Almond Butter Cup Protein Cookies

Today I made a really tough decision. Life changing. I decided that it was time to take a break from peanut butter and give almond butter a chance to show me what's up. Ok, so maybe it's not so serious. Or maybe you just don't realize how much PB I actually consume on a daily basis. I currently have a nearly empty crunchy bae sitting in the fridge with 2 brand spankin' new jars up in the cupboard. No grocery run is complete without a trip down the Isle of Creamy Dreamy. To my shock and dismay, I recently read somewhere that a fellow PB loving baker actually developed an adult stage PB allergy from consuming waaay too much (I will still argue that too much PB is not a thing)! Reading that scared the crunchy-creamy dickens out of me, so I picked up some alternates. Sooo... to help me get through this rough patch, I decided to let almond buttah do me a solid and whip up the kind of cookies you make when you're heartbroken: the sweet, salty, sinful-but not so sinful that you feel guilty- kind of cookies. These are flourless, gluten free and refined sugar free with a pea protein pow! Crunchy, chewy, sweet and salty satisfaction. There is light at the end of the tunnel... or maybe that's the fridge light. Whatevs.

Almond Butter Cup Protein Cookies

1 cup almond butter

2/3 cup coconut sugar

2 scoops unsweetened pea protein (can sub other unflavored or vanilla protein powder if desired)

1 egg

Chocolate Glaze

2 to 3 tblsp dark choco chips

1 to 2 tsp coconut oil

Almond Butter Glaze

1 heaping spoon almond butter

1 to 2 tsp coconut oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees anf line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk the almond butter and coconut sugar with an electric mixer. Add in the egg and whisk until combined. Whisk in the protein powder. A crumbly but moist dough should form. Roll about 1 inch balls of dough in your hand and place on your prepared cookie sheet. (I was able to get 24 cookies this way. You can definitely roll bigger balls of dough if you want larger cookies)

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until slightly golden but still soft. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack. While your cookies cool, prepare the chocolate coating and almond butter drizzle. Melt each in separate bowls with coconut oil. 30 second increments until smooth. Dip each cpokie halfway into the chocolate and place on a tray lined with parchment. Pop in the fridge or freezer to set. Remove from cooling and drizzle with melted almond butter. Place back in the fridge or freezer until set and enjoy!

I like to keep these in the freezer. Keeps them nice and chewy.

No Bake Almond Butter Bars (Creamy & Crunchy!)

 Sometimes you just strike gold. Almond butter, for example, is gold. Ok... well some may argue with me on that, but you can't say that almond butter isn't AMAZING.... and this is coming from a die hard supporter of peanut butter. I am always looking for more ways to eat almond butter and peanut butter (on fruit, in baked goods, on toast, off a spoon... or even Joey from Friends famous "Peanut butter fingers"). I found this recipe from The Toasted Pine Nut while stalking her drool-inducing instagram account. The original recipe is waaaaay good, and it's so easy to tweak to suit your tastebuds. I subbed creamy almond butter in place of peanut butter and omitted the sweetener. You can use any nut butter you please and toss in whatever crunchy bits you desire. Plus, you only need one bowl, and no baking required! Yes, please.

No Bake Almond Butter Bars
Adapted from The Toasted Pine Nut Creamy Crunchy Peanut Butter Bars

Ingredients:

1 cup raw unsalted creamy or crunchy almond butter (I use Trader Joe's)
3 T. coconut oil, melted
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut shreds (reserve some to sprinkle on top)
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup hemp seeds (reserve some to sprinkle on top)
1 cup chopped pecans (reserve some to sprinkle on top)
Himalayan Pink Sea Salt (reserve for sprinkling)

Directions:

Line a bread loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside. In a medium microwave safe bowl, melt the coconut oil if needed. Using a wire whisk, whisk in the peanut butter and vanilla. Mix in coconut shreds, dark chocolate chips, hemp seeds and pecans. Spread evenly into your prepared bread pan. Sprinkle reserved topping over the top and sprinkle with Himalayan Pink Sea Salt. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes to an hour or until set. Once solid, remove by using the parchment paper to lift out of the pan. Cut into bars and store in a ziplock bag in the fridge or freezer.

Enjoy!

xoxo

Flourless, Refined Sugar Free Brownie Donuts

OHmyglob. OHMYGL..... Ok you get it. These donuts are what dreams are made of! I'm not exaggerating. Moist, dense, satisfiying...check. Sinful chocolate flavor...check. Flourless?? Refined sugar free??? What??????? Yes. And they're glazed too. Uh huh, uh huh. Also, if you count hemp seeds as sprinkles, then these are sprinkled, baby! What's the catch? There isn't one, unless you don't like donuts, chocolate, almond butter or happiness.

