Happy Sunday my Foodie Friends! We’re making tasty treats in the Bird kitchen today.
Believe it or not we haven’t had any chocolate in the nest for several weeks! I know, hard to believe but true. I just purchased a new package of dried Wolfberries. You probably know them as Goji berries! These slightly sweet and tart berries are wonderful in breads, muffins, cookies, granola’s, trail mixes…in fact the options are endless!
photo thanks to pixabay
The pantry was bare…
we were out of Bird’s granola as well so that was the first order of business. Gathering all of my favorite nuts and seeds along with gluten free oats, organic raisins, cinnamon, vanilla, maple syrup and coconut oil I whipped up a quick batch and popped sweet smelling mix into the oven. Oh, be sure to top with gojis after the bake as they’re quite fragile, they’ll burn easily.
Meanwhile I had 22 minutes…
to prep the chocolate goji goodness. Mr. Bird will just love these!
Cacao Goji Chocolate Gems!
- Nut Butter (1/2 cup)
- Coconut Oil (2 tbsp.)
- Maple Syrup (4 tbsp.)
- Vanilla (1/2 tsp)
- Cacao Powder (2 tbsp.)
- Gluten free Oats (1 cup)
- Unsweetened Shredded Coconut (1/2 cup)
- Goji Berries (1/3 cup)
Bringing the Cacao…
Coconut Oil and Maple syrup to boil for a minute allowed the cacao to dissolve completely into a wonderfully chocolaty mixture. Add the balance of the ingredients and stir well. Don’t be surprised when you consider taking a big bite! Do you? Or not? Hmmmm.
Not to forget, the gojis!
Aren’t they beautiful? I gifted a couple of these plants to @mountainjewel a few years ago. They’re just beginning to produce fruit! Quite tasty fresh from the vine!
Did you know…
Goji’s have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for decades. Bark, roots, berries and leaves are all used as health supplements. Gojis are known to lower cholesterol and help control diabetes. Packed with antioxidants Gojis improve our heart and mental health by reducing stress and anxiety levels.
Dropped by the spoonful…
onto a parchment lined baking sheet, topped with Cacao Nibs, voila!
Goji Granola…
perfect with your morning (or evening) bowl of yogurt!
Cacao Goji Gems! Well it’s game time, a perfect snack!
These little Wolfberry gems will be heading for the freezer! Soon the Bird’s nest will be filled with a chirpping chocolate loving Bird family…we’ll need lots of treats like these! Thanks for stopping by today!
And as always, blessings to you all
