cranberry Archives - Ari's Menu

White Chocolate Cranberry Scones

December 16, 2013 · by Ari ·

Rich, crumbly white chocolate shortbread-like scones filled with sweet and tart dried cranberries are the perfect treat on Christmas morning, or any time year round. Vegan & gluten-free.

Okay, let’s take a quick break from cookies for a minute. Actually, I have a confession. These were supposed to be cookies. I wanted to make white chocolate cranberry cookies, and I took one of my chocolate cookie recipes and started to modify it, and at the end I looked at the dough and thought “these are not cookies”.

So I went rogue, and decided they would be scones. I had no idea how they would actually turn out, but as soon as they came out of the oven, I knew I had made the right choice.

These scones aren’t flakey like a traditional bakery-style scone, but more crumbly like a shortbread. They have that buttery (without butter) melt-in-your-mouth kind of feel, and you will find yourself picking at every last crumb.

Instead of using white chocolate chips, the white chocolate is melted into the dough so you get tons of delicious white chocolate flavor in every single bite. Ya know when you’re eating something with chocolate chips, and you get a bite without chips? How it’s basically the most disappointing bite ever? Yeah, none of that here.

And as if there wasn’t enough white chocolate flavor in the scones themselves, of course I had to drizzle a little extra on top because, well, it’s my favorite. I know I should choose dark chocolates, and blah, blah, blah, antioxidants, but I’ve always been a white chocolate girl at heart, and mixed with cranberries? Let’s just say these babies didn’t last long, and I am already craving more!

White Chocolate Cranberry Scones

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 6-8 scones

Serving Size: 1 scone

White Chocolate Cranberry Scones

Rich, crumbly white chocolate shortbread-like scones filled with sweet and tart dried cranberries are the perfect treat on Christmas morning, or any time year round. Vegan & gluten-free.

Ingredients

4 ounces white chocolate*
2 1/2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons gluten-free baking blend, or white whole wheat flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
dash salt
2/3 cup dried cranberries

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350. Line a small baking sheet with silpat or parchment paper. Set aside.
In a small saucepan heat white chocolate and coconut oil over medium heat until melted, stirring constantly. Alternatively, you can heat them in a small bowl in the microwave in increments of 30 seconds stirring after each.
In a large bowl, whisk together baking blend, sugars, cornstarch, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Stir in melted white chocolate and coconut oil. Mix in cranberries
Roll dough into a large ball and press down into a 1-1 1/2" thick disk. Cut into 6-8 equal pieces. Do not separate.
Bake as if for 10-12 minutes until golden and set. Set baking dish on wire rack to cool completely. Drizzle extra melted white chocolate if desired, and let set for about 30 minutes. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.

Notes

*For vegan scones, use vegan white chocolate.

https://arismenu.com/white-chocolate-cranberry-scones/

Dark Chocolate Cranberry Snack Mix

December 8, 2013 · by Ari ·

The perfect holiday snack mix with sweet and salty kettle corn, crunchy Chex, soft cranberries, and bold, creamy dark chocolate–you won’t be able to stay away from it. Vegan, gluten-free & even nut-free!

A couple of weeks ago, I had the amazing opportunity to film a segment with Health2Fit on (edible) DIY holiday gifts. The whole thing was kinda surreal, like too good to be true. I got to go to a real studio (eeee!), and although I was super nervous, everyone was so nice and welcoming! Natalie asked me to share 3 treats, so I baked up some of my new favorite cookies (those are coming very soon 😉 ), put together my DIY Brownie Mix Jars, and made this snack mix.

The whole thing was a blast! I was (of course) really nervous while we were filming, but I’m excited to see how it all turned out. It was totally a dream come true, and I (and YOU!) get to see the final product this Saturday! The segment will air on local channel 7, cable channel 13, Saturday 12/14 at 11am (AZ time)! I will also be posting the video on here if you guys want to see it.

