Product Review: Cookiehead

Welcome to another fabulous product review! There will be quite a lot of these coming up in the next few weeks, including Zevia, Bearded Brothers, So Delicious, Snapz, Rush Bowls, Better Beans, Thunderbird Bars, and more! Many of those include giveaways - so be sure to keep checking back!

Today, I bring you Cookiehead products! I have to say, the Cookiehead line is much more extensive than I knew - the company features a wide variety of brownies, cookie, & muffins to enjoy. Each product is packed to the brim with whole grains and yummy, healthy-for-you foods, like sunflower seeds and spelt flour and flax seeds! Products are also full of fiber and omega-3s - how much better can it get?

I'll tell you. The packaging on the products are so stinkin' adorable! That was the first thing to catch my eye and draw me in.

Mmmm....don't they look yummy?

When Cookiehead agreed to send me some products to review - they were very enthusiastic, I might add! - I couldn't have been happier. They sent me a wide variety of things to try - and full boxes of each! Boy, I was excited!

Let's start with my favorite, shall we? Sprouted Grain Mini Brownies, made with sprouted spelt flour!

These are probably the best store-bought brownies I've had. They are so rich in dark chocolate, very moist, and only 53 calories a piece! I eat these like it's my job. It's a wonder I still have some left! They also have 8g of whole grains per serving, and are milk-free and kosher. I highly recommend these.

Next: Flax Snax Cinnamon Honey cookies, Dark Chocolate Chunk cookies, & Coffee Chocolate Almond cookies!

While I only got to eat one of the cinnamon honey cookies (my mother devoured the entire box in half a day...), they were yummy! They had a very unique flavor - I think I just wasn't expecting such a strong honey flavor, but it was definitely prominent. I also loved the hint of cinnamon, and the flax seeds were visible. Also, these cookies have 8g whole grains and over 1000 mg omega-3 fatty acids in each serving - amazing!

The coffee chocolate almond cookies were my favorite of the 3 cookies I was sent. The coffee is very strong, and with the chocolate, these cookies taste like a mocha you can bite into.  I also love that, in both these and the dark chocolate chunk, there is a nice crunch from the sunflower seeds. Which, I might add, I was definitely not expecting in a cookie! Still, it was a nice surprise, and I loved it. 

As for the dark chocolate chunk, well, they were just as stellar. You really can't go wrong with a chocolate chip cookie. All cookies were moist and contain 9g whole grains, 2g fiber and protein, and 250mg omega-3 fatty acids per serving. What healthy cookies!

Last up: Cranberry Orange Grainy Brainy Wakey Cakes. What a name!

I was a little disappointed that only two mini muffins weighed in at over 200 calories (I don't remember the exact number, but I believe it was 260+ calories?). Still, these were delicious. And totally worth every calorie. These had an intense orange flavor, crunchy sunflower seeds, and yummy dried cranberries. These, like the brownies mention earlier, are also made with sprouted grains. 

Overall, I applaud this company. Great work. Keep making healthy, kid-friendly products, and stuffing them full of nutrients! I highly recommend ordering some online if you cannot find them in a retailer new you! 

The Daisy Rating

5/5 daisies

Much love,

Rocky Road Brownies

Are you ready to try something that will make your taste buds go crazy?

Honestly. I didn't know how these would turn out when I made them, but the end result was to die for. I based the brownie recipe off of this recipe from Buns In My Oven - talk about delicious. I did make a couple changes, like omitting the espresso powder and using whole wheat bread flour instead (it was all I had!), and they were great. They are so incredibly fudgey. You have no idea.

{veganize} Try using 4 flax eggs instead of the eggs and Earth Balance instead of butter.

People eyes were actually rolling when they tried these. There may have been some moaning, too (seriously!). I even had some of my residents knocking on my door to try them. Have you ever had a brownie that good?

I didn't think so.

