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life has been good (without the reoccurring thoughts of the fact that school is fast-approaching). i've truly enjoyed this summer. the trips i've taken, the food i've eaten, the things i've maken– i mean made.

i think that this is the best summer i've ever had. and that's really saying a lot.

i woke up this morning craving cookie dough. simple enough, right? you just sporadically get those aches for that buttery, chocolate-y goodness that can at times make your stomach hurt from the raw egg. 

but cookie dough? in bar form? without making your stomach hurt? ha, i have the perfect recipe for you. 

while not the healthiest of recipes i have created, it's most definitely one of my most beautiful works.

trust me on this one, you most definitely don't want to skimp out on these + they're no bake HA!

GO ALL OUT.

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01. combine flour, salt and sugar in a bowl

02. melt coconut oil and combine with almond butter, almond milk, and vanilla extract

03. pour wet mixture into the dry mixture and mix (with hands, if necessary) until dough is formed

04. mix in chocolate chips and chopped squarebars

05. press into tin (or roll out until 1/2" thick) and refrigerate for 3+ hours

06. cut into squares/bars and keep refrigerated

1 1/2 cups AP flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1 tablespoon almond butter

3 tablespoons almond milk

1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1-2 chopped squarebars chopped

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let's do this!

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i don't remember the last time i posted a recipe, it's been that long. it's kind of incredible how busy i have been in comparison to last summer. i've been working on my VSCO artist initiative project (as i am sure you are all aware). i actually think it's safe to say that i am close to the stage where i get to design the book. i'm closer than i think i am.

i started the project last august, taking time here and there during the school year to photograph recipes and curate my pictures of new york. it was difficult, but i'm quite proud of the fact that i was able to manage it while being almost entirely stressed and focused on school. from this, i'm both anxious and exhilarated about the book. i have this new eagerness to finish what i've started and to publish the best work i possibly can. i love the feel of it.

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as i am sitting at the dining room table, sipping matcha every few minutes, i realize how incredibly fortunate i am to have been given this awesome opportunity from such an awesome company. i know i am kind of getting off the subject of the recipe i'm supposed to share, but you, my reader, have no idea how supportive and motivating every single individual of VSCO has been. although i've met only a few of the company's employees (and/or co-founders), i feel like i have a whole team silently cheering me on as i continue my project. i love that feeling too.

my (soon-to-be and soon-to-be-titled) book has a message. one that i hold very dearly; however, i don't think it's the time to reveal it quite yet, but know that it is coming.

so, onwards (and back on topic).

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this summer has been somewhat brutal– the heat, the days, the pile of books that i have to read (staring back at me as we speak). many of you know me for my pictures of food, also knowing that my favorite meal of the day is breakfast. for the majority of the year, i love to eat warm meals: oatmeal, pancakes, french toast, that sort of thing. when it's in the upper 90s, those types of breakfasts aren't as satisfying (*note: this is completely my own, weird opinion, i know you guys are like "izzy, pancakes everyday! who cares about the weather?!" i get it, but still).

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the other thing is, i'm incredibly lazy during the summer, even though i have more hours in the day than usual. the past couple of days, i've been throwing together a simple bowl of raw oats, fruit of the season, buckwheat (for crunch) and cold almond milk. i guess you could just call it a "lazy" müesli. hm, that works. i'm not really sure if this lazy müesli really needs a recipe; just throw some stuff in a bowl and bam. breakfast. eh, i'll write one up anyways. 

these are only a few of the photographs i took. if you would like to see more, go here.

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1/3 - 1/2 cup oats 

handful cut strawberries

handful raspberries

1 cut banana

buckwheat cereal 

3/4 cup almond milk

01/ get a bowl

02/ put oats at bottom

03/ "plate" fruit on top (so you can instagram it)

04/ drizzle almond milk

05/ sprinkle buckwheat cereal

06/ eat and probably get a second bowl

tgif.

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i received a box from hatchery the other day. hatchery delivers small red boxes of artisan, hand-made ingredients directly to your door every month. my april box contained spices, some apple cider vinegar, jams, caramel, and mustard. 

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i thought i'd experiment with just jan's apricot marmalade. sweet, tangy, the fruit spread was perrrrrfect for my raspberry breakfast bars.

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this recipe is fast, delicious, and super healthy for you. it's also extremely versatile, so yeah, switch those raspberries with any other berry for pure awesomeness  – (or heck, add more).

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i used my old recipe for raspberry jam as the base to my filling for these bars. holy yes.

i also dolloped a small spoon of white chocolate-cinnamon peanut butter from my hatchery box underneath the bar for a play on pb&j.

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so off we go!

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3/4 cup almond flour

2 cup oats

2 tablespoons coconut oil (melted)

1 tablespoon chia seeds + 2 tablespoons water

1/4 teaspoon of baking powder

1 tablespoon almond milk

3 tablespoons maple syrup

2 tablespoons brown rice syrup

2 cups frozen raspberries

1.5 tablespoons white chia seeds

2 tablespoons maple syrup

3 tablespoons of just jan's apricot marmalade

1 small dollop of white chocolate peanut butter

00/ preheat oven to 350˚F

01/ combine chia seeds and water in small ramekin and set aside

02/ thouroughly mix almond flour, oats, coconut oil, baking powder, almond milk, maple syrup, and brown rice syrup

03/ once chia "pudding" is thick, fold into oats batter

04/ combine raspberries, maple syrup, apricot jam, and chia seeds in a saucepan 

05/ cook until raspberries have broken down into jam; cool until thickened

06/ on a parchment-lined baking dish, press down 3/4 of the oat mixture (leave rest to sprinkle on top). over  the pressed oats, spread cooled raspberry chia jam. then sprinkle the rest of the oats

07/ bake for 25-30 minutes until top oat crumble is golden brown

08/ take out, let cool, and devour

09/ optional: when plating, place dollop of white chocolate peanut butter on plate and spread with a spoon . plate bars over. sprinkle with fresh fruit.

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