I actually don’t make a lot of snack mixes. I an such a snack monster that the last thing I need lying around the house is tempting snack food like this, but it’s always a hit at parties, and this one is actually pretty light for a dessert snack mix! Or at least that makes me feel better about the copious amount I consumed…

I love all of the different flavors and textures that come together in perfect harmony. The dark chocolate, by the way? Totally mandatory. And it has to be melted. I tried making it with chocolate chips, and although everything still tasted good, the melted dark chocolate is what really bring everything together. When it cools, it gives you those big, dreamy clusters that snack mix are all about. You could also use white chocolate–that’s been on my to-do list ever since I made this!

Dark Chocolate Cranberry Snack Mix

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Yield: approx 5 cups

Dark Chocolate Cranberry Snack Mix

The perfect holiday snack mix with sweet and salty kettle corn, crunchy Chex, soft cranberries, and bold, creamy dark chocolate--you won't be able to stay away from it. Vegan, gluten-free & even nut-free!

Ingredients

3 cups popped 94% fat free kettle corn
2 cups Rice Chex cereal
1 cup reduced sugar dried cranberries (or regular dried cranberries)
generous pinch sea salt
1/3 cup chopped dark chocolate (or dark chocolate chips)
1/2 tsp coconut oil

Instructions

Evenly spread popcorn in a single layer over parchment paper. Top with Rice Chex, then cranberries. The goal is for all ingredients to be evenly dispersed. Sprinkle with sea salt.
Melt chocolate and coconut oil in a medium microwave safe bowl by heating in 30 second increments, stirring after each, until chocolate is melted and smooth. Drizzle chocolate over other ingredients. Cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.

https://arismenu.com/dark-chocolate-cranberry-snack-mix/

Cranberry Pistachio Cinnamon Chip Cookies

November 12, 2013 · by Ari ·

Soft, nutty pumpkin spiced oatmeal cookies stuffed with dried cranberries, pistachios and sweet cinnamon chip. These are the perfect combination fall cookie.

So somehow it became mid November? I don’t even know. Today my mom had to remind me that I was hosting a birthday party on Sunday. I legitimately forgot. Who does that? It’s also the day I had double booked myself to volunteer for Ironman AZ (so bummed that I ended up having to miss it), and yet I found myself thinking “it’s my last open weekend!” Wrong.

So turns out I’m birthday party-ing this weekend, and oh just riding 111 miles with thousands of my new BFFs the following weekend. I can’t even believe the century is finally here. I don’t know what I was thinking, but when I signed up it didn’t seem nearly as scary as running a marathon. I just assumed I’d do a few long rides, and I’d be good. Of course, it’s that time in training where I start to seriously doubt every single thing I’ve ever done, and all the sudden decide I am incapable of riding 111 miles. Even though I already rode 100. Mostly by myself.

Oh, and then it’s Thanksgiving. My favorite holiday. I could talk about that forever, but today I’d rather talk to you about cookies. Fall cookies. Since, ya know, fall is almost over even though it seems like it just began 5 minutes ago? Is it shorter than all of the other seasons or something? Figures the best season would be short.

So I threw every fall weapon you could imagine into these babies. Pumpkin spice, cranberry, cinnamon, the whole 9 yards, and they are totally magical. Soft and chewy, but with that hearty, nutty texture that only the best oatmeal cookies provide. And pistachios are a totally superior nut, in my opinion. They just have a little something extra special. 😉

Cranberry Pistachio Cinnamon Chip Cookies

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 3 dozen

Serving Size: 1 cookie

Cranberry Pistachio Cinnamon Chip Cookies

Soft, nutty pumpkin spiced oatmeal cookies stuffed with dried cranberries, pistachios and sweet cinnamon chip. These are the perfect combination fall cookie.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour*
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
dash salt
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup apple butter
1 1/2 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup cinnamon chips
1/2 cup pistachios, roughly chopped
2/3 cup dried cranberries

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat together apple butter, coconut oil, sugar, egg and vanilla until combined. Slowly beat in dry ingredients, then fold in oats, followed by cinnamon chips, pistachios and cranberries.
Line a baking sheet with silpat parchment paper, and drop cookies onto the sheet using a small cookie scoop.
Bake for 12 minutes until golden.Let stand until fully cooled. Store in a loosely covered container for 5-7 days.

