sweet miscellany

One of the most vivid food memories I have of my first visit to France when I was in the 4th grade was kinder bueno chocolate bars. They are hazelnut cream filled wafers covered in milk chocolate and of course, totally healthy for you. They are actually made by an Italian company, but for some reason, they were everywhere in France at the time. I remember vending machines down in the metro stations full of only kinder bueno. It was hard to pass one by without stocking up. I’m afraid to know how many of those damn things my brother and I devoured on that trip alone. Yikes.

Even though I can’t (and won’t) eat kinder bueno or the ever-popular nutella, I can still appreciate the hazelnut and chocolate combination. I’ve visited this combination on the blog before with some toasted hazelnut chocolate chip pumpkin muffins, hazelnut espresso truffles, chocolate cherry hazelnut no bake cookies, and a chocolate chunk and hazelnut muffin. But, I decided to go a little more basic this time and turn it into a nut butter. Before you say anything, no, this is not nutella. It’s more like a slightly gussied up hazelnut butter with a touch of sweetness and cocoa. Does that make sense? These things always seem to make more sense in my head until I see them typed out…

I actually wanted to use 2 cups of hazelnuts for this but only ended up having 1 1/2 so the food processor I was using didn’t quite get it as smooth as I wanted. Oh well, it still tastes the same! If you want a smoother spread, you might want to use a high speed blender or try for 2 cups of hazelnuts and then adjust the other ingredients. Or, you can do what I did and just appreciate a more rustic spread. Since this isn’t nutella, it’s healthy enough for eating at breakfast. Just make sure to do so in moderation 🙂

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I’ve been trying to be more mindful about reading, or rather remembering to read. I know that sounds silly, but it is so easy to get caught up in other things and simply forget to pick up one of several books I have on my nightstand. My “to read” queue currently consists of a mixture of yoga books and food writing. I suppose that tells you all you need to know about my interests or perhaps what kind of person I am. Or perhaps not.

My current read is MFK Fisher’s An Alphabet for Gourmets (originally published in 1949). I’ve been taking it outside on the patio with my breakfast and tea to enjoy the cool weather before it dissipates for the day, being replaced by uncomfortably warm sunshine and an absence of clouds.
I’ve been underlining various passages or sentences that speak to me in one way or another and wanted to share one from the chapter “J is Juvenile Dining”. She is comparing our relationship with food to that of our forefathers through a description of how different our bread is from that of our ancestors in terms of both quality and our the attitude towards it:

“And I have thought sadly how far we have come from our forefathers in Latvia or Sicily or Cornwall who once so honored bread that if they dropped a piece of it on the floor they begged its pardon. In our country today it is in a sorry waxbound servitude, so weak that it must be reinforced with chemicals, so tricked-out that a hungry dog or cat will not eat the puffy stuff unless it is actually starving.”

After I initially read that passage, I re-read it, underlined it, then re-read it again. In just those two sentences she made a statement that was just as true in 1949 as it is today. Generally speaking, our relationship with food has changed immensely through time. As humans we tend to have a “go, go, go” mentality, always in a hurry to get somewhere or get something done. This carries over into meal times and the decisions we make concerning food. We grab for pre-made convenience items without really thinking about what is in them and where they have come from. Without delving too far into this topic (I could go on for hours about this issue in particular), I think the take-away from this statement is to be mindful of what you buy and what you eat. Your body won’t thrive on chemicals, stabilizers, and preservatives.

Due to my dietary restrictions, I’ve taken to making more things at home. You’ve seen a bit of that on the blog recently with these waffles, this cashew macadamia milk and now with these delicious cookies. Yes it does involve more time than plucking something off the shelf at the store, but my body will thank me for it in the long run. I’ve only got one body and to borrow a cliche, I’ve come to treat it like a temple

So, the cookies! I’m sure you thought I was never going to get around to talking about these in this wordy post. With Halloween coming up, I thought it would be a good time to post a healthier treat to indulge in instead of all of the nasty and tempting candy out there. They are gluten free, grain free, and vegan but you would hardly notice at all. They are full of dark chocolate chunks, chai spices, and a good dose of vanilla. They are easy to make, easy to store, and easy to pop into your mouth. And, they are perfect for Halloween! The next time you are craving cookies, perhaps you can forego buying a package of pre-made ones and try these instead. I promise you won’t be disappointed 🙂

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Cocoa Hazelnut Spread

Chai Spiced Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies