Fragrant Vanilla Cake

Tag: candy

  • Double Chocolate Strawberry Pistachio Bars 

    Double Chocolate Strawberry Pistachio Bars 

    I love making my own candy! So last weekend when I was craving something chocolaty, I decided to do just that! I wanted something with strawberries since it is strawberry season and I’ve really been enjoying them lately. So I made some Vegan Double Chocolate Strawberry Pistachio Bars!

     
    They have white chocolate, dark chocolate, strawberry jam filling, crunchy freeze dried strawberries and salty pistachios and they turned out so good! For the white chocolate I made my own since I had the ingredients on hand but you could also use store bought vegan white chocolate if you prefer. Pascha has vegan white chocolate chips.
     
    The white chocolate I make has cashew butter to make it creamy, rich coconut butter and cacao butter to make it solid, maple syrup to sweeten it and a little vanilla and sea salt. It’s really good and works well in chocolate bars and truffles.
     
     
    I used a vegan dark chocolate for the chocolate portion. For the jam I used some of Eric’s Dad’s home made strawberry jam because it is the best! But you can use whatever your favorite strawberry jam is. I added the freeze dried strawberries to the bars before they hardened to give them a nice texture along with the pistachios.
     
     
    These bars are so heavenly! The rich smooth vanilla white chocolate and decadent dark chocolate are the perfect pairing for the sweet strawberry jam and crunchy salty pistachios! My husband loved them too, he ate one super fast! If you are in the mood for something sweet and chocolaty, give these Vegan Double Chocolate Strawberry Pistachio Bars a try!
     

    Double Chocolate Strawberry Pistachio Bars  Makes 4 White Chocolate*:

    • 1/4 cup cacao butter
    • 2 Tbsp coconut butter (not oil, warmed to liquid)
    • 2 Tbsp raw cashew butter
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 2 Tbsp maple syrup (or to taste)
    • pinch sea salt

      Dark Chocolate:

    • 1 1/2 cups chopped good quality vegan dark chocolate

      Filling:

    • 4 heaping Tbsp strawberry jam or jelly

    Topping:

    • 1/4 cup chopped pistachios
    • 1/4 cup freeze dried strawberries, chopped

      Instructions:

    1. Combine the cacao powder, cashew butter, and coconut butter, and  in the top of a double boiler, and melt until smooth.
    2. Add the maple syrup, vanilla, and sea salt and whisk together until well blended.
    3. Pour the white chocolate into the bottoms of 4 standard sized chocolate bar molds set on a tray.
    4. Place the tray with the molds in the freezer until the white chocolate has set.
    5. When the white chocolate has hardened, spread about 1 Tbsp strawberry jam over it, leaving 1/2 inch boarder around the sides.  Place back in the freezer.
    6. Meanwhile, clean out the double boiler, and add the dark chocolate to it, melting it until smooth.
    7. Pour the dark chocolate over the white chocolate and jam to fill the molds, and smooth to the sides (working quickly because if you go too slow the jam and white chocolate will start to melt and not look neat).
    8. Sprinkle with the pistachios and freeze dried strawberries.
    9. Set the tray with the molds back into the freezer until set, about 20 minutes.
    10. Un-mold and enjoy!

    Chocolate bars keep in a container in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a month. *If you would prefer to use store bought vegan white chocolate such as Pascha white chocolate chips, you can use 1 1/2 cups of that instead of making the white chocolate.

  • Pecan Pie Brittle

    Pecan Pie Brittle

    Pecan pie was always my favorite pie at Thanksgiving. My grandma would always have pumpkin, apple and pecan and I would have a little of each, but the pecan was the best! Not that I don’t enjoy the other two, because I love them as eel but I have to pick a favorite! I think I take after my Mom and Grandma because pecan was both of their favorites as well! So last week when I decided to make some nut brittle, I made some Pecan Pie Brittle since Thanksgiving is right around the corner!

    I love making nut brittle because it is so easy and simple to make, and always turns out so delicious. This one is super simple, it only has 4 ingredients! I roasted my pecans before making it because I think it makes their flavor even better.

    To make this you just melt granulated sugar in a pan with some sea salt and vanilla bean powder until it is liquid, stirring often so it doesn’t burn. Then you add the pecans. I used vanilla bean powder because I have it on hand but you could also use a little vanilla extract.

    This brittle smells heavenly while cooking, and tastes even better. Like crunchy pecan pie filling! It is super delicious! So good with a cup of coffee for a sweet treat. It didn’t last long in my home though, my husband ate the rest of it in about a day. If you love pecans and are looking for a treat to gift or enjoy yourself, definitely ale this Pecan Pie Brittle!

    Pecan Pie Brittle

    Makes 16 servings

    • 2 cups granulated sugar
    • 1/4 tsp vanilla bean powder
    • 1/8 tsp sea salt
    • 1 1/2 cups toasted pecans

    Instructions:

    1. To make the brittle, in a non-stick pan, melt the sugar, vanilla and salt until completely smooth and liquid over medium heat (this should take about 5 minutes).
    2. Add the pecans, stir until mixed in well, then pour onto a sheet of parchment or foil and allow to cool completely.
    3. Once it has cooled, break into small pieces and enjoy!
  • Vegan Birthday Cake White Chocolate Bars

    Vegan Birthday Cake White Chocolate Bars

    I love birthday cake flavored things with sprinkles, all year round not just on my Birthday or around my Birthday.  I mean, what is not to like about vanilla and sprinkles?!  I have made birthday cake waffles, birthday cake cookies, and birthday cake flavored popcorn, but the other day I decided to try something new and make a birthday cake flavored white chocolate.  I had recently seen a birthday cake batter flavored white chocolate bar that wasn’t vegan and decided that I wanted one so I was going to have to make one.  Not only that, I am on a white chocolate and chocolate making kick lately since we are in the Valentine’s Day season.  So I made these Vegan Cake Batter White Chocolate Bars!

    These are really simple to make if you have all of the ingredients!  The base is a combination of cacao butter, coconut butter (not oil, coconut butter is the whole ground dried coconut flesh similar to nut butter), and raw cashew butter to make it rich and creamy.  These ingredients can be combined in a double boiler to melt, or you can make sure they are at room temperature with the cacao butter microwaved to melt it and whisked together in a bowl.  I add maple syrup for sweetness and a touch of vanilla, almond extract and sea salt to make it extra delicious and give it that birthday cake flavor. 

     

    I bought these chocolate molds on Amazon by the way, in case anyone was wondering since I have gotten that question a lot lately when I post chocolate bars.  Before I poured the white chocolate into the molds, I sprinkled them with the sprinkles, then poured it in and sprinkled more on top.  I loved the look of them and they turned out so heavenly!  I could not wait to try it!  It was rich and smooth, scented with heavenly vanilla and almond, with crunchy little bits of sprinkles!  If you are a vanilla lover like me and enjoy white chocolate definitely whip up a batch of these Vegan Birthday Cake Batter White Chocolate Bars!  You don’t even have to share, I didn’t!

    Vegan Birthday Cake White Chocolate Bars

    Makes 4 Bars

    White Chocolate:

    • 1/2 cup cacao butter
    • 1/4 cup coconut butter (warmed to liquid)
    • 1/4 cup raw cashew butter
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 1 tsp almond extract
    • 1/4 cup maple syrup (or to taste)
    • pinch sea salt

     

    Instructions:

    1. Combine the cacao butter, cashew butter, and coconut butter, and  in the top of a double boiler, and melt until smooth.
    2. Add the maple syrup, vanilla, and sea salt and whisk together until well blended.
    3. Sprinkle some sprinkles into 4 standard sized chocolate bar molds set on a tray.
    4. Pour the white chocolate over the sprinkles, then sprinkle more sprinkles onto them.
    5. Set the tray with the molds back into the freezer until set, about 20 minutes.
    6. Un-mold and enjoy!

    Chocolate bars keep in a container in the refrigerator for up to a month.

  • Spiced Pumpkin Seed Brittle

    Spiced Pumpkin Seed Brittle

    I love making peanut brittle around the holidays.  I remember my Grandparents always had peanut brittle around during Christmas and enjoying it as a kid.  I like to make it now around Christmas, and I plan on doing it this year.  But this Fall I thought some Spiced Pumpkin Seed Brittle would be delicious!  Why not make a seasonal twist on a favorite! It is super easy to make too!

    Some peanut brittles have a few more ingredients than mine but I find that I don’t need all of them.  When I make regular peanut brittle it has only 3 ingredients and comes out just right every time.  This one 3 ingredients without the spices as well. For this one, I first added sugar, salt and spices to a pan.  I included the pumpkin pie spices, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves and honestly it smelled amazing while cooking.

    It is really easy to make, you just melt all of the ingredients together in a pan over medium heat stirring often until the sugar melts and becomes completely liquid.  You want it to melt and start to brown but not burn, and that is when you add the pumpkin seeds and pour it out onto a pan.  You have to work quickly as it hardens fast.  I used turbinado sugar this time because that was what I had on hand, but you can use maple sugar or just granulated sugar if you wish.

    This turned out so delicious and it was so simple to make!  It was sweet, crunchy, lightly spiced and satisfying!  My husband loved it so much the entire batch was gone in about 2 days.  I mean it is hard to stop eating it once you start snacking!  If you are in the mood for something sweet, definitely give this Spiced Pumpkin Seed Brittle a try!

    Spiced Pumpkin Seed Brittle

    Makes 16 servings

    • 2 cups turbinado sugar or granulated sugar
    • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
    • 1/4 tsp ground ginger
    • 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
    • 1/16 tsp ground cloves
    • 1/8 tsp sea salt
    • 1 1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds

    Instructions:

    1. To make the brittle, in a non-stick pan, melt the sugar, spices and salt until completely smooth and liquid over medium heat (this should take about 5 minutes).
    2. Add the pumpkin seeds, stir until mixed in well, then pour onto a sheet of parchment or foil and allow to cool completely.
    3. Once it has cooled, break into small pieces and enjoy!
  • Vegan Spider Web Peanut Butter Cups

    Vegan Spider Web Peanut Butter Cups

    Peanut butter cups are my all time favorite Halloween candy.  Or just favorite candy growing up in general.  Whenever we would get home with our stash of Halloween candy, we would dump it out on the floor and divide it into piles of what we wanted to keep and what we wanted to trade. I would pretty much always trade my non-chocolate candy.  Peanut butter cups of course were always in the keep pile.  I don’t think any of my friends ever traded those!  There is just something so crave worthy about the sweet chocolate and salty peanut butter combo that makes me happy.  So now of course as an adult I still enjoy peanut butter cups.  Yes, I know you can buy them at the store in vegan varieties, but I prefer to make my own, because then I can choose the chocolate and peanut butter that go into them.  Also, they are super simple to make if you have molds. I actually just use silicone muffin liners and they work perfect!

    Now, for Halloween I I like to make them even more festive and make Vegan Spider Web Peanut Butter Cups.  I like spiders after all, they are pretty cool creatures. But no, I don’t mean decorating with real spider webs, that wouldn’t be vegan, instead I made a pretty spider web design on top of my peanut butter cups.  Honestly I got the idea from Martha Stewart because I saw her decorate cupcakes like this and I thought it would be perfect on peanut butter cups!

    For the cups I like to use a good quality vegan dark chocolate, usually Lily’s Vegan Chocolate Chips which happen to also be sugar free.   I just melt it in a double boiler and it’s ready to go!  I make my own peanut butter, so I use that for the filling.  But If I were buying it I would get one with only peanuts and sea salt for the ingredients. I like the centers of my peanut butter cups to be salty, not sweet to contrast the sweet chocolate. Lastly, for the spider web topping, I make a quick vegan “white chocolate”.  It is in parenthesis because I don’t make it with cacao butter since it would be a bit too runny to pipe.  It works out perfectly though!  These are so good!  If you are a big PB cup fan like me, give these Vegan Spider Web Peanut Butter Cups a try for Halloween!

