Chocolate No Bakes

Chocolate No Bakes.

Oats, chocolate + no sugar. What could be better?

All that in cookie form of course!

These have passed my family’s test and, more importantly, my brother’s.

He is skeptical about anything without sugar because he loves sugar.

But these changed his mind for sure!

Chocolate No Bakes
vegan + gluten free
sugar free

1/4 cup + 3 tbsp cacao powder
2 1/4 cup quick oats
1 cup + 2 tbsp oat flour
3/4 tsp sea salt
3/4 tsp baking soda (for taste)
3/4 cup + 3 tbsp xylitol
3/4 cup melted coconut oil
4 1/2 tbsp – 6 tbsp water (Depends on if your dough gets too wet. Add 1 tbsp at a time.)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Mix dry ingredients well, then add wet until it forms dough.

Green Mint Smoothie

This is one of the best drinks ever.

Cool, refreshing mint. I swear it tastes like mint chip ice cream.

These past few days we have had no chocolate in the house.

Crazy, huh?

So, this has given me lots of time to make sugar free things that taste amazingly delicious.

Like this smoothie. And I may have things coming on the way that are also sugar free.

I mean, I need to use that 3 lb bag of xylitol, anyways!

Green Mint Smoothie
vegan + gluten free
sugar free

1 frozen banana
1 handful spinach (I swear you cannot taste it!) or more
2/3 cup almond milk
1/4 tsp peppermint extract
Optional: A few chocolate chips or cacao nibs. You can even add some cacao powder!

1. Blend!

2. Pour into a fancy glass and drink.

Just like my little brother!

Coconut Whipped Cream

Coconut whipped cream.

My little brother has to be dairy free + has been dairy free since he was a baby. Whenever he eats dairy, he gets a clogged tearduct + it’s very uncomfortable for him.

That means he can’t have whipped cream or regular ice cream (he eats coconut ice cream), so if we have it for special occasions, he’s left out.

Not anymore!

Coconut ice cream is easy to assemble + tastes delicious. Plus you’re getting healthy fats and the numerous health benefits that come with coconut.

Coconut Whipped Cream
vegan + dairy free
gluten free

1 can coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
Sweetener to taste (I used 3 tbsp maples syrup)

1. First, leave the coconut milk can overnight uncovered in your fridge. Scoop the coconut milk from the can, leaving the water at the bottom. Combine all other ingredients with a mixer until combined. Coconut whipped cream!

The uses for coconut whipped cream are endless. Use it on your ice cream, put it over waffles or pancakes, eat it plain…

How to Make Maple Almond Butter

I made almond butter.

And it was soooo delicious!

You can too. But let me tell you, you’ve got to have some patience.

And preferably some almonds, sea salt + maple sugar.

Just kidding, those aren’t preferences, please have those in the house before you attempt to make this. Please.

Dont’s of Almond Butter
1. Do not add any liquid or oil. It will cause your almond butter to clump up.
2. Do not over blend your almond butter. It will become all crumbly.
3. Do not share with your family members. Instead hoard it like a squirrel. Your family members will become addicted and your hopes of almond butter on toast will be dashed. True story.

Maple Almond Butter

2 cups of unsalted almonds
2 tbsp maple sugar
1/4 tsp sea salt

1. Blend almonds until they’re in the “flour stage”. Then add the maple sugar and sea salt. Continue to blend until you have creamy, smooth almond butter.

2. Wait. Patience is super important when making this because it might take awhile. Read a book. Watch a full length movie. I am just kidding about the movie part.

My mom is now desperately addicted to my almond butter + no longer likes her favorite earth balance flaxseed peanut butter as much as my almond butter. That’s success.

The Big 50! (And Mint Oreos)

Sooo…

I now have 50 followers. No biggie.

YES! IT IS A BIG DEAL! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?

Just a month ago I was filling out a form to see if I could do a review on a gluten free company’s product + I could’ve sworn I put down 14 followers.

Fast forward + I have 50 followers! Whhhatttt?

I cannot say how lucky I am to have 50 people who like my recipes. It’s amazing!

“Um, so where are the Oreos mentioned in the title of the post? Where is the chocolate?”

They’re here! In honor of 50 followers, I decided to make you mint Oreos. Yes, mint.

Mint, chocolate + no sugar. How cool is that?

Mint Oreos!
vegan + gluten free
sugar free

For the cookies:
3 cups almond flour
1/2 cup cacao powder
1/2 cup agave nectar
1 tbsp melted coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt

For the filling:
3/4 cup coconut butter
4 tbsp agave nectar
1 tsp peppermint extract

1. Combine cookie ingredients. Form into balls, then smoosh them down on a plate to form a disc. Stick in the freezer for 5 minutes.

2. Take the discs off the plate (they should be hard) and spoon 1 tsp of filling into each one. Top with another disc.

3. Celebrate (that’s what I’m doing right now)!

Pecan Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies

Now I know what you’re thinking…

“Where has Maddie been? Did she die?”

No, I am alive + well everyone! I am so happy I am not dead.

The lack of recipes is due to our kitchen remodel, which is happening right now. We are getting a stove tomorrow hopefully but we have no oven. When I make cookies, our friends let us use their oven to bake them.

To make up for the lack of er, posts, I have arranged a cookie basket to arrive at your house full of these pecan flour cookies.

Haha! Just kidding. I wish I could send you all cookies, but now you have the next best thing…the recipe!

Pecan Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
vegan
gluten + dairy free

2 cups pecan flour/meal (pecan meal and pecan flour are the same thing)
1 cup sucanat, coconut sugar, ect.
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
6 tbsp coconut oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 tbsp almond milk
1 cup of chopped up chocolate chips

1. Combine dry ingredients first, then add the wet. Add the chocolate chips. You can store the dough in an airtight container in the fridge if you aren’t going to bake them right away.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake cookies for 10 minutes. They might seem underdone, but once they finish cooling they won’t be like that.

3. Enjoy! Share them with your friends (or you could just hoard them), share them with your dog, share them with the monster under your bed.

I shared these with a friend and once they tasted it they said it was “the best gluten free cookie they had ever had”. Yay!

Artisana

Artisana.

Artisana is based in California (my old home) and sells everything from coconut butter to nut butters.

Recently, they sent me their sample pack to review on my blog.

Pictured here: Phyto Plankton, Acai Berry, Pecan Butter & Goji + Milk Thistle.

We had some more, but we didn’t get to photograph them cause they got eaten too fast.

The butters pictured (and the fortunate ones that got to have a permanent vacation in our bellies) we used in our morning smoothies. And I used the coconut butter (not pictured) to make raw brownies, which were super delicious.

Some of the coconut butters I’ve tried have not been very high quality and were okay performance wise. Artisana’s company is all about quality + healthful ingredients and it shows in the taste of their products.

You can find Artisana products on their website: www.artisanafoods.com , www.amazon.com , Whole Foods and other health food stores.