Chocolate Banana Bread (Vegan, Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free)

Happy Friday! Earlier this week I took a poll on Instagram (Samoa Donuts vs Choco Banana Bread), and it was a tie! So I got right to work and whipped up a loaf of dense, moist, wholesome chocolate goodness. You'll want to go to bed early to get up for this one. It's made with oat flour, so it's essentially oatmeal in loaf form. Sweetened with ripe bananas and a bit of pure maple keep it refined sugar free. I added in some almond butter to create a hefty, satisfying loaf which makes this perfect for breakfast (or a snack).

Ingredients

• 2 ripe bananas
• 1 cup creamy natural almond butter(unsalted)
• ⅓ cup pure maple
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk 
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. baking powder
• 1 cup oat flour 
• 1/4 cup almond flour 
• 1/4 cup cocoa or cacao
• Dark chocolate chunks or chips 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, smash the bananas with a whisk or fork until mostly smooth (no large chunks). Mix in the almond butter, maple, vanilla and milk. In a food processor (or blender or coffee grinder) grind 1 cup of gluten free oats into a flour. Mix with almond flour, baking soda, baking powder and cocoa in a separate bowl. Mix into the wet ingredients until combined. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper or spray generously with coconut oil. Transfer batter into your prepared loaf pan, top with chopped chocolate or chocolate chips and bake for 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out with moist crumbs. Let stand on a wire rack in the pan for 15 minutes before removing and transferring to the rack to cool completely. Once cooled, slice with a serrated knife and enjoy!

The flavor and moist factor get even better the next day!

Decadent Brownie Skillet with Eating Evolved Chocolate

There's nothing quite like a warm, gooey brownie straight from the oven. Nothing could be better, right? Well... how about if it was a warm, gooey brownie with NO ADDED SUGAR in the batter while still tasting like a sinful treat? Only in your dreams... until NOW. This brownie skillet is sweetened only with banana, the chocolate chunks are refined sugar free, it's also vegan and gluten free. This dessert is other level yum:

*Adapted from The Toasted Pine Nut

1 cup raw pecans (can sub almond flour)
1 ripe banana
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 tblsp cacao or cocoa powder
2 tblsp coconut oil, melted
1/2 Eating Evolved Crunchy Caramel Bar, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prep a cast iron skillet with coconut oil or coconut oil spray and set aside. In a food processor, pulse the pecans until they resemble a crumble. Add in the baking powder, baking soda, cacao and coconut oil until combined. Add in the banana and process until smooth. Pour the batter into your prepared skillet and smooth with a spatula. Sprinkle your chopped Eating Evolved Crunchy Caramel Bar on top and press lightly into the batter. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and drizzle with raw almond butter ( I love Trader Joe's Raw Creamy Unsalted Almond Butter) and a little sea salt if desired.

Don't forget to tag me on Instagram if you make this recipe!  I love seeing your versions :]#wildandflowertreats

Yellow Cake Baked Oatmeal (Refined Sugar Free & Gluten Free!)

Happy New Year! Long time no post! The end of 2017 was crazy busy, and I'm glad that things have slowed down even just a tiny bit. I took advantage of this bit of extra time by creating a healthier version of a recipe that I have been wanting to try: Chrissy Teigen's famous Yellow Cake Baked Oatmeal. Her recipe is definitely very decadent and includes 2 cups of boxed yellow cake mix. I wanted to challenge myself by creating a version that was not only completely from scratch, but also refined sugar free and gluten free (I am not a fan of white sugar or flour, if you hadn't noticed). I cut the recipe in half, because I wasn't sure how it would turn out, but it was a success on the first try! You can easily double it and should get the same delicious results :]

Yellow Cake Baked Oatmeal (Refined Sugar Free & Gluten Free)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 stick unsalted grass fed butter, melted (I used Vital Farms)
• 2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or milk of choice)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1 cup oats
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• pinch of pink salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper or use leftover butter to grease the dish. Combine the oats and coconut sugar in a food processor and blend into a flour. In a large bowl, whisk together the oat flour-coconut sugar mixture, coconut flour, almond flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Whisk in the almond milk, then the applesauce, eggs and vanilla. Let stand a few minutes to thicken. Pour into your prepared baking dish, top with fresh fruit like raspberries, strawberries, peaches, etc. Bake about 1 hour or until a knife inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Let stand on a cooling rack for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Great warm from the oven, cold from the fridge or warmed up! This dish seems to get sweeter as it sits, and was extra yummy on day two ;]

