A few weeks ago a dust storm blew in without warning one blistering summer night.
Our yard was left covered in pine needles from our pine tree that shades the front yard and canapies much of our roof. Every couple months, my husband gets up on the roof and sweeps the needles off. He had been planning to do it for weeks. The dust storm beat him to it.
After the storm, my daughter had such fun playing with the pine needles, spending nearly an hour gathering and making “nature sculptures” with them.
Her art reminded me of those haystack like no-bake cookies. So, I went online in search of a recipe and found several loaded with sugary ingredients. I’m not a purest when it comes to food, but I do like to try to healthy-up recipes whenever possible.
The version I came up with uses plenty of good-for-you ingredients. If you like the flavor of carob, you’ll likely love these. If not, well, you won’t. Personally, I often prefer carob to chocolate for its nutty, rich flavor and mild sweetness.
Vegan Haystack Cookies
1 bag carob chips (14 onces)
1 teaspoon canola oil
½ cup peanut butter (organic, natural)
½ cup stick pretzels, broken in half (I used gluten-free)
½ cup old-fashioned oats
1 cup brown rice puff cereal
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Pour carob chips into a large glass, microwavable bowl. Drizzle oil over them and stir to coat every chip. Microwave for approximately 2 minutes, stirring once at the halfway mark. Remove and stir in peanut butter. Add pretzels, oats and rice puffs. Combine well and drop in 1 tablespoon portions onto baking sheet. Allow cookies to set. If you put them in the refrigerator they will set within minutes.
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