Rocky Road Brownies
Makes one 9 x 13 pan of brownies


Ingredients
1 cup butter (I used Earth Balance)
2 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cups cocoa powder
1 t. salt
1 t. baking powder
1 T. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups whole wheat bread flour
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus extra for sprinkling on top
1 jar Smuckers marshmallow topping
A handful of raw pecans, chopped

Directions
1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9x13 baking dish.
2. In small saucepan over low heat, melt butter completely. Stir in sugar and continue cooking for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Do not allow sugar mixture to boil.
3. Pour butter mixture into a large bowl or stand mixer, beat in cocoa powder, eggs, salt, baking powder, and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined.
4. Stir in the flour and chocolate chips until well combined.
5. Pour into prepared pan. Take the jar of Smuckers marshmallow topping and pour it all over the tops of brownies. Using a fork, swirl the topping into the batter until you see different swirls everywhere!
6. Sprinkle chopped pecans on top.
7. Bake for about 40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out mostly clean. The edges should be set and the center should still look slightly moist, but not uncooked. Cool on a wire rack. DON'T OVERCOOK! And make sure to check these around 30 minutes, because timing could be between 30-50 minutes.


Try them and let me know what you think! 
Much love, 

Ultimate Fudgie Wudgie Brownies

Forget about those supposedly "perfect" vegan brownies I posted a while ago. 

These are far superior! 

I have mastered the vegan brownie!

These are so incredibly fudgie, you'll need a big glass of chocolate almond milk to wash it all down. So decadent. So rich. So thick. It's too good to be true! 

It's especially fabulous if you spoon a little homemade cranberry sauce on them before you take a bite! (Why yes, I did make these around Thanksgiving...)

Ultimate Fudgie Wudgie Brownies
Based on this recipe
Makes 24 (2 dozen) brownies

• 1 cup (2 sticks) Earth Balance
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 4 flax eggs (1 T. ground flax + 2 T. water for each "egg" - mix together, let sit to thicken)
• 1 1/4 cups cocoa powder
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
  
• 1 teaspoon espresso powder, optional
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  
• 3/4 c. unsweetened almond milk
• 2 cups dark chocolate chips

1.Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9×13 baking dish.

2. In small saucepan over low heat, melt Earth Balance completely. Stir in sugar and continue cooking for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Do not allow sugar mixture to boil.

3.  Pour butter mixture into a large bowl or stand mixer, beat in cocoa powder, flax eggs, salt, baking powder, espresso powder, almond milk, and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined.

4. Stir in the flour and chocolate chips until well combined.

5. Pour into prepared pan and bake for about 40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. These will puff up significantly. 

6. Allow to cool before cutting (I was impatient and tried to eat one right away. It was DELICIOUS, but it crumbled. LET THEM COOL.)

What's your favorite vegan brownie?
Much love, 

The Perfect Vegan Brownie

I have long been searching for the PERFECT vegan brownie. I have not had much luck, mostly because I'm not into cakey brownies. I like mine fudgey and squishy in the middle, barely able to be picked up by hand because they are so gooey. It's gotta have the underbaked feeling. 

I found them. 

I kept tweaking recipes, (drastically tweaking recipes i might add...) and eventually i came up with these beauties! SO GOOD. Next time, I'll have to make them gluten free. But for you normal vegans... try these. They are AMAZING!

The Perfect Vegan Brownie
5 T. cocoa powder + 5 T oil, mixed together
1 T. potato starch + 1 T. tapioca flour + 4 T. water, mixed together
1/4 t. salt
1 t. vanilla
1/3 c. unbleached all purpose flour
1/4 c. almond milk
1 c. sugar
1 T. agave nectar
1/4 c. semisweet chocolate chips OR pecans (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray an 8x8 pan with baking spray.
2. Combine starch mixtures and sugar and mix until combined.
3. Add cocoa powder mixture, vanilla, and salt and mix until combined.
4. Add agave and almond milk. Combine.
5. Add flour and mix until JUST combined.
6. Mix in chocolate chips/pecans, if adding, by hand.
7. Pour batter into pan and bake for approximately 30 minutes. Allow to cool. Brownies will still be soft and gooey and slightly difficult to remove from the pan; you'll need a spatula to really get underneath these brownies and lift them out.

Much love,