These vegan cookies are chocolatey, gooey, buttery, and a little crunchy on the outside while being soft on the inside. Plus, the rice crisps cereal gives the cookies a bit of a unique crackle factor. In other words? They're addictive! Amidst quarantine life, cooking and baking a lot gives me joy. Plus we're eating at home all of the time nowadays, and I like to help keep us healthy and strong with nourishing foods and homemade meals. Last year when I was pregnant I kept craving cookies, and my love for cookies seems to have stayed with me. A couple of cookies is the perfect sweet tooth treat in moderation. I've been baking up a storm lately, so there have been a lot of batches of cookies made over here! This leads me to today's recipe. These vegan chocolate chip rice crispy treat ... [Read More]
dessert recipes
Chocolate Cashew Butter Fruit Dip {vegan}
Made with just 6 ingredients, this chocolate cashew butter fruit dip is the perfect easy dessert for Valentine's Day, the Super Bowl, or really, any night of any week! Hi, friends! It's been a minute since I've shared a recipe with you, but I'm back today with my first blog recipe of 2020. Say hello to this chocolate cashew butter fruit dip! This dip is easy to whip up, requires only 6 ingredients, and is a decadent but healthy way to satisfy your sweet tooth. Pair it with your favorite fruits, like berries, banana, pineapple and apple. The base of this dip is homemade cashew butter, which is easy peasy to whip up. All you need are salted & roasted cashews - you could use raw cashews, but I love a bit of the sweet + salty contrast, and I also like the roasted flavor - a bit ... [Read More]
Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookie Bars {vegan}
Packed with pumpkin and chocolate chips, these soft, chewy cookie bars make for a perfect autumn snack or dessert! I've noticed that people keep telling me that they're surprised that I've been cooking and baking a lot now that I have a baby. But being in the kitchen gives me a sense of normalcy amidst my world turned upside-down with the arrival of a newborn. I'm typically a very up and at 'em person. Doing things I used to do all the time, like planning dates with girlfriends or going to workout classes solo, takes more effort these days, but working in the kitchen is something that gives me joy that I can do it in the comfort of my own home with my babe sleeping (or screaming, haha) nearby. Hence today's recipe: chocolate chip pumpkin cookie bars. I'm all about ... [Read More]
Baked Apples with an Oat Streusel & Maple Butter Sauce {vegan + gf}
October is in full swing, and I'm enjoying the leaves changing so much! I'm hoping to take advantage of the mild weather and pretty leaves some more this weekend with a family hike. Not surprisingly, I've been loving all things pumpkin and apple this fall. And while my apples that I picked at the orchard are long gone, I bought a big bag of locally grown apples at the store that I've been playing around with. Today's recipe is a healthy, delicious fall treat: baked apples with an oat streusel + maple butter sauce. This recipe is like a deconstructed apple pie: We've got apples. We've got cinnamon yumminess. We've got a healthy caramel-like sauce. We've got a buttery topping... ...yet it's also made with wholesome ingredients like oats, almond flour and coconut oil! ... [Read More]
Healthy Cherry Berry Cobbler {dairy free}
Who else has been soaking up the season and eating a ton of summertime fruit? Today's cherry berry cobbler is a healthier take on traditional fruit cobbler - sans butter and white flour, packed with fresh fruit and bursting with flavor. Instead, we use whole wheat flour, coconut oil, and a moderate amount of honey and cane sugar. I've been loving fresh cherries lately and I constantly am eating blueberries year-round, so it seemed like the perfect fruit pairing. I love that cobbler is perfectly acceptable any time of day for dessert, brunch, or a snack. Just take your pick! If making it for brunch, I like to pair it with yogurt or serve it all on its own. If making for dessert, I'm all about throwing a scoop of vanilla ice cream in there. Any way you slice it, this cherry berry cobbler ... [Read More]
Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Butter Pudding with Strawberries
A couple of weekends ago, my hubby and I headed down to the Jersey shore to spend the weekend with my parents. It was my mom's birthday, so I made my chocolate banana pudding pie to celebrate. The pie features an easy graham cracker crust, a homemade chocolate almond milk pudding, a layer of sliced banana, and this time, I included a peanut butter whipped topping. My mom declared it one of my best desserts ever, so I would say it was a birthday treat success! It got me to thinking about how I wanted to create a summery almond milk pudding recipe that's paired with fresh seasonal fruit. Then I thought, wouldn't a chocolate pudding be yummy with chocolate hazelnut butter swirled in?! And that my friends, is how we arrived at today's recipe. This dairy free recipe is ... [Read More]