The Lean Green Bean

Healthy Sweet Potato Cookies

Lindsay — Thu, 23 Oct 2025 04:00:00 +0000

These Healthy Sweet Potato Cookies are soft and fluffy! They’re naturally sweetened, made with real food ingredients and absolutely delicious.

*Originally posted 3/2016. Updated 10/2025*

Hi friends!

These Healthy Sweet Potato Cookies have now been a go-to of mine since 2016. I love them for a quick snack and they came in super handy during the newborn phase when I often needed to eat quickly and with one hand.

They’re very forgiving, and you can easily change up the mix-ins to make them more kid-friendly or to suit your tastebuds.

I find myself making these cookies year round, but they’re especially perfect for a Fall snack or dessert. If you’re looking to do some additional Fall baking or whip up a treat over Thanksgiving, here are some ideas:

Why You’ll Love These Sweet Potato Cookies

These would make a great sweet potato breakfast cookie. They’re low in added sugar and high in protein and fiber—a great way to start your day. They’d also be great for a snack, and if you throw in some chocolate chips, they could even pass as dessert to curb a sweet tooth.

Eating these for breakfast works out well for me because I can eat them quickly while I’m trying to feed three kids. Plus, I can make a batch on Sunday and eat them all week! Food prep for the win.

Ingredients for Sweet Potato Cookies

To make these cookies, you’ll just need a few simple ingredients:

Sweet potato – I cook mine in the microwave for 5-6 minutes and let cool a few minutes before scooping out of the skin and mashing with a fork
Nut or seed butter – I use peanut butter but you could use almond butter or sunflower seed butter to make them nut-free
Eggs
Cinnamon and vanilla -for flavor
Maple Syrup – You could sub sugar if you prefer
Seeds – Chia or hemp seeds work great in this recipe
Pepitas – An easy way to add a boost of nutrients
Dried fruit – works well with raisins or Craisins, or you can swap in chocolate chips
Flour- To make these gluten-free, use oat flour or a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend. You can also use AP or white whole wheat flour

How To Make Sweet Potato Cookies (Step-by-Step)

Once you see how easy it is to make these cookies, you’ll be adding them to your weekly meal prep in no time!

Cook your sweet potato in the microwave, remove the skin and mash.
Combine the mashed sweet potato, nut butter and eggs and stir until well combined.
Add the vanilla, cinnamon, maple syrup, seeds and pepitas and mix well.
Stir in the flour and baking soda until just mixed, then scoop onto cookie sheets and bake!

Make-Ahead and Meal Prep

Storage and Freezing Instructions

Store these cookies in an airtight container on the counter for 3-4 days. You can also freeze the cookies once cooled on a cookie tray, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag and pull them out as needed to defrost.

In addition, you can make this dough ahead of time and store in the fridge until ready to bake, or scoop into balls and freeze until ready to bake.

How To Sweeten Sweet Potato Cookies

I love this recipe because it’s very lightly sweetened compared to most cookies and uses maple syrup. If you don’t want to use maple syrup, you could swap regular sugar, brown sugar, coconut sugar or even honey.

Sweet Potato Cookie Baking Tips

My best tip for getting the perfect sweet potato cookies is to not over mix. Mix everything really well before you add the flour so you only need to stir enough to just combine it at the end.

And don’t overbake these cookies! If you want them to spread a little more you can lightly flatten with a fork before baking but these cookies are meant to be light and fluffy!

Sweet Potato Oatmeal Cookies

If you’d like an added boost of fiber, feel free to add some rolled oats into the mix! You could start with 1/2 cup and increase if you like the added texture they provide.

Gluten-Free Sweet Potato Cookies

If you make this recipe as written, the cookies will be naturally gluten-free as long as you’re using certified gluten-free oats. Be sure to also check your Craisins to make sure they’re gluten-free as they sometimes have additional ingredients to sweeten them

You can also use a 1:1 Gluten-free flour blend. I like King Arthur Measure for Measure.

Vegan Sweet Potato Cookies

To make these cookies vegan, swap the eggs for flax eggs. Here’s how to make flax eggs.

Sweet Potato Chocolate Chip Cookies

To make these cookies a little more dessert-like, try swapping the dried fruit for chocolate chips.

Sweet Potato Cookies vs Pumpkin Cookies

In a recipe like this, you can easily swap pumpkin puree for mashed sweet potato and there won’t be much of a difference. In general, both pumpkin and sweet potato cookies will be light and fluffy vs dense and chewy. If you’re looking for a chewy pumpkin cookie recipe try these Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Sweet Potato Cookie Flavor Variations

No added sugar sweet potato cookies

To make these cookies free of added sugar, you could try swapping mashed banana or baby food prunes (pureed) to add some sweetness naturally.

