Wild Hippo Chocolate And Treats

Disclaimer: Grandma Bonnie's Closet was not compensated for the review of this product. I received a free product in exchange for an honest opinion. The opinions in this post are all mine.

Anyone who reads Grandma Bonnie's Closet knows that I love anything chocolate. Well Wild Hippo was wonderful enough to share their delicious chocolate treats with me. Not only is their chocolate delicious it is handmade with love and is Organic, Wheat Free, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Paleo, Vegan approved. 

This chocolate bar was so tasty and gave me my chocolate fix plus I shared it with my son as it was just enough for two. 

The chocolate hearts tin would make a great birthday gift, Mothers day gift and would be great for an Easter Basket.

Now, if you want more than chocolate then try these Sunbutter Cups which are sold by the dozen. I really like peanut butter cups and I found that these healthy Sunbutter Cups make a great alternative. I could eat them every day! 

If you are not into chocolate but would like some healthy Organic, Wheat Free, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Paleo, Vegan treats check out their Date bites, Muffins and chocolate chip cookies here. 

If I may suggest all of these healthy treats would make great fillers in your grandchildren's Easter Baskets.

Wild Hippo also has a Organic, Hypoallergenic, Paleo, Vegan deodorant that I use myself. You can check that out here.

Coconut Flour Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars

While on a mission to find a healthy treat that is gluten free for my grandson I came across a recipe for pumpkin bars. I decided to try and make it gluten free and this is what I came up with.

Coconut Flour Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars

Ingredients:

1/2 C coconut flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

3 eggs

1/3 C butter milk

1/3 C honey or another sweetener (maple syrup, agave syrup)

2 1/2 table spoons butter

1 tsp vanilla

1/3 C pumpkin puree 

1/3 C Chocolate Chips

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 deg. Spray a 9x9 baking dish. 

Mix Coconut flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and chocolate chips together in a medium bowl.

Blend eggs, butter milk, sweetener, butter, vanilla and pumpkin together then add to dry ingredients. Mix well. press into baking dish. Bake 20-25 minutes until the bars spring back when touched. It has a definite coconut flavor. 

Hope you enjoy. What kind of bake goods do you like to snack on during the winter season?

Paleo Cut Out (Sugar) Cookies

As promised I am sharing my new Paleo cookie recipe I have been working on. It took a few practice batches for me to get the cookies the right texture and taste. They are not as sweet as regular sugar cookies. The almond flour gives these cookies a semi sweet nutty taste.

Paleo Cut Out Cookies

Ingredients:

2 Cups Almond Meal Flour

1/4 Cup Coconut Oil

1/8 Cup Raw Honey or Maple Syrup

1/8 Cup Coconut Sugar ( or other sweetener such as honey or mayple syrup)

1 Egg

1/2 Tsp Baking Soda

1/4 Tsp Sea Salt

1/4 Tsp Vanilla

Arrowroot Flour as needed.

Preheat oven to 350F. Warm honey and coconut oil in a double boiler. In a medium bowl add the melted honey, coconut oil, egg, and vanilla, mix well. In a separate bowl mix together almond flour, baking soda and sea salt  Combine the dry and wet ingredients together mixing well. If the dough is very wet add a little arrowroot flour until the dough forms a wet ball. The dough will be wet and a little sticky. This is the character of almond meal. It does not absorb moister as well as wheat flour. Wrap the dough in cling wrap or parchment paper and refrigerate for 30 min. Once the dough has become firm it will roll easily. Roll the dough between two sheets of cling wrap or parchment paper. Then cut with desired cookie cutters. Place on lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for 10 min. until edges are lightly browned.  I used small cookie cutters and got 20 cookies. 

This is a batch I made in my crock pot. You can read about Crock Pot Cookies here. Have you whipped up any special or healthy recipes lately?

Crock Pot Cookies

As promised here is the second half of our busy weekend post. Sunday's main event went down a lot quicker than our long Saturday. 

