Peanut Butter Banana Oat Bars with Dark Chocolate Bits

There's some big news to deliver first thing.

Congratulations to Elizabeth Toy who is the winner of my giveaway from last post. A copy of Scientifically Sweet: A Scientific & Delicious Approach to Artisanal Baking is in the mail and I hope you bake your local shop outta sugar!

Now here's some less exciting and more absurd news... I'm watching Dr. Oz rub egg whites all over a lady's face.

Apparently it reducing wrinkles, but all I can think about is how she now has Salmonella in her pores.

Then again, this is coming from a chick who eats more raw cookie dough than dinner. So, yeah...

But I figure this might be a good time to introduce a really super healthy, no refined sugar-added, butter-free snack. I'd hate for Dr. Oz to stumble upon my latest back to back posts about Chocolate Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies and White Chocolate Chunk Chocolate Cookies and then make a flashy episode showing the audience a grossly grey shriveled up organ with fat build-ups and cloggages to demonstrate (in major exaggeration) how terrible cookies are for you. Hello! Hasn't anyone ever told you that moderation is key Dr. Oz? Lay off it.

So this is for good measure, and because they also taste lovely with a cup of tea at breakfast and for a snack at around 2 pm when something sweet but satisfying becomes absolutely necessary!

There isn't much to this batch of delicious - just a few totally major ingredients like bananas, peanut butter, honey, dark chocolate, oats and pumpkin seeds. An egg and a few short steps helps bring it all together.

Notice there's no butter and barely any added sugar? Just two measly tablespoons of honey. It's entirely not like me. I was way out of my comfort zone. It felt weird and exhilarating all at the same time.

The blend of banana, peanut butter and honey is so undeniably comforting that you are guaranteed to be licking the spoon after the first hmmm... four steps of the recipe.

Let's see... 1. Preheat oven. 2. Line your pan. 3. Mash bananas in a bowl. 4. Mix in peanut butter and honey (insert "lick spoon, dip finger in bowl, lick finger" *here*). Believe me, this WILL happen.

If your bananas are nicely speckled black, they are ripe enough to add just enough sweetness with the bit of honey to make this taste just right. The protein in the peanut butter combined with a whole egg is enough to hold the mix together. Quick oats will set quicker than rolled oats and their natural fibres will solubilize and act as a bit of glue to hold it together as well.

The end result will be a soft and tasty breakfast bar that is soooo filling and satisfying - like a pimped up bowl of porridge in a square.

And, every time you bite into a bittersweet chocolate button your tastebuds will cry tears of joy because chocolate just met peanut butter and banana and nothing compares to how amazing that union can be.

Peanut Butter Banana Oat Bars with Dark Chocolate Bits

Makes about 16 bars

2 very ripe bananas, mashed

½ cup smooth peanut butter

2 tbsp honey

1 large egg

3 cups minute or quick-cooking oats

¼ cup pumpkin seeds

½ cup dark chocolate buttons (60-70% cocoa)

Preheat your oven to 325°F.  Line a 9x9-inch baking pan with parchment paper leaving a 2-inch overhang at each end.  

In a medium bowl, mash the bananas well with a fork. Mix in the peanut butter and honey until smooth. Add the egg and whisk until well blended. Stir in the oats and seeds until completely coated with the wet mixture. Fold in the chocolate chips. 

Press the mixture evenly into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely in the pan before lifting out and cutting into bars.

White Chocolate Chunk Chocolate Cookies & a cookbook GIVEAWAY!

I realize that the title of this post has the word "chocolate" in it twice.

It deserves it. Believe me.

I also realize that if I don't get my daily dose of chocolate, my mood ring would change from blue to amber. Apparently that means I'm "unsettled", and apparently in the 1990's I needed a ring to tell me that. 

Let me make something clear though. White chocolate is not actually chocolate. 

White chocolate is made up of mostly milk solids, like skim milk powder, sugar and cocoa butter. It does not contain any cocoa mass, which is the dark stuff that gives chocolate its coffeey, vanillaey, roasty and bitter flavour. Really good white chocolate can be described as having a caramel flavour or cooked milk taste, and it should have a high percentage of cocoa butter (look for a minimum of 30% cocoa solids). If you see any other fats on the ingredient list, like butter oil or hydrogenated vegetable fat, put it down because it has "SHAME" written all over it.

Same goes for dark chocolate. Look for "cocoa butter" and cocoa butter only! That's the real deal.

Good luck not eating at least 2 1/2 cookies worth of dough before you even preheat the oven. It's nearly impossible. I've tried. I always lose. Cookie dough wins.

These cookies are best served warm and in twos. One is for wussies. Just go for it.

The centers will be soften and fudgy like a warm brownie. You might need to close your eyes at this point to really appreciate how amazing they are.

