Buckeye Ice Cream and Gluten Free Walnut Oat Cookies

I thought this ice cream would bring us good luck in the final four against Kansas on Saturday night, but I was wrong. I won't talk about the game, because it was depressing..... but the food we ate during the game was amazing (homemade spinach pasta with veal marsala, made by Nick's friend and boss, Matt. Amazing). The dessert wasn't too shabby either, if I do say so myself.



I could have made buckeyes for dessert on this special occasion, but instead I decided to make buckeye ice cream (a healthier version, of course) and for an added bonus I figured why not make some walnut oat cookies?! After all, who knows when we'll be in the final four again (although I'm hoping it's as soon as next year).

Lighter Buckeye Ice Cream
(Makes ~10 servings, 1/2 cup each)

Ingredients

BUCKEYE PRIDE! (optional, but highly suggested)

2 cups chilled half and half
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
3/4 cup sugar
2 heaping Tbsp. peanut butter
1 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup brownie chunks
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

In a medium bowl mix the sugar and almond milk until the sugar is dissolved. Add the vanilla flavoring and the peanut butter. Mix/whisk well until the peanut butter is blended.

Add the chilled half and half, mix well.

Pour the mixture into your prepared ice cream maker and make according to the manufacturer's directions. Once the ice cream starts to get churned, add the unsweetened cocoa powder.

Once the ice cream is finished, add the chunks of brownie. Mix well.

Let chill in the freezer for about an hour, or longer (to get the ice cream to freeze and not be so soft).

Nutrition Facts
(Serving Size ~ 1/2 cup)

Compared to another brand of "Buckeye Ice Cream" (below), which has......

More calories
More fat (especially saturated)
More cholesterol
More sodium

We enjoyed the Buckeye ice cream as we watched our Buckeyes lose....

The rich, flavorful taste almost made up for the awful loss (ok, not even close, but it was delicious ice cream nonetheless).

And why not add some cookies to the mix?!

Whole Grain Walnut Oatmeal Cookies
(Gluten Free, makes ~24 cookies)
Adapted from a Cooking Light recipe

Ingredients

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 large egg

3/4 cup brown rice flour

1 cup gluten free old fashioned oats

1/4 tsp. salt

2/3 cup golden raisins

1/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts (use a skillet, on medium, and heat for about 5 minutes)

Cooking spray

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350º.
2. Place first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Add flour, oats, and salt to egg mixture; beat well. Stir in raisins and walnuts.
3. Drop by level tablespoons, 1 1/2 inches apart, onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350º for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven; let stand 2 minutes. Remove cookies from baking sheet; serve warm.

Nutrition Facts

(Serving: 1/24 of recipe)

I wasn't going to toast the walnuts in this recipe, because I felt lazy when I made these, but let me tell you it made all the difference. Toast your walnuts. I might even argue that these cookies would have tasted even more amazing with a few more walnuts. Either way, they were so amazing and I will make them again. They tasted great crumbled on top of the ice cream, actually.

Next I want to try this recipe from Grace at Food, Fitness, Fresh Air.

Question: Are you a fan of the peanut butter and chocolate "buckeye" combination? What's your favorite "buckeye" dessert? Have you tried my lighter buckeyes?!

A Healthier Buckeye Candy!

Who says buckeye candies can't be slightly good for you?? As you all know, I love to modify recipes. One of my favorite desserts during fall football season, and the holidays, are buckeyes (balls of peanut butter and sugar, covered with chocolate, which are meant to mimic the look of a poisonous Ohio buckeye nut). Most buckeyes have loads of sugar, fat, and calories. I'll be honest, mine are still pretty calorie, sugar, and fat packed, but I've definitely made them a little more nutritious....

Ingredients

1.5 cups nut butter

(**I used 1/2 cup almond butter, 1/2 cup Smucker's organic natural peanut butter, and 1/2 cup Better'n Peanut Butter**)



1 cup butter, softened
(**I used Smart Balance 50/50 butter blend sticks**)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 cups confectioner's sugar

~1/2 bag melted Dove dark chocolate

Directions

- Mix together the nut butters, vanilla, and softened butter until well blended

- Add the confectioners sugar, a little at a time. Blend the confectioner's sugar, butter, and nut butters until you have a large bowl of a soft delicious "dough"

- Start creating small little balls and put them onto a wax paper-lined baking sheet (the smaller they are, the less calories each buckeye will be!). I made my buckeyes about 1 inch in diameter. My mom (below) made hers massive, at about 2 inches in diameter.

