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No Bake Coconut Macaroons

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Coconut macaroons have always been one of my absolute favorite treats.  Growing up we used to go to Mexico every year as a family…grandparents included!  Some of my very best memories from those trips was the time spent playing cards with my Grandpa and walking to the market with my Mom and Nana to pick up coconut macaroons, which were made fresh daily.  While I don’t think we could ever really recreate the taste of those macaroons, we have come up with our own “healthy” version of coconut macaroons. Aside from being made with healthy ingredients, the best part is that they are no bake and take all of 10  minutes to put together. Big bonus points for that, right??

The secret ingredient in our macaroons is one of our favorite ingredients, coconut manna. Coconut manna is simply pureed coconut, that’s it…not other additives.  The flavor is rich and velvety and slightly sweet, just like eating a coconut.

In a saucepan you want to add the coconut manna, a little bit of coconut oil, almond milk and pure maple syrup.  Allow those ingredients to melt down and simmer.  Once you’ve reached a simmer remove from heat and add vanilla extract, unsweetened coconut flakes, rolled oats and salt.  Mix everything together with a spatula until combined.

Line a baking sheet with wax paper and use a cookie scooper to spoon out even sized macaroons. Melt chocolate and 1 tsp coconut oil in the microwave.  Mix together and drizzle over the top of the macaroons.

 

Place in the freezer for about 10 minutes until set, pull them out of the freezer and you are in macaroon heaven!! Store macaroons in an airtight container in the fridge.  There you go, coconut macaroons with a healthy spin!!

 

No Bake Coconut Macaroons
 
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Serves: 10
Ingredients
  • 2 Tbsp almond milk
  • 2 Tbsp coconut oil + 1 tsp for chocolate
  • ¼ C pure maple syrup
  • ⅓ C coconut manna (coconut butter)
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • ½ C unsweetened coconut flakes
  • 1 C rolled oats
  • ¼ C dark chocolate chunks
Instructions
  1. Heat a saucepan over medium heat. Add almond milk, coconut oil, maple syrup, and coconut manna and bring to a low simmer. Remove from heat and add vanilla, salt, coconut and oats and stir to combine.
  2. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper. Use a cookie scooper to scoop out batter onto cookie sheet. Melt chocolate and 1 tsp coconut oil in the microwave until melted. Drizzle the chocolate over the top of the macaroons. Freeze for 10-15 minutes to set before serving. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

No-Bake Chocolate Coconut Date Bars

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No-bake chocolate coconut date bars. Trust us when we tell you that you can have a healthy candy bar!!  Seriously, these little gems are like nothing you have ever tasted before.  They are so rich and decadent and yet, they are made with clean, wholesome ingredients!!  Once again, a total WIN!  We love using dates as a natural sugar.  They are so versatile and offer the perfect amount of sweetness…actually, a lot of sweetness but we are not complaining.  Do you remember those little candy bars called an Almond Joy?  Well, these no bake chocolate coconut date bars are a take on those little candy bars but without all the freaky ingredients!  And, how awesome is a dessert that you don’t have to bake either?  You just mix the ingredients in a food processor, press it into a baking dish, melt some chocolate to smear on top and pop them in the fridge until they firm up and you are ready to cut them into squares.

So few ingredients and yet so amazingly delicious!!  Eating these right now! Buh bye!

 

 

 

Chocolate Coconut Date Bars
 
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Serves: 24 squares
Ingredients
  • ⅔ C raw, unsalted almonds
  • ½ C flaked unsweetened coconut
  • 25 medjool dates - pitted
  • 2 Tbsp cacao powder
  • 1 Tbsp coconut oil
  • ⅛ tsp salt
  • ½ C semi sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. Place almonds in a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Add dates and process until finely ground and combined. Add coconut, cacao powder, coconut oil and salt and process until combined (texture will be sticky).
  2. Line an 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper. Press date mixture into pan. Melt chocolate chips in microwave safe bowl then spread chocolate over top of date mixture.
  3. Place pan in refrigerator for at least 1 hour. When ready to serve, remove date mixture from pan, place on cutting board and cut into small squares. Store in airtight container in fridge.

Coconut Cookie Dough Bites

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Coconut Cookie Dough Bites on TV! Lights, Camera, Action! What a fun day shooting a segment for Your Life A to Z on Channel 3TV.  We had the best time with the Channel 3 A to Z team and loved every minute of it!

Courtney representing GTK!

We had the opportunity to demonstrate how to make these delicious coconut cookie dough bites and we are not gonna lie, they are seriously the bomb! Might be why we chose to debut them on TV!  Ha! Patting our own backs but really no shame here.  They are so easy to make and have the added bonus of being healthy and not overly indulgent!  They are made with real, wholesome ingredients and are the perfect snack for a busy lifestyle. We also might have a little obsession with the Nutiva coconut manna…we use it in a lot of our recipes.

This creamy decadence is sweet but not too sweet, yum!  If you have 5 minutes and a food processor, you can make these awesome little bites of happiness! Blend, roll into bite sized pieces and voila!  Store in the fridge for an easy grab and go.