Notes

*Tested with white whole wheat, but gluten-free baking blend may be substituted. If dough is too sticky, simply add a bit more flour.

https://arismenu.com/cranberry-pistachio-cinnamon-chip-cookies/

Cranberry Almond Granola

March 11, 2013 · by Ari ·

While you’re reading this, I am currently living it up in New Orleans!

I can’t tell you what the heck I’m doing, because Steve and I left with absolutely no plan.

Okay, that’s a little bit of a lie. I had 2 plans. Bourbon and beignets. Have I ever mentioned my life revolves around food? In fact, I’ve spent the last week being suuuuuper food conscious just so I could live it up a little on this vacation. I was pretty cranky for most of the week because I reallllllly hate anything resembling a diet, but I’m pretty sure it was worth it. 😉

Okay, enough about my trip–let’s talk about granola! One day I had the brilliant idea that I was done buying things at the store that I can make myself. I made my own Larabar replacement, and granola was the next thing. I literally eat it every single day, and it is not cheap!

So then, in true Ari fashion, I tried to bake like 7 things in a 2 hour time period, declared that making things from scratch was a big waste of time, and I would immediately be going back to buying granola, and granola bars for that matter, at the store.

But after one bite of this stuff, I was sold. As I was taking pictures, I kept sneaking little nibbles. I must have eaten at least an entire serving just during my photo session!

The robust, nutty flavor is more full and bold than any granola I’ve ever bought at the store. It baked up perfectly crunchy with next to no oil in the entire batch, and the soft, sweet cranberries are the perfect touch to balance out the flavors and textures.

Then I realized that this made enough granola to last me at least a month! 12 cups of deliciousness for about 1 hour of time? Totally worth it!

**Note: I wanted to add dehydrated apple chips to this, but I couldn’t find any. If you have them–they would be delicious!

Cranberry Almond Granola

yield approx 12 cups

adapted from David Lebovitz

5 cups rolled oats (use gluten-free if that’s important to you)
3 cups almonds, coarsely chopped
1 cup sunflower seeds
1/3 cup finely shredded unsweetened reduced fat coconut
1/3 cup milled flax seed
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
pinch cloves
heavy pinch sea salt
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup honey or agave
2 tbsp coconut oil
2 cups dried cranberries

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 300. Line two large baking sheets with silpat or parchment paper. Set aside.
In a very large bowl, mix together the oats, almonds, seeds, coconut, brown sugar and seasonings.
In a small saucepan, warm the applesauce, maple syrup, honey/agave, and coconut oil until well combined, whisking constantly.
Add the applesauce mixture into the dry ingredients and toss to combine. Divide mixture evenly between your 2 prepared baking sheets.
Bake until browned and crispy, about 1 hour. Lightly toss granola every 10-20 minutes while cooking. The more often you toss it, the less clusters you will have.
Cool completely, then add cranberries. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. The granola will stay fresh for at least one month. I’ve never made a batch last any longer than that, but it’s still great a month in!

Orange Cranberry Almond Meal Muffins

November 30, 2012 · by Ari ·

Have you heard? After Thanksgiving, cranberry is the new pumpkin.

Oh and peppermint is the new sweet potato. Trust me, that’s coming too. I’m pretty obsessed with the chocolate peppermint combination, so it’s only a matter of time. But for now, I’m in cranberry land.

Let me just say, I’m usually pretty skeptical about any type of “muffin” that doesn’t include flour. I’m a girl who likes her bread. Thick, doughy, gluteny bread is a staple in my diet, and I’m not ashamed.

I had my reservations about just using almond meal. I thought they would come out dense and brick-like. I didn’t think there was any way I could have a perfect fluffy muffin with no flour.