Nut-free sweet potato cookies

I use peanut butter but you can make them nut-free with sunflower seed butter. Just know that they will likely turn green when baked due to a reaction with the baking soda. Perfectly safe to eat!

Other mix-ins

For a Fall twist, try adding chopped pecans and a maple glaze. For a more tropical twist, swap raisins for dried pineapple and add some shredded coconut!

Easy Sweet Potato Cookies Recipe

Healthy Sweet Potato Cookies Recipe

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4.7 from 14 reviews

No protein powder required for these Healthy Sweet Potato Cookies! They’re gluten-free, made with real food ingredients and packed with protein and fiber. Enjoy them for breakfast or an afternoon snack!

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 8-12 cookies

Ingredients

3/4 cup cooked, mashed sweet potato
1/2 cup nut butter (i use peanut butter but almond butter or sunflower seed butter would be great)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
2–3 Tbsp maple syrup (depending on desired level of sweetness)
2 Tbsp chia seeds
1/2 cup pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)
1/4 cup Craisins or raisins
1/4 cup oat flour (white whole wheat flour also works)
1 tsp baking soda

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Instructions

Combine sweet potato, peanut butter and eggs in a large bowl and mix well.
Add vanilla, cinnamon, maple syrup, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds and Craisins and stir to combine.
Add oat flour and baking soda and stir.
Scoop onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (8-12 cookies).
Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

These are fluffy and delicious. I used white chia seeds, in case you noticed they’re not black in the photos.

Healthy Sweet Potato Cookies FAQs

Can I use canned sweet potato puree instead of fresh homemade in this recipe?

Yes! Canned sweet potato puree will work just fine in this recipe.

Can I replace the sweet potato for pumpkin? Can I make pumpkin cookies instead of sweet potato cookies? Can you use canned pumpkin puree?

Yes! I get this question frequently and you can definitely replace the sweet potato with pumpkin if you’d like to! I almost always have a can of pumpkin in the pantry so I do this often.

Can I freeze sweet potato cookies?

Yes, these cookies freeze well! Just let them cool completely and then wrap in plastic wrap and tranfer to a freezer-safe bag. Let them thaw on the counter when ready to eat!

Could I make these with butternut squash?

Yes, canned squash can also be substituted for the sweet potato. I’ve even tried it with homemade roasted squash that I roast and puree until smooth.

And if you’re not craving sweet potato but have bananas to use, try these Banana Lentil Muffins instead!

Can I make gluten-free sweet potato cookies?

These cookies are gluten-free since they use oat flour (be sure to use certified gluten-free if needed). However, you can also make them with regular wheat flour if you have that on hand and don’t need them to be gluten-free.

How to reheat sweet potato cookies?

These cookies are great at room temperature but you can also pop them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds to warm them back up!

How do I make vegan sweet potato cookies without eggs?

Just replace the two eggs in this recipe with flax eggs.

Can I add oats to make sweet potato oatmeal cookies?

Yes, I would start with 1/2 cup of rolled oats and increase up to 1 cup if you like the texture.

How do I store sweet potato cookies to keep them soft?

Once cooled, store these cookies in an airtight container to help them stay soft and perfectly moist without drying out.

Other Sweet Potato Recipes That Are Delish!

Need more ideas? Try these:

Sweet Potato Waffles

These Sweet Potato Waffles are kid-friendly and perfect for breakfast, pre-workout fuel or an afternoon snack. Add some peanut butter in the middle for a fun waffle sandwich!

Grab the recipe!

Sweet Potato White Bean Bars

These Sweet Potato White Bean Bars are perfect for breakfast or snack time. They’re kid-friendly, nut-free and full of fiber!

Grab the recipe!

Gluten-Free Sweet Potato Brownies

These Gluten-Free Sweet Potato Brownies are flourless, sweetened with dates and full of chocolate flavor. They taste so good you’ll never believe they’re a healthy dessert!

Grab the recipe!

Sweet Potato Banana Muffins

These gluten-free Sweet Potato Banana Bites have just four main ingredients and make a great snack for both kids and adults!

Grab the recipe!

20+ Baked Sweet Potato Dessert Recipes

If you’re in the mood to bake with sweet potatoes, you’ll definitely find something that catches your eye in this round-up!

Click for recipe ideas!