    Vegan Spider Web Peanut Butter Cups
    Makes 6 large cups

    Chocolate:

    • 1 1/2 cups vegan dark chocolate chips, or vegan dark chocolate chopped

     

    Spider Web:

    • 1 Tbsp raw cashew butter at room temperature
    • 2 Tbsp coconut butter warmed to liquid
    • 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 1 1/2 tsp maple syrup warmed to liquid
    • pinch sea salt

     

    Filling:

    • 1/4 cup organic peanut butter* refrigerated

     

    Instructions:

    1. Melt the dark chocolate in the top of a double boiler until smooth.
    2. Spoon a little chocolate into the bottoms of 6 peanut butter cup molds set on a plate or tray, filling them about 1/4-1/3 full.  Place in the freezer until hard, about 10 minutes.
    3. To make the spider web, combine coconut butter, cashew butter, vanilla, maple syrup,  and sea salt in a bowl, and whisk until smooth. Set aside for a minute.
    4. Spoon a heaping 1 tsp of the peanut butter over the hardened dark chocolate layer, then pour the remaining dark chocolate over it in the cups until the peanut butter is covered, and tap the tray on the counter to level it.
    5. Take the white chocolate and put it in a ziplock bag, and cut off the corner to create a small hole.  Pipe the white chocolate in a spiral from the center of the chocolate until you get to the outside snail shell style (see photo at the bottom), then take a toothpick and drag it from the center of the chocolate to the outside about 8 times in a circle to create the web.  Repeat with the remaining chocolates.
    6. Place them in the freezer until set, about 20 minutes.
    7. Enjoy! Store any extra in the refrigerator.

     

     

    *If your PB is too runny for some reason, whisk a little coconut butter into it to thicken it.

  • Vegan Raspberry Rose Mochi

    Vegan Raspberry Rose Mochi

    Eric and I have bought a lot of mochi, my favorite flavors so far were the red bean filled and matcha.  But there was also a delicious ube mochi that was pretty bomb.  You have to read ingredients of course, because some are not vegan (especially a lot of the ice cream ones, but this post is about the non ice cream) but surprisingly a lot of the packages I checked are vegan! There really is nothing like mochi, it has a unique texture, chewy and pillowy at the same time, and not too sweet, but just sweet enough!   I have been wanting to try making my own for a long time, because I thought it would be fun to make new flavors and whatnot.  So I decided to try make my own last weekend! I figured I would start with something easy, so I made some Vegan Raspberry Rose Mochi!

    I looked at a ton of different recipes, before I decided how to make them and what ingredients to use, and I came up with what seemed best to me and it turned out well, which is why I am sharing it. If it had been a failure and not turned out it would have been back to the drawing board but I lucked out this time.  It is pretty clear that glutinous rice flour is a must as the main ingredient, it is what gives the mochi its unique texture!  The base of this one just has rice flour, water, sugar (I didn’t use too much because I didn’t want these over the top sweet), a touch of raspberry powder for extra raspberry flavor in the dough, and rosewater to give  them that heavenly rose aroma!

    They are not difficult or time consuming to make (at least I didn’t think so), and I used the microwave method which only requires about 4 minutes total to cook the dough.  One mistake I made was trying to scoop it out before it cooled down, which was a bad idea unless you like to burn yourself.  Once it cooled down though it was perfect! You need a generous coating of tapioca starch on whatever surface you are using to make the mochi so that it does not stick and I recommend dusting your hands as well.  If you do not have tapioca starch corn starch could also be used.

    I used a raspberry jam filling for the centers of these, a well balanced tart sweet raspberry jam that Eric’s Dad makes from his home grown raspberries.  You can use your favorite raspberry jam to suit your tastes. To make them easier to fill, so that the filling does not run from the center or ooze to the side before I have a chance to pinch it up, I used a little ingredient dish to fill them.  To do this you drape the mochi dough over it so that it hangs over the sides slightly then spoon the filling into the center and pinch it together. It worked out perfect! These turned out so delicious!  They had the chewy, soft, satisfying texture of the store bought mochi, a hint of rose and plenty of raspberry flavor!  I will definitely have to make more in different flavors, and it is one of my favorite things think about dreaming up new flavors for things!  If you are a raspberry fan, definitely give these Vegan Raspberry Rose Mochi a try!

    Vegan Raspberry Rose Mochi

    Makes 8

    Ingredients:

    • 1 1/3 cups glutinous rice flour
    • 1 Tbsp raspberry powder (freeze dried raspberries ground to powder)
    • 1 cup filtered water
    • 1 Tbsp rosewater
    • 1/4 cup sugar
    • 1/2 cup tapioca starch
    • 1/3 cup raspberry jam

    Instructions:

    1. In a microwave safe bowl, whisk together the rice flour and raspberry powder.
    2. Whisk in the water and rosewater, then the sugar until well combined.
    3. Place in the microwave and cook for 3 1/2 minutes covered in plastic wrap.
    4. Stir and microwave 3o seconds more.  Allow to cool until you are able to handle it.
    5. Generously dust a work surface with the tapioca starch, and scrape the mochi onto it, flip it over so both sides are coated.  Cut into 8 pieces and shape into circles.  Flatten each one so that it is about 1/4 inch thick and about 3 inches wide. Use a small 2 1/2 inch bowl ( I used an ingredients bowl) dusted with tapioca starch, stretch the circle over it so it overlaps the sides a little. Spoon 2 tsp raspberry jam into the center, then bring the sides together like a purse and pinch the top to seal it.  Roll in tapioca starch and set in a paper muffin liner. Repeat with the remaining mochi and filling.
    6. Refrigerate until cold, then enjoy!

     

    These keep refrigerated for 1 week, in a sealed container.

  • Coffee Chocolate Halva

    Coffee Chocolate Halva

    Halva is something I make every so often when I am craving candy or something sweet. I first enjoyed some at a place local to me that makes it in all kinds of amazing flavors, then decided to try making my own, because I wanted to make fun flavors too!  Sometimes I make it with different types of nut and seed butters besides tahini, which changes the texture a little (they are all good, just different).  But this time I went with the classic tahini!  I love halva paired with a cup of coffee, so I decided to make a Coffee Chocolate Halva!

    Halva really isn’t that difficult to make, don’t let the use of a candy thermometer fool you!  I used to be a bit intimidated by them as well, but if you follow instructions for the recipe it is easy!  The trick is to get the sugar syrup to 250F degrees before you pour it into the tahini mixture, mix it quickly and still leave streaks, then pour it into the pan and shape it right away while it is warm. Also you want your tahini at room temperature or a little warm so that it doesn’t harden too fast. You can’t usually spread the halva, so you usually end up pressing it into the pan with your hands.  If you line the pan as well that helps when you want to take it out, it is a lot easier!

    This one has classic tahini as the base (I so badly want to try black tahini sometime I think it would be lovely!  Another time though).  I mixed in vanilla, espresso powder for the coffee flavor, and some sea salt.  The amount of sea salt might seem like a substantial amount, but trust me, it makes the flavor pop!  Don’t cut it back or leave it out or it won’t be the same. Lastly I added vegan chocolate chunks that got swirled into the halva and sprinkled on top.

    This turned out sooo delicious!  I love lazy weekend mornings when I can sit and enjoy a cup of coffee and a few pieces of halva!  It is melt in your mouth good!  This one is so lovely with the might coffee flavor and dark chocolate plus the hint of vanilla and nuttiness from the tahini!  I think it would be good made with almond butter too if tahini isn’t your cup of tea.  If you are in the mood for something sweet and delicious, give this Coffee Chocolate Halva a try!

    Coffee Chocolate Halva

    Makes 1 lb

    Ingredients:
    • 1 1/2 cups tahini, stirred well, at room temperature
    • 1/4 tsp sea salt
    • 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 1 Tbsp espresso powder
    • 1 cup granulated sugar
    • 1/4 cup filtered water
    • 1/2 cup chopped vegan dark chocolate
    • 1/4 cup chopped vegan dark chocolate for the top of the halva

     

    Instructions:
    1. Line an 8×8 inch square pan with parchment (letting it go up the sides as well).
    2. In a medium sized bowl, combine the tahini, sea salt, vanilla, espresso powder and mix until well blended.  Set aside.
    3. In a small saucepan with a candy thermometer in it, combine the sugar and water over medium high heat, and stir to dissolve the sugar.  Bring to a boil, and allow to cook while stirring occasionally so it does not burn, until it turns golden brown and reaches 250F degrees.
    4. When it reaches the proper temperature, pour into the halva mixture in a thin stream while stirring constantly until it is just blended, then quickly stir in 1/2 cup chopped chocolate just until it forms streaks in it (it is literally just a few stirs, you don’t want to over-mix or it will become crumbly).
    5. Dump the halva into the prepared pan, and press it out evenly.  Sprinkle with the remaining chocolate chunks and press them into it to adhere them.
    6. Place the halva in the refrigerator and allow to chill and set for a couple hours until it is firm.
    7. Cut into pieces, and enjoy!

    Keeps for 1 month in the refrigerator.

  • Date and Pistachio Halva

    Date and Pistachio Halva

    I was recently given some tahini with dates in it, and it was super delicious.  Also, it gave me the idea to make some halva with chewy dates!  I love dates, they are like nature’s caramel in fruit form.  And, I also am a big halva fan, especially ones with delicious add ins you can sink your teeth into!  So I knew the dates would be perfect in it!  Plus I hadn’t made halva in a while and I was craving it.  I decided to add pistachios also to make it a Date and Pistachio Halva.  I love that it is super simple to make once you get the hang of it, and something I can make on a weekday. The thing is, in my household it doesn’t last long.  My husband Eric has been known to eat half the batch in a day.

    I have made halva with other nut butters instead of tahini before, but tahini is the original ingredient and that classic flavor is amazing.  This time I enhanced the base with a little pure vanilla extract and almond extract and it was heavenly and honestly smelled so good!  The secret to the texture of halva is to make a sugar syrup with a little water and granulated sugar, and you have to use a candy thermometer to get the proper temperature.  Trust me on this one, the first time I made it I did not use one and it did not turn out right.  You have the cook the sugar syrup to 250F degrees, then pour it in a thin stream into your base and stir quickly until it is just blended. You do not want to over-mix or you will get crumbly halva.  you want it to have tiny ribbons of the sugar syrup in it basically to create the texture. Once you get the hang of it after you make it a few times you will know what I mean, or if you have ever had halva from a shop.

    I made sure I used fresh, soft medjool dates for this, because I wanted them to be like little caramelly bits in the halva for texture.  Also, I used salted roasted and chopped pistachios for a crunchy texture. I am a big texture person and I like variety. I feel like this flavor combo and textures is a match made in heaven!  The little bits left in the bowl after I scraped it into the pan were delicious but I could not wait to try the finished product!

    Once it was ready to taste I could not wait to enjoy it!  It was certainly heavenly!  The texture was perfect!  All of the flavors married well together with the sweet dates, nutty tahini, heavenly vanilla and almond and salty pistachios.  It is hard to eat just one piece honestly, I guarantee you will go back for seconds!  If you love halva, or are curious about it I definitely recommend you give this Date and Pistachio Halva a try! I made a video of this recipe if you would like to see that, check it out on my Instagram!

    Date and Pistachio Halva

    Makes 1 lb

    Ingredients:
    • 1 1/2 cups tahini, stirred well, at room temperature
    • 1/4 tsp sea salt
    • 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 1/2 tsp almond extract
    • 1 cup granulated sugar
    • 1/4 cup filtered water
    • 1/2 cup chopped pistachios, plus more for topping
    • 1/2 cup chopped soft pitted dates, broken up, plus more for topping

     

    Instructions:
    1. Line an 8×8 inch square pan with parchment (letting it go up the sides as well).
    2. In a medium sized bowl, combine the tahini, sea salt, vanilla, almond extract, pistachios, and dates and mix until well blended.  Set aside.
    3. In a small saucepan with a candy thermometer in it, combine the sugar and water over medium high heat, and stir to dissolve the sugar.  Bring to a boil, and allow to cook while stirring occasionally so it does not burn, until it turns golden brown and reaches 250F degrees.
    4. When it reaches the proper temperature, pour into the halva mixture in a thin stream while stirring constantly until it is just blended (you don’t want to over-mix or it will become crumbly).
    5. Dump the halva into the prepared pan, and press it out evenly.  Sprinkle about 1/4 cup pistachios and dates and press them into it to adhere them.
    6. Place the halva in the freezer for at least 30 minutes or the refrigerator for a few hours and allow to chill and set for a couple hours until it is firm.
    7. Cut into pieces, and enjoy!