If you try this recipe, tag me on instagram! @cxupcake

xoxo

Sweet and Salty Banana Chocolate Chunk Cookie Skillet (Vegan, Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free)

Happy Monday! Super busy day today so far! I'm editing photos, answering emails and doing homework... but I had to stop to make this cookie skillet that has been at the front of my brain all week. Aaaaannd, after it baked up as a success, I had to immediately share it so that y'all can enjoy it too :] It's a little sweet, a little salty, soft, gooey, tastes totally sinful and not "Monday" at all. This cookie skillet is basically a glorified baked oatmeal, so honestly it can pass for breakfast! You can swap the chocolate chips for berries too, if you prefer. On top of that positivity bomb I just dropped on you, it is vegan, gluten free, refined sugar free, and can be whipped up in one bowl... by hand! I promise! This is totally a TREAT and not a TRICK (see what I did there?). I know, I know. I'm your hero ;]

Ingredients

• 1 very ripe banana
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/3 cup raw almond butter (can probably sub roasted or any other nut butter)
• 1/4 cup pure maple
• 1 cup oat flour
• 1/4 cup almond flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of pink salt (can sub sea salt)
• A heap of dark chocolate chopped into chunks

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a cast iron skillet with coconut oil non stick spray and set aside. In a large bowl, mash the banana with a fork until it is a pureed consistency with little to no chunks. Whisk in almond butter, maple and vanilla. Add oat flour, almond flour, baking soda and salt. Whisk to combine. Transfer the batter to the prepped cast iron skillet and smooth evenly with a spatula. Top with dark chocolate chunks. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until it starts to take on a golden brown color, but keeps a soft center.

xoxo

Chocolate Almond Butter Banana Brownies (Vegan, Gluten Free and Refined Sugar Free!)

Heyyy! Long time no post! Things have been craaazy in both good and not so good ways (oh life). Anyway, I am currently studying for a Holistic Nutrition certification, which is really exciting for meee :] Because of life events, I am a little behind and I have been busting my buns which hasn't left much time for my blogging passion project. Anywho, I wanted to share this recipe because it turned out soooo good and I couldn't keep it to myself. Now back to the grind! Wish me luck!

Chocolate Almond Butter Brownies

Ingredients

• 2 ripe bananas, smashed
• 1 cup + 3 tblsp creamy or crunchy raw or natural almond butter ( I used Trader Joe's Raw)
• ⅓ cup pure maple
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup unsweetened non dairy milk (I used cashew)
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. baking powder
• 1 cup oat flour 
• 1/4 cup almond flour 
• 1/4 cup cocoa or cacao
• Dark chocolate chunks or chips (I used Trader Joe's 72% dark chocolate bar)

Would you look at that batter?!

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350. Line an 8x8 square baking dish with parchment paper and set aside. In a large bowl, smash the banana until it resembles a puree. Mix in 1 cup almond butter, maple syrup, vanilla, and almond milk. In a separate bowl, whisk together oat flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt, almond flour and cocoa. Add to wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Pour into your prepared baking dish. Dollop the 3 remaining tablespoons of almond butter over the top and use a knife to swirl into the batter. Top with your chopped chocolate or chips. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out with moist crumbs. Don't overbake! You want these to be dense and moist.

While these are good warm from the oven, I actually prefer them the next day. Somehow the banana flavor becomes more pronounced after these have "rested" and cooled. Enjoy with a nice cup of tea or a big glass of cold almond or cashew milk!

xoxo

Gooey Gluten Free Brownies

Chocolate and I have carried on a long time love affair. Chocolate and I understand each other. Chocolate and I have a bond that cannot be broken. That's why you may notice that nearly all of the recipes I post have chocolate in them. When I think sweet, I think chocolate. Brownies are the ultimate chocolate dessert. I have tried a lot of brownie recipes in my day, but this one might just top all other brownies. First of all, they are made with my favorite flour to bake with: oat flour (xoxo). Secondly, you can change up the sugar and use either cane sugar or coconut sugar (my other fave baking buddy). Both result in ridiculously delicious brownies, but for different reasons. I'm not really a fan of cane sugar, and I reaaallllyyy try to keep that refined babe out of my sweets... but using white sugar creates a crazy beautiful and satisfying crust like nobody's business. The brownies will puff up when baking and then sink when you take them out of the oven, creating cracks of crusty goodness hugging a shy, gooey center. That was my first experience with these brownies, following the original recipe (sans coffee), which you can find here. My second time baking these brownies, I swapped out the refined sugar for coconut sugar. This resulted in a more dense, fudge-like brownie with crazy-complex flavors. The coconut sugar and butter create a sort of (ah-mazing) caramel base, and when they are baked and cooled (I always put my brownies in the fridge or freezer), they taste faintly of coffee. Don't even get me started on the crazy-good and chewy texture with studs of dark chocolate. I cut these babies into bites and store them in a ziplock in the freezer. I eat them cold, but popping a few in the micro for 10-15 seconds is something I can't (and won't) argue with.