White chocolate provides a nice milky contrast to the sweet and salty cocoa dough.

This recipe is adapted from my "Choc-A-Lot Cookies" in my cookbook Scientifically Sweet, which I am giving away to one lucky North American!

Here's how to enter:
1. Leave a comment telling me what you would eat for dessert if it was the last thing you could ever eat...EVER.
2. Mosey onto facebook and give a little love on my page.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Form-V-Artisan/101281603244881

I will choose a winner at random and contact you via e-mail next week (May 17) & I will personally send a shiny new copy of Scientifically Sweet to your front door! Just one rule - shipping limits me to delivery within Canada and USA. This giveaway is genuinely sponsored by the Christina Marsigliese Fund.

Good luck!

White Chocolate Chunk Chocolate Cookies
Makes about 20 cookies

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp finely ground instant coffee granules

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

125 g (½ cup plus 1 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

170 g/6 oz pure white chocolate (minimum 30% cocoa solids), chopped into chunks

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt and coffee granules. Sift in cocoa powder to remove any lumps and then stir the ingredients together to blend evenly; set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and both sugars by hand using a wide rubber spatula until somewhat light and smooth. Stir in egg and vanilla extract until well incorporated and smooth.

Add flour mixture to the butter mixture all at once and stir until most of the flour is absorbed, but a few streaks remain. Add white chocolate chunks and fold them into the dough. Do not over-mix. You should end up with a soft and somewhat moist dough. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly over the surface of the dough in the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and use a 1.5-oz quick-release ice cream scoop to portion mounds of dough, spacing them 2 inches apart. Alternatively, loosely drop 1.5-oz mounds of dough (about two tablespoons) onto prepared baking sheets. If you like the bumpy rustic look of these cookies, do not roll the dough into smooth balls. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Bake until slightly cracked at the surface but still a bit soft in the middle, about 10 minutes. Let cookies cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Do not over-bake these because they will set up as they cool.

Chocolate Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

There may just be 101 ways to use chocolate, not including in baking.

Chocolate comes from a powerful fruit.

Yes. Cocoa is a fruit. Cocoa pods grow on trees and cocoa beans are the seeds. Chocolate is made from fruit. So we can all eat it for breakfast, for snack, at a picnic and in a salad. Period.

This week I also used chocolate to estimate the weight of an envelope.

I know what you're thinking. What the heck am I talking about, right? I know. This really makes no sense and it looks like I'm going nowhere with this but bear with me.

Lindt 70% dark chocolate bars are a pantry staple around here. There are at least 3 in the cupboard at all times (and by cupboard I mean nightstand). 

Lindt chocolate bars are all 100 g and are divided into 10 beautifully crafted, perfectly tempered squares. That means that each square weighs 10 grams. Are you still with me? Great.

So here I am about to mail some letters to Canada with my regular stamps on hand, which are only valid for up to a 20-gram parcel. Without a scale, how the heck can I figure out how much this envelope weighs? Two squares of Lindt chocolate! Bingo. So with my letter in one hand, and two squares of chocolate in the other, I conclude that the letter feels lighter and so I'm clear. And, thanks to Lindt my wedding wishes will arrive in Canada in a timely manner.

Creamy Coconut Lemon Squares

Spring is here! At least it is on one side of the world.

Or is it? I don't know.

I'm sitting here in Australia where everything is opposite, so outside it is a breezy & sunny Autumn day averaging around 20 degrees C.

But, most of my family is sitting somewhere in Canada enjoying a supposedly Spring day averaging about 4 degrees C. 

That doesn't sound right, but let's just go with it. Since April is supposed to bring bright sunny skies and upper teens weather, I'm going to say that tangy and zippy Lemon Squares are in order!

Little Banana Pound Cakes with Spice & Chocolate

Sometimes I just want to write:

       "Put your mixer on high speed, freak out, and blend like crazy!"

...because that's how I made these lovely little cakes.

That's what I love about baking - that it makes people nervous.

It's exciting!

Once and a while things don't go as expected in the kitchen, but to our surprise the end result turns out fantastic.

Then sometimes things go so smoothly and you follow the steps with utter precision, and the result is a total flop.

There are so many variables involved with the act of baking from the type of ingredients, measuring technique, mixing equipment, mixing times, type of oven, oven setting, size of pan.... I could go on and on.

Chewy Coconut Raisin Honey Granola Bars

How?

Somebody please tell me HOW is it April? Please don't go on to explain how time is a continuous and intangible phenomenon that always moves forward regardless of what is happening around us.

Please just don't tell me that because I know. I know it just moves. Time keeps moving even if I decide not too.

It's just so hard to believe that 2013 is already more than 3 months old. It already grew out of its new year resolutions and never wants to sleep!