Turns out, almond meal muffins are basically perfection. Soft, fluffy, hearty and filling! I hate when you try to eat a “muffin” for breakfast-and by muffin I mean a glorified cupcake that’s missing the frosting-and 5 minutes later you’re hungry again because you just ate the equivalent of a bowl of ice cream for breakfast. These muffins could actually serve as an on-the-go breakfast. That is, if you’re not me and don’t feel the overpowering urge to eat half your calories before noon.

I don’t know what it is, but I always wake up feeling like a ravenous beast. You know those people who skip breakfast? I DON’T GET IT!! So, you know, I’d probably pair one of these up with, like, half a dozen eggs, but if you’re a normal human, you could just grab one on your way out the door, and be good to go.

The sweet and tart orange and cranberry flavors meld perfectly with the hearty nutty flavor to make the perfect breakfast treat that you can share with just about anybody!

Orange Cranberry Almond Meal Muffins

yield 10-12 muffins

adapted from Bran Appetit

2 cups almond meal
3 tbs corn starch
3/4 tsp baking powder
dash salt
3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup honey or agave
1/3 cup orange juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract (optional)
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together almond meal, corn starch, baking powder and salt. Stir in almond milk, honey/agave, orange juice and extracts until combined. Fold in dried cranberries.
Fill muffin tins about 2/3 full. Bake for 20–25 minutes until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Skinnified Sunday: Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars

November 25, 2012 · by Ari ·

It’s the mooooost wonderful time of the year!

Okay, so the truth is I’ve been listening to 99.9 since the day after Thanksgiving when they first started playing Christmas music, and I made these babies long before Thanksgiving.

I just can’t even contain my excitement! When Target put up the first few holiday items back in October, everyone else scoffed while I got secretly giddy.

I am a sucker for the holiday season and I have no shame. The lights, the shopping for presents, the music, and of course, the amazing holiday flavors.

I swear, every time I step into Starbucks it’s like an exercise in self control. Between the salted caramel hot chocolate (my favorite), those freaking snow man cookies (I just love those guys!) and of course the cranberry bliss bars–a white chocolate chip blondie topped with cream cheese frosting and sweet dried cranberries? I diiiiiie.

White chocolate and cranberry go together like peanut butter and jelly. No, like peanut butter and chocolate! For a long time I thought I hated cranberries. BIG MISTAKE!

I made these delicious bars last year and they were a huge hit, but the pictures were, um….

Yeah….suffice it to say, they didn’t do the food justice 😉 These are absolute perfection–the perfectly soft gooey blondie filled with while chocolate chips and the smooth and creamy white chocolate cream cheese frosting topped with the sweet and tart dried cranberries. Heaven.

I adapted this recipe from Recipe Girl’s Cranberry Bliss Bars.

My swaps:

Half recipe
Pumpkin puree or apple butter for butter (-fat, -saturate fat, -calories)
Egg substitute for eggs (-fat, -calories, -cholesterol)
Less brown sugar (-sugar, -calories)
White whole wheat flour for regular (+fiber, +protein)
Reduced fat cream cheese for regular (-fat, -calories)
Less white chocolate (-fat, -calories, -sugar)

Skinnified Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars

yield 16 small bars or 8 large

Skinnified Cranberry Bliss Bars

For the blondie:

6 tbs pumpkin puree or apple butter (I’ve tried both and they both work really well)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup egg substitute
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup + 2 tbs white whole wheat flour
3/4 teaspoons baking powder
dash salt
pinch ground cinnamon
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

For the frosting:

4 oz reduced fat cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 ounces white chocolate, melted
1/4 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Spray an 8×8 baking dish with nonstick spray. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine pumpkin/apple butter, and brown sugar using a hand mixer. Add egg substitute and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, cinnamon, and baking powder.
Add dry ingredients into wet mixture and mix until incorporated. Fold in cranberries and white chocolate.
Bake for 18-25 minutes until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, cool completely.
Using a hand mixer, combine cream cheese, vanilla and powdered sugar. Add in melted white chocolate. Spread cream cheese frosting across cooled bars and top with cranberries.