35+ Sweet Potato Dinner Recipes

Need sweet potato dinner recipes? Here are 35+ recipes by category including slow cooker, with chicken or beef, vegetarian and more!

Grab the recipe!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Chickpea Buckeyes

Lindsay — Fri, 02 Dec 2022 05:00:00 +0000

These Chickpea Buckeyes are a healthier buckeye recipe – a twist on a classic dessert! They’re full of flavor with an extra boost of fiber as well.

*Originally published 2014. Updated 2017 & 2022*

Hi Friends!

Let’s talk dessert today, shall we? If you’re from Ohio, or even if you’re not, you’ve probably heard of the classic dessert called Buckeyes. They’re basically sweet balls of peanut butter mixed with butter and powdered sugar, dipped in chocolate to resemble the buckeye nut.

A few years ago, I shared a twist on this classic and this year I remade the recipe and decided to give it a little photo upgrade! Have you tried the healthier peanut butter cookie dough dip made with chickpeas? That’s the basic premise of these Buckeyes.

Chickpea Buckeye Recipe

Instead of peanut butter, butter and powdered sugar, we’re replacing the butter with chickpeas! I originally made these using oat flour which is what you see in the photos. I’ve updated and improved the recipe as noted below and it no longer requires oats.

Please note I have nothing against regular Buckeyes. If you’re looking for a treat, go enjoy a few. This recipe is designed for people who are specifically looking for a version with a few more nutrients.

I even gave one to my daughter the other night as part of her dinner! Healthy fats and fiber for the win!

Here’s how you make them:

Easy Chickpea Buckeye Recipe

Chickpea Buckeyes

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A healthy twist on traditional Buckeyes.

Author: Lindsay L
Yield: 20 buckeyes

Ingredients

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinse
3/4 cup peanut butter
1– 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp milk, if needed
1 cup dark chocolate chips, melted

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Instructions

In a food processor, blend the chickpeas.
Add peanut butter and vanilla and blend again.
Add powdered sugar and blend. If it looks too dry, you can add 1 Tbsp milk.
Roll into balls. The dough may be a little sticky so using damp hands can help.
Put the balls in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to overnight. You can also freeze them for 30 minutes.
Place chocolate chips in a bowl and microwave until melted. (If you want you can mix in a little coconut oil for a thinner and harder shell but it also adds some coconut flavor which not everyone likes.
Stick a toothpick into center of balls and dip in chocolate.
Place back onto cookie sheet, remove the toothpick and pat hole closed.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes

This recipe has been updated and improved. The original recipe is as follows in case you’re interested -2 cups chickpeas, 1 cup natural peanut butter, 3 tablespoons agave nectar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract & ⅓ cup oat flour. Mix in a bowl and dip in melted chocolate.

Super simple! Do they taste exactly like the original? No. But they’re a pretty darn good substitute if you’re looking for one!

Chickpea Buckeye Balls Recipe

Want more ways to eat chickpeas?

And if you want an original buckeye recipe without chickpeas, try:

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

No-Bake Peanut Butter Protein Bars

Lindsay — Sat, 22 Oct 2022 04:00:00 +0000

These No-Bake Protein Bars are a homemade version of your favorite store-bought peanut butter protein bar, without all the crazy ingredients. They’re the perfect snack after a tough workout.

**Originally published in 2014.**

Hi Friends!

These no-bake peanut butter protein bars have been a favorite in our house for almost 10 years now. I first started making them as holiday gifts for friends at the gym and over the years I’ve continued to make them for friends and family whenever they are requested.

Healthy No-Bake Peanut Butter Protein Bars

There are tons of store-bought protein bars out there but they can be expensive and some of them have unnecessary ingredients. These are made with simple ingredients you might already have on hand! Here’s what you’ll need for these bars:

Oat flour – you can buy this or make your own by simply grinding oats in a food processor or blender.
Protein powder- you can use any flavor. I most commonly use vanilla but have also made them with chocolate. My favorite protein powder is Promix.
Rice Chex cereal – this adds some texture. You could also use Rice Krispies or another similar cereal
Chia seeds – add a boost of omegas and a little more protein
Peanut butter – our favorite is Crazy Richard’s
Milk – you can use cow’s milk or plant-based milk
Honey – for sweetness and to help them stick together

I love making these because they’re easy to put together and keep well in the fridge so you can easily have them on for a post-workout snack or for days when you’re fighting that afternoon slump.

