I love sharing freshly baked cookies with people. Not only that, but the baking process is linked to a strong sense of nostalgia for me. It brings me back to being a little girl in my grandma’s kitchen, elbow deep in cookie dough with the aromas of freshly baked cookies and coffee filling my senses. Her laugh floods my senses just as much as the aromas of her tiny little kitchen, bursting at the seams with love.

These cookies are a chewy, sweet marriage of chocolate and coconut. Think chocolate chip cookie meets a coconut macaroon. The key is subbing out butter for Philosophie’s Cacao Magic Superfood Coconut Butter.

As a mom, I aim to practice balance and try to teach my girls the same. To me, that means controlling the quality of ingredients in what we eat. There’s no lack of baking or treats in my home. I don’t give them sugar every day, but when the sweet treats do appear in the kitchen, it’s with a strong degree of filtering out ingredients and ensuring they’re ones of quality.

I’m so glad I discovered Philosophie. Creator, Sophie Jaffe is a mom of three, health and wellness expert, entrepreneur and all around real mama hoping to inspire others to live in an authentic + healthy way. Do yourself a favor and head to their site to browse around. Personally, I love adding their plant based superfoods to my pantry – because they’re quality made superfoods that actually taste good! I also love supporting another mama on a mission of wellness + authenticity!

This recipe yields 24 cookies. Enjoy, from my kitchen to yours!

Ingredients:

• 1 jar (6 oz.) Philosophie Cacao Magic coconut butter
• 1/2 cup (packed) organic brown sugar
• 1/4 cup organic pure maple syrup
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup dark chocolate almond milk (feel free to sub regular almond milk)
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1.5 cup 1:1 gluten free flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 bag chocolate chips

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 baking sheets with silpat liners or parchment paper.
2. Cream together the coconut butter, brown sugar and maple syrup for 2 minutes. Mix in the egg, almond milk + vanilla.
3. Mix in the flour and baking powder until combined, then stir in chocolate chips – being careful not to over mix the dough.
4. Spoon out 1 tbsp balls onto your lined baking sheets. Gently press them down with your palm before baking.
5. Bake 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Store in a container in a cool, dry environment.

FACT: I absolutely cannot watch horror/thriller movies. My overactive imagination prevents me from separating fiction from fact and runs wild. Then I get the craziest nightmares. Being we have two littles who are known to throw middle of the night raves, we don’t need help in the loss of sleep department.

So when I chose Get Out as the film to theme a dish around for an Oscar’s recipe roundup with some talented ladies (see below for a full list of recipes,) I had to laugh at myself a little. I then did what seemed most logical and read the entire synopsis online vs watching it. (Still got nightmares btw.)

Without giving away too much of the plot line: the movie stems around an interracial couple, Rose and Chris. They go away for the weekend to meet Rose’s parents. Chris notices very unusual behavior from the black housekeeper and groundskeeper at the family home. Her parents, a hypnotherapist and a neurosurgeon, have a horrifying way of combining black and white and the weekend strays far from what Chris (or the viewer) would ever anticipate.

These cookies are a much sweeter end than the movie produces (seriously twisted ending to the movie) but are a great recipe to bring to your Oscar’s parties as a nod to the best picture nominated film, Get Out.

I also happen to be a huge Seinfeld fan and can never talk about a Black + White Cookie without thinking about that episode. “Oh look Elaine, the black and white cookie. I love the black and white. Two races of flavor living side by side in harmony.”

The batter is thick and produces a very cake-like, dome shaped cookie. Because a.) I have an affinity for cake-like cookies, and b.) they taste better. Total fact. IT’S A CAKE IN COOKIE FORM!! Sorry for the yelling. I just get really excited about this.

Once cooled, you flip them over and frost the flat side. With the most gooey and decadent white + chocolate glazes. The recipe yields approximately 10-12 large cookies. This recipe makes a delicious gluten free version that no one is the wiser, but you can sub out your favorite AP flour if you’re not running in the GF crowd.