The only occasion when I think time actually stands still for just a little bit is when I'm baking. Or maybe it's just that my brain slows down. It's therapy, but it's edible, which makes it twicely therapeutic. 

Being in the kitchen with a big mixing bowl, a wooden spoon and a warm oven is like an off-switch for my brain. The only things I see are chocolate bits floating through the skies and brown sugar clouds. It's my happy place.

Something I make nearly every week is a batch of granola bars. They are simple and quick to make and so satisfying as a snack anytime of day.

Caramelized White Chocolate Almond Squares

Caramalized White Chocolate is something to obsess over.

I'm obsessed and it is worthy.

It's like that 50% reduction on balsamic vinegar that transforms it into a thick sweet syrup...

...like that extra hour of simmer time on your bolognese sauce,

...that sear on your beef before you start braising,

...the second proofing on a fresh batch of bread dough,

...or that extra 10 seconds to cook your caramel just before it could be considered burnt.

Caramelizing white chocolate is taking something that's already naturally delicious and making it interesting and irresistible.

Brown Butter Banana Bread

I do this thing sometimes.

It's this totally useless, wasteful thing that just drives me mental. And it's not biting my nails or binning day-old milk (because that would just be silly - it's still good).

Sometimes when I do something in my life, I look back on it and think about how I could have done it differently and why I made the decisions I made. It's really not productive. It's called look-backing. It makes no sense, just like the name I've given it. 

I need to stop looking back and just keep moving forward because that's really the only way to go, unless the next iPhone6 comes with a built-in time machine. I wouldn't put it past them.

Looking back on life is a beautiful thing if it involves browsing photographs, laughing at Dad's old flashy & frilly baby blue bell-bottom suits (yes he wore them) and sharing memories of how Nonna nearly burnt the house down 1046773 times. An open gas flame on the stove top is not a good place to put down the wooden spoon Nonna!

But it's just destructive if it involves heaps of criticism, right? So I'm going to look forward from now on and only look back for a good laugh or a big smile.

Maple Pecan & Dark Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

There is never a day not worthy of cookies.

Once you get the basic technique down, blue skies are the limit! In reality, what you have in your pantry is the limit! You can be baking them everyday and be eating them in a matter of minutes with little effort.

Let's go over one of the most important techniques.

CREAMING.

Many cookie recipes begin with a very similar story: "Cream the butter and sugar together...". Creaming refers to the blending of fat (usually BUTTER) and sugar until it appears pale and fluffy. This can be done manually using a spatula or wooden spoon, or using an electric mixer, and it is generally the first stage in making cakes and cookies from scratch. Creaming serves to aerate the fat and create lots of tiny air bubbles that will expand during baking to create an even crumb and uniform texture in your finished good. This makes for tender cookies - this can mean tender and crisp or tender and soft. The end result can be a crumbly and dry cookie or a soft and chewy cookie.

Decadent Cocoa Terrine (Gluten-free!)

Funny how easy it is for me to go from healthy snack lady to evil decadent dessert witch in a matter of days. Last week I brought you Soft Baked Breakfast Bars, but this week it's a whole different song.

I can't stay away from the decadent very long. It's like a drug... I'm not ashamed to admit.

Why do you think the Cookie Monster was so manic? He wasn't pregnant. He was a super addict! Duhh. It's so obviously clear that he was hooked on the sweet stuff.

"Me want cookie, me want cookie! BAHHHHH!" Come on. And he always had them... I'm not sure if I've ever seen an episode where he had one of his cookie attacks and never actually got his share of cookies in the end (and I watched my fair share of Sesame Street in my day). That's not a very good lesson for children now, is it? 

They should've at least shown him go through withdrawal and then have a painful yet rewarding recovery period. Let's teach kids to have some will power and not give into temptation!

Will power and not giving into temptation are probably not the best themes for this post, however...

Soft Baked Breakfast Bars

I really enjoy my job.

That probably has to do with the fact that I bake cake and then eat cake, and then bake more cake...and then eat more cake all day. ALL day. Then I go back to my desk....apply some science to my recipe and then go back into the kitchen and continue to bake (and EAT) cake.

So you'd probably think that by the time I get home, the last thing I want to think about is dessert. I probably wouldn't crave cakes, cookies, chocolate, brownies....

Buuuut, that's exactly not what happens. I always crave something sweet and of the baked variety. It's practically built into my system and there's really no way to get around it unless one day I find my off switch.

For the purpose of balance, I try to keep something other than chocolate chip cookies laying around so that when I'm tempted, I can at least have some fruit and fiber mixed in with my temptation. Don't be mistaken, though...there is still chocolate in here - it's just diluted.

Double Chocolate Oat Cookies with Toasty Almonds

What happened to the days when your mom packed your lunch?

And when did packing lunch become such a chore?