     

    Keeps for 1 month in the refrigerator.

     

  • Strawberry Pistachio Almond Halva

    Strawberry Pistachio Almond Halva

    You know what you can do for yourself when you had a tough day and just want to wind down and enjoy something sweet?  Whip up a batch of halva!  Seriously, it is so delicious and easy to make!  I began to love it a few years back when Eric and I bought some slices from a local company, but I didn’t realize I could make it at home until this year when I decided to give it a go.  How hard could it be after all?  Turns out, not hard at all once you get it down if you own a candy thermometer (which is one crucial part of the process).  I admit I tried to make it without one the first time and it didn’t turn out as nice (it gets a bit crumbly and won’t set nicely), but once I bought one, it was perfect!  I started out making the classic kind with  tahini, and that is super delicious and you can flavor it with so many things!  But I recently started experimenting with other nut butters.  So far I have made a peanut butter and chocolate, and then this Strawberry Pistachio Almond Halva with almond butter! It turned out so good I had to share!

    I always have lots of different nut butters on hand for different recipes and for just eating, so I thought why not try out different ones in halva!  I make my own nut butters at home with my high speed blender.  I think they taste much better than most store bought brands, and that way I control what goes into them. As in, they are only made from whatever nut I am blending and not a bunch of weird oils added in.  If you own a high speed blender and want to make your own, blend 4 cups nuts with sea salt to taste on high, using the tamper to press the nuts down into the blades, and blend until it becomes smooth nut butter.  Trust me it is sooo much better than just buying a jar!  But of course store bought would work for this recipe if you don’t have a blender, just make sure it is smooth, and only contains almonds and salt.

    I associate strawberries with Valentine’s Day, so that is why I chose strawberries for pairing with the almond butter this time, I also added in a bit of vanilla extract to make it fragrant and crunchy salty pistachios for color and texture!  It didn’t take long to make at all!  The thing that takes the longest is simply waiting for the sugar syrup to cook to 250F degrees, after that all you do is stir it into your almond butter mixture, press it into the pan and volia!  Delicious halva after it chills for a while.

    This halva is heavenly!  Sweet and salty, melt in your mouth texture, fragrant with almond, vanilla and strawberries!  I think this would be perfect for Valentine’s Day, I know it certainly is in my home, since my husband Eric loves it and can eat half a batch in one sitting. My favorite type of valentine’s gift or any gift for that matter is one that has thought and love put into it and I am all for edible gifts!  So why not give this Strawberry Pistachio Almond Halva a try!

    Strawberry Pistachio Almond Halva

    Makes 1 lb

    Ingredients:
    • 1 1/2 cups smooth natural (unsweetened) almond butter, stirred well, at room temperature
    • 1/4 tsp sea salt
    • 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 1 cup granulated sugar
    • 1/4 cup filtered water
    • 1/2 cup chopped pistachios, plus more for topping
    • 1/2 cup freeze dried strawberries, broken up, plus more for topping

     

    Instructions:
    1. Line an 8×8 inch square pan with parchment (letting it go up the sides as well).
    2. In a medium sized bowl, combine the almond butter, sea salt, vanilla pistachios, and strawberries and mix until well blended.  Set aside.
    3. In a small saucepan with a candy thermometer in it, combine the sugar and water over medium high heat, and stir to dissolve the sugar.  Bring to a boil, and allow to cook while stirring occasionally so it does not burn, until it turns golden brown and reaches 250F degrees.
    4. When it reaches the proper temperature, pour into the halva mixture in a thin stream while stirring constantly until it is just blended (you don’t want to over-mix or it will become crumbly).
    5. Dump the halva into the prepared pan, and press it out evenly.  Sprinkle with the remaining about 2 Tbsp pistachios and freeze dried strawberries and press them into it to adhere them.
    6. Place the halva in the refrigerator and allow to chill and set for a couple hours until it is firm.
    7. Cut into pieces, and enjoy!

    Keeps for 1 month in the refrigerator.

     

  • Chocolate Marbled Peanut Butter Halva

    Chocolate Marbled Peanut Butter Halva

    I have loved halva ever since I started buying it at a local shop a few years back. I still occasionally get down to the shop, but I also started to make my own at home. I have made it a few times now, and Eric loves it so much that the batch is usually gone in a few days.  It is classically made with tahini, which is really good no matter what flavor you decide to make it.  But I was wondering if it could be made with other nut butters.  I am the nut butter queen after all, I have at least 5 varieties on hand at all times.  So I thought I would do an experiment and try something besides halva.

    I am a sucker for the chocolate and peanut butter combo, peanut butter cups were always a favorite of mine growing up.  So I went with peanut butter this time. I have the most on hand of all my nut butters, so it was perfect!  I wasn’t sure what would happen, because the nut butter fat content varies, but it worked out really well!

    I made the halva the same way I make the one with tahini, but used peanut butter instead.  This is my tweaked halva recipe, it started out with a bit more sugar but I found it a little too sweet so I feel like 1 cup is just the right amount.  I also add in a bit of sea salt, and a touch of vanilla.  Yes, it needs the sea salt, trust me on this one, it just brings out the flavor and makes it better and gives it that something extra.  Especially with the peanut butter, which I like to be a little salty.   You need a candy thermometer for this, and yes it is essential to get the sugar caramel to the right temperature.  But they are cheap and something good to have in the kitchen so it is not a big deal to pick one up.

    The other important thing about this besides the candy thermometer is mixing it properly.  Some people use a stand mixer but I just used a wooden spoon.  The important part is to mix it quickly while pouring the sugar syrup in until is is just incorporated so it has a nice texture and isn’t too crumbly.  Once the peanut butter base was made I quickly mixed in dark chocolate chunks to give it chocolate marbling (again you don’t want to over mix, just add the chocolate a few stirs and voila). This halva turned out sooo heavenly!  It is like peanut butter cup halva!  It is a bit smoother than the regular tahini halva, but I love it!  Once you have a piece though it is hard to stop eating so you have been warned!

    Chocolate Marbled Peanut Butter Halva

    Makes 1 lb

    Ingredients:
    • 1 1/2 cups smooth, natural (unsweetened) peanut butter, stirred well, at room temperature
    • 1/4 tsp sea salt
    • 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 1 cup granulated sugar
    • 1/4 cup filtered water
    • 1/2 cup chopped vegan dark chocolate
    • 1/4 cup chopped vegan dark chocolate for the top of the halva

     

    Instructions:
    1. Line an 8×8 inch square pan with parchment (letting it go up the sides as well).
    2. In a medium sized bowl, combine the peanut butter, sea salt, vanilla and mix until well blended.  Set aside.
    3. In a small saucepan with a candy thermometer in it, combine the sugar and water over medium high heat, and stir to dissolve the sugar.  Bring to a boil, and allow to cook while stirring occasionally so it does not burn, until it turns golden brown and reaches 250F degrees.
    4. When it reaches the proper temperature, pour into the halva mixture in a thin stream while stirring constantly until it is just blended, then quickly stir in 1/2 cup chopped chocolate just until it forms streaks in it (it is literally just a few stirs, you don’t want to over-mix or it will become crumbly).
    5. Dump the halva into the prepared pan, and press it out evenly.  Sprinkle with the remaining chocolate chunks and press them into it to adhere them.
    6. Place the halva in the refrigerator and allow to chill and set for a couple hours until it is firm.
    7. Cut into pieces, and enjoy!

    Keeps for 1 month in the refrigerator.

     

  • Vegan Matcha White Chocolate Filled Eggs

    Vegan Matcha White Chocolate Filled Eggs

    I love making Easter candy!  One of my favorites has always been filled chocolate eggs.  This year I made some raspberry ones, and some caramel, and also some with a matcha white chocolate filling earlier this week!  I had enjoyed a white chocolate matcha latte recently and I decided that it would make a heavenly chocolate egg filling so I went for it! Matcha is one of my favorite flavors, and I love its brilliant green color which is perfect for spring!

    For the filling, I made a white chocolate cream with a cacao butter base with some raw cashew butter and coconut butter to give it a rich and creamy texture.  I added a bit of maple syrup and vanilla to sweeten it and it was heavenly!  I have used this before as a truffle base and it is always so good!  It is heavenly with berry or fruit flavors or even things like coffee or almond and I knew it would be amazing with the matcha.

    It was really hard to stop sampling it! When it was chilled enough to shape, I shaped it like play dough into eggs.  I should add that this has to be the right temperature to shape, if you chill it too long it becomes too hard, and if it isn’t chilled enough it starts to melt a little while you are shaping it so it is best to check it often while chilling.  You want it kind of the consistency of really thick frosting or play dough.

    Once the eggs were all shaped, I chilled them and dipped them in dark chocolate.  I could not wait to try the finished product!  They were totally heavenly!  The sweet, mellow white chocolate vanilla filling was creamy and rich, the perfect partner for the matcha and dark chocolate!  If you are a fan of matcha, definitely give these a try!

    Vegan Matcha White Chocolate Filled Eggs 
    Makes 12 large eggs

    Ingredients:

    Filling:

    • 1/4 cup raw cacao butter (2 oz) or coconut oil if unavailable
    • 1/4 cup raw cashew butter
    • 1/4 cup raw coconut butter
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 2 Tbsp maple syrup
    • 2 tsp matcha powder
    • 1/4 cup filtered water

     

    Dark Chocolate:

    • 1 1/2 cups vegan dark chocolate, chopped or vegan chocolate chips

     

    Directions:

    1. Combine all of the filling ingredients but the matcha and water over a double boiler, and whisk until smooth.
    2. Whisk the matcha  into the white chocolate along with the water. Place in the freezer for about 15-20 minutes until it is firm enough to scoop. Scoop into 12 balls, rolling them with your hands and shaping them into eggs.   Place on a parchment lined tray, and place back into the freezer until firm, about 30 minutes.
    3. Meanwhile, melt the dark chocolate in a double boiler, and whisk until smooth.
    4. Once the filling has firmed up, dip each chocolate into the dark chocolate, being sure to let the excess drain off, and place back onto the tray (I like to set mine on a fork to allow it to drain better). Once they are all dipped, set them in the freezer until hardened.

    Store any leftover truffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

  • Vegan Strawberry Lemon White Chocolate Cups 

    Vegan Strawberry Lemon White Chocolate Cups 

    Meteorological spring is here, and even thought it is not technical spring on the calendar, I am treating it like it is.  I am so ready to wear cute spring clothes, watch everything start to green up outside and to eat delicious spring produce!  One of my favorite of which is strawberries.  They won’t be in season here yet for a while, but Eric’s Dad sent us some of his home made strawberry jam so that is just as good!  It is seriously the best jam I have ever had, he grows the berries in his back yard and they are amazing! 

    So I decided to make a treat with some of it, some strawberry lemon white chocolate cups! It is spring candy and Easter candy time so why not?!  I always love some good white chocolate. I make my own, since most of the stuff at the store is not made with actual cacao butter, and some of the vegan ones I have tried were either super expensive or just meh. Plus it is fun to make your own if you happen to have the ingredients on hand, which I always do because they are part of my dessert making pantry.

    For the white chocolate I use a mixture of cacao butter, coconut butter and cashew butter to give it a smooth rich melt in your mouth texture.  A little maple syrup and vanilla to sweeten it and it is so good!  This time I added a little bit of lemon juice and zest to make it lemon flavored. I love lemon desserts in the spring!

    I could not wait to try these once they were ready!  They were just as heavenly as I imagined!  Smooth, rich melt in your mouth vanilla and lemon scented white chocolate with sweet gooey strawberry jam on the inside!  So much better than most things you can buy at the store!  If you are a fan of white chocolate, give these a try! 