Ingredients:

1 cup natural unsalted creamy or crunchy almond butter
1 ripe banana, mashed
2 tblsp. organic cacao
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tblsp. pure grade A or B maple
2 tblsp. unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Glaze:
1/4 cup dark chocolate (chips or chopped)
1 tblsp. coconut oil

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a donut pan by greasing with coconut oil or non-stick spray. Use an electric mixer to mash the banana. Add in the almond butter and whisk until smooth. Add in maple, almond milk and vanilla and mix until combined. In a small, separate bowl mix together cacao and baking powder. Whisk into the wet ingredients just until combined. Spoon the batter into your prepared pan and bake for 12-16 minutes or until the donuts spring back when touched. Remove from the donut pan and transfer to a cooling rack until completely cooled. While the donuts cool, melt dark chocolate chips or chopped chocolate (I use Trader Joe's 72% dark) and coconut oil in the micro for 30 seconds at a time until melted smooth when stirred. Dip your donuts face first into the chocolate glaze and place on parchment paper. Allow the chocolate to set before serving.

I sprinkled a few with hemp seed for a little extra nutritional boost! Try topping them with coconut flakes, nuts, whatever you want!

xoxo

Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies (Gluten and Refined Sugar Free)

There are only a few days of November left, so I thought I better make use of any of the pumpkin that I have left over from Thanksgiving... You know, before we venture into the season where pumpkin desserts are no longer appropriate. These brownies, however are always appropriate. You can easily leave out the pumpkin and make cheesecake brownies or leave out the swirl altogether and just make some good old chocolate chunkers. Of course, these are not your run-of-the-mill brownies. These babies are wholesome, gluten free, refined sugar free, no butter, no nonsense. Just dark, dense chocolate goodness paired with a creamy, sweet-spicy pumpkin cheesecake swirl. That last sentence probably has you thinking... uh, I thought you said these were "wholesome". Dark, dense, creamy, sweet-spicy and cheesecake sounds anything but wholesome. Well, bake on my skeptical friends! Be amazed.

 Pumpkin Cheesecake Swirl Brownies
Adapted from Bakerita

Ingredients:

6 oz. dark chocolate
½ cup coconut oil
⅔ cup coconut sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅔ cup oat flour
1 tablespoon cacao powder

Pumpkin Cheesecake Swirl
4 ounces cream cheese
¼ cup coconut sugar
⅓ cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 tsp cornstarch

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper and set aside. Melt the dark chocolate and coconut oil in a glass bowl for 30 seconds at a time, until melted smooth. Stir in the sugar and vanilla, then stir in the eggs one at a time. Fold in the oat flour and cacao powder, until just combined. Don't overmix!

In a standing mixer, whisk together the cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth. Whisk in the cornstarch. Add in the coconut sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour half of the brownie batter into your prepared pan. Then spoon half of the pumpkin cheesecake batter over the top. Cover with remaining brownie batter and then drizzle the rest of the pumpkin cheesecake mixture over the top randomly. Run a knife through the batter to create a swirl. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out with a few moist crumbs. Lift the brownies out of the pan by the parchment paper and let cool on a wire rack before cutting into squares.

Try them with a little almond butter on top, you won't be sorry!

Feel Good Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies (Vegan & Gluten Free!)

Wow. Well then. Ok... I guess it doesn't really matter what the reason is that you may be feeling like you NEED a cookie today, but it doesn't mean that you have to stuff your face with crap that will inevitably make you feel worse long after the initial shock, and the sugar high, wears off. I've begun to realize that the answer to a bad day (week, month, year) is a lot of self-reflection, self-care and CHOCOLATE (well, duh)! When you're working with good quality, dark and dreamy chocolate, that whole "too much of a good thing" saying turns into a whole lot of blah blah blah (my hands are over my ears, chocolate is in my mouth, and I CAN'T HEAR YOU!) I never claimed to be mature, ok? Let's just get that straight. Ha! So, anywho... I made some super yummy, guilt-free double chocolate chip cookies and they are ah-maz-ing. Oh, and did I mention that they are gluten free, flourless, Vegan, refined sugar free, and gooey as heck? Yeahh babe. Get at me.

Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Adapted from Oh She Glows

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon ground flax mixed with 3 tablespoons warm water
1/4 cup soft, but not melted coconut oil
1/4 cup raw creamy almond butter (I used Trader Joes) 
2/3 cup unpacked coconut sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons organic cacoa powder (can sub regular cocoa)
1 1/2 cups gluten-free oat flour
4 large squares of dark chocolate, melted (I used Trader Joes 1lb. 72% bar)
A good amount of chopped dark chocolate (I eyeballed it)

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the flax seed with warm water and let stand for at least one minute. Add in remaining wet ingredients and sugar and whisk until creamy. Heat chocolate until just melted, about 30 seconds. Whisk into the wet ingredients. Grind 1 1/2 cups of oats into a flour and place in a separate bowl. Mix in the remaining dry ingredients and add into the wet ingredients. Fold in the chocolate chunks. Roll the dough into 1 inch balls and bake on a silpat mat or parchment lined cookie sheet for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand at least one minute before transferring to a wire rack. Eat while gooey, or cooled. Can't go wrong here, friends.

xoxo