Granola Bites!

Yummy Granola Bites! These are super easy to make and to bring on the go. A healthy and simple granola bar you can make yourself. I love making my own granola bars because they’re so versatile and you can make it any flavor you want to by changing up the dried fruit, nuts or you can put some cacao chips! You can substitute the peanut butter I used for just agave to have a non-peanut butter bite. If you don’t have coconut butter on hand it’s not important just use regular vegan butter instead and it works just the same.

The NYC Vegetarian Food Festival is approaching fast and I can’t wait! If you any of you are attending please let me know, I’d love to meet up!

- Alexis ♥

Granola Bites

• 1 cup Rolled Oats (use GF oats to make it gluten free)
• ¼ cup Agave (or to taste)
• ½ cup Dried Fruit (I used raisins and cranberries)
• 1/3 cup Peanut Butter
• ¼ cup Flax Seeds
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 2 Tablespoons Coconut Butter

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Put your oats on a baking sheet and bake them until they’re slightly golden brown, about 5-7 minutes.

*Keep checking them because they can burn quickly!

In a small pot, place the peanut butter, coconut nectar, vanilla extract and coconut butter on a low flame and cook until it’s thoroughly combined. Cool slightly.

Mix the peanut butter mixture and oats in a small bowl and mix until combined and then add the dried fruits of your choice and flax seed and mix until combined.

Roll tablespoon sized balls of granola and place in a parchment sheet lined container. When you’re done rolling all of them, let them sit for at least a half hour up to two hours until they set.

Enjoy!

Flourless, Refined Sugar Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies!

I’m back with some healthy Flourless, Refined Sugar Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies! These are a great alternative to the regular flourless peanut butter which contain up to a cup of sugar. These are a great base for experimentation for flourless cookies and I already have other ideas running through my head that I can’t wait to try! These come together really quick too and within twenty minutes you’re munching on some tasty good for you cookies! I hope you enjoy them!

- Alexis ♥

Flourless, Refined Sugar Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

• 1 Cup Creamy or Crunchy Natural Peanut Butter
• 1/3 Cup Raw Agave Nectar (or less to taste)
• 1 Flax Egg (1 Tablespoon Flax meal + 3 Tablespoons Warm Water)
•  2 ½ Tablespoons Cacao Powder
• ½ Teaspoon Baking Soda
• ½ Teaspoon Sea Salt (if you use regular pb omit the salt)
• ½ Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350°F

Mix together the flax meal and warm water and set aside until it becomes gelatinous.

In a medium sized bowl, mix together the peanut butter, agave, cacao powder, baking soda, salt, flax egg and vanilla extract until well combined. The dough will be sticky and less like traditional cookie dough.

Coat your hands in a bit of oil and roll out tablespoon sized portions of the dough onto a parchment lined cookie sheet (for easy clean up).

*I say to this because I have tried it by just spooning it on but it doesn't create a nice round top for the cookie.

Bake for ten minutes (These cookies will crack a bit on top because of the substitution of agave but they will taste delicious!).  When you take them out they might seem like they’re not done yet but it’s important to let them sit for 8-10 minutes because they will harden.

Enjoy!

Day Ten of the Valentine’s Day Challenge is Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge!

This recipe pulls together really quickly and the only wait time you have is waiting for it to harden which can take as little as 20 minutes. Try using a crunchy peanut butter in this or throwing in a handful of chopped nuts for some nice texture. They taste like a peanut butter cup and it perfectly melds together the flavors so you don’t suffer from an uneven ration of peanut butter to chocolate. Just package these in a quick heart shaped box and you have an awesome Valentine’s Day gift!

After the Valentine’s Day Challenge, I have a ton of savory recipes coming up that I hope you like! Definitely going to give the sweet desserts a break for a week or two because preparing for a fourteen day challenge leaves you with tons of baking to do and leftover sweets! I can’t wait to take a little breather from the endless planning and baking but it has been fun though.

- Alexis ♥

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge

• 1 cup Vegan Chocolate Chips
• ½ cup Peanut Butter (I used crunchy pb)
• ½ cup Vegan Butter
• ½ Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

Directions

Combine the chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter in a small pot and heat over a medium low flame until completely melted and then mix in the vanilla extract.

In a parchment sheet lined container, pour in the chocolate mixture and smooth out the top with a spatula. Refrigerate until firm (this could take an hour or more).

Enjoy!