    Vegan Strawberry Lemon White Chocolate Cups 

    Makes 6

    Ingredients:

    • 1/2 cup cacao butter (2 oz)
    • 1/4 cup raw cashew butter
    • 1/4 cup coconut butter
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 3 Tbsp maple syrup (or to taste)
    • 1/8 tsp sea salt
    • 2 Tbsp lemon juice
    • about 1/2 cup strawberry jam

     

    Instructions:

    1. Combine cacao butter, cashew butter, vanilla, maple syrup,  and sea salt over a double boiler, and whisk until smooth.
    2. Whisk the lemon juice and zest into the white chocolate.
    3. Pour about 1/4 inch into the bottom of 6 silicone muffin tins or large peanut butter cup molds, and place in the freezer until hard, which usually takes about 10 minutes or so depending on how warm it is.
    4. When that chocolate has hardened, spoon about 1 tsp of strawberry jam into the center of each (being careful not to let it spread too much to the edges) and then top with enough white chocolate to cover it.
    5. Place back into the freezer until set, about 30 minutes.
    6. Pop chocolate out of molds and enjoy!
    7. Store in the refrigerator for a month or an airtight container in the freezer for up to three months.

     

  • Vegan Strawberry Matcha Chocolate Bars

    Vegan Strawberry Matcha Chocolate Bars

        

    It has been feeling like spring here in Minnesota, so I am in the mood for spring colors and flavors.  I am so ready to put away the heavy winter clothes and bring out the fun spring wardrobe! But I know the weather can turn on a dime so it will still be a few weeks I am sure before I can store away the coats for good for the season.  I am going to soak up as much sunshine as I can, and savor the fact that the snow is melting and make spring themed food.  Like these strawberry matcha chocolate bars that I made last week.

    For some reason, I love the flavor matcha for spring.  Mainly because of the green color, which is perfect for growth to symbolize spring, but also it is so light and fresh!  Strawberries are a late spring crop here, coming in about May or June, but I like to start enjoying them as soon as I can get them for a good price in stores.  For these bars though, I actually used freeze dried ones (so they didn’t add moisture to my chocolate) so it didn’t matter.

    I had the idea to make a chocolate bars with spring colors in a white chocolate and swirl that into a dark chocolate bar, and strawberry powder and matcha powder were the perfect way to accomplish this!  They would have been good on their own as flavored white chocolates, but I just love the combination of white and dark chocolate so much when they are combined. One is dark and intense and one is mellow and sweet so they balance each other out.

    These turned out just as I had imagined them!  Super delicious with the rich dark chocolate, the light smooth sweet strawberry chocolate and the earthy matcha!  They were perfectly balanced, and so heavenly!  I have to admit, I made these just for myself and I did not share.  But they would make a lovely gift, and they would be perfect for Easter as an alternative to store bought candy. 

    Vegan Strawberry Matcha Chocolate Bars

    Makes 4

    Matcha and Strawberry White Chocolate:

    • 1/4 cup cacao butter
    • 2 Tbsp coconut butter (warmed to liquid)
    • 2 Tbsp raw cashew butter
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 2 Tbsp maple syrup (or to taste)
    • pinch sea salt
    • 1/4 tsp matcha powder
    • 2 Tbsp strawberry power (I took freeze dried strawberries and ground them up with a mortar and pestle)

     

      Dark Chocolate:

    • 1 1/2 cups chopped good quality vegan dark chocolate

     

        Instructions:

    1. Combine the cacao butter, cashew butter, and coconut butter, and  in the top of a double boiler, and melt until smooth.
    2. Add the maple syrup, vanilla, and sea salt and whisk together until well blended.
    3. Divide between 2 bowls.  Whisk the matcha into one, and the strawberry powder into the other.
    4. drizzle half of the matcha white chocolate and strawberry white chocolate in random designs into the bottoms of 4 standard sized chocolate bar molds set on a tray.
    5. Place the tray with the molds in the freezer until the white chocolate has set.
    6. Meanwhile, clean out the double boiler, and add the dark chocolate to it, melting it until smooth.
    7. When the white chocolate has hardened, pour the dark chocolate over it to fill the molds, and smooth to the sides (working quickly because if you go too slow the white chocolate will start to melt and not look neat).  Then drizzle the remaining strawberry and matcha white chocolate over that.
    8. Set the tray with the molds back into the freezer until set, about 20 minutes.
    9. Unmold and enjoy!

     

    Chocolate bars keep in a container in the refrigerator for up to a month.

  • Vegan Rosewater White Chocolate Truffles

    Vegan Rosewater White Chocolate Truffles

    Rosewater is such a heavenly flavor that I don’t use nearly enough!  I recently found mine (it had gotten pushed to the back of the refrigerator), and decided that I needed to make something with it this week.  I had recently purchased a big bag of cacao butter, so combining it with white chocolate sounded amazing. I have already made some chocolates for Valentine’s Day, but I figured I could always share some!  I love making truffles of any kind and Valentine’s Day is the perfect excuse to try making new recipes.

    Back in the day, my Grandma would always give us kids a box of chocolates, and it was always exciting trying all of the different ones, trying to guess what they were before biting it.  I may know what is in all of the truffles I eat now, but I like to have a variety to choose from when the chocolate craving strikes.  Plus it doesn’t seem right to not have chocolate candy for Valentine’s day, and making it for those I like to gift is more special that simply buying it in my opinion.

    For the base of these, I wanted them to be rich and creamy so I started off with a cacao butter base, combined it with some coconut butter and cashew butter and it was the perfect texture!  Once I added some maple syrup to sweeten and the vanilla and rosewater it was heavenly!  I could not stop sampling it!  I have this problem a lot lol.  I think this is why I enjoy making desserts like this to much.  I have to taste it and make sure it is good after all (wink wink).  Once the centers were all ready to go, they needed a coating.

    I could have done white chocolate, but I wanted to cut the really sweet filling with some intense rich dark chocolate.  They were fabulous!  The sweet rosewater and vanilla combo was so heavenly in the rich melt in your mouth filling!  The dark chocolate worked so well with all of it!  If you are a rosewater fan, give these a try!  You may not even want to share them, which is ok too!

    Vegan Rosewater White Chocolate Truffles 

    Makes 14 truffles

    Ingredients:

    Filling:

    • 1/2 cup cacao butter, warmed to liquid
    • 1/4 cup raw cashew butter at room temperature
    • 3/4 cup coconut butter, warmed to liquid
    • 1 tsp red beet powder
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 1/4 cup maple syrup
    • 2 Tbsp rosewater
    • 2 Tbsp filtered water

     

    Dark Chocolate:

    • 2 cups chopped vegan dark chocolate or vegan dark chocolate chips

     

    Directions:

    1. Combine all of the filling ingredients in a bowl, and whisk until smooth.
    2. Place in the freezer for about 15-20 minutes until it is firm enough to scoop. Scoop into 14 balls, rolling them with your hands.   Place on a parchment lined tray, and place back into the freezer until firm, about 30 minutes.
    3. Meanwhile,  melt the dark chocolate in a double boiler until smooth.
    4. Once the filling has firmed up, dip each chocolate into the dark chocolate, being sure to let the excess drain off, and place back onto the tray (I like to set mine on a fork to allow it to drain better). Once they are all dipped, set them in the freezer until hardened.

      Store any leftover truffles in the refrigerator for up to 1 month (or freeze for up to 3 months in an airtight container).

  • Vegan Chocolate Caramel Hearts

    Vegan Chocolate Caramel Hearts

    Valentine’s Day is about a month away, so I figured why not make some candy!  Not that I didn’t make candy for Christmas, but there is a candy for every season right?  Luckily the candy that I make isn’t just complete sugar and has some nutritional value.  Making candy for Valentine’s day is sort of a yearly thing.  I used to just buy it growing up to give away to my classmates, or buy it for myself, but now I make it. My Grandma always used to buy me a box of chocolates every year though and I looked forward to that.  The filled ones were my favorite, especially the caramels.  So that is what I decided to make this week.

    Some chocolate caramel hearts! I figured I might as well make something that looked cute and festive as well as tasted good.  I know some people hate Valentine’s Day and the cheesy kitschy aspect of it, but I actually like it!  Even when I didn’t have a significant other back in the day I enjoyed at least spending time with my Mom on that day and going out to a fun dinner or something and making something chocolate for dessert.  I still enjoy the holiday, and making fun goodies for it!

    For the filling on these hearts, I made a date caramel because I much prefer it to actual sugar caramel. Dates have lots of fiber and nutrients, and I call them nature’s caramel because they taste just like it.  I blended them up with almond butter, coconut butter, vanilla and some water and one chilled it becomes a moldable caramel.  I shaped it into little hearts and chilled it before dipping them in dark chocolate.

    These are a little bit of work, but I enjoyed making them and they are worth the effort!  They are totally heavenly!  The caramel is sweet and vanilla scented, with a gooey chewy consistency and it is paired perfectly with the dark chocolate!  These would be perfect for sharing on valentine’s day!

    Vegan Chocolate Caramel Hearts
    Makes 16

    Ingredients:

    • 2 cups soft pitted medjool dates soaked in water 30 minutes until soft and drain well before using in recipe
    • 1/2 cup almond butter
    • 1/3 cup filtered water
    • 1 cup coconut butter, warmed to liquid
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 1/4 tsp sea salt
    • 2 cups chopped vegan dark chocolate or dark chocolate chips

     

    Instructions:

    1. To make the caramel filling, combine the dates, almond butter, water, coconut butter, vanilla, and sea salt in a high speed blender and blend until smooth.
    2. Drop it onto a parchment lined tray by the mounded tablespoon, you should have about 10 mounds.  Place in the freezer until they are more firm (about 20 minutes), and you can shape them into hearts.  Shape them into eggs with your hands (like you would with play dough.  Put them back on the tray and freeze until hard, about 1 hour to 1-2 hours.
    3. When the centers are almost ready, melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler until smooth.
    4. Dip each caramel heart into the chocolate, coating it completely and allowing the excess to drain off (I like to set mine on a fork to do so), and place back onto the tray.  When they are all done, put them back into the freezer to harden the chocolate if it isn’t set yet.

     

    Store caramels in the refrigerator for up to a month in an airtight container with a lid.

  • Vegan Pink Peppermint Truffles

    Vegan Pink Peppermint Truffles

        

    I have been seeing lots of mint flavored treats around lately for the holiday season, and they all sound good to me so I thought I would make one of my own!  I am not big on candy canes, but what I do love is the chocolate mint combo. So, I decided to make some peppermint truffles!  I like to make both cookies and candy around Christmas to enjoy so I figured I would get started on the candy part.  I had all of the ingredients I needed on hand, and I was super excited! 

    For the filling, I wanted it to be creamy, rich and have a little bit of a white chocolate flavor, so I started with a cacao and coconut butter base.  I also added in some raw cashew butter to give it that soft creamy texture that I love about truffles.  I added in vanilla as well along with a good amount of peppermint extract because I love those two flavors together.  Sometimes I tint my peppermint stuff green with matcha or spinach powder but this time I decided to tint them pink, my favorite color.  Of course you can do the green if you prefer.  But I love anything pink! 

     

    Truffles are kind of tedious to make, but they are well worth it. It is even kind of fun rolling the filling into balls like play dough!  I always end up sampling a bit though.  It is hard not to because it smells so good and it is so delicious! Once they are all shaped I freeze them for a bit so that they hold their shape when dipping.  I didn’t used to be as good at making truffles when I started, they came out a bit wonky and sometimes not evenly dipped in the chocolate but I have had a bit of practice now.  They are not perfect, but much better than they used to be! 

    I dipped them in vegan dark chocolate to finish them off.  They turned out super delicious!  Soft and smooth, with the mellow sweet scent of vanilla and cool peppermint, the perfect match for the rich dark chocolate coating! If you are a peppermint fan, definitely give these a try! 