One thing to note: as soon as you mix the ingredients together, don’t over mix and spoon the dough out onto two baking sheets then bake immediately. The baking soda reacts once it combines with the wet ingredients and the longer you let the batter sit, the less evenly the cookies will bake.

Ingredients:

For the cookies:

• 1/2 cup room temp butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup whole milk
• 1.5 cups 1:1 GF flour mix (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
• pinch salt
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda

For the frosting:

• 2 cups powder sugar, divided
• 1/2 cup boiling water, divided (you may not use it all)
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 2.8 oz. dark chocolate

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Cream together butter and sugar. Then mix in the eggs, vanilla and milk.
3. Stir in dry ingredients until combined.
4. Spoon out heaping tablespoons of the dough onto silpat lined baking sheets. (The cookies will be approximately 4″ in diameter once baked.)
5. Bake 8-10 minutes until edges are golden brown. After 5 minutes, transfer to wire racks and cool completely.
6. While the cookies cool, make the frosting by whisking 1 cup of the powder sugar in a mixing bowl with 1/8 cup of the hot water. If it’s too thick, add 1 tbsp. at a time of the hot water until it reaches a thick, spreadable consistency.
7. Spread the white frosting on half of each cooled cookie.
8. In a saucepan over low heat, melt the chocolate and butter until combined.
9. Repeat step 6 then add the melted chocolate/butter mixture. Spread the  chocolate frosting on the other half of each cookie.
10. EAT THE COOKIES!

To find a full menu inspired by the best pictures, follow the links below:

Dunkirk: Strawberry Brie Crostinis from Sharon of The Honour System

Call Me By Your Name: Peach Focaccia from Kara of K&R Adventures

Get Out: Black and White Cookies from Julia of Girl Meets Kitchen

Lady Bird: Orange Baked Chicken Sandwiches from Alice of Dining With Alice

Phantom Thread: Mushroom Toasts from Haley of Cheap Recipe Blog

The Post: Orange Vanilla Martinis from Holly and Lane of With Two Spoons

The Shape of Water: Tuna Fish and Avocado Appetizer from Greta of Pickles Travel

Thanks for stopping by!

xx
Julia

Happy New Year, everyone! I’m eager to get back into the kitchen to create recipes for this little space ‘girl meets kitchen.’ It’s a space I love to share with you and my goal for 2018 – both here and in life – is to be a source of love and encouragement.

Joy. Laughter. Love. Grace. These are the longings of my heart for my family and for yours.

I know I’m not alone when I say that I face varying emotions over life’s constant busy-ness; the host of duties and distractions that “require” our attention. I spent a good part of 2017’s latter half re-evaluating what deserved my undivided attention.

faith. family. friendships. passions. career.

What resulted was God showing me areas of my life that needed more attention. Cultivating love and living out God’s grace to my family were on the very top of that list. Ultimately I wanted to ensure that what I poured my energy into was done with the purpose of serving others. This also meant that a few of my passions took a temporary back seat.

 I spend a large amount of time in my kitchen. From mundane to magnificent, the meals that are prepared in that space are always derived out of and chalk full of love. I hope that if you stumble upon a recipe here + make it in your kitchen, you’re able to share it with others and that the food produces a shared gathering and love. From my kitchen to yours.

The inspiration for these cookies combines three favorite desserts into one. The richness of a brownie + the softness of a cookie + the light crunch of a rice crispy bar. The batter is thick + gooey and is also meant to enjoyed.

Savor life’s little moments! Thanks for stopping by.

Recipe yields approximately 3 dozen cookies.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, room temp
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup organic cane sugar
• 2 eggs, room temp
• 1/3 cup dark chocolate almond milk
• 2 tbsp. pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups gluten free cup for cup flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill. Sub AP flour for non gluten free bars!)
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 cups One Degree brand Brown Rice Cocao Rice Crisps Veganic Cereal (you can certainly substitute rice krispy treats here!)
• 10 oz. bag of mini chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a large mixing bowl or in your Kitchen Aid mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the sugars, butter, eggs, + vanilla. Mix in the chocolate almond milk.
3. Add dry ingredients + mix until just combined.
4. Fold in the brown rice crisp cereal + mini chips.
5. Spoon out 1 tbsp rounds or use a cookie scoop onto baking sheets.
6. Bake 11-13 minutes. Let sit 5 minutes before removing from the baking sheets, then cool completely on a wire rack.

