Samoa Donuts (GF, Vegan, Refined Sugar Free)

 
Oh my delicious donuts... these are GOOD. A few months ago, I sampled (mauled) a completely gluttonous version of a Samoa donut from a local donut shop. Of course, I made it my job to come up with a wholesome, healthier version of this bad baby to be enjoyed by all. The donut itself is flourless and sweetened only with ripe banana, the caramel is made with almond butter and sweetened with maple, then topped with shredded coconut. To really bring this home, they are dipped in dark chocolate and drizzled. Yup.

Samoa Donuts

Ingredients:

1 cup natural unsalted natural creamy 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

Almond Butter Caramel:

1/4 cup pure maple
1/4 cup coconut oil
2 tbsp. creamy natural almond butter
pinch of sea salt

Other ingredients:

1/4 cup shredded coconut for topping
1/4 cup chopped dark chocolate for dipping and drizzling

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, prepare the almond butter caramel. In a small sauce pan, heat maple, coconut oil and almond butter on low heat. Whisk until smooth. Continue to whisk and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and transfer to a heat proof bowl to cool (will thicken as it cools). Next, melt dark chocolate chips or chopped chocolate (I use Trader Joe's 72% dark) in the micro for 30 seconds at a time until melted smooth when stirred. Dip the imperfect sides of your cooled donuts into the chocolate glaze and place on parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Transfer to the fridge to set the chocolate. Once the chocolate is set, dip the other side of your donuts in almond butter caramel, and then into shredded coconut. Place back on the parchment and drizzle with remaining chocolate. Let set before serving. Store in the fridge in an airtight container.

Enjoy!!

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

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

Vegan Mixed Berry Chia Jam Tarts

I loved Pop Tarts growing up. I was especially fond of the strawberry Pop Tarts... and no, not the frosted ones. Shocked? Well, call me a purist. I can't remember when I last had a pop tart, but the fond memories of carefully eating all of the edges off, before savoring that gooey center are fresh in my mind. Having such a delicious memory on my mind is great and all, but I'd rather have it on my taste buds. Alas, I am much more aware of what I put into my body (damn adult concsious!) so I decided to make my own, wholesome version. Alright, now before you accuse me of some kind of crime against Pop Tarts, I caved and topped them with pink frosting and sprinkles. We good? Cool.

Adapted from Minimalist Baker

• 2 cups whole wheat flour 
• 2/3 cup coconut oil (you can also use vegan butter or regular butter if not vegan)
• 2-4 Tbsp ice cold water
• 1 heaping cup frozen mixed berries
• 2 tbsp chia seed
• 1 Tbsp coconut sugar

Glaze

So, I just sort of whipped up a glaze without any real measurements. Here's what I did:

• About 1 cup powdered sugar
• A splash of unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1-2 tsp Karo Syrup
• A bit of red food coloring paste

Mix the powdered sugar and the milk together into a smooth paste. Add the Karo syrup and food coloring paste until you get the desired hue. The glaze should be liquid enough to easily drizzle over the top, but thick enough to stay in place and harden when cooled. 

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Prepare the mixed berry chia jam filling by placing berries in a small saucepan over low heat with 2 tbsp water. Cook for 5-8 minutes and smash with a fork once the berries are soft. Remove from heat and add chia seed and coconut sugar. Transfer to a bowl to cool.
3. To prepare crust, mix flour and salt in a large bowl, then process with coconut oil in a food processor.
4. Using a tablespoon, drizzle cold water over the mixture and pulse until it starts to form a dough. The dough should be moist enough to form into a ball, but not too sticky to roll out. Add more water if needed or more flour if it gets too wet and sticky.
5. Turn onto a floured surface, shape into a disc, and then use a rolling pin to roll into a large rectangle.I used a sheet of parchment on top to keep my rolling pin from sticking to the dough as I rolled it out.
6. Cut into equal squares or rectangles and carefully transfer each to the baking sheet. Use your fingers to press the centers down a bit to make a little "bed" for the chia jam. This will help to keep it from seeping out the sides while baking.
7. Place about 1 Tbsp of filling onto half of the squares, leaving a border to seal the edges. Then use your finger to dot water around the edges to help the squares stick together. Top the squares with their matching halves and then seal lightly with a fork.
8. Use a fork to poke holes in the top of each sealed tart, and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.
9. Let cool completely, then top with glaze if desired. 

Happy tarting!

xoxo

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!!

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

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