Want more protein snack ideas? Try these:

No-Bake Protein Bar Recipe

Here’s how you make them:

No-Bake Protein Bars

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5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

4.8 from 18 reviews

A homemade, no-bake version of your favorite store-bought peanut butter protein bar, without all the crazy ingredients

Author: Lindsay L
Yield: 12

Ingredients

1.5 cups oat flour (simply grind oats in a food processor)
1.5 cups vanilla protein powder
1.5 cups Rice Chex cereal
3 Tbsp chia seeds
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup milk
1/3 – 1/2 cup honey, depending on sweetness preference
2–4 Tbsp water, if necessary
3 Tbsp chocolate chips, optional

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Instructions

In a large bowl, combine the flour, protein powder, cereal and chia seeds.
In a small bowl, combine the peanut butter, milk and honey.
Microwave wet ingredients if peanut butter is not liquidy.
Add liquid mixture into dry ingredients and stir to combine.
Add water if necessary to make sure all dry ingredients are moistened. (Mixture will be crumbly.)
Use parchment paper to press the mixture into a 9×9 pan.
Freeze for 20 minutes.
Cut into 12 bars. Top with melted chocolate chips if desired.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.

Homemade No-Bake Oatmeal Protein Bars

Feel free to customize to your liking:

Sub your favorite nut butter for the peanut butter
Try Rice Krispies or another crunchy cereal instead of Chex.
Eat them plain or just drizzle with chocolate instead of covering the whole top.
Use unflavored protein powder instead of vanilla, but you may need to increase the honey and decrease the milk.

Added bonus? You can wrap a batch of these up in some pretty paper and ribbons and give them to a friend as a present at Christmas, their birthday, etc! Want more food gift ideas? Check out my Homemade Edible Christmas Gifts.

Want more no-bake protein bar and ball recipes? Here are some ideas – some don’t require protein powder – plus another protein bar recipe that does require baking.

Peanut Butter Hemp Energy Balls

These Peanut Butter Hemp Energy Balls are packed with fiber and protein for a healthy, kid-friendly snack made without protein powder

Grab the recipe!

My Go-To Energy Ball Recipe

My Go-To Energy Ball Recipe is perfect for kids, nursing moms, athletes and anyone looking for a healthy snack. They’re full of fiber, protein, and healthy fats and easy to prep ahead of time to keep your freezer stocked.

Grab the recipe!

Sweet Potato Protein Bars

These gluten-free, grain-free protein bars make the perfect post-workout snack.

Grab the recipe!

Almond Butter Protein Balls

An easy, no-bake snack idea that’s easy to customize with your favorite mix-ins.

Grab the recipe!

15 Kid-Friendly Protein-Rich Energy Balls| No Protein Powder

Grab the recipe!

Easy No Bake Protein Bars

Hope you like them! Be sure to store them in the fridge – or the freezer if you like them a little colder!

These protein bars make a great addition to your weekly food prep session so you have healthy snacks readily available during the week. If you liked this post, you’ll love my Mastering Food Prep e-course where I teach you everything you need to know about prepping food for the week ahead to make your life easier.

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Thai Chicken Meatballs

Lindsay — Wed, 17 Apr 2019 04:00:00 +0000

These gluten-free Thai Chicken Meatballs are bursting with fresh Asian flavors and are perfect for a quick, easy lunch or dinner. Make a batch during your next food prep session and enjoy them warm or cold!

*Originally posted 3/2016*

Hi friends!

I first shared these Thai Chicken Meatballs over three years ago. Back in the days when I only had one kid and I thought it was hard to eat lunch because I was so busy. I have no doubt that I was busy back then, but suffice it to say that I am no less busy now, and I’m still struggling to eat lunch. So, over the years these meatballs have remained a favorite of mine.

I love them because they taste even better as leftovers so I make a batch or double batch during food prep and enjoy them all week They also taste equally good hot or cold. Since lunchtime is a bit crazy around here, I love that I can just grab and eat them without having to worry about a microwave, or even a fork most days. I eat them without dipping sauce but you could definitely mix together some ketchup, sriracha and chili sauce for a fun dip!

If you’re not quite as pressed for time as I am, you can serve them warm with rice and veggies and actually sit down and eat them with a fork!

Here’s how you make them:

Thai Chicken Meatballs

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5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

4 from 3 reviews

These Gluten-Free Thai Chicken Meatballs are bursting with fresh Asian flavors and are perfect for a quick, easy lunch or dinner. Make a batch during your next food prep session and enjoy them warm or cold!

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 16 meatballs

Ingredients

1 pound ground chicken
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
2 Tbsp sweet thai chili sauce
1 egg
1/2 cup oat flour (or breadcrumbs)
1/3 cup green onions, thinly sliced
sriracha, optional

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Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a bowl.
Mix well and form into balls with hands.
Place balls on a greased, foil-lined baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 13-15 minutes, flipping once.