My husband has a soft spot for these bars – the bars that go by many names. Depending on with whom you’re speaking, they may be called Special K bars, Scotcharoos – or in my case fat bars. I’m not sure who coined the name fat bars, but growing up at my grade and high school everyone called them by this name. Made in their original recipe, I imagine it’s because we all knew they were laden with sugar, processed items and a large dose of fat. I remember them being sticky and so sweet that they got you in that spot in the back of your throat and jawline. $.50 got you a full square and they were the most popular item on the Ala carte line.

These are a much less sugary version, and so simple to make. 5 ingredients (plus a sprinkling of Himalayan salt if you so desire!) and so delicious. The dark chocolate is what makes these better than the original, in my opinion – though if you’re similar to my husband and prefer milk chocolate, substitute away!

I made this recipe to fit within our dietary restrictions and was really happy with the results. It’s an adaptation from a number of recipes and comes together in 10 minutes or less, plus refrigeration time. Enjoy it with friends or family (or by yourself over a cup of coffee!) Happy Independence Day to you all! I hope your memories are as sweet and easy as this dessert.

Ingredients:

For the crust

• 2 cups organic, raw almonds
• 1/4 cup avocado oil
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup

For the chocolate + peanut butter layer

• 8 oz. organic dark chocolate (I used 80%)
• 1 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
• Himalayan salt for topping (optional)

Method:

1. In a food processor, blend the raw almonds until they are semi-finely ground
2. Add the avocado oil and maple syrup and pulse until combined
3. Spread evenly on a parchment lined 8×8 pan.
4. Roughly chop the chocolate and microwave in a glass bowl for 30 second increments until melted.
5. Stir in the maple syrup and peanut butter until combined. Spread over the almond crust + sprinkle with pink Himalayan salt (optional.) Refrigerate 4 hours.
6. Cut, serve, enjoy! (These will be best if stored in the fridge.)

We were recently having dinner with friends and the topic turned to favorite childhood snacks – specifically the ones that concluded a sporting event’s win or defeat. My memory was swift and sweet. Summer nights for me were filled with softball. From the moment I could toddle my father had me holding a bat and glove, and what began as coaches pitch led into a love for the game through early adulthood.

Memories of teammates on the field flooded my mind – the smell of the infield dust and broken in baseball gloves still ripe in my nose. Each family would rotate turns bringing snacks – typically the boxed Little Debbie numbers on rotation. Star crunch were my personal favorite.

As every one recalled their favorites, both men mentioned Oatmeal Cream Pies as one of their top choices. Naturally, I had to follow up by making these for them!

I created a version of this recipe years ago for my husband, but have tweaked the recipe since. I love this version and none are the wiser it’s gluten free. That being said, feel free to substitute a mixture of 1 cup unbleached + 3/4 cup whole wheat flour if you prefer them to be made with flour.

May your memories be sweet, and shared amongst friends.

Recipe yields approximately one dozen sandwiches.

~Julia

Ingredients:

For the Cookies

1 stick butter, room temp
1/2 cup organic pure cane sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup no sugar added applesauce
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tbsp. cinnamon
3/4 cup gluten free 1:1 flour mix
1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 cup sprouted brown rice flour
1 cup rolled oats (not the instant)

For the Filling

3 cups powder sugar
1 cup Nutiva brand palm shortening (or vegetable shortening)
1/4 cup almond milk (or whole milk)
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cardamom
1/8 tsp. cream of tartar

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat liners.
2. In your Kitchen Aid mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars together about 3 minutes. Add the applesauce and vanilla, mix.
3. Add the baking soda, cinnamon, flours and oatmeal: mix until combined. Do not over mix or the batter will become gummy.
4. Drop teaspoon sized dollops onto lined cookie sheets and bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely.
5. While cookies are baking, using your whisk attachment on the Kitchen Aid mixer, add 1 cup of the powder sugar, shortening, milk and vanilla to the bowl and mix on medium speed for 5 minutes.
6. Add remaining 1 cup powder sugar, cinnamon, cardamom and cream of tartar and mix on medium speed for an additional 5 minutes.
7. Once the cookies are completely cooled, spread a layer of filling on the bottom of a cookie and top with a second cookie to form your sandwich. Finish with remaining cookies and filling.

