christmas

December 10, 2020 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

CHOCOLATE SESAME THUMBPRINTS W/ MAPLE-TAHINI CARAMEL | dolly and oatmeal

no doubt this holiday season will look and feel quite different. we’re all making sacrifices in order to keep our loved ones and even complete strangers healthy. but that doesn’t mean we are forgoing cookie season. as strange as this season will likely feel, i’m determined to make the most of it with my kids. the other week we made sufganiyot for this upcoming weekend’s hanukkah celebration. but i’m already thinking ahead to christmas cookies, because even as much as ames loves a doughnut, he loves a cookie even more.

last year he was still a bit too young to really bake with. but this year i’m putting him to work, starting with these chocolate sesame thumbprints with maple-tahini caramel 😊. they’re quite an easy cookie to make, and only call for a handful of ingredients. they also happen to be gluten-free, grain-free, vegan, and refined sugar free. basically a cookie free of lots of things - but one that doesn’t lack one bit in over-the-top, christmas cookie decadence!

we start by making the maple-tahini caramel, our 4-ingredient (and oh so easy) star of the show. we cook the maple syrup down slightly, remove it from the heat; whisk in the tahini, vanilla, and salt. we let it cool, and then move on to the cookies!

we sift together our dry ingredients, and then separately our wet ones. everything gets folded together to make our dough. like with any thumbprint cookie, we pinch off small pieces of dough, roll them between our palms, and roll them in our toasted sesame seeds (we toast them ahead of time for optimal flavor). we flatten them slightly, make indentations with our thumb, and then bake them off for roughly 12 minutes. they cool, get filled with our maple-tahini caramel, and then topped with a healthy pinch of flaky salt.

while they may not be the typical jammy thumbprint, you will be quite the happy camper with these. they’re full of chocolatey, toasted sesame flavor, with even more sweet, toasty notes from our caramel. truly delicious, i can’t wait for you to make them!

chocolate sesame thumbprint cookies w/ maple-tahini caramel | gf & v

PRINT THE RECIPE!

| makes 18 cookies |

cookie ingredients

2 cups almond flour
1/2 cup cacao powder (or cocoa powder)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup toasted sesame seeds
maple-tahini caramel sauce
flaky salt, for topping

maple-tahini caramel (makes extra)

1/2 cup maple syrup
3 tablespoons tahini
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

method

preheat oven to 350°F and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
in a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, cacao, and salt - break up any bit of almond flour with your fingers.
in another large bowl whisk together the maple syrup, coconut oil, and vanilla. add the wet ingredients to the dry until combined.
place your toasted sesame seeds in a large shallow bowl. pinch off a tablespoon amount of dough and roll between your palms to form a smooth ball. roll the cookie in the sesame seeds until its covered in seeds. place on your cookie sheet, and repeat with remaining dough, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie.
use the bottom of a jar or glass, and gently press the cookies down to form little disks (don’t press down too much, you’re looking to have roughly 1/2-inch thickness). gently make an indentation in the center of each cookie.
bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, until fragrant, and edges are toasted. remove and let cool completely.
once cookies are cool, plop roughly 1/4 teaspoon of the tahini caramel into your indentations. top with flaky salt, and eat!
cookies can be stored in a sealed container for up to 3 days.

tahini caramel:

in a small heavy bottomed pot, heat the maple syrup over medium heat until it starts boiling. adjust the heat to maintain a steady boil, but not so much that the maple syrup boils over, medium-low should be sufficient. continue to cook the maple syrup until it’s reduced by about half, roughly 4-5 minutes.
remove from heat and whisk in the tahini, vanilla, and salt. pour the caramel into a jar and let cool. once cool, fasten the lid on and store at room temp for up to 3 days.

more festive cookie recipes:

(inside out) chocolate chunk cookie bars

OATNOG! (AKA, OAT MILK EGGNOG) / December 20, 2019 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

OATNOG! AKA, OAT MILK EGGNOG) | dolly and oatmeal

this post was created in partnership with Planet Oat. all thoughts and opinions, as always, are my own.

the holidays, but christmas in particular, is taking on a bit more of a magical vibe this year. with amesy at 3, he gets the idea of santa clause, the north pole, decorating, stockings, etc., etc. we got our tree the other day, and for the first year he was actually interested in decorating it. he carefully picked out which ornament he wanted to put on the tree, then jotted over, climbed up the ladder, and carefully (and without wanting any help), placed it on a branch of the tree, ending with a very proud: TA-DA! i did it! when he woke up the next morning to find the tree all lit up, he exclaimed: it’s beautiful! so all the things i swore i would never do as parent are coming back to bite in me the butt, because honestly, it’s just the sweetest thing. and if a few decorations, and festive lights make his face beam, then i’m all in 100 million percent!

i’m finding myself getting into the holiday spirit even more just because i know it makes ames so happy. i think it’s true what they say, that holiday cheer is kinda contagious. i’m finding myself doing things that i would'n’t typically do. like making eggnog! while i’ve never had any issue with eggs, and actually love them (when cooked). i don’t love the idea of downing raw egg yolks. as such, i wanted a version that quick, and thick and creamy just like a traditional eggnog. enter: oatnog! if you’ve ever tried oat milk you know that it’s creamier than many other plant-based milks. that’s why it’s my go-to here. especially Planet Oat’s extra creamy oat milk. it’s rich, creamy, and full-bodied. and it also has a delicious, yet neutral flavor which i find important since we really want that eggnog flavor to shine here. it’s a great milk alternative for any recipe, really.

