Magic Bar Cookie Skillet

Magic Bar Cookie Skillet - Great for camping trips, DIY holiday gifts, or when you are hankering for a cookie skillet! - Paleo, naturally low in sugar, dairy-free, and gluten-free. 

As I was packing food supplies for my winter retreat, I noticed that I didn’t have anything for dessert. Who doesn’t think about packing dessert!? But I didn’t want to bring a lot of ingredients to make something homemade so that’s when I came up with an idea to make “a cookie skillet in a jar”! All the dry ingredients are in a jar. Just bring one egg and coconut oil and you are all set!

Dry ingredient layers (bottom to the top)

• Almond flour

• Paleo flour

• Baking soda

• Salt

• Coconut sugar

• Chocolate chips

• Toasted coconut flakes

• Chopped raw walnuts

You can also use the batter to make cookies! For these cookies, I swapped out the “magic bar” toppings for chocolate chips and salted caramel almond butter. Reserve ¼ serving of salted caramel to drizzle over the cookies, add a pinch of coarse sea salt, and bam! Perfection!

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with! 

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Magic Bar Cookie Skillet - Great for camping trips, DIY holiday gifts, or when you are hankering for a cookie skillet! - Paleo, naturally low in sugar, dairy-free, and gluten-free. 

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup blanched almond flour

• 1/2 cup paleo flour 

• 1/4 cup coconut oil (solid)

• 1 egg

• 1/3 cup coconut sugar, dark chocolate chips, chopped raw walnuts, toasted coconut flakes 

• 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla powder

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1/4 tsp baking soda

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine sugar and solid coconut oil together.

3. Add the egg, salt, baking soda, and fours and blend using a mixer until well combined.

4. Fold chocolate chips, walnuts, and coconut flakes into the dough until well combined.

5. Grease a 6 inch cast iron skillet and press cookie dough firmly into skillet

6. Cook for 16-20 minutes

7. After the cookie skillet has cooled down, top with dairy-free whipped cream or ice cream and enjoy!

Notes

1. If you do not have paleo flour, double up on almond flour. Vice versa for paleo flour. 

2. Here is the paleo flour brand I use. 

All Natural Citrus Cleaner

All natural citrus cleaner - Can be used on most surfaces and is made with ingredients you already have on hand!

I wish I could say that I was the one who created this amazing citrus cleaner but that would be a lie if I did. If you search “citrus cleaner” or “DIY citrus peel cleaner” on Google then you will get this recipe. The reason why I am showing you this is because the recipe actually works and it aligns with my core values -- clean ingredients for food and home!

I also do not like wasting food so this is a perfect solution. While there are many uses in repurposing citrus peels, the number one thing I do is to create another batch of citrus cleaner. For every orange eaten for breakfast or for every lime used for tacos (or margaritas!), I add the peels to a large mason jar and fill to the top with white distilled vinegar.

Most pantries are stocked with white distilled vinegar but if you don’t have any, that’s fine - a large jug will cost you about $2 at most grocery stores and will last you a long time! It is best for the peels and vinegar to sit for a minimum of two weeks. You can also mix things up by adding fancy herbs or essential oils.

My favorite part about this citrus cleaner? It’s a genie in the oven!

Our oven has never been the best but when we moved into our home, the bottom of the inside was absolutely awful. Every time you turned the oven on, a burning smell would emit. I tried all kinds of cleaners with no success... until I tried this! You will need to use baking soda in addition to the cleaner. Just cover the area with baking soda, spray the citrus cleaner over the soda, and let sit for at least 30 minutes. Soon enough, you, my friend, will have a clean surface again! (after picture - the center are scrape marks from previous owner :/ )

With that said, if you’re not sure whether the mixture is ready to use, spray the mixture over fresh baking soda. If the baking soda doesn’t activate then you know the citrus cleaner needs to sit for a little longer.

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with!

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INGREDIENTS

• 1 large mason jar

• Citrus peels from 4-5 assorted citrus

• White distilled vinegar

DIRECTIONS

1. Put orange peels into mason jar

2. Fill jar with white distilled vinegar until peels are fully submersed.

3. Place tight fitting lid on.

4. Store in a dark place for at least 2 weeks.

5. Strain the liquid and pour mixture into a spray bottle; about halfway full.

6. Add water to fill up the rest of the half until full.

NOTES

1. All natural citrus cleaner is great as an all purpose cleaner that you can use on most countertops, glass windows, and ovens. Please note that this cleaner contains a high acid content that may not be suitable for marble, stone surfaces, and granite countertops.

DIY Chai Spice Mix

A must-have pantry staple that’s perfect for tea, baking, and other recipes.

It never dawned on me that I needed to make my own chai spice mix until I strolled past every grocery store’s herb and spice section to find no chai mix in sight! Now, sure there is chai spice powder and chai tea but there are times that I would just like to have the seasoning.

The perfect chai spice mix can enhance so many traditional recipes that you may not have thought of. For example, add a teaspoon or two of chai spice mix to plain pancake batter and you my friend, will have chai spiced pancakes!

This mix is also great to have on hand if you would like to make a latte, chai latte donut holes or to add to most recipes like pancakes, oatmeal, donuts, bread or vegetables like sweet potatoes...the possibilities are endless!

Seasonings that are used in this chai spice are quite traditional so feel free to mix things up if you would like! For this recipe, I used cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, and cardamom.

You can add all the spices to a mortar and pestle to make sure the seasonings are fully incorporated and nicely grounded or you can simply mix all ingredients using a small whisk or spoon. Funnel seasonings into a spice jar and store in a dry place until ready to use!

To make a chai spice latte:

• Add 1 cup plant-based milk, 1/2 cup water, 1 black tea teabag, ½ tsp chai spice mix, 1 Tbsp honey and simmer in a small saucepan for 5 minutes. Add a cinnamon stick and star anise to really enhance the flavors! Discard tea bag, optional cinnamon stick and star anise, and pour into a mug and enjoy!

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with!

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ingredients

• 3 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1 1/2 tsp cardamom

• 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger

• 1 tsp allspice

• 1/2 tsp cloves

• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

instructions

1. Add all ingredients to a mortar and pestle or small bowl and combine until fully combined.

2. Transfer to a spice jar and store in a dry place until ready to use!

Notes: ⅛ tsp black pepper (optional for spicier flavor)