Check out some of our other recipes like this!

http://www.goodthymekitchen.com/pumpkin-dark-chocolate-balls/

http://www.goodthymekitchen.com/almond-roca-balls/

White Chocolate Carrot Cake Balls

 

Coconut Cookie Dough Balls
 
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Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • 1 C oats
  • 10 medoolji dates pitted
  • ⅓ C coconut manna - (can purchase at Sprouts, Whole Foods or Amazon)
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 Tbsp maple syrup
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • if desired 2 Tbsp mini chocolate chips, chia seeds, raisins, white chocolate chips, etc
Instructions
  1. In a food processor add the oats and pulse 5X. Add dates and pulse until mixed. Add coconut manna, vanilla, maple syrup, pulse until mixed. Add salt to taste and mix with one last pulse.
  2. Remove contents into a medium sized bowl. Add any other desired ingredients (chocolate chips, chia, etc) and mix. Roll into golf ball size balls, repeat until mixture is gone. Place in tupperware container and store in refridgerator. Good for up to 1 week, although they never last that long!!
  3. Good Thyme Tip ? - If dates are looking a little dry, soak them in hot water for 10 minutes to plump them back up before using in your favorite recipe.

Meusli

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By now you know our obsession with overnight oats. They are an answered prayer to those of us that want breakfast ready and waiting in the morning but don’t want to actually have to make it! Somehow having breakfast at your finger tips almost calling your name in the morning makes your day that much brighter. Meet overnight oats older sister, her name is Meusli. Meusli is a little more complex and sophisticated but don’t let her fool you, she’s easy just like her sister!!

I first had Meusli on one of the most memorable girls trips ever. I went to this super cool wellness resort outside of Tucson, AZ called Miraval. The resort experience is supposed to teach you how to gain greater self-awareness and experience personal growth. I did sucessfully climb way too high up a pole and shimmy across a tight rope, although I almost peed my pants during the process. I don’t know if I really accomplished any of the personal growth stuff. However, I had a blast with my friends and we ate a lot of awesome food! Isn’t that really the point of a girl’s trip anyways?

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The Meusli, along with the merengue cookies which is a must share as well, stuck with me and I have been making it ever since! It’s basically the same base as overnight oats (rolled oats combined with nut milk or dairy milk soaked overnight) but being the sophisticated older sister, Meusli has the added zip of orange juice and chopped apples. The citrus gives it an unexpected zing, in a good way! Just like Meusli’s little sister, Overnight Oats, you can’t help but fall in love with both of them…they really are great girls!

mesuli

Stephanie Heymann Photography

Meusli
 
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Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 1¼ C rolled oats
  • ⅔ C unsweetened cashew milk - or milk of choice
  • ⅔ C 0% greek yogurt
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ⅔ C orange juice
  • 3 Tbsp pure maple syrup
  • 1 apple peeled and chopped into ¼ inch pieces
  • ¼ C unsweetened coconut flakes
  • ½ C raisins
Good Thyme Tip ? - Also great to add sliced almonds, chia seeds, oranges...be creative!
Instructions
  1. Mix all ingredients thoroughly in a bowl. Cover and chill in refrigerator overnight or for 6 hours before serving.

Oatmeal Cookies with Chocolate, Raisins and Coconut

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I think since we added raisins, coconut oil and Greek yogurt to these cookies then they should be deemed as healthy, right? I know it’s a little bit of a stretch but hey, sometimes a girl just needs have a cookie, or 4….I mean I’ve never done that, I’ve just heard of people that have done that.

In the grand scheme of cookies these are A LOT healthier than most and they are D to the Lish. You can see that I had a little cookie monster on this particular baking day, which made it even more fun. It’s always better to taste test cookies with a friend so if someone asks where all of the cookies went you have someone else to blame!

oatmealcookiedough

These cookies are every bit as good as they look. Gooey chocolate chunks with flaked coconut and sweet raisins. So good you might just have 4!

oatmealcookiesloane

oatmealcookies

Oatmeal Cookies with Chocolate, Raisins and Coconut
 
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Serves: 24
Ingredients
  • 1¼ C rolled oats
  • 2½ C unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ¾ C melted coconut oil
  • ¾ C dark brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 Tbsp Fage 0% greek yogurt
  • ½ C shredded coconut (either sweetened or unsweetened)
  • ½ C semi-sweet chocolate chunks
  • ½ C raisins
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl mix dry ingredients together (except brown sugar) and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat coconut oil and brown sugar. Add in egg, vanilla and Fage and continue to beat until smooth. Slowly add in dry ingredients until well incorporated. Add in coconut, chocolate chips and raisins until mixed together.
  3. Using a cookie scooper, drop cookie dough onto a un-greased cookie sheet. Bake 9-11 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Coconut Raisin Chia Overnight Oats

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Is there anything better than waking up to breakfast that’s already made? Like literally, you have to do NOTHING aside from getting out a bowl and a spoon and pouring it in. This is the answer for so many of us that just don’t want to deal with breakfast or most other things in the morning. Let’s face it, a lot of us fall into this category! I have 2 words for you. OVERNIGHT OATS. They will take you all of 5 minutes to make the night before and poof, there they are…ready and waiting for you the second you wake up. It’s kinda like magic if you really think about it!