i love making eggnog, mostly because it’s so diverse. while you can certainly drink it there are so many other ways of utilizing it! my personal favorite is heating a bit up and adding it to a tea or coffee latte for a holiday twist. you could add it to overnight oats, cook your oatmeal in it. it could also be used in the batter for french toast. the list goes on and on! i hope you get the chance to make this one!

big holiday hugs!

oatnog | gf (vegan option)

-this recipe can easily be doubled, especially if you’re serving a crowd, or if you want a big batch to last throughout the week.

-i also love using it in a tea or coffee latte. simply heat up a serving, froth with an electrical frother, and pour over your brewed tea/coffee.

-for a nut-free version, simply swap the cashews for 1 cup coconut cream, and you’ll be good to go!

print the recipe

| makes roughly 3 cups |

1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked at least 4 hours, rinsed
2 cups Planet Oat Oatmilk (extra creamy)
1 vanilla bean, scraped (or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
pinch of salt

to garnish (optional):

fresh nutmeg, grated on a microplane
cinnamon sticks
pomegranate seeds
chocolate shavings

method

place all the ingredients in the cup of an upright (preferably high-speed) blender. whiz on high for 2 minutes, until smooth and creamy. pour oatnog into a large lidded jar and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. place a large ice cube in each glass, pour in oatnog, garnish as desired. oatnog stays best in a lidded jar for up to 5 days.
if serving warm, pour oatnog into a small pot over medium-low. stir, and heat until steaming. serve it in a big cozy mug, and garnish as desired.

VANILLA-GLAZED GINGERBREAD DOUGHNUTS (GLUTEN-FREE) / December 18, 2019 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

VANILLA-GLAZED GINGERBREAD DOUGHNUTS (GLUTEN-FREE) | dolly and oatmeal

holiday baking has commenced! it’s always a fine line of when to actually start. if i had it my way, i would be baking all month long. but for the sake of nutrition and my sanity, i’m keeping it simple (especially this year). while we’re not huge on sweets in our house, at least as a norm. we all love the occasional baked good, and amesy is an equal opportunity cookie-lover. but i wanted to switch it up a little and make these delicious and festive gingerbread-spiced doughnuts. the first time i made them, amesy was astonished that his “cake” was in a different shape than what he was used to. aside from saying the doughnuts were delicious, he said: “mommy, i’m eating a circle!”. so if nothing else, dessert can become a lesson in shapes as well ;)

in all seriousness though, i do endeavor to make baked goods as wholesome as i can. these doughnuts take a blend of whole grain gluten-free flours, providing some nutrients. a blend of coconut sugar and monkfruit sweetener, lowering the overall amount of sugar. and Thrive algae oil, a better-for-you, flavorless cooking oil that’s super versatile so i love using it when i’m baking and cooking. my favorite reason for using it in baked goods is that unlike coconut oil, it doesn’t interfere with the flavor of your treat. unlike most other flavorless oils though, algae oil is high in healthy monounsaturated fat, and lower in saturated fat, making it my ultimate go-to. plus, i love that it’s so widely available at grocery stores nationwide, and also online making it available to everyone.

wishing you a lovely holiday season! xo

this post was created in partnership with Thrive Algae OIl. all thoughts and opinion, as always, are my own. thank you for supporting the sponsors that help keep dolly and oatmeal running.

vanilla-glazed gingerbread doughnuts | gf & df

-these are best the day of. if you’re making them in advance, bake the doughnuts, store them at room temp covered with parchment. before serving, dip them in the glaze, then serve.

PRINT THE RECIPE

| makes 12 doughnuts |

dry

3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup (gluten-free) oat flour
1/4 cup arrowroot flour
1/3 cup monkfruit sweetener
1/3 cup coconut sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
pinch allspice
pinch ground cloves

wet

2 large pasture-raised eggs, at room temp
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk, at room temp
1/4 cup Thrive algae oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

glaze

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 (plus more, if needed) tablespoons unsweetened almond milk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
chopped pistachios, for garnish

method

preheat oven to 350°F and oil a doughnut pan.
in a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. in a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. add the dry ingredients to the wet using a whisk, a little at a time until everything is thoroughly combined.
pour batter into a batter bowl, liquid measuring cup with a spout, or a large plastic ziplock bag with one edge snipped off. carefully fill each doughnut cavity 3/4 of the way with the batter. bake doughnuts until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center of a doughnut comes out clean, 12-15 minutes.
while doughnuts are cooling, make the glaze. sift the powdered sugar into a large shallow bowl. whisk in 2 tablespoons milk, and vanilla until you have a fluid glaze (add more almond milk if needed). once the doughnuts have cooled completely, remove them from the pan; then dip the tops into the glaze (for a thicker glaze, dip them again), and sprinkle with chopped pistachios.
serve immediately.