen and make a new one!

They truly are delicious and very satisfying. Not too sweet, but they really hit the spot. I learned in my food science class at Baylor to mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix all the wet ingredients in another bowl. Then, make a well in the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into the well. Then, with short stirs, mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until all is just moist. This prevents too much gluten from forming and creates a nice even crumb. 

Whole Wheat Banana Oatmeal Muffins Recipe

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup old-fashioned oats

3 Tbsp oat bran

3 Tbsp ground flax meal

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

2 medium bananas

a little less than 1/2 cup oil

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup turbinado sugar

2 Tbsp apple sauce

3 Tbsp buttermilk

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

Preset oven to 350. As mentioned above, mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix wet ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir together until just combined. Then bake for 20-25 minutes. Simple and so worth it!

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog! I can't believe I'm actually making one, but I really enjoy looking at cooking blogs. I get lots of good ideas, and I'd like to keep track of all my endeavors in the kitchen. On breaks from school, I enjoy spending lots of time in my favorite room, experimenting with different recipes and brainstorming delicious treats and meals. Health is a key objective in all my experiments. I usually use all whole wheat flour and I love adding oats and flax meal and replacing some of the fat with apple sauce. I'm also trying to branch out and incorporate other low processed flours and ingredients to my cooking. I will post pictures of my final products, and I hope you enjoy! So far this break I've made Coconut Granola, Monster Bars, two loaves of whole wheat bread in our bread maker, and lots of delicious oatmeal, including oatmeal made with pumpkin, homemade honey cinnamon almond butter, banana, and granola. Delicious!