Costco samples are awesome.
Besides keeping the kids happy, they allow me to try new items I might normally pass by.
By now we know I’m pretty into food and health, so I’m always reading blogs and articles about nutrition and healthy recipe alternatives. In my reading I’ve come across hemp hearts, but had I not been able to try them I’m sure I would have been skeptical about buying a bag of them.
Costco had sample cups of them a while back and I was intrigued by their soft texture. So many “seeds” are hard and crunchy, so these were very different.
If I had to compare them to something, I’d say they taste kind of like raw almonds. Fresh and slightly nutty, but softer and more raw-tasting than roasted almonds, yet they have more “chew” than a raw almond.
I mostly appreciated what they offer in terms of nutrition: complete source of protein (supplying all the essential amino acids) 10 grams of protein per 3 tablespoons, and a really good source of healthy fat which keeps you full and satisfied between meals.
Trader Joe’s had a reasonable sized bag of them, so I grabbed them the last time I was there.
The easiest way to eat them would be to sprinkle them on top of things like yogurt, smoothies, salads, etc. I plan to add them to my Whole30 banana breakfast where I slice bananas and top them with nuts, cinnamon and coconut milk.
I thought it would be cool if I could incorporate them into some kind of healthy treat for the kids.
Late afternoon they are always begging me for a snack to tide them over till dinner. I’m usually anti-snack because it helps the kids be appropriately hungry at mealtimes, thereby causing them to eat more of their meal. I’m convinced perpetual snacking is one of the main causes of picky eaters.
Why on earth would you eat your chicken and asparagus when you’ve been filling up on goldfish crackers and granola bars all day??
But I digress…
A quick Google search yielded this recipe for hemp heart cookies. They sounded good but I was missing a couple ingredients and wanted to make them taste like traditional oatmeal raisin cookies. I modified that recipe and came up with my own Hemp Heart Oatmeal Raisin Cookies!
I was pleasantly surprised by how much they taste like the “real” thing!
I feel much better offering these to the kids for a snack because they don’t contain any flour (yay for gluten free!) or refined sugar and they’re full of nutrient- dense foods that will fill them up and nourish them :)
Win/win.
Here’s my recipe…enjoy!
- 1 Cup Old-fashioned Oats
- ⅔ Cups Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
- 3 Tbsp Hemp Hearts
- 3 Tbsp Raisins - I used golden raisins
- 1 Tbsp Chia Seeds - or flax seeds
- ⅓ Cup Nut Butter - I used almond
- ¼ Cup Pure Maple Syrup
- ¼ Cup Almond Milk
- ½ Tsp Cinnamon
- 1 Splash Pure Vanilla Extract
- Preheat the oven to 350* F
- In a medium sized bowl mix together dry ingredients (oats, coconut, hemp hearts, raisins, chia/flax seeds, and cinnamon)
- In a separate bowl stir together nut butter, maple syrup, almond milk and vanilla extract until well combined
- Pour wet mixture into dry mixture, stirring to form a dough, dough will be very chunky and loose
- Use a small scoop or spoon to portion dough onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet - the cookies are not very sticky, so do your best to press them into balls
- Bake cookies for 10 minutes
- Store in fridge for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container to maintain freshness
These were very good, what an awesome recipe. I substituted chocolate chips for the raisins but will be making them with either raisins or the chocolate chips again. They’re fast and easy too, such a superior choice to standard ingredient cookies.
Jeremy, that sounds like a delicious substitution. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment! :)