Notes

Adjust the amount of ginger and sriracha based on how much you like those flavors.
Meatballs may stick slightly to the foil but with a firm spatula you should be able to cleanly get under them and turn them halfway through

Nutrition

Serving Size: 3-4 meatballs

Like I mentioned, it’s super easy to double the recipe to have extras or freeze some for later.

Let’s chat: Are you a meatball lover?
Yes?
No?
Only with spaghetti?

If you like these, you might also like my Paleo Turkey Sweet Potato Meatballs.

(Apparently I think all meatballs should be served with broccoli).

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Chocolate Lentil Bars

Lindsay — Wed, 05 Sep 2018 04:00:00 +0000

The Chocolate Lentil Bars are a healthy, kid-friendly snack made with just a few simple ingredients. They’re gluten-free, nut-free and dairy-free, perfect for school lunches!

Hi friends!

I’m so excited to share these Chocolate Lentil Bars with you guys! If you follow me on Instagram you got early access to the recipe last week and they’ve already gotten some good reviews. After so many of you have been loving my Lentil Banana Muffins, I decided I wanted to try my hand at using them in another baked good.

These bars took SEVERAL rounds of testing. The taste was good from the first round but they were way too crumbly. I finally figured it out after about 5 tries I think. I knew I wanted to keep them nut-free so that they’d be an option for school lunch boxes and since I only used oats, no flour, they’re gluten-free as well if that’s important to you!

I always get questions about what kind of lentils I use. Mine are generic lentils that don’t say a specific kind. They’re not red, yellow or black. They’re greenish brown! The recipes calls for one cup cooked, which I’ve found to be about a heaping 1/3 cup dry. I usually cook 1 cup, which gives me enough to have 1 cup to use and then another 2 cups to freeze in one cup portions so I can just thaw them out and use in baked goods!

Like most of my baked goods, these are on the lightly sweetened side. If you’re looking for a sweeter treat, you can always increase the maple syrup or more chocolate chips.

Here’s the recipe:

Chocolate Lentil Bars

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4.5 from 4 reviews

The Chocolate Lentil Bars are a healthy, kid-friendly snack made with just a few simple ingredients. They’re gluten-free, nut-free and dairy-free, perfect for school lunches!

Author: Lindsay
Yield: Makes 9-12 bars

Ingredients

1 cup cooked green lentils
1/3 cup avocado oil (olive or canola oil also work)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup maple syrup (more if desired)
1/3 cup cooked sweet potato
1.5 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 Tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup Craisins

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Instructions

Put lentils, oil, eggs, vanilla, maple syrup and sweet potato in a food processor and blend until smooth.
Add oats, flaxseed, baking soda and cocoa powder and process until well mixed.
Add chocolate chips and craisins and pulse a few times.
Press into 9×9 pan lined with parchment paper.
Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Don’t they look yummy?? I’ve had several people tell me you can also make them as cookies!

Cinnamon Raisin Sweet Potato Muffins

Lindsay — Mon, 06 Aug 2018 04:00:00 +0000

These kid-friendly Cinnamon Raisin Sweet Potato Muffins are packed with fiber and perfect for breakfast, lunch boxes or an after-school snack! They’re nut-free and can easily be made dairy-free!

Thanks to Bob’s Red Mill for sponsoring this post.

Hi friends!

I’ve got a brand new muffin recipe for you and I’m SUPER excited about it. Cinnamon Raisin Sweet Potato Muffins! As you guys know, we’re huge muffin lovers around here. I make a batch every weekend and I’m starting to stock my freezer with them as well for when the baby comes. I love them because they’re great for breakfast or snack time and they can easily be packed in a lunchbox or taken in the car to eat on the way to school on a busy morning.

I wanted to come up with a new flavor combination that I hadn’t shared on the blog yet. (You can see all of my muffin recipes here) I also knew I wanted to make it nut-free so that it would be safe for school lunchboxes!

When Bob’s Red Mill reached out to me to develop a recipe using some of their products, I immediately jumped on board because, spoiler, I already use and love so many of them!! I love their Ivory Wheat Flour (their version of white whole wheat flour) and their super-fine almond flour. Plus we use their farro all the time for dinner and they have so many delicious seeds like chia seeds, hemp hearts and pumpkin seeds which are great for mixing into oatmeal, energy balls and baked goods. And their oatmeal cups are perfect for breakfast when traveling!

