I try not to buy sweets. I like that Michael Pollan rule about how if you’re going to indulge, save it for things you make yourself. I think he underestimated my readiness to bake, but I like the idea—don’t buy chemically enhanced crap out of the vending machine that you’ll scarf down walking back to your desk. Make yourself something nice that you can savor. I am a creature of habit, and my habit is to have something tasty on hand. When supply starts running low I’ll make a quick Pinterest pass, set aside a few potential recipes incase I’m in a sweets pinch. Today I was caught in such a pinch with tea time quickly approaching.
You’re probably thinking, “Big deal. Tea time, you sound like a nut.” But there are a few habits in my day I seldom neglect. A morning mediation in the shower — kinda like a cousin to a walking mediation. When you live with two little kids, this tends to be the only place they’ll leave you be for 10 minutes. Secondly, tea time. Round abouts 4 everyday we stop what we’re doing, sit down and have tea, but not just tea. Tea alone is not enough to make our little daily rehab feel celebratory. We need a treat and today our pantry was bare. So to the Pinterest boards we turned, to see what deliciousness had been pinned and left abandoned on a board for just such a moment — Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie Bars. Entirely amazing. All ingredients on hand, check. Now in the interest of full disclosure, there is a healthier version on the site. I was completely impressed she gave two versions, and after a little discussion naturally we opted for the naughty one. A far cry from naughty I must say — all the fats are from nut butters or coconut oil and it uses whole wheat flour. All that aside, they taste amazing.
By the way, this is what it really looks like when you bake with a four year old. Awesome. I love making a big freaking mess. Not really. Just looking at these pictures makes me a little queazy, but baking with kids is loads of fun so I compromise (and take deep breaths as maple syrup drips into the cracks of my dining room table).
Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie Bars
Here's a list of what you'll need to make these wonder bars. Be sure to check out the entire recipe at Vedgedout.
Ingredients
- whole wheat pastry flour
- rolled oats
- raw agave or pure maple syrup
- raw sugar
- coconut oil
- almond butter (I ran out of almond butter and used half peanut butter)
- ground flax seed
- almond milk
- vanilla
- baking soda
- salt
- vegan chocolate chips
Well Vegan
@Sarah - I love that you guys do cooking with kids! That must be endlessly entertaining. And yes, let's get together soon.
sarah
OH MY! I love this and can so relate. Because I teach kids cooking classes (No kids of my own yet) but boy oh boy they can get messy. Its ok because they are so cute and they have so much fun. Peter and I also do peppermint tea at night but not just tea....tea and chocolate! We should have a tea party soon;)
Quentin Doyne
Because almonds are naturally very nutritious, almond milk doesn't need to be fortified. You can make almond milk yourself at home, and it will have the same nutritional value as the almond milk available commercially.