    Vegan Pink Peppermint Truffles

    Makes 16

    Ingredients:

    Filling:

    • 1/2 cup cacao butter, warmed to liquid
    • 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp raw cashew butter at room temperature
    • 3/4 cup coconut butter, warmed to liquid
    • 1 tsp beet powder
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 1 tsp peppermint extract
    • 1/4 cup maple syrup
    • 1/4 cup filtered water

     

    Dark Chocolate:

    • 2 cups chopped vegan dark chocolate or vegan dark chocolate chips

     

    Directions:

    1. Combine all of the filling ingredients in a bowl, and whisk until smooth.
    2. Place in the freezer for about 15-20 minutes until it is firm enough to scoop. Scoop into 14 balls, rolling them with your hands.   Place on a parchment lined tray, and place back into the freezer until firm, about 30 minutes.
    3. Meanwhile,  melt the dark chocolate in a double boiler until smooth.
    4. Once the filling has firmed up, dip each chocolate into the dark chocolate, being sure to let the excess drain off, and place back onto the tray (I like to set mine on a fork to allow it to drain better). Once they are all dipped, set them in the freezer until hardened.
    5. Store any leftover truffles in the refrigerator.
  • Chocolate Pecan Pie Cups

    Chocolate Pecan Pie Cups

    It was incredibly nice last weekend, so I didn’t spend much time in the kitchen. Instead, I spent lots out time outdoors, because how often is it 70F degrees in November?!  But we got snapped back to reality yesterday when it rained all day, then today when it snowed a few inches, plus ice pellets.  Winter is knocking on the door, but that means it is the perfect time to create deliciousness in the kitchen!  I am kind of on a pecan desserts kick lately.  Well, pecan pie specifically.  I made some pecan pie chocolate chunks bars last week and they were so good that I thought I might try making that flavor combination into a candy!

    I really wanted more of that gooey pecan pie filling after eating those bars, but with more of a caramel filling and chocolate ratio minus the crust (sorry crust, not that you weren’t good, but I am obsessed with the filling), so I thought making some chocolate cups sounded amazing!  I used a very similar filling to the bars.  Only I didn’t add the coconut oil and water, and I upped the maple syrup slightly since these are candies. The filling was a date caramel, my favorite caramel because it is way less processed than the kind made with sugar.

    This caramel whips up fast, and in fact I made twice the amount called for in the recipe, just so I would have extra to enjoy!  I mixed some toasted pecans into the half that I was using for the filling and it was super delicious!  This stuff is really hard to stop tasting. Luckily I had that extra caramel on the side so I had plenty left for the chocolate cups! I like chocolate cups as opposed to something you have to shape and dip sometimes because they are easier, and work well for more gooey fillings.

    These turned out so heavenly!  The caramel was rich, scented with vanilla and gooey with those crunchy toasted pecans and dark chocolate, it was hard to just eat one.  But I saved some for later so I had something to look forward to enjoying.  Needless to say, I didn’t end up sharing any of these and that doesn’t happen often!  If you are a pecan pie fan, definitely give these a try!

    Chocolate Pecan Pie Cups

    Makes 6

    Ingredients:

    Filling:

    • 1/2 cup soft pitted medjool dates (if they are not soft, soak them in filtered water for 30 minutes and drain well
    • before using)
    • 2 Tbsp pecan butter (or raw cashew butter or almond butter)
    • 1/8 tsp sea salt
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 2 Tbsp maple syrup
    • 1/2 cup toasted pecans, chopped

     

    Chocolate:

    • 1 1/2 cups chopped vegan dark chocolate

     

    Instructions:

    1. To make filling, combine all ingredients in a high speed blender or food processor except the pecans. Process until smooth, then scrape into a bowl and stir in the pecans.
    2. Melt the dark chocolate in the top of a double boiler until smooth.
    3. Pour enough chocolate into each of 6 silicone baking cups, or large PB cup molds to cover the bottom by 1/4 inch. Place in the freezer until firm.
    4. Spoon about 1 Tbsp of the filling into each cup on top of the chocolate trying not to touch the edges with it, and smoothing the top down a little so it doesn’t stick up too high.
    5. Pour the remaining chocolate over the fillings, and then place them in the freezer until the chocolate has set, about 20 minutes.
    6. Remove from the molds, and enjoy!

     

  • Vegan White Mocha Truffles

    Vegan White Mocha Truffles

        

    When I was in high school, every Sunday after church my Mom and I would stop at a local coffee shop on the way home and pick up drinks.  I started out with a dark chocolate mocha, then graduated to americanos later on.  But my Mom always got the same thing every time. A white mocha.  They made the best white mochas, she said.  And she still thinks so because every now and then she picks one up from there.  They do have really good coffee!  Whenever I see a white mocha on a menu I think of my Mom. They are pretty delicious.  Sadly, it is almost impossible to find a vegan one so I haven’t had one since back in the day. 

    But I was thinking about those days, and I decided that some white mocha truffles would be really good!  Raw Guru had just sent me some raw macadamia nut butter, and I figured it would make the perfect creamy element in the truffles along with some of their raw cacao butter and coconut butter. White chocolate truffles are heavenly on their own, but add in coffee to the mix and I figured they would be out of this world!  

    I am kind of a coffee snob, I admit it. The coffee has to be really good, and be drinkable on its own and still taste amazing without anything added to it in order for me to buy it.  Not bitter or burnt tasting that is a no go.  It has to be smooth, and delicious.  I have been buying the same brand of local coffee for about a year now because it is hands down the most amazing coffee I have ever had. It is called Dogwood Coffee and there are several locations in the twin cities.  Eric and I started going to this place last year when we were trying out different coffee shops around here and we were hooked. They roast their own beans, and it is seriously the most amazing coffee! No, this is not a sponsored post, I just want all of you to know about it who may live around here (Minnesota), or they do have an online store if you don’t. I also like supporting local businesses especially during this time. 

    Anyways back to the truffles, that is what I used in them along with my white chocolate cream base, and the filling tasted amazing!  I dipped them in vegan dark chocolate to contrast the white, and it was the perfect combination.  The filling is rich and creamy with the scent of white chocolate, vanilla and aromatic coffee, it is totally heavenly!  If you are a coffee and white chocolate fan, definitely give these a try! 

    Vegan White Mocha Truffles

    Makes 16

    Ingredients:

    Filling:

     

    Dark Chocolate:

    • 2 cups chopped vegan dark chocolate or vegan dark chocolate chips

     

    Directions:

    1. Combine all of the filling ingredients in a bowl, and whisk until smooth.
    2. Place in the freezer for about 15-20 minutes until it is firm enough to scoop. Scoop into 14 balls, rolling them with your hands.   Place on a parchment lined tray, and place back into the freezer until firm, about 30 minutes.
    3. Meanwhile,  melt the dark chocolate in a double boiler until smooth.
    4. Once the filling has firmed up, dip each chocolate into the dark chocolate, being sure to let the excess drain off, and place back onto the tray (I like to set mine on a fork to allow it to drain better). Once they are all dipped, set them in the freezer until hardened.
    5. Store any leftover truffles in the refrigerator.
  • Vegan Blue Moon Truffles

    Vegan Blue Moon Truffles

        

    When I was little, my Dad and I would go on a trip up to northern Minnesota every year, and the town we would stay in had this awesome little ice cream shop.  They had the most delicious ice cream I had ever had up to that point in life.  Flavors like blueberry cheesecake, rocky road and blue moon.  The blue moon was something that I had not heard of before visiting there.  It was delicious, with almost an almond extract like flavor.  It had been years since I had enjoyed it then a local ice cream shop called Minnesota Nice Cream had it this past summer in a vegan soft serve version and it was amazing too (I go to that place often in the warmer months).

    I can definitely say I am a fan of blue moon.  Plus it is pretty to look at, that sky blue hue, and sweet fragrant flavor what’s not to love?  Unless you hate almond flavor, then maybe it isn’t for you, but my Mom and Grandma loved putting it in things so I grew up loving it. I have only ever had blue moon ice cream though, nothing else blue moon flavored, so I got to thinking there should be some more blue moon in the world. 

    So this week, I decided to make some blue moon truffles. I figured make a white chocolate truffle base and give them the same flavor as the ice cream. For the base, I used Raw Guru cacao butter as the base because it is essential to real white chocolate. That is why I don’t like a lot of store bought white chocolate because they use cheaper substitutes like palm oil or something (plus some aren’t always vegan of course).  But mine has to have the real stuff. I also added in some Dastony coconut butter and raw cashew butter to make it extra creamy and melt in your mouth.  I sweetened it with a bit of maple syrup, and added in the almond and vanilla extracts to give it that classic flavor. 

    To make it that beautiful blue color, I used butterfly pea flower powder.  I have the flowers on hand for making a lovely tea, but they work great when ground up to color things too. I bought them on Amazon.  The filling was super delicious, and I dipped it in melted dark chocolate.  The truffles were heavenly!  They tasted like the ice cream but with white chocolate on the inside, and it paired so well with the dark chocolate!  If you are in the mood for something sweet, definitely give these a try!

    Vegan Blue Moon Truffles

    Makes 16

    Ingredients:

    Filling:

     

    Dark Chocolate:

    • 2 cups chopped vegan dark chocolate or vegan dark chocolate chips

     

    Directions:

    1. Combine all of the filling ingredients in a bowl, and whisk until smooth.
    2. Place in the freezer for about 15-20 minutes until it is firm enough to scoop. Scoop into 14 balls, rolling them with your hands.   Place on a parchment lined tray, and place back into the freezer until firm, about 30 minutes.
    3. Meanwhile,  melt the dark chocolate in a double boiler until smooth.
    4. Once the filling has firmed up, dip each chocolate into the dark chocolate, being sure to let the excess drain off, and place back onto the tray (I like to set mine on a fork to allow it to drain better). Once they are all dipped, set them in the freezer until hardened.
    5. Store any leftover truffles in the refrigerator.
  • Dark Chocolate Lavender Truffles

    Dark Chocolate Lavender Truffles

         

    I have been a bit stressed lately due to my my kitchen being remodeled, stuff going on in my personal life, and the change of routine that came with all of this Covid 19 business. There has just been a whole lot going on lately, and being someone that doesn’t do well with change, it has been crushing me a bit. To be honest, I haven’t been that hungry or making that many recipes, but I feel like I am finally starting to calm down a bit and get back to my normal routine and self.

    One thing that I like to enjoy when I am trying to relax is the scent of lavender.  It is so heavenly and honestly one of my favorite scents ever next to vanilla.  I love it in baths, or to diffuse it as an essential oil, or in a home made body spray, and drinking a lavender infused tea but it is so good when included in desserts as well! So, I decided to make some dark chocolate lavender truffles.

    I had made some about 10 years ago, and remembered that recipe so I thought now was the perfect time to make some. Why not?  Chocolate makes me happy, and these truffles are so easy to make and require only a few ingredients.  Three to be exact, which we can all deal with even when we are having a hard time right? I thought about how I wanted to infuse the lavender in and I thought about just grinding up the dried flowers, but I wanted these to be smooth and luxurious inside not have a weird texture.  So, I infused the coconut milk for my ganache filling with dried lavender and it worked out perfect! 

    It seriously smelled so good while it was steeping.  Like heavenly coconut lavender flan or something. After that, I just strained it and combined it with melted dark chocolate to make the centers. It is kind of fun rolling the filling into little balls, almost like play dough.  I ate a few in the process and they were good even without the coating. But lastly to make them pretty I dipped them in melted dark chocolate.  These turned out so heavenly and they brightened my day, even if it was just a little bit.  The scent of lavender is totally relaxing too!  If you are a lavender fan like I am, definitely give these a try!