For this recipe, I tested out a couple new-to-me Bob’s Red Mill products: the Gluten-free Oat Flour which is whole grain and perfect for baking and the Golden Flaxseed Meal, which I’ve been adding to everything lately for an extra dose of omega 3’s, fiber and protein.

All Bob’s Red Mill products are minimally processed and Non-GMO and then have hundreds of products to fit specific dietary needs like vegan, paleo or gluten-free. So be sure to check out their website if you haven’t already!

As for the rest of the ingredients, I added sweet potato to help keep them moist, maple syrup and cinnamon for some fall flavors and raisins because my kids are obsessed with them.

These muffins took 6 rounds of trial and error but the end result is so worth it! Here’s how you make them:

Cinnamon Raisin Sweet Potato Muffins

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5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 2 reviews

These kid-friendly Cinnamon Raisin Sweet Potato Muffins are packed with fiber and perfect for breakfast, lunch boxes or an after-school snack! They’re nut-free and can easily be made dairy-free!

Author: Lindsay
Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 18 min
Total Time: 23 minutes
Yield: Makes 10-12 muffins

Ingredients

1/4 cup melted butter (or oil for dairy-free)
3/4 cup cooked sweet potato, mashed
1 egg
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup milk (dairy or non-dairy)
1/4 cup Bob’s Red Mill Golden Flaxseed Meal
3/4 cup Bob’s Red Mill Oat Flour
1/2 cup Bob’s Red Mill Ivory Wheat Flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 cup raisins (you could also sub dried blueberries or Craisins)
1/4 cup shredded apple, excess moisture removed (approx 1 small apple)

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Instructions

Combine melted butter and mashed sweet potato in a large bowl and mix well.
Add egg, maple syrup, vanilla and milk and stir to combine.
Add flaxseed meal, oat flour, ivory wheat flour, cinnamon and baking soda and stir until just combined.
Gently mix in raisins and shredded apple. Do not overmix.
Scoop into silicone, greased or lined muffin tins. Makes 10-12 muffins depending on how big you want them.
Bake at 375 degrees F for 18 minutes.

I hope you guys love this recipe as much as I do. It’s definitely my new favorite for fall.

[click_to_tweet tweet=”Try these Cinnamon Raisin Sweet Potato Muffins for a quick breakfast or snack. They’re nut-free and packed with whole grains and fiber. ” quote=”Try these Cinnamon Raisin Sweet Potato Muffins for a quick breakfast or snack. They’re nut-free and packed with whole grains and fiber.”]

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Gluten-Free Apple Pecan Snack Cookies

Lindsay — Wed, 25 Oct 2017 04:00:00 +0000

These Gluten-Free Apple Pecan Snack Cookies are a healthy, kid-friendly snack, breakfast or dessert. They’re made with coconut and oat flour, full of fresh apples and sweetened with maple syrup.

Thanks to Nuts.com for sponsoring this post.

Hi friends!

Meet my newest obsession – these Gluten-Free Apple Pecan Snack Cookies. I’m calling them snack cookies because unlike some cookies that are geared more towards being a sweet dessert treat, these cookies are relatively low in sugar and full of ingredients that add fiber, protein and healthy fats!

As you guys might remember, I’m working with Nuts.com this year to show off some of the great ingredients available on their website (hint- it’s so much more than nuts!) In fact, over the summer, I shared this Nut-Free Toddler Trail Mix that’s perfect for young kiddos. For this post, I wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone a little bit. I picked an ingredient that I’d never ever worked with before – coconut flour.

While I’d heard a lot about coconut flour and seen a lot of recipes using it, it just wasn’t something I’d tried myself. So I set out to change that with these cookies.

Here’s the deal with coconut flour:

It’s made from ground-up, dried coconut meat. The Organic Coconut Flour from Nuts.com is organic and unsweetened, but it’s actually a somewhat sweet flour thanks to the natural sugars in the coconut. It’s also gluten-free and full of fiber!

There are a couple things to note about coconut flour. Here are a few helpful tips they share on their website:

1) Coconut flour behaves differently than wheat flours. It cannot be used as a one-to-one replacement for wheat flours, and generally works best in combination with other gluten-free flours.

2) Substitute 1/4 to 1/3 cup of coconut flour for every 1 cup of wheat flour as a general rule of thumb in baking.

3) Coconut flour is HIGHLY absorbent. Typically, recipes using coconut flour require more moisture, which can be provided by eggs, oils, and other liquids.