Sometimes I just throw a few ingredients in a bag and hope it moulds itself into something tasty between 8:30 am and 12:30 pm. Unfortunately I do not own a magic bag so that carrot, can of tuna and piece of lettuce is still a carrot, can of tuna and piece of lettuce. Sigh...

Leftovers would be great but it never works. Seems like the more I make for dinner, the more Jon and I eat. Will power doesn't function when it comes to good food. I just can't.

You know my Mom used to pack me a banana every day up until the end of high school, but it was no ordinary banana. She would leave me a little message on the peel. Yes, she would write on the peel with a sharpie and leave a little note that just made my day. Sometimes it was a simple "I love you Pooch", or "good luck on your test!" or "I hope you win your football game". (Ha, like I ever played football! - but I did do quite well in cross country). My friends would always want to know "What did your mom write on your banana today?" and I was always happy to share and never shy or embarrassed by it. My mom wrote on my food and that was pretty cool by me. 

I always knew when my dad packed my lunch because he liked to draw pictures. He would always draw the same picture though...it was a little stick man with a really freaky-looking face. It had a big head and a little body. It was really weird, just like him.

This might explain why I have such a strong connection with food... it's because my parents used it to communicate with me!

Anzac Brownies

I've been in Australia for nearly 5 months now and I've learned a lot about this wonderful country. The spiders are huge, birds make an obscene amount of noise but are equally beautiful, swim between the flags (!), everyone has a dog, the "penny" does not exist, cricket is a funny sport, wearing shoes outside or in the airport or in shopping centers is optional, they pronounce tomato toe-mah-toe and ketchup is called toe-mah-toe sauce, afternoon tea is practically ritual, air conditioning is a total privilege, the UV is off the charts and summer days are HOT.

Last friday it was 46 degrees celcius, my bedroom's on the third floor and a/c is not happening. I've never been so hot outside of a sauna. I mean...I was diminished to wearing a wet bandanna on my bear back and I can't eat chocolate without getting it all over myself. Above all, I just can't help myself but still want to eat chocolate even though it's a) melting, and b) all over my face/arms/clothes.

Side note: Toblerone, you're wonderful. You look so cool in a funny triangular shape but you are such a pain to eat and not so easy to wrap back up when I'm eating from a 1 kg bar! I'm sure with every bite I take, 70% gets in my mouth and the remaining 30% gets divided among the floor, my dress and my face. I think you need to get your act together.

Raspberry Coconut Jam Dots

This week I've been reduced to something really strange. I've been rubbing thermal cream on my left butt cheek. I know. So weird.

I did something really stupid, and I'm not being hard on myself here. I deserve it. It was stupid. I pulled a muscle/pinched a nerve in my butt somehow while doing my sort-of daily run around the cricket field. This isn't the first time I've experienced a running-related injury....oh no no no...

But I will never listen. Never. It's about midway through that run when I feel it. I feel something disconnect. My long strides turn into short penguin-like hobbles and that energetic "huff-puff" strong look on face turns into one of severe awkwardness. What the crap is going on! (...is what I say to myself). I go from feeling great to feeling really really bad....

This is the part in the story when I should tell you that I stopped, stretched it out a bit and rested.

Nope. Not going to happen. Why? Because I am one stubborn woman.

Pain? What's pain? Pain means work harder right? Wrongo. That was my body trying to tell me to lay off girl! But I didn't listen. Kinda like after my 7th bite of cookie dough before I actually bake the cookies...yeah...I never listen to my stomach and always pay for that later. (It's always worth it).

Anyway, this is one of those doughs. It's so wonderfully tasty - buttery, custardy and sweet. It's easy to eat. This dough represents my weakness and total self uncontrol.

Chewy Chocolate Coconut & Almond Granola Bars

It's not even midway through January and I've already heard the words detox, juice and cleanse too many times. Don't even get me started on chia seeds. For real.

I respect a solid new year's resolution. But, if getting healthier, living better and sustaining your future is one of them then drinking green juice 5 times a day is not the way to do that. How about a bit of exercise a few times a week? Walk the dog a bit faster, or walk him 10 minutes longer. 

Resist the escalator and/or elevator! I know it looks so good and everyone is doing it, but try and make friends with stairs! They'll grown on you. How about flexing your abs while you review the minutes from last week's meeting? It all counts. Just try not to make weird faces while you're doing it. 

But lemon water with spinach puree and carrot juice isn't going to last. Haven't you seen that episode of Modern Family? It will only make you angry and you will definitely be hungry! You might get really emotional and start to cry when your paper gets jammed in the photocopier, or when you see a small puppy trying to climb up the stairs. You'll probably drink more coffee to keep you going, and we all know we don't need any more of that. 

I'm not going to cleanse anything except maybe my pile of hand-washable laundry that I've been avoiding for three and a half weeks. I'll get to that tomorrow, I promise.