Many thanks to Lauren Gabruk '21 for allowing us to share her recent Peddie Food Blog post. 

My absolute favorite way to pass some time and also to relax is to bake. Of course, grocery stores are currently quite chaotic. But, don’t worry, I've got that covered; here are some recipes I created using ingredients you likely have at home.

These recipes are a little healthier than your average cookie. Partly so you don’t gain the quarantine-fifteen, but mostly because they are more fun to make. But do not fear! My family approved all of them. And trust me when I say that my family is the pickiest group of eaters. Every time I healthify something, my dad calls it “funk.”  I’m sure if they like these recipes, you will too.

5-ingredient peanut butter cookies (vegan, gluten-free)

At the grocery store pre-quarantine, my mom asked me to get peanut butter. It got me thinking, peanut butter is a good quarantine item: it takes forever to expire, it’s healthy-ish, and it tastes so darn good. Then I thought about how I had some unused peanut butter at home. So, I whipped up these beauties! Such a simple but delicious recipe and you should have most of these ingredients at home already.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup coconut flour + 1/2 cup almond flour (can use 1 cup of whole wheat or all-purpose flour if you don’t have these ingredients)
• 1/2 cup runny, peanut butter (I like using crunchy for texture)
• 3/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp baking soda

Directions:

1. Preheat an oven to 350F and line a tray with parchment paper (or my favorite: silicone mats).
2. Mix all of the ingredients in a medium bowl to form a dough.
3. Scoop onto the tray to form about 12 cookies and press each down with a fork. Bake for 15 minutes at 350F.
4. Let cool for at least 5 minutes and enjoy!

Now, I am going to provide you with not one, but TWO brownie recipes!! You’re welcome :). Again, these might seem like weird recipes, but my dad approved the first — if my mom and sister had been willing to try black bean brownies, they’d like the recipe — and my whole family loved the second.

Black bean brownies (vegan, gluten-free)

 

Okay, you knew these were coming. I mean come on, recipes using canned foods? Black bean brownies were obvious to me. You probably have heard of them somehow, whether you’ve tried them or not, but trust me they are amazing. Don’t trust me? Make them yourself and let me know what you think!

Ingredients:

• 1 can black beans
• 1 (or 1 1/2 if you like it sweeter) cup maple syrup
• 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups oats, blended into a flour
• 1/2 cup cacao powder (or cocoa powder)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and grease an 8×8 pan.
2. In a food processor, blend the black beans, maple syrup, coconut oil, and vanilla until smooth.
3. In a large bowl, combine the oat flour, cacao powder, and baking soda. Pour the wet ingredients in a mix until just combined.
4. Gently stir in the chocolate chips and then pour the batter into the prepared pan.
5. Bake for about 45 minutes at 350F.
6. Let cool and enjoy!

Pumpkin brownies (not vegan nor gluten-free)

New screen saver? I wouldn’t mind looking at this grid of brownies every day. 

 

Okay, please don’t tell my family that I put pumpkin in these. I had leftover puree and didn’t want it to go to waste… That’s how much they liked them: they had no idea that I added some pumpkin puree! So, feel free to trick your friends and family with these.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree (or mashed sweet potato or banana)
• 1 (or 1 1/2 if you like it sweeter) cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cacao powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and grease an 8×8 pan.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the pumpkin, maple syrup, vanilla, and eggs until well-combined.
3. In a large bowl, combine the flour, cacao powder, and baking soda. Pour the wet mixture in and stir until just-combined.
4. Gently stir in the chocolate chips and pour the batter into the prepared pan.
5. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350F.
6. Let cool and eat!

 

Pumpkin Donuts

I guess you know why I had leftover pumpkin puree: because I made pumpkin donuts! I know it’s not fall, but hear me out, pumpkin spice can have a place in your heart all year long. And if you don’t like pumpkin spice that much, good because these donuts don’t have a very powerful pumpkin spice taste (you can add more of the spice if you do actually like it very pumpkiny). Hey, my dad ate two of them in one night, so just give them a try!

Ingredients:

Donuts:

• 2 cups oats, blended to make a flour
• 1 cup pumpkin puree (you can also use sweet potato or banana if you prefer)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (cinnamon works if you don’t have pumpkin pie spice)
• 1/2 cup maple syrup

Icing:

• 1/2 cup cashew butter
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and prepare a donut pan (if you don’t have a donut pan, use tin foil in a muffin pan to create the shape of one).
2. Mix all of the donut ingredients in a medium bowl until well-combined. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan and bake at 350F for about 15-20 minutes.
3. While the donuts are cooling, microwave the cashew butter and coconut oil together in a medium bowl and then stir until the mixture is smooth. Add in the maple syrup and vanilla and mix until well-combined.
4. Pour the icing over the donuts (I recommend doing so on a cooling rack over top of another pan, so you let the icing drip, but don’t get the table messy). For a hardened glaze, put the donuts in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
5. Enjoy!  — good for dessert or breakfast.

There you have it: four different quarantine recipes to get you through your boredom. I’ll be here for a while, so let me know if you have any other recipe requests :).