I won’t lie. This was one of the hardest recipes I’ve developed in a while. I had to make them SIX times before I got them right. Along the way I discovered that I do not enjoy cookies made solely with coconut flour. Once I mixed it with oat flour though, I started to really like it. It definitely adds a suble sweetness to the cookies and although it does add a unique flavor to the cookies, I don’t think it tastes overtly like coconut. Which is good, because I’m not a fan of strong coconut flavor.

I also learned that even one tablespoon can make a big difference. Once I got the recipe the way I wanted it, I tried adding just one more tablespoon and it was a totally different cookie.

In addition to the coconut flour, I used several other ingredients from Nuts.com for these cookies including this Once Again Creamy Almond Butter. I majorly favor peanut butter over almond butter most days, but I also find peanut butter to be naturally sweeter. I think almond butter works well in these cookies because the coconut flour and maple syrup already add enough sweetness. I also added pecans. I like using pecans in cookies because they’re naturally softer than nuts like almonds so if you’re not going for a super crunchy cookie, they add a nice texture without being over-the-top crunchy. Plus homemade oat flour which you can make by just grinding up rolled oats in your food processor.

Aside from that you just need a few other ingredients and some freshly chopped apples (which we have coming out our ears thanks to a trip to the orchard last weekend) and you’re all set!

Here’s how you make them:

Apple Pecan Snack Cookies

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5 from 1 review

These Gluten-Free Apple Pecan Snack Cookies are a healthy, kid-friendly snack, breakfast or dessert. They’re made with coconut and oat flour, full of fresh apples and sweetened with maple syrup.

Author: Lindsay
Prep Time: 8 min
Cook Time: 12 min
Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: Makes 16 cookies

Ingredients

2 large eggs
1/4 cup almond butter
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup oat flour (grind rolled oats in food processor, then measure)
3 Tbsp coconut flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup finely chopped fresh apples
1/2 cup chopped pecans

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine eggs, almond butter, maple syrup and vanilla in a large bowl and mix well.

Add oat flour, coconut flour, cinnamon and baking soda and stir to combine.

Stir in apples and pecans.

Use a cookie scoop to scoop onto baking sheet lined with parchement paper.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 12 minutes.

Notes

Be sure your apples are finely chopped. Large chunks can leave the middles slightly underbaked.

There you have it! Super easy to whip up a batch. Like I mentioned in the recipe, I found in my many tests of this recipe that small chunks of apple work best!

[clickToTweet tweet=”Try these Gluten-Free Apple Pecan Snack Cookies for breakfast, snack or dessert!” quote=”Try these Gluten-Free Apple Pecan Snack Cookies for breakfast, snack or dessert!”]

Be sure to check out Nuts.com for nuts, fruit, snack, cooking and baking and more!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Pumpkin Apple Baked Mini Pancakes

Lindsay — Thu, 10 Sep 2015 04:00:00 +0000

These Pumpkin Apple Baked Mini Pancakes are kid-friendly with no added sugar and are perfect for a fall breakfast or lunch!

Hi friends,

I’m gonna level with you guys. I had absolutely no idea what to call these. I made the first batch yesterday with the intention of them being bars. They ended up not being very thick and since the only sweetness comes from the banana and apple in them, they’re not overly sweet. The texture is moist and kinda eggy. They reminded me a lot of my Sweet Potato Protein Pancakes and that got me thinking. I knew baked pancakes were a thing…and a quick google searched told me that they were often made by pouring the batter into a pan and cutting into squares. However, in my world, pancakes need to be circles, not squares.

So I made a second batch of batter and tried making them in muffin tins. BAM! Perfectly circular mini pancakes.

I actually wasn’t going to post this recipe because I wasn’t sure what to call them, wasn’t sure if people would like the texture, yada yada…but then over the course of the day yesterday, I literally ate half the pan. And I decided if I liked them that much, maybe someone else would too.

So here’s your disclaimer:

You can make these in a pan or in muffin tins.
You can call them bars, mini muffins, baked pancakes, whatever suits you.
I made mine with oat flour. You could probably make them with other kinds of flour but I haven’t tried.
These are not Bisquick-texture pancakes. They’re moist, chewy and kinda eggy.

If you’re into all that, you’ll probably like these. I pretty much dumped all things fall in a bowl and this is what came out.

You can eat them topped with a little syrup (pancake-style), topped with yogurt or nut butter, or turn them into mini sandwiches with some nut butter in between. They’d be perfect for lunch boxes!

Here’s the recipe:

Pumpkin Apple Baked Mini Pancakes

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5 from 1 review

Made with simple ingredients and no added sugar, these Pumpkin Apple Baked Mini Pancakes are kid-friendly, perfect for breakfast or lunch and are full of fall flavors!