    Dark Chocolate Lavender Truffles

    Makes 12 truffles

    • 1/2 cup coconut cream (the thick part from the top of the can of coconut milk (I used organic Thai Kitchen brand)
    • 1 Tbsp dried lavender
    • 2 cup chopped vegan dark chocolate chips or dark chocolate chunks, divided

     

    Instructions:

    1. Combine the coconut cream and lavender in a small sauce pan over medium heat, and heat until it starts to bubble and the coconut milk is melted and hot.  Remove from the burner, and let sit aside for 15 minutes, then strain through a fine meshed strainer to remove the lavender chunks.
    2. Combine the coconut cream with 1 cup of the chopped chocolate in the top of a double boiler and whisk every so often until it is all melted together smoothly.
    3. Pour into a bowl, and place in the freezer until firm enough to scoop and roll, about 30 minutes or so.
    4. Roll the filling mixture into balls, and place on a parchment lined tray. Place in the freezer until they are firm, about 30 minutes.
    5. Meanwhile, melt the other cup of dark chocolate in the top of a double boiler until smooth.
    6. Dip each of the chocolate filling balls into the melted chocolate one by one letting the excess drain off (I like to use a fork to set them on to dip them). Set on the parchment lined tray.
    7. When the chocolates are all dipped, place the tray in the freezer until the coating has firmed up.
    8. Store chocolates in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

     

  • Vegan Raspberry Chocolate Eggs

    Vegan Raspberry Chocolate Eggs

       

    I loved Easter candy as a kid.  Those pastel wrappers and fun varieties of candy I couldn’t get the rest of the year, I loved opening up my Easter eggs from the hunt and finding out what was in them.  One of the Easter candies I got most excited for were the raspberry cream eggs. They were larger than the fun sized candy, and that filling was so good.  Kind of like raspberry marshmallows but better. So now I like to make my own home made veganized version that is probably healthier than the ones I ate as a kid.  It is the perfect time, since we are all spending a bit more time at home due to the Coronavirus quarantine.

    These are fun to make too!  For the filling I made it a white chocolate raspberry filling.  The white chocolate truffle filling being a combination of Raw Guru cacao butter and Dastony coconut butter and cashew butter.  This is what I use for my white chocolate usually in combination with a bit of vanilla and maple syrup to sweeten. For the raspberries I used freeze dried ones.  You may be asking why not fresh?  Well, they are spendy this time of the year, especially in Minnesota.  And, the freeze dried have plenty of flavor plus they don’t add excess moisture.

    This is why they are perfect for something like this!  I use them in frosting to make it raspberry flavored for that reason too.  The texture comes out lovely!  I could not stop sampling the filling because it was so good!  It was kind of fun to shape the little eggs, kind of like play dough!

    I dipped them in vegan dark chocolate and I could not wait to try one!  Once they had set, I dove in!  They were heavenly!  Rich, creamy sweet raspberry filling with a hint of vanilla and that decadent dark chocolate was perfect paired with it!  These are sooo much better than the ones I grew up eating! If you have a bit of extra time, why not try making your own Easter treats?!

    Vegan Raspberry Chocolate Eggs 
    Makes 6-8 large eggs

    Ingredients:

    Filling:

     

    Dark Chocolate:

    • 1 1/2 cups vegan dark chocolate, chopped or vegan chocolate chips

     

    Directions:

    1. Combine all of the filling ingredients but the berries and water over a double boiler, and whisk until smooth.
    2. Pulverize the berries in a blender until fine, then whisk into the white chocolate along with the water. Place in the freezer for about 15-20 minutes until it is firm enough to scoop. Scoop into 8 balls, rolling them with your hands and shaping them into eggs.   Place on a parchment lined tray, and place back into the freezer until firm, about 30 minutes.
    3. Meanwhile, melt the dark chocolate in a double boiler, and whisk until smooth.
    4. Once the filling has firmed up, dip each chocolate into the dark chocolate, being sure to let the excess drain off, and place back onto the tray (I like to set mine on a fork to allow it to drain better). Once they are all dipped, set them in the freezer until hardened.

    Store any leftover truffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

  • Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Eggs

    Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Eggs

    I used to get excited about Easter candy growing up.  Those pretty pastel wrappers, and getting to enjoy things I didn’t the rest of the year like Robin’s Eggs malted milk balls, raspberry cream eggs, and Reese’s peanut butter eggs.  I wasn’t a big fan of those big jelly beans though, they had a weird flavor.  So now as an adult I like to try to recreate my favorite Easter candies in healthier veganized versions. Not only that, I just find making my own treats to be fun and relaxing.  Also, it is the perfect thing to do right now if you are being cooped up from the coronavirus quarantines.  I am not completely cooped up, since I still have to go to work (I work in a grocery store), but since I can’t do some of the other things I like to do I have a little extra time to make treats like these!

    I have made them before, but I didn’t have the recipe on my website.  I am finally getting it up there!  It took a few experiments to make these the right texture.  The first try I thought I would try to thicken the peanut butter to make it shape-able with peanuts I whizzed up in the blender.  But that didn’t work too well, they were still pretty gooey. The ingredient that worked perfect was peanut flour (or peanut powder as it is sometimes labeled)!  In traditional peanut butter egg recipes, they use powdered sugar, but since I try to stay away from refined sugars I wanted something else that would thicken it up the same way.  The peanut butter flour works the same, and I just add a touch of maple syrup for sweetener.

    You could even leave out the maple syrup if you wanted them a little less sweet, since the chocolate is sweet.  I do that sometimes.  It is kind of fun shaping them into eggs, like a kid playing with play dough.  Or at least that is how I always feel when I do this sort of thing. You give them a little chill in the freezer and they are just the right consistency to dip into chocolate!

    I admit it is a little tedious dipping them into the chocolate, but there are only 10 so it isn’t as tough as say dipping 50 truffles!  It is worth your effort though!  These are sooo good!  I enjoy these even more than the ones I grew up eating with the fake ingredients!  I am debating whether or not I want to share or keep them for my own personal indulgence.

    Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Eggs
    Makes about 10

    Ingredients:

     

    Instructions:

    1. In a bowl, mix together the peanut butter, peanut flour, maple syrup, and sea salt until smooth and well combined.  You want it to be the consistency of dough, if it is still too soft (since peanut butter may vary in how liquid it is), add a little more peanut flour.
    2. Shape into eggs, and place on a parchment lined tray.  Place in the freezer to chill for 1-2 hours.
    3. Meanwhile, when you are ready to dip the peanut butter centers, melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler until smooth.
    4. Dip each peanut butter egg into the chocolate (letting the excess drain off, I like to set mine on a fork to dip to make it easier) and place back onto the tray until they are all done.  Place in the freezer to set the chocolate until it is hard, which usually takes 5-10 minutes.  Enjoy!

    Store any leftovers in the refrigerator in a container with a lid for up to a few months.

  • Vegan Matcha Chocolate Bars with Cacao Nibs

    Vegan Matcha Chocolate Bars with Cacao Nibs

    St. Patrick’s Day is tomorrow, and although it doesn’t feel so much like it this year due to the virus going around and events being cancelled, I still like to enjoy some festive stuff at home so I made some green chocolate bars!  I like to try to stay positive.  And even if we can’t all go out and do the things we usually do, or would like to do why now enjoy yourself at home?  I was going to make some chocolate anyway because I had run out of my stash, and I wanted something cheery and fancy so I made some Matcha Chocolate Bars with crunchy cacao nibs.  I have been making a lot of mint stuff for St. Patrick’s Day because it is festive and green, but matcha has that lovely green hue as well and I have been in love with it since I first tried it! I drink matcha tea every morning at work, and I like my matcha lattes on the weekends when I have more time, but I especially love matcha in sweet desserts.  It is amazing in white chocolate. I have made some plain matcha white chocolate before but I wanted some dark chocolate in there as well, so I was thinking a two layer bar.  Before I went vegan I thought that white chocolate would be a thing of the past, since milk seems like it is a big part of it, but luckily I was wrong. I have been able to make super delicious white chocolate!  It may take a few more ingredients, but that’s alright.  I like it even better than the stuff I ate growing up, which probably had some artificial stuff in it. For mine, I use a cacao butter base, with a bit of coconut b\utter and macadamia nut butter sweetened with maple syrup and a bit of vanilla. Raw Guru recently sent me some Dastony coconut butter and macadamia nut butter so it was perfect! If you don’t have macadamia nut butter, no worries, raw cashew butter will work as well (and I know it is a bit easier to find). This white chocolate is seriously crave worthy!  I added a bit of matcha to it for a lovely green hue and flavor! Once it was all hardened in the molds, I added a layer of dark chocolate over it and some cacao nibs for crunch!  I could not wait to try them!  I had to have a big chunk when they were finally ready.  They were super delicious!  That white chocolate mixed with the dark was almost a milk chocolate like flavor and it was so good with that earthy hint of matcha and crunchy cacao nibs.  If you have to stay home, why not make a delicious treat for yourself like these?! Vegan Matcha Chocolate Bars with Cacao Nibs Makes 4 Matcha White Chocolate:   Dark Chocolate:
    • 1 1/2 cups chopped good quality vegan dark chocolate
      Topping:
    • cacao nibs
      Instructions:
    1. Combine the cacao powder, cashew butter, and coconut butter, and  in the top of a double boiler, and melt until smooth.
    2. Add the maple syrup, vanilla, matcha and sea salt and whisk together until well blended.
    3. Pour the matcha white chocolate into the bottoms of 4 standard sized chocolate bar molds set on a tray.
    4. Place the tray with the molds in the freezer until the white chocolate has set.
    5. Meanwhile, clean out the double boiler, and add the dark chocolate to it, melting it until smooth.
    6. When the white chocolate has hardened, pour the dark chocolate over it to fill the molds, and smooth to the sides (working quickly because if you go too slow the white chocolate will start to melt and not look neat).
    7. Sprinkle with the cacao nibs, about 2 tsp per bar.
    8. Set the tray with the molds back into the freezer until set, about 20 minutes.
    9. Unmold and enjoy!
      Chocolate bars keep in a container in the refrigerator for up to a month.  
  • Vegan Raspberry Pistachio “Milk” Chocolate Bars

    Vegan Raspberry Pistachio “Milk” Chocolate Bars

    I have been seeing lots of ads for vegan chocolate bars online that look amazing.  But unfortunately I can’t afford to buy them right now, because they are a bit over my budget this month, and the shipping price is pretty high.  So, I decided to make my own instead!  I actually have some cool chocolate bar molds, and thought they would make nice gifts as well.  Also, then I can add in whatever I like and personalize them.  I usually make dark chocolate bars when I make them, but this time I wanted to try milk chocolate because that was the type I was seeing online that sounded so good.

    I am not sure what they use in their bars, some of the ones I wanted to try were oatmilk and coconut and I assume they don’t just put liquid milk into them.  I don’t have coconut milk powder (and I am not sure if oat milk powder exists), but I did have coconut butter on hand and thought that might work well so I went for it!  You could use whatever vegan dark chocolate or chocolate chips is your favorite for these, but I used Lily’s vegan dark chocolate chips.  I melted them in the top of a double boiler, and then whisked in the melted coconut butter and it was so good when I tried it even before I put it in the molds.  It tasted just like milk chocolate.

    I poured it into the molds, then added some crunchy freeze dried raspberries and pistachios. I recently made some raspberry truffles and loved them so I wanted to use that flavor profile again, and the crunchy green pistachios were so lovely with the raspberries!  I popped them into the freezer and waited for them to set (which luckily wasn’t long).  The ones I was gifting I put into little baggies and tied them with ribbons.  I really loved how they turned out!

    The chocolate was smooth and melt in your mouth like milk chocolate should be, a little more mellow than dark, and the tart sweet raspberries and crunchy salty pistachios were the perfect add ins!  By the way if you are looking for shelled pistachios for a reasonable price Aldi has them!  If pistachios and raspberries aren’t your jam, you could try other fruit and nut combos, like blueberry pecan or strawberry almond or even things like cacao nibs and lavender flowers.  Feel free to be creative with these!

    Vegan Raspberry “Milk” Chocolate Bars

    Makes 4

    Ingredients:

    • 2 cups good quality vegan dark chocolate, chopped
    • 1/2 cup coconut butter
    • 1/4 cup freeze dried raspberries, crushed
    • 1/4 cup chopped pistachios

     

    Instructions:

    1. In the top of a double boiler, melt the dark chocolate, then add the coconut butter, and whisk together until completely blended.
    2. Place the chocolate molds on a tray.  Pour the chocolate into the chocolate bar molds, and sprinkle them evenly with both the raspberries and pistachios.
    3. Place the tray in the refrigerator until the chocolate has set, which will take a 1-2 hours.
    4. Pop the chocolate out of the molds and enjoy!