Let’s be honest for a minute. There’s always something brewing in most our minds that fills us with some sort of “guilt” factor, am I right? If it’s not engrained in our personalities, the world throws enough out there to attempt and make us feel guilty about something we are inevitably “doing wrong.” For me, it’s usually mom guilt on many different levels. Am I spending enough one on one time with each girl? Which school would be best for my oldest, full day vs. half day? Will my kids love tanks be full when I return to work? Is the food I’m feeding my family the most nutritional? The list goes on…

For this reason (amongst many others,) I recreate some of my family’s favorite store bought treats whenever possible. There truly is no reason we can’t eat real food that isn’t full of GMO, preservatives and refined sugars but have to compromise in flavors. These cookies are proof of my last statement.

One of my daughters favorite store bought cookies are the vanilla cream filled cookies. While she’s never eaten the Oreo brand, even the healthier options weren’t what I preferred her to be eating if I could help it. So I challenged myself to create a version of that cookie sans refined sugars (or as limited as possible) and GMO.

I struggled with the cream filling part and my husband, after two attempts looked at me and told me it was impossible. This is, after all THE most important part of the cookie! Think of all the children and adults alike who eat that part first! It had to be perfect. A trip to my local co-op led me to find the perfect products and eventually perfect the cream filling. Happiness ensued as my oldest told me with joy that these cookies were better than the store bought version. I can’t stress enough to seek out a local co-op when possible. The ingredients are fresh, local and the variety of healthy alternatives to every day pantry items never disappoints.

Enjoy baking these for your family, friends – or even yourself for that matter. Then enjoy crossing one more item off the guilt list, should you have one.

Ingredients:

For the cookies:

• 1.5 cup organic, room temperature butter
• 3/4 cup Organic grade A, medium amber maple syrup (I used Target’s Archer Farm brand which is also non-GMO.)
• 1 organic egg, room temperature
• 2 tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups unbleached AP flour

For the filling:

• 1/2 cup Nutiva Red Palm + Coconut Oil Shortening
• 3 cups Wholesome organic powdered confectioners sugar
• 1 tbsp Wholesome organic cane sugar
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp organic whole milk

Method:

1. In your mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together maple syrup + butter on medium speed 2 minutes. Add in egg + vanilla extract and mix until combined.
2. Slowly mix in the flour and mix until just combined. Do not overmix.
3. Divide the dough in two balls and place each ball between two pieces of parchment paper. Roll out the dough while between the parchment paper to desired thickness of the cookies. The thinner the dough, the crunchier the cookies will be.
4. Refrigerate a minimum of two hours in advance to baking, but as far in advance as 24 hours.
5. Preheat oven to 350. Remove one rolled dough disc from the fridge at a time to keep the alternate dough cold as long as possible.
6. Using a 2″ cookie cutter, cut out the cookies and transfer to a parchment sheet or silpat lined baking sheet. Bake 12-13 minutes or until the edges of each cookie turn a golden brown one pan at a time.
7. Without over kneading, continue the process of the remaining scraps until all the dough has been baked.
8. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
9. Once cookies are cooled, using your mixer with the whisk attachment, add all the ingredients for the filling to the mixer and whisk on medium speed for 5 minutes.
10. Frost or pipe the filling onto half the baked cookies, reserving the second half of the batch to place atop each frosted cookie. The amount of filling you use is your choice, per your preference! This recipe yields 20-25 cookies, depending on how thick or thin you cut each individual cookie.