Author: Lindsay L

Ingredients

3/4 cup mashed banana
3/4 cup pumpkin
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1 cup oat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup diced apples
Optional: Nut butter, yogurt, syrup etc for topping

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Instructions

Mix banana, pumpkin and egg in a bowl.
Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
Option 1: Spoon into greased 9×9 pan.
Option 2: Spoon approximately 1 Tbsp batter into each well-greased muffin tin (Makes 24)
Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

Like I mentioned above, if you don’t care about circles, it’s easiest to just make these in a 9×9 pan. If you want circles, use the muffin tins. Make sure they’re well greased. The smaller you chop the apples the better. To remove, trace around with a knife, then I found it easiest to just use a spoon to kinda scoop them out so they don’t stick.

Store in the fridge!

[clickToTweet tweet=”The kids will love these Easy Baked Pumpkin Apple Mini Pancakes!” quote=”The kids will love these Easy Baked Pumpkin Apple Mini Pancakes!”]

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Almond Butter Banana Cookies

Lindsay — Wed, 29 Apr 2015 04:00:00 +0000

These Almond Butter Banana Cookies are gluten-free and lightly sweetened with maple syrup. They’re packed with protein and fiber and are healthy enough for breakfast. Add a little glaze and you’ve got dessert!

You guys.

These cookies. I love them.

Last week I found myself with 6 overly ripe bananas on my counter. Typically I turn them into muffins but to be honest, that sounded a little boring. Plus I already have some great muffin recipes on the blog like these Peanut Butter Banana Oat Muffins and these Blueberry Muffins.

So the thought of a muffin was doing nothing to spark my creativity. Cookies on the other hand? Those I can get behind. Since I like a good challenge, I decided to attempt a relatively healthy cookie- one I’d feel good about eating as a snack.

It took a few tries – good thing I had all those bananas…but I figured it out. And then I added a glaze because glaze = delicious. Duh.

Let me tell you a little about these cookies. I rarely analyze my recipes for nutritional content (even though I get asked to all the time) because I think it’s easy to get hung up on the numbers. Instead I focus on creating tasty recipes made from real food ingredients. But every once and a while, I make something like this and find myself wondering what the nutritional stats have to say.

So I ran it through My Fitness Pal to get a rough estimate:

If you make 12 cookies, each one will have approximately 6 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber. If you make them without the glaze, they have 5 grams of sugar and they’re about 180 calories. So you could eat 2 for breakfast and you’d get 12g protein, 8g fiber, 360 calories and 10g sugar. That’s pretty good in my book.

Or, add the glaze for a little extra sugar rush Or don’t add the maple syrup to lower the sugar content even further. The possibilities are endless!

They’re packed with chia seeds and hemp hearts for omegas and extra protein. Oh, and they just so happen to be gluten-free.

Ready to make them?

Here’s how:

Almond Butter Banana Cookies

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5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

4.7 from 3 reviews

Gluten-free and sweetened with maple syrup, these cookies are packed with protein and fiber. Perfect of breakfast or a snack. Or add a glaze and eat them for dessert!

Author: Lindsay L
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 17 minutes
Yield: 12

Ingredients

3/4 cup mashed ripe banana (approx 2 medium)
3 Tbsp chia seeds
3 Tbsp hemp seeds
3/4 cup almond butter
1 egg
1 cup oats
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
3 Tbsp maple syrup*
Optional glaze: 4 Tbsp powdered sugar, 2 Tbsp maple syrup

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Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir until well combine.
Scoop onto greased or lined baking sheet.
Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes.
Let cool completely and drizzle with glaze before serving if desired.
Store in the fridge.

Notes

*The amount of sweetener used is up to you. When I make them with the glaze, I leave the 3 tbsp of maple syrup out…If you have a sweet tooth you might want to leave it in.[br]-The glaze may soak into the cookies a bit so i could glaze right before serving if possible. You can glaze them all at once, just know some of the glaze might disappear.[br]- These cookies are moist so I would store them in the fridge.[br]- Make sure your cookie sheet is greased well. They might stick a little but you should be able to get them off with a spatula!

When I make these, I leave out the maple syrup and add the glaze and they’re sweet enough for me. But if you have more of a sweet tooth, I’d leave the maple syrup in.

So there you have it, friends! Hope you enjoy. Remember you could use any kind of nut butter if almond isn’t your fav.

[Tweet “Enjoy these Almond Butter Banana Cookies from @leangrnbeanblog for breakfast OR dessert!”]

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–