- Insert toothpicks into each ball and put the balls in the freezer for about 30 minutes (hehe, that sounds funny...sorry, I'm such a child!)

- Using a double broiler (or just a bowl) heat one bag of Dove dark chocolate until it's nice and melted

- Retrieve the balls from the freezer and start dipping! You will dip each ball so that chocolate covers a little more than half.


- Put in freezer to let chocolate get dry. Enjoy after about 3-4 hours!

Total calories: ~100 (make them even smaller for less calories)

Other Nutrition Highlights: More vitamin E and magnesium due to the addition of the almond butter, and less fat and calories due to the use of Better'n Peanut Butter instead of all regular full fat nut butter! Also by using dark chocolate you may be getting a bit more phytonutrients, which could play a role in heart health.

Question: Have you ever had a buckeye?

When I was a kid we used to go to a huge party for the OSU/Michigan game each year. At the party there were always loads of buckeyes and black olives (yeah, I know, random). I can remember eating AT LEAST 6 buckeyes and 20 black olives (I put them on my fingers) during that 4 hour period. I can't believe I never got sick!

Modify to Healthify!

I don't think I would argue with anyone who said to me, "Gina, you never follow any recipe 100%!". I think it's true. If I know of a healthier ingredient, or a great way to modify a recipe to make it more healthy, I will go that route. Why not?

I wanted to make buckeyes this week before the game, and I found this recipe on AllRecipes.com. Three hundred and thirty calories per buckeye? I would rather eat a hot fudge sundae, thanks.

I decided to recreate the recipe by using this butter:

The BETTER BUTTER!

Long ingredient list, but I'm not going to get too picky. At least I know what all of these ingredients are!



Since I refuse to eat Smart Balance peanut butter anymore (the fish smell is back!) I've switched the Reduced Fat Smucker's. You're probably thinking; "Gina, you posted about how reduced fat peanut butter isn't better than regular, and in fact is worse!". Yes, this is true, but the Smucker's variety still has very little sodium and sugar, unlike most reduced fat peanut butters. True, it has less of the healthy fats, but I don't eat this stuff all the time.



I'll talk more about this soy nut butter that I used in the buckeyes, at a later date.

Ingredients

6 T Reduced Fat Smucker's Peanut Butter
6T Soy Nut Butter
1/2 cup Smart Balance 50/50 butter blend sicks
2 cup + 2 T confectioner's sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

In a large bowl you will mix together the first five ingredients (you'll have to soften the butter and perhaps the nut butters). Next you will roll the dough into ~1 inch balls and place on a piece of foil or waxed paper on a large cookie sheet. Press a toothpick in the center of the balls so you can dip them in chocolate later on. Next, place the cookie sheet (with the rolled balls) in the freezer for about 30 minutes.

Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler, stiring frequently. Get the balls out of the freezer after the 30 minutes is up, and start dipping! Make sure to leave some of the nut butter balls showing (hehe, lots of "balls" in this recipe!).



Put them back in the freezer after dipping, then eat them after about another 30 minutes.

Nutrition for One Buckeye

Calories: ~85
Sugar: ~9 grams
Fat: ~5g
Fiber: ~.5 gram

I think I could still make these healthier (use dark chocolate? carob chips? make them even smaller?!). But until I do that, I hope you can try these out and enjoy them as much as my co-workers and I did!

Here is another fun recipe that I sort of threw together.

Chicken salad with ~5-6 ounces grilled chicken, 1/2 cup sliced almonds, 2 hard-boiled eggs, ~1/2 cup 0% fat Greek yogurt, and a dash of salt and pepper.

** You can add more or less of each ingredient, depending on how you like your chicken salad!**



Who needs mayo when you have Greek yogurt?!

Question: Do you love to modify to healthify?! What do you modify?? Any fun Labor Day recipes?