One-Bowl Chocolate Chunk Cookie Cake

I’m so so so excited to share this recipe with you today!! It’s a recipe I plan on making again for Valentine’s, future Friday movie nights, at my next dinner party, every and any church potluck, and basically any other event I can come up with an excuse to make it. It’s SO easy, essentially 7 ingredients, and only requires one bowl! It also happens to be gluten free, if that is your thing. Do I have you on board yet!?

I first saw the idea for this cookie cake while watching Girl Meets Farm with Molly Yeh. I adapted her recipe slightly to make it a little simpler and one bowl. Kyle and I loved it and definitely plan on making again and again. It’s one of those genius dessert recipes you need to have in your back pocket, or at least on a sticky note taped to your refrigerator, at all times.

What is new with you guys?! The past few weeks have all strung together and felt like one never-ending day to me. I still feel very pregnant, very tired, and very ready!! Don’t worry though, I have been staying plenty busy with school and homework and a bunch of nesting projects that seem to never end. The nursery is set up, baby clothes are washed and folded, hospital bag is packed, and — I genuinely impressed myself — there are a few freezer meals carefully labeled and stashed away for after we come home from the hospital. Can you tell this mama is ready!?

Until the big day, you can find me bouncing on my birth ball, cleaning and organizing the baby’s closet for the 99th time, or glueing my eyes to Tidying up with Marie Kondo on Netflix. Happy (early) Valentine’s Day friends!

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One Bowl Chocolate Chunk Cookie Cake (GF)

makes one 8-inch cookie cake

Ingredients

• 2 cups almond flour

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 1/2 cup white sugar

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1/4 tsp baking soda

• 1 large egg

• 1 tbl vanilla extract 

• 1/2 cup chocolate chunks

• Flaky sea salt for sprinkling on top (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch cake pan with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sugars, salt, and baking soda. Stir in the egg and vanilla, and mix with a wooden spoon until smooth. Fold in the chocolate chunks.

Pour into prepared pan and push down with hands or the back of a spatula until smooth on top. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean and top is golden brown. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt.

Let cool for 15 minutes in pan before removing. Slice into wedges and serve!

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Roasted Carrot and Farro Salad with Mustard Maple Vinaigrette

This post is sponsored by Maille. All opinions are my own.

When people have asked me if I have had any pregnancy cravings, I haven’t been sure how to answer them besides “food that doesn’t have a strong smell”. I did crave cereal for a while and throughout pregnancy have wanted fruit constantly (I think because they are sweet!), but I’ve also really craved salads!! I think this is because it fits in the “foods without strong smell” category. Lucky for our little baby, this is a good-for-mama-and-baby pregnancy craving!

Winter is such a great time to get in all the vegetables and salads, even though it seems like the opposite time to want salads (cold weather generally equals comfort food - I get it!). But there is no reason you can’t roast up as many vegetables as you can and toss them with a grain and call it a salad. There is a such thing as warm, grain-filled salads, and these are some of my favorite kinds of salads, because they don’t actually feel like a salad!

What I love about this dish is all of the colors. We eat with our eyes first, and the colors from the carrots, fresh parsley, and pomegranate seeds just make me want to paint a still life of it. I served it with a basic favorite vinaigrette recipe but amped up the flavor with Maille Dijon Originale mustard. I love their mustards and how easy they are to add to any dish. They instantly transform and elevate a basic salad dressing!

This farro salad is great because you can make it ahead of time and then package it up for lunches throughout the week. I prefer to eat this warm or at room temperature, so just reheat before serving!

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Roasted Carrot and Farro Salad with Mustard Maple Vinaigrette

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 5 cups water

• 1 cup farro

• 1 large fennel bulb, sliced across into ½ inch pieces

• 1 pound carrots (rainbow or orange), shaved, sliced in half lengthwise, and then sliced into 4 inch pieces

• 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for roasting vegetables

• 2 tbl maple syrup

• 2 tbl apple cider vinegar

• 2 tsp Maille Dijon Originale

• Kosher salt and pepper to taste

• Handful of fresh parsley, chopped

• 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

• 1/4 cup chopped almonds

Directions
In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil over high heat. Stir in the farro, and reduce heat to simmer. Cover and cook for 20 minutes or until farro is soft and chewy. Drain excess water and set aside in a large bowl.

Preheat oven to 450°F. On a large baking sheet, toss the fennel with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, and plenty of salt and pepper. Roast in the preheated oven for 12 minutes.

Remove baking sheet with fennel from the oven, and add the carrots. Toss with the fennel and olive oil, adding a little more oil if needed. Season with more salt and pepper. Return sheet pan to oven and roast for an additional 22-25 minutes or until vegetables are caramelized and tender, tossing halfway through.

While vegetables are roasting, make the vinaigrette. In a mason jar with lid or in a small bowl, shake/whisk together the ¼ cup olive oil, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, Maille Dijon Originale, and salt and pepper until combined.

In the large bowl with the farro, add half of the dressing, the roasted vegetables, fresh parsley, pomegranate seeds, and almonds. Toss to combine, adding more vinaigrette as necessary. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if necessary. Serve!

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Maternity Photos and Pregnancy Update

hi! happy January! happy New Year!

I wasn’t planning on talking about pregnancy on here, but wanted to share somewhat of an update since we are getting close to the end (!). It’s hard to put into words all the emotions and changes of pregnancy since they literally vary day by day, but I’m going to give it a shot. What I do know is this - while I have not enjoyed the side effects of being pregnant (who does?!) like the nausea, pure exhaustion, sleepless nights, waddling like a duck everywhere…etc, I have loved being pregnant, knowing that we are growing our family and get to meet our baby soon!!

Sure, life afterwards is going to be hard and exhausting and completely different, but I think it’s also going to be so much more fun! Kyle and I both feel really excited to become parents (wow - we sound old!) and keep talking about what we think our baby will look like. What color hair will she have? What are her interests going to be? What will her voice sound like? What is her name??? (Yep, still don’t have a name yet. We are working on it!)

I knew I wanted to take pictures throughout being pregnant so I could remember how weird and balloon like my belly has become, but also because in some ways I have never felt more beautiful in my entire life. Which doesn’t make sense because most of the time I feel huge and awkward, but there is also this underlying thought that my body is being used to grow another human and it is awesome and strange but totally incredible how the human female body works. God knew what he was doing when he created us!

As we count down these last few weeks, I’m just trying to soak up everything and remain patient: the little baby kicks (that actually are pretty intense nowadays!), nights at home with just the two of us, preparing the nursery for her arrival, and all that jazz. I’m not sure we will ever be fully prepared, but we can’t wait to meet our little one so very soon.