We were expecting our grandson Little Bug to visit on Sunday afternoon. When ever Little Bug stops over to visit he likes to have a treat or two from grandma and grandpa. I usually make him cookies or buttermilk biscuits. Both are his favorite. I do plan to share these two recipes with you all soon. They are very unique recipes as they are gluten free and paleo based. I made up the cookie dough and set it in the refrigerator to chill. Then I put dinner in the oven to bake. I decided to mix up a batch of biscuits to go with our dinner. 

Just as I turned to set the biscuit dough on the stove top to rise a loud bang came from inside the oven. A big puff of smoke came out the back of the oven. The control panel on the stove top went blank. 

Not sure what happened at this point my husband turned off the breaker to the stove and set about lighting the grill out on our deck. While my husband finished making dinner on the grill. I fretted over not having a treat in our house that Little Bug would be allowed to eat. Then I remembered seeing a recipe some where about baking a cake in a crock pot. If someone could bake a cake in a crock pot I figured I cold bake cookies in my crock pot. 

This is what I did. First I turned the crock pot on high(with the lid on). I found a 7 inch cake pan that fit nicely inside. I rolled out and cut the dough. I fit cookies in the pan. Then I laid three spoons in the bottom of the crock pot to keep the pan off the bottom and allow air to circulate under the pan. I put the pan in the crock pot trying to keep it in the center with a little space on the sides. I first set a timer for 20 minutes and checked often. After 45 minutes the cookies were done.  

Our visit with Little Bug went over perfectly. He had his special treats and I learned a new cooking skill. My oven is not working until now. We are waiting on a part that had to be ordered. Next time I buy a new stove I will not be buying one with a digital control panel. I will get an old fashioned gas stove! Lesson learned modern is not always great. 

Are You Looking For An Organic Deodorant?

Today, I am reviewing an awesome organic product from Wild Hippo on Etsy. I have been looking for an organic deodorant that works and does not cause my sensitive skin to break out. Most deodorants I have tried make me itch like crazy. I have only found one other deodorant that does not cause me to itch or break out. I really did not like buying that brand because, it was not completely organic, and it was terribly expensive. So as you can imagine, when Wild Hippo asked me to review their Organic Deodorant, I jumped right in.

The deodorant is handmade and comes in a 1/2-pint-sized glass jar. The jar fills a 2.5 ounce deodorant stick three times. If you do not have an empty deodorant stick lying around to fill, you can order a starter kit. The starter kit comes with a refillable deodorant stick and one 1/2-pint jar of deodorant. Wild Hippo offers three scents: lemon, melaleuca (tea tree), and unscented. I chose to review the unscented version. Stop over and check out her scents and if you are not interested in the available scents you can contact Wild Hippo, and they will be happy to create a custom order for you. 

When I received the deodorant, I scooped some out and pressed it in my empty deodorant stick, and it was ready to go. The deodorant is creamy in texture and glides on like any other stick deodorant. Because there are no chemicals in this product, it can melt at temperatures higher than 76 degrees Fahrenheit. I did not find this to be a problem, as my bathroom is not heated and stays fairly cool during the winter months. In the summer, I may have to keep it in the refrigerator. I simply love this deodorant! It works just like any other deodorant without all the unnecessary ingredients. I have been wearing the deodorant for about three weeks now, and I have no complaints. This product is organic,  Food-grade, aluminum-free, and hypoallergenic.It also complements a vegan, vegetarian, or paleo lifestyle. 

Wild Hippo has a wide selection of organic, vegetarian, vegan, and paleo baked goods to offer. They are the creators of the original date bite of which I had the opportunity to taste. The date bites are quite delicious and make healthy snack that is naturally sweet. 

Oh yes, There is one more item to mention. The organic, gluten-free chocolate chip cookies are so tasty my sons fought over the last few cookies we had to sample.  

Disclosure:

I received the above mentioned products to review from Wild Hippo in exchange for an honest review.