I've done it again and been MIA on the recipe front. I've got a good reason for it this time though...I promise! Bundle #3 arrived at the end of September and we've been in the blur and beauty of newborn care since then and I was simply cooked and over tired in the weeks leading up to his birth and I hit pause on recipe creation and food photography.  Although I have two other littles, it's amazing how quickly I forgot just how much sleep deprivation is involved in those first weeks of life. Somewhere in the hours of 11PM-3AM I think I will never sleep again and then sometime around 6AM I hit a second wind of energy and think "I've got this..." but then the cycle starts again soon thereafter. And this is why God makes babies cute.

Even though this recipe is finished and pictures edited, I'll be amazed if I finish this post in one sitting, but here goes! This recipe is a healthy, refined sugar free cookie recipe to support new mamas in their newborn weeks. They are loaded with healthy ingredients that support lactation, but I prefer to call these new mama cookies as these ingredients are nutrient dense and are healthy bites of nourishment to grab and go no matter how you choose to or need to feed your little one.  Momming is hard enough as it is...can we please just support moms to do the best they can regardless of feeding choices or needs (can you sense a little sensitivity in my tone? Feeding has been a little trying in these first weeks around here and I'm trying to stop beating myself up).

The key ingredients in these cookies include oatmeal, flax seed and brewer's yeast. All of these ingredients are easily found online if needed.  What did parents do before the invention of Amazon Prime? There are some complaints that Brewer's Yeast has a very bitter taste, but this is a particular rock star ingredient for boosting milk supply if needed.  I ordered this bag from Oat Mama and I don't notice the taste in the cookies (nope, not sponsored...I just found and like the product). Instead of oil/butter and sugar, the cookies are moistened and sweetened by ripe bananas and truvia.  These throw together quickly and easily, which is a necessity for mamas of wee ones or an easy little gift to throw together for an expecting friend or family member.  Throw them in the freezer before baby arrives- you'll be glad you did!

New Mama Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
(makes approximately 2 dozen cookies)

Ingredients
-2 eggs
-2 ripe bananas
-2 tbs ground flax seed
-2 tbs brewer's yeast
-2 tbs + 1 tsp truvia
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-1 cup spelt flour
-1 1/2 cups rolled oats
-1 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 cup chocolate chips

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Mash bananas in a large bowl. Add eggs, vanilla, flax seed, brewer's yeast and truvia. Mix together.  Add spelt flour, oats, salt and baking powder.  Stir together.  Fold in chocolate chips.

Prep a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Scoop out cookies using a small cookie scoop and space approximately 2 inches apart. Bake for approximately 11 minutes. Allow to cool on the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a wire baking rack to finish cooling.  Enjoy at 3PM or 3AM...whenever baby is up for a feeding!

I'm very motivated to create chocolate recipes that can double as quality nutrition and I think I'm onto a little something with this recipe.  This recipe packs the nutrition power house of sweet potatoes along with some peanut butter for a soft, rich brownie that could double as a cake dessert too as it isn't overly dense and fudgy.  Although I enjoyed my brownie plain this weekend, I think it would be to die for layered and topped with a coconut whipped cream and banana slices. Instead of conventional sugar, this recipe only uses maple syrup to keep the refined sugar count to a minimum too so I may even grab one of these for breakfast one morning this week. Annnddd....to top it all off, I made these super quick in my Vitamix. Blender Brownies for the win!

I hope that the weather is more spring like wherever you are because we. are. still. getting. snow. here. Enough. Seriously.

I hope you enjoy the brownies!

Grain Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies
(makes approximately 12 small brownies)

Ingredients
-3 eggs
-1 cup mashed, baked sweet potato
-1/3 cup maple syrup
-1/2 cup peanut butter
-1/3 cup organic raw cacao powder
-1/4 cup coconut flour
-1 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp salt

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Place all ingredients in a high powered blender with the wet ingredients first.  Blend until a thick batter forms.  Line an 8x8 inch square baking dish with parchment paper.  Pour the batter onto the parchment paper and use a rubber spatula to smooth and spread the batter evenly around the pan.  Bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted to the middle of the pan comes out clean.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before lifting the parchment paper out of the dish and slicing the brownies.

Is anyone else getting a little tired of the snow days?  Here in New England, February is typically our snowiest month.  While the little Sunday Bakers love hearing they have another "stay home" day, as they call it, we are getting a little bit worn on the shuffling of the mornings with work and child care.  That said, mother nature is going to do what she is going to do and we believe in making the best of the situation with cookies. 

I've been experimenting with different flours again and I'm loving Bob's Red Mill's Gluten Free 1:1 flour.  I think it's the easiest way to convert any recipe to a gluten free version. I don't have celiac or anything requiring a strict gluten free diet thankfully, but I like to experiment with different versions of recipes and try to "healthify" them in different ways.  This flour is very versatile and I'm looking forward to trying some bread and dough recipes with it soon.

These cookies will not disappoint if you're needing a quick and easy Valentine's cookie recipe.  The recipe makes 2 1/2-3 dozen cookies easily and it's free of any nut products if you are looking to bring them to a school party.  So make a batch, sit at the window and enjoy the snow...because it's clearly here to stay for a while!

Gluten Free Chocolate Valentine's Day Cookies
makes 2 1/2-3 dozen cookies

Ingredients
-1/2 cup butter- room temperature
-1/2 cup brown sugar
-1 cup sugar
-3 eggs
-2 tsp vanilla
-1 3/4 gluten free flour (I use Bob's Red Mill 1:1 GF flour)
-1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
-1 tsp espresso powder
-1 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 cup chocolate chips or Valentine's Day M&Ms

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  In your mixer, mix the butter and sugars on medium speed until creamed together.  On low, add the eggs 1 egg at a time.  Add in the vanilla extract and mix until well incorporated.  In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, espresso powder, baking powder and salt.  With the mixer on low, slowly add in the dry ingredients and mix until the batter is fully mixed together.  Fold in the chocolate chips or M&Ms.

Using a mini-scoop or small spoon, spoon the dough onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and bake for approximately 11 minutes.  Remove from the oven.  Allow to cool on the pan for 5-10 minutes and then transfer to a wire baking rack to cool completely.  Store in an airtight container and enjoy!