So, overnight oats are incredibly versatile, you can change it up with each batch. This particular recipe is a GTK favorite. If you haven’t tried Coconut Manna yet by Nutiva it’s a must buy. We use this little bit of heaven in our oats, protein balls, smoothies, spread on toast, or like many other things…right off the spoon! Coconut Manna is simply organic whole coconut puree, that’s it, nothing else. The rich coconut flavor makes these coconut raisin chia overnight oats off the hook good!

coconut

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Coconut Raisin Chia Overnight Oats
 
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Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 1½ C oats
  • ¼ C Chia seeds
  • ⅓ C raisins
  • 2½ C unsweetend cashew milk or other nut milk of choice
  • ¼ C coconut manna (can purchase at Sprouts, Whole Foods or Amazon)
  • 2 Tbsp unsweetened coconut flakes
  • 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
  1. Mix all ingredient together thoroughly. Cover and place in refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight.
Add more milk the next day if needed to reach desired consistency.

Homemade Granola

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I was at the grocery store the other day, actually I’m pretty much there every day, but anyways…I was looking at the price of granola and I was shocked! The boxed granola is on average $5 per box. That really adds up if you go through granola like we do at our house. Homemade granola is so easy to make, your house will smell super awesome, you can add in your favorite ingredients and you will save money! Without question it tastes so much better. Give it a try, it’s doubtful that you will ever buy the boxed stuff again!

This batch of homemade granola is filled with rolled oats, cashews, hemp hearts, unsweetened coconut flakes, dried fruit and other goodies. It stores well in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks and also makes a great hostess gift.

homemadegranola

Homemade Granola
 
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Serves: Approx 4 Cups
Ingredients
  • 3 C rolled oats - not quick cook
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • ½ C unsalted cashews, roughly chopped
  • ¼ C macadamia nuts, roughly chopped
  • 3 Tbsp hemp hearts
  • ¼ C unsweetened coconut flakes
  • ¼ C + 1 Tbsp honey or maple syrup
  • ¼ C coconut oil (microwave for 10 seconds if needed so its in liquid form)
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • ¼ C + 1 Tbsp dark brown sugar
  • 1 C favorite dried fruit - we mixed dried cherries, golden raisins and regular brown raisins
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl combine oats, cinnamon, salt, nuts, hemp hearts and coconut flakes. In a seperate bowl combine honey, coconut oil, vanilla and brown sugar.
  2. Combine both mixtures thoroughly and pour evenly onto 2 sheet pans. Cook for 15 minutes on the center rack, stir after 15 minutes and return to oven for an additonal 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Combine dried fruit and store in airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Good Thyme Tip - get creative with this recipe using your favorite combination of nuts and dried fruit. You can't go wrong!!

Coconut Whipped Cream

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When we discovered that a healthier/non-diary whipped cream option existed we were all over it like a fly on you know what!! Kinda gross analogy since we’re talking about food here but you get the jest of it, we were pretty excited! Once we whipped up our first batch we knew we were forever hooked. Who knew that coconut cream could turn into the most decadent flavorful whipped cream? Even better, the consistency changes once it’s refrigerated for a few hours and it becomes somewhat dense, turning it more into a frosting. So what are you in the mood for…whipped cream or frosting? Take your pick! We are talking about the full fat coconut cream, we like the Trader Joe’s brand (pictured) but there are other brands out there that work just as well. Here are a few tricks to making successful coconut whipped cream:

coconutcream

1. Do not under any circumstances shake the jar! We like to grab the can from the back of the shelf at the store because it probably hasn’t been picked up and jostled around as much…at least that’s our theory and we’re sticking with it!

2. Store the jar of coconut cream in the refrigerator – this way you are all set to go when the moment arises and you need whipped cream STAT!

3. Enjoy every bite and slather it on anything and everything.

coconutcream2

Coconut Whipped Cream
 
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Serves: Approx 1 Cup
Ingredients
  • 1 - 14 oz can coconut cream (we like Trader Joe's brand)
  • ¼ C powdered sugar (may adjust depending on sweetness preference)
  • ½ tsp vanilla
Instructions
  1. Chill can of coconut cream in the refrigerator overnight. At least 15 minutes before making the cream, chill beaters and bowl in the freezer (not mandatory but helps keep the cream chilled when making). Remove the coconut cream from the fridge, making sure to keep the can upright -do not shake. Removed hardened cream from the can, leaving any liquid behind and place in mixing bowl. Beat until creamy, approx 30 seconds. Add vanilla and powdered sugar and continue to beat for about a minute. Serve immediately or refrigerate. If refrigerating, the coconut cream will harden slightly. Store in airtight container in refrigerator for up to 10 days.