    Store chocolate in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

  • Vegan Almond Joy Bites

    Vegan Almond Joy Bites

    I admit that growing up, Almond Joy and Mounds candy bars weren’t my first choice when it came to the candy swapping.  I wasn’t a big fan of that syrupy sweet weird textured coconut inside, that didn’t taste like actual coconut but more like it had coconut flavor in it or something.  Which is why I always just gave them to my Mom because she loved them.  I have since come to appreciate coconut, chocolate and almonds together though, now that I have had real coconut not covered in syrup, and sweetened just to my liking. I have even made my own almond joy and mounds and loved them!  I was making some this year to share with my Mom, and I thought why not share the recipe with you all?

    My recipe is a bit different than the traditional ones.  Starting with the filling, instead of using sweetened coconut, I use just dried unsweetened finely shredded coconut (the kind you find in the bulk bins at the health food store). To make it all stick together, instead of a sugar syrup, I use Dastony coconut butter from Raw Guru mixed with maple syrup.  They seriously have the most deliciously smooth coconut butter!  It is perfect for making desserts!  lastly, a little vanilla and it is the most delicious coconut combination!  Just like macaroons!

    I tuck a toasted almond into the middle and it is perfect with the coconut.  I don’t know if they use toasted ones in the original Almond Joy, but I just think it tastes better.  Most nuts do, unless you want them to have less flavor like using raw cashews for a cheesecake or something and you want it neutral.  Lastly, instead of the milk chocolate that usually coats the candy bar, I use dark chocolate.  That was my Mom’s only complaint about them back in the day, and I have to agree, it is better with dark.  I did think about making it a vegan milk chocolate adding coconut butter to make it more traditional (and you totally can if that is your jam, just add 1/4 cup coconut butter to the dark chocolate when it is melted and mix well), but I went with the dark this time since they were to share with my Mom.

    They turned out sooo good!  They are way better than the original candy, the coconut flavor is real, and just the right amount of sweetness and that crunchy toasted almond in the middle is a nice surprise!  Of course it is totally heavenly with the dark chocolate coating.  I think if I had tried one of these as a kid instead of the store bought ones, I might have actually loved them!

    Vegan Almond Joy Bites

    Makes 14

    Ingredients:

    • 2/3 cup Dastony coconut butter
    • 1/4 cup maple syrup
    • 1/4 cup filtered water
    • 1 tsp vanilla
    • 1 1/2 cups finely shredded coconut coconut
    • 14 toasted almonds
    • 2 cups chopped vegan dark chocolate or chocolate chips

     

    Instructions:

    1. Mix together the coconut butter, maple syrup, water and vanilla in a bowl until smooth.
    2. Stir in the coconut until combined, then form into 14 little balls.
    3. Press an almond into the center of each of them (reshaping if necessary, you want it in the middle).
    4. Place on a parchment lined tray and freeze (in the freezer) for about 20 minutes until firm.
    5. Melt the dark chocolate in the top of a double boiler until smooth.
    6. When the centers are ready, dip them one by one into the chocolate, letting the excess drain off (I like to set it on a fork), and place back on the tray.
    7. Place in the freezer until the chocolate has hardened, about 10-15 minutes.
    8. Enjoy!

    Candy can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

     

  • Vegan Pumpkin Spice Latte Caramels

    Vegan Pumpkin Spice Latte Caramels

    Halloween just a few short weeks away, and up until a few days ago I hadn’t made any candy this year yet! I always make peanut butter cups, and I need to get around to those, but this week, the first thing I made was some pumpkin spice latte caramels.  I am not usually a coffee drinker, but I have had a couple of pumpkin spice lattes this year just because I wanted to see what all of the hype was about, and because I wanted something a little different than my usual tea and I ended up loving them.  These were not your standard chain coffee shop fake pumpkin spice flavor in your coffee lattes though, we got them from a local shop that makes their own pumpkin spice syrup, and they made mine with oat milk which froths really well.  It has inspired me to make my own at home, which I will do soon, but until then, I made these truffles.

    I made caramel the other day for caramel rolls, and decided that it would be wonderful with pumpkin and spices in it.  Drizzled over cake, or on its own covered in chocolate.  I chose to make the latter this time.  I made my usual caramel recipe but with pumpkin and all of the spices I add to my pumpkin pie.  To thicken it enough to shape, I added in some coconut butter as well and it worked perfect!  Of course since it was a supposed to taste like a pumpkin spice latte, I added in a bit of espresso powder as well.

    It was divine just like that.  Like I could eat it with a spoon on its own good.  And I did,  a little because I had to make sure it was good about three times *wink* *wink*.  Once covered in chocolate though, it was delicious! The caramel is sweet, with just the right amount of pumpkin and spice, a hint of coffee and perfect when paired with the dark chocolate shell.  I debated whether or not I should share it, and I think I am going to save most of them for myself lol.  These would be perfect to enjoy with a pumpkin spice latte, just sayin.

    The classic Halloween candy is good, and of course I have my old standbys like the peanut butter cup, and I do plan on making a few more varieties, but if you are looking for something a little different, and you are a caramel fan like me, test out these babies!  What is your favorite Halloween candy?

    Vegan Pumpkin Spice Latte Caramels

    Makes 12  truffles

    Caramel:

    • 1 1/4 cups packed soft medjool dates, pitted
    • 1/2 cup pumpkin puree (canned is fine)
    • 1/4 cup coconut butter, warmed to liquid
    • 2 tsp espresso powder
    • 1 tsp ginger
    • 1 tsp cinnamon
    • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
    • 1/4 tsp cloves
    • 1/4 tsp sea salt
    • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract

     

    Chocolate:

    • 1 1/2 cups chopped vegan dark chocolate or chocolate chips

     

    Instructions:

    1. To make the caramel, combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Pour into a bowl, and place in the freezer for about 15-20 minutes or until it has thickened up enough to roll into balls.  Roll into 12 balls, place on a parchment lined tray, and place back in the freezer for at least 30 minutes until more firm.
    2. Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler, stirring until it is all melted.  Dip each chocolate into the chocolate (I like to place mine on a fork) and let the excess drain off, then place back on the tray. Place in the freezer to harden for about 15 minutes, and enjoy!

    *Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 1 month.



  • Vegan CBD Caramels

    Vegan CBD Caramels

    My favorite way to enjoy CBD oil besides just taking a dose of it in the morning is to add it to chocolates.  Yes, I have added it to other things like smoothies, brownies, and ice cream pops, but chocolate is just so darn good and I always have just a little dark chocolate a day anyhow.  I usually just make solid chocolates, but filled ones are more fun.  My favorite type of filled chocolate to find in a box of chocolates was always caramel.  It was one of the sweetest after all, and I had a sweet tooth even more so when I was younger.  I still have a soft spot for caramel now though, although I tend to make my caramel a bit healthier now than the stuff I grew up eating.  That brings me back to the CBD chocolates!  I had never made CBD caramels before, but I decided it was about time I did last week.  Lily CBD had just sent me some of their 500mg CBD oil, so it was perfect! It had a more mellow flavor than some CBD oils, so I figured it would work well in my recipe. 

    I try not to eat refined sugar, so for my caramel base I used my favorite natural sweetener, dates!  They are nature’s caramel after all, and they blend up beautifully into a gooey sticky sweet caramel!  I combined them with a bit of coconut butter to thicken the mixture up and some pecan butter for richness because it has an almost caramel like flavor.  And of course a dash of vanilla. It wouldn’t be classic caramel without it!  I added in a bit of the CBD and it was super delicious CBD caramel!

    Yes I could have just eaten it with a spoon, it was that good, but I wanted to combine it with the chocolate as well to make it even better!  So I made little chocolate covered caramels in molds, so they looked nice and pretty.  You could of course chill the caramel a bit and roll it into balls, and dip it int the dark chocolate, but I just like the neat little squares. They were actually quite easy to make, and I actually enjoyed the process. Especially licking the bowls clean.  Just sayin. 

    When they were all set up and ready to try I couldn’t wait to taste one!  They were heavenly!  Rich gooey vanilla scented caramel, decadent dark chocolate and of course your daily dose of CBD!  You would never guess that they were vegan and didn’t have real caramel in them.  I take CBD oil daily to help fight inflammation and stress, if you like to take it as well, or are looking for a new way to enjoy it, and love caramel like I do, why not give this recipe a try!

    Vegan CBD Caramels

    Makes 20 caramels

    Ingredients:

    Filling:

    • 1 cup soft medjool dates, pitted
    • 1/4 cup raw pecan butter or almond butter
    • 1/4 cup filtered water
    • 1/4 cup coconut butter, warmed to liquid
    • 1/4 tsp sea salt
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 1 Tbsp Lily 500mg CBD oil 

     

    Chocolate Coating:

    • 1 1/2 cups vegan dark chocolate chips or dark chocolate, chopped

     

    Directions:

    1. Combine all filling ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until smooth (if you do not have a high speed blender, you may have to pass the caramel through a fine meshed strainer to remove any date bits). Set aside while you melt the chocolate.
    2. Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler, then pour a thin layer into the bottom of a 20 hole standard sized square chocolate mold, and place in the freezer until the chocolate has hardened.
    3. When it has, pipe or spoon the caramel into the molds over the hardened chocolate layer by the 1/2 tsp (about depending on your molds), trying to keep it from touching the edges and make sure the top is below the top of the mold.
    4. Pour more dark chocolate over that to fill the molds. Place in the freezer until hard, about 30 minutes to one hour depending on how warm it was.
    5. Pop the candy out of the molds and enjoy!
    6. Store extra caramels in the fridge.
  • CBD Dark Chocolate Mint Bark

    CBD Dark Chocolate Mint Bark

    I take CBD oil every day to fight inflammation and stress, usually in oil form, but it is so much more fun being able to enjoy it in dessert form, specifically in chocolate form. I enjoy dark chocolate just about every day, so I figure, why not add my CBD oil to my treats sometimes? Raw Guru recently sent me some lovely CBD products from Veggimins, including some of their dark chocolate bars and 500 mg peppermint CBD oil so that gave me an idea. Chocolate bark! I haven’t made any in ages, but I used to love making and eating chocolate bark back in the day as a kid, so why not?!

    I love that it doesn’t require any fancy chocolate molds, and it not fussy. I did not used to own chocolate molds, so it was one of the first things I made. I was picturing a dark chocolate bark swirled with green and white to make it pretty. Luckily it turned out just as I had planned. I hate it when things don’t turn out. They usually still taste good even if they don’t look pretty but I am somewhat of a perfectionist most of the time when it comes to the appearance of my desserts.

    I just melted some of that Veggimins dark chocolate, along with some other dark chocolate I had to create the base for the bark and added a little peppermint extract, along with the peppermint CBD oil to give it just enough peppermint flavor. I love peppermint things in the summer for their cooling affect!

    I then tinted some coconut butter green with matcha, which by the way also goes good with peppermint and chocolate and swirled that into the bark along with some coconut butter to create a tricolor affect. It was lovely, and so easy! If you are a peppermint fan, and would like to get your daily dose of CBD in chocolate form, give this a try!

    CBD Dark Chocolate Mint Bark

    Makes about 20 pieces of bark

    Ingredients:

    • 2 cups chopped vegan dark chocolate or vegan dark chocolate chips
    • 2 tsp Veggimins CBD oil
    • 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
    • 1/3 cup melted coconut butter plus 2 Tbsp
    • 1/2 tsp matcha powder

    Instructions:

    1. Line an 8×8 inch square pan with parchment.
    2. Heat the dark chocolate in the top of a double boiler until melted, then stir in the CBD oil, and peppermint extract.
    3. Whisk the matcha powder into 1/3 cup of the coconut butter.
    4. Pour the dark chocolate into the prepared pan, then drop the coconut butter with the matcha over it by the teaspoon randomly. Drizzle the remaining 2 Tbsp of coconut butter over that, then swirl it all with a knife to create a pretty pattern.
    5. Place in the refrigerator until it is hard, about an hour.
    6. Remove from the pan and break into pieces.
    7. Enjoy!