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups oat flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 (1 1/2 sticks) cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups coconut (or cane) sugar
1 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips or chunks

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line an 8x8 ceramic baking dish with parchment paper. In a separate bowl, mix together the oat flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter. Mix in the sugar and then microwave for another minute. Whisk by hand with a wire whisk or fork until smooth and creamy. Add in the vanilla and cocoa powder. Mix in the eggs one at a time until smooth. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. Don't over mix! Top with dark chocolate chips or chunks and bake for about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool at least 10 minutes before cutting.

*NOTES:

I baked these in a ceramic baking dish and they turned out beautifully. I also tried a batch in a metal pan, but they turned out dry and cakey.

These are best a bit under-baked. They will look too gooey when you remove them from the oven, but they will firm up as they cool.

Soft and Chewy, Gluten Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

So, these cookies are also vegan and refined sugar free but I thought the title was already a little lengthy. Anywho, these are my current favorite cookies to bake. They. Are. So. Good. I often (like, always) find myself in dire need of a sweet and salty fix. The ultimate sweet and salty combo being, of course, peanut butter and chocolate. I am also somewhat (completely) interested (obsessed) with using oat flour in my goodie recipes. I have also completely stopped using refined white sugar and switched to coconut, which adds Ah-maz-ing flavor, in my expert opinion. The one thing I have never, EVER tried in a cookie recipe is adding milk. Spoiler alert! It's awesome! That one little addition keeps the oat flour from making the cookies too dry and crumbly. Well, yes, a dry and crumbly cookie is still a cookie, but nothing beats a soft, chewy chipper in my book.

Soft and Chewy, Vegan, Gluten, Refined Sugar Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (phew!)
Adapted from Coco Bakes Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup chunky natural unsalted peanut butter
1 cup coconut sugar
2/3 cup oat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp Himalayan Pink Sea Salt
1/4 cup chocolate hemp milk
1/4 cup chopped dark chocolate (or more if you like a higher chocolate to dough ratio)

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment or a silpat mat. Using an electric mixer, whisk the peanut butter, sugar and Himalayan sea salt until creamy. In a separate bowl, mix together the oat flour and baking soda. Add into the peanut butter, sugar, salt mixture. Whisk in the hemp milk, and then the chocolate chunks. Use a tablespoon to scoop out dough and form balls. Flatten them a bit on the cookie sheet and bake for 9-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer them to a fresh piece of parchment paper to cool (I would usually use a cooling rack, but these cookies are very soft when hot. Cooling them on a flat surface works best... if they last that long).

Enjoy!!

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

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

The BEST Gluten Free Vegan Fudge Brownies

What do you want a brownie to be? Dense, moist, fudgey, with a strong POW! of chocolate flavor. What don't you want a brownie to be? Full of refined sugars, flour and fat. Sounds like a too-good-to-be-true brownie situation, right? WRONG. You just have to be determined enough to make those brownie dreams a reality. Luckily for you, I've done most of the work so you can just bake and enjoy ;]

Gluten Free Vegan Fudge Brownies

Ingredients:

1 cup natural unsalted almond butter or smooth peanut butter
1/3 cup REAL Grade B maple syrup
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 ripe banana
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder

Directions:

Line a bread pan with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a standing mixer, or with a hand mixer, whisk together the banana, almond or pb, vanilla and maple. Mix in the cocoa powder and baking powder until smooth. Pour into your prepared bead pan and smooth out evenly. Sprinkle with some dark chocolate or vegan chips if desired. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan before removing. To remove, gently lift the bars out by the parchment paper hanging over the sides. Refrigerate for at least one hour before slicing.

*I left out the chocolate chips, and melted a little coconut oil and dark chocolate, drizzled it over the brownies and then sprinkled some hemp seeds over the top before popping these babies in the fridge. Waaaay good.

These things are super duper addicting, and I found myself eating one before breakfast, as a snack and basically everywhere in between. I recommend cutting them into little squares for this very reason :]

xoxo