Smart Bellies Holiday Fundraiser: Building Community Through Baking
Biked Goods + Smart Bellies + Cool River Coffee House teamed up again this holiday to help reduce childhood hunger and increase access to healthy food options for over 300 kids and their families in Summit County, Colorado.
More than 1 in 6 children don’t have consistent access to nutritious food. In Colorado, 474,420 people are facing hunger - and of them 141,570 are children. And we’re not okay with that.
The goal of the fundraising campaign was to raise money to help buy ingredients that Biked Goods would use to bake homemade goods that Smart Bellies would include in their holiday meal box deliveries to kids and families.
I’ve always been a firm believer in using food to bring people together and build community - and this year was nothing short of spectacular! Here’s a quick snapshot of the incredible experience we had.
$750 was raised from the community to help buy the ingredients
Over 900 baked goods, we’re made at Cool River Coffee House in Breckenridge with the help of 9 volunteers
Not only did Cool River Coffee House let us use their kitchen for the second year in a row, but they also donated a majority of the ingredients to help bake as well!
With Cool River’s help, we were able to take the $650 of the donations raised during the campaign and give them directly to Smart Bellies so they can continue to feed kids through their snack programs.
And the icing on the cake: Smart Bellies had an anonymous group matching donations made in December, meaning our $650 doubled to $1,300!
Below you’ll find photos from the fundraising event along with the recipes we made together in case you want to try them out yourself this holiday or give them to someone in need!
Thanks to everyone who helped support, bake and make this magic happen. ✨
The Best Chocolate Chips Cookies EVER!
A classic Biked Goods recipe.
3/4 cup coconut sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp flaxseed
3 Tbsp almond milk (or other milk of choice)
1/3 cup melted and cooled coconut oil
2 cups Pamela's Gluten-Free Pancake and Baking Mix (MUST use this exact product)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
Flaky sea salt for sprinkling on top
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut sugar, vanilla, flaxseed and almond milk until well combined and wet. Next, whisk in the melted and cooled coconut oil until completely smooth and creamy, about 1 minute.
Add the dry ingredients to the bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon until well combined. Fold in chocolate chips.
Grab or scoop about 2 Tbsp of dough and roll it into a ball. Place cookie dough 2 inches apart on the baking sheet to prevent cookies from baking into each other.
Bake for 10-12 minutes. Important! Sprinkle with flaky sea salt on top when done. (This is the finishing touch that puts the BEST into EVER.) Allow cookies to sit on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes before removing them from the pan.
Sweet Potato PB & J Bars
Sneak some veggies into the classic flavors of a PB&J sandwich.
3/4 cup sweet potato
1 cup all-purpose flour or your favorite 1:1 gluten-free flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp hemp seeds
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 Tbsp melted butter
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1 egg at room temperature
3 Tbsp jelly
Directions
In a medium bowl combine flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
Combine butter, peanut butter and sugar until smooth, then add the room-temperature egg.
Stir in sweet potato to the sugar mixture. Stir flour mixture into sweet potato mix.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Scoop dough onto a greased or parchment paper-lined 8x8 baking pan. Take dollops of the jam and spoon them in sporadically, With the end of a spoon/knife, swirl the dollops to create a marbled effect.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool before removing from the pan and slicing into 12 squares.
Chocolate Brownie Oat Bars
A wholesome chocolate snack bar made with rolled oats, almond butter and honey. Crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside. These will make your heart melt.
3 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup brown rice syrup or honey
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
2 Tbsp almond butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup almond pieces
1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions
Add oats, cocoa powder, coconut sugar and salt to a large mixing bowl and stir to combine.
Add the brown rice syrup or honey, coconut oil, almond butter, vanilla extract, nuts and chocolate chips to the oat mixture. Stir or use a mixer until thoroughly combined.
Using a lined baking sheet, evenly spread the oat mixture across the sheet. Place a piece of parchment over the top, and press the dough firmly into the baking sheet using your hands or a large mason ar glass. The bars should be about 3/4” thick. (Very important to pack the bars firmly so they stick!)
Bake for 10 minutes at 350F, until the tops are just starting to turn golden. Remove from the oven and let it cool on the counter for at least 30 minutes, or until they are cool to the touch.