    Keeps in a container in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.

  • Vegan White Chocolate Peanut Butter and Jelly Cups

    Vegan White Chocolate Peanut Butter and Jelly Cups

    I am a bit obsessed with peanut butter and jelly lately. I made some peanut butter and jelly ice cream last weekend, I am contemplating making a PB and J cheesecake for my Birthday in a few weeks, and I decided to make some vegan white chocolate peanut butter and jelly cups too last weekend. What can I say, the flavor combination is kind of addicting. I mean, PB and J were about the only type of sandwich I would ever eat in my school lunches growing up because I hated lunch meat and the typical other sandwiches people would make. I guess I was meant to be vegan.

    Anyways, back to those white chocolate peanut butter and jelly cups. I had some Raw Guru cacao butter on hand, so I knew I could make some amazing white chocolate with it. I didn’t just make white chocolate though, I made peanut butter white chocolate. Because, why not add extra peanut butter flavor to it?! Peanut butter is one of my all time favorite things in the world after all.

    The white chocolate tasted amazing before I even poured it into the molds. I admit I had quite a few samples. For the filling, I used my home made peanut butter, and some really good strawberry jam that was made by one of my Mom’s friends. I knew these were going to be good and I could not wait to try them!

    Luckily they didn’t take long to set and I was able to indulge in one in no time. These are so much better than the white chocolate Reese’s peanut butter cups I used to love back in the day. I don’t sweeten my peanut butter filling at all because the rest of it is so sweet so there is this rich, salty peanut butter in the center that is amazing with the sweet gooey jam and sweet peanut butter white chocolate! If you are a PB and J fan, definitely give these a try!

    White Chocolate Peanut Butter and Jelly Cups

    Makes 8

    Peanut Butter White Chocolate:

    • 1/2 cup Raw Guru cacao butter
    • 1/3 cup Raw Guru coconut butter
    • 1/4 cup organic smooth peanut butter
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 3 Tbsp maple syrup (or to taste)
    • 1/8 tsp sea salt

    Filling:

    • 2 Tbsp plus 2 tsp organic peanut butter
    • 2 Tbsp plus 2 tsp organic strawberry or raspberry jam

    Instructions:

    1. Combine cacao butter, peanut butter, coconut butter, vanilla, maple syrup,  and sea salt over a double boiler, and whisk until smooth.
    2. Pour into the bottoms of 8 large peanut butter cup molds or silicone muffin tins filling them just 1/3 full, and place in the freezer until hard, about 15 minutes.
    3. Next, spoon a scant teaspoon of peanut butter and jam onto the center of each, then pour the remaining peanut butter white chocolate over it. Place back in the freezer and allow to harden which can take about 20-30 minutes.
    4. Once they are all set, pop chocolate out of molds and enjoy!
    5. Store in the refrigerator for a month or an airtight container in the freezer for up to three months.
  • Vegan Strawberry White Chocolates

    Vegan Strawberry White Chocolates

    When I was little I was actually a bigger fan of white chocolate than dark or milk chocolate. I guess I have just preferred vanilla over chocolate most of my life, like whenever I had a choice of cupcakes it was always vanilla and not chocolate. My tastes have somewhat changed now I think the dark chocolate is catching up to the white as far as which I prefer, but I do still like to keep some white chocolate on hand along with my dark for when I want a bite of something sweet. I don’t buy my white chocolate at the store though, since most commercial brands don’t even use cacao butter anymore and use corn syrup instead of sugar plus of course milk (it is hard to even find a vegan white chocolate). So I make my own vegan version at home!

    This week, I decided to make some vegan strawberry white chocolates, just because that sounded like am amazing combination of flavors. Raw Guru had just sent me some of their raw cacao butter, so it was perfect! Real white chocolate has to have good quality cacao butter or it is not really chocolate at all. Theirs has such an amazing aroma and flavor!

    I just mix the cacao butter with some raw cashew butter, coconut butter, vanilla, and maple syrup to make the white chocolate and what results is creamy, dreamy melt in your mouth delicious white chocolate! I flavored it with freeze dried strawberry powder for a summer twist! Why the powder and not the actual berries? Well, it doesn’t add any excess moisture which would ruin the texture of the white chocolates. But it does load them up with strawberry flavor.

    They turned out heavenly! Delicious little bites with the aroma and rich flavor of white chocolate plus the sweet berries. It is kind of hard to eat one, just saying. I love the pink color that they have too! If you are obsessed with all things strawberry like I am right now, give these a try!

    Vegan Strawberry White Chocolates

    Makes 24

    Ingredients:

    • 1/3 cup Raw Guru cacao butter (2 oz)
    • 3 Tbsp raw cashew butter
    • 1/3 cup coconut butter
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 3 Tbsp maple syrup (or to taste)
    • 1/8 tsp sea salt
    • 1 Tbsp freeze dried strawberry powder*

    Instructions:

    1. Combine cacao butter, cashew butter, vanilla, maple syrup,  and sea salt over a double boiler, and whisk until smooth.
    2. Whisk the strawberry powder into the white chocolate.
    3. Pour into chocolate molds, and place in the freezer until heard, which can take 30 minutes to 1 hour depending on how warm it is.
    4. Pop chocolate out of molds and enjoy!
    5. Store in the refrigerator for a month or an airtight container in the freezer for up to three months.

    *You make freeze dried strawberry powder by blending freeze dried strawberries in a blender or spice grinder until they are a fine powder. I get my freeze dried strawberries at Trader Joes or Aldi.

  • Mocha Dark Chocolate CBD Truffles

    Mocha Dark Chocolate CBD Truffles

    Back when I was in high school, my Mom and I would go to this tiny local coffee shop after church every week and get coffee. She would always get a white mocha, and for a while I would get a dark chocolate mocha before my tastes changed and I went to the less sweet coffees in college. Those dark chocolate mochas were bomb. Like drinking a dark chocolate coffee truffle! Even though I don’t drink coffee now, I still have that memory of how delicious they were and I do like coffee in my desserts, like the Mocha Dark Chocolate CBD truffles I made last weekend.

    I was thinking about those mochas I used to drink recently and imagining them as delicious truffles. That is how it all started. Well, that and receiving some Veggimins 500 mg Coffee CBD Oil from Raw Guru and being inspired to use it in something delicious. Because why not get your daily dose of CBD while enjoying yummy chocolate! If you have not heard of or tried CBD, it is great for managing inflammation in the body, helping with anxiety and energy levels, and general well being. I take it every day anyhow, so I am all for getting some with my chocolates!

    These are super easy to make, you just melt down vegan dark chocolate, I used some chopped Veggimins CBD Dark Chocolate and Rawmio Dark Chocolate (but you could use whatever you have on hand of course). And combine it with full fat coconut cream, and the CBD oil for a really rich chocolate ganache perfect for rolling into truffles.

    Then you melt some more dark chocolate, dip them and you have something super delicious (and more impressive looking than the time they actually take to make). If you are a lover of chocolate and coffee you will love these babies! I love them and I am not even a coffee drinker anymore. I hope you are all having a wonderful week!

    Mocha Dark Chocolate CBD Truffles

    Makes 12 truffles

     

    Instructions:

    1. Combine the chopped chocolate and coconut cream in the top of a double boiler and whisk every so often until it is all melted together smoothly. Add the CBD oil and whisk until well incorporated.
    2. Pour into a bowl, and place in the freezer until firm enough to scoop and roll, about 30 minutes or so.
    3. Roll the filling mixture into balls, and place on a parchment lined tray. Place in the freezer until they are firm, about 30 minutes.
    4. Meanwhile, melt the other cup of dark chocolate in the top of a double boiler until smooth.
    5. Dip each of the chocolate filling balls into the melted chocolate one by one letting the excess drain off (I like to use a fork to set them on to dip them). Set on the parchment lined tray.
    6. When the chocolates are all dipped, place the tray in the freezer until the coating has firmed up.
    7. Store chocolates in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

    *If you don’t want to use CBD, just use 1 tsp coffee extract instead.

  • Vegan Banana’s Foster Truffles

    Vegan Banana’s Foster Truffles

    I had a bunch of ripe bananas on hand that I had picked up for free, and although I made some banana cookies, and cut some up for smoothies, I still had some I wanted to use for something besides just eating. I decided to make some banana’s foster truffles. I was recently looking through my banana recipes to try and get inspiration and I came across my banana’s foster cake and couldn’t help but think that flavor combination would be amazing with some chocolate in a truffle, so I went for it.

    Truffles are always one of my go to quick desserts to make. They don’t require a lot of effort besides the dipping and shaping but the whole process is kind of fun and I enjoy the fact that I can eat the extra melted dark chocolate. I mean, that is the whole reason you make truffles and chocolate treats at home right?! At least that is a big part of why I do. Funny story though, years ago I had an aversion to chocolate for a couple of years after being sick a couple of times after having some, and it made me think I was allergic to it because I would get a stomach ache every time after eating it. I didn’t eat it for a few years, but then after about 3 I started gradually eating it again and I was fine. Now I make it quite a lot. I just make sure it is really good quality chocolate not any of that fake stuff. I am happy it doesn’t affect me adversely now because I love it!

    Back to those truffles, I wanted the filling to taste like the banana’s foster dessert, which has cooked bananas, so I roasted the bananas in the oven before pureeing them for the filling. Of course I had to add rum as well, as is customary for banana’s foster. I wanted them to be a little boozy! I combined that with some cacao butter, cashew butter, and coconut butter to give them an almost white chocolate like base. I sweetened it with a little maple syrup and vanilla to give it a caramel like flavor as well and it was super delicious!

    Once it was all chilled, I rolled it into truffle balls and dipped them in good quality vegan dark chocolate! OMG were they ever heavenly. I mean the filling was good on it’s own, but even better with the dark chocolate! Trust me, bananas, rum and chocolate are a match made in heaven! If you have some bananas on hand definitely give these a try! You might not even want to share and just keep them for yourself.

    Vegan Banana’s Foster Truffles

    Makes 16

    Chocolate:

    • 2 cups chopped vegan dark chocolate or vegan dark chocolate chips

    Instructions:

    1. preheat the oven to 375F degrees, and line a sheet pan with parchment.
    2. Spread the bananas out on the pan, place in the oven and roast until they are starting to caramelize, about 35-45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
    3. Puree bananas in the food processor and then add all of the other filling ingredients and puree until smooth.
    4. Pour into a bowl, and place in the freezer for about 20-30 minutes until it is firm enough to scoop. Scoop into 14 balls, rolling them with your hands.   Place on a parchment lined tray, and place back into the freezer until firm, about 30 minutes.
    5. Meanwhile,  melt the dark chocolate in a double boiler until smooth.
    6. Once the filling has firmed up, dip each chocolate into the dark chocolate, being sure to let the excess drain off, and place back onto the tray (I like to set mine on a fork to allow it to drain better). Once they are all dipped, set them in the freezer until hardened.
    7. Store any leftover truffles in the refrigerator.
  • Matcha Coconut Easter Nests

    Matcha Coconut Easter Nests

    I love making Easter candy, and so when my Mom asked if I could make some white chocolate macaroon Easter nests I was all for it! I remember people always used to make them back in the day (they probably still do but I am out of the “normal” non-vegan food loop), and they were so cute! They had an either white or dark chocolate macaroon base, and usually jelly beans or those malted milk eggs inside. My Mom said she wanted the white chocolate ones, but tinted green.

    So, I decided to make these ones a little more grown up and include the flavors of matcha, dark chocolate and almonds. These things are all heavenly when combined with coconut. I figured these would be fairly easy to make, and they were. But they were a little time consuming (not going to lie). It was totally worth it though when they were done!

    I made some home made vegan white chocolate with a mixture of Dastony coconut butter and cashew butter plus some raw cacao butter from Raw Guru. It was silky smooth and so good even before I made it into the nests. I included a little vanilla and maple syrup as well, plus the matcha to tint it green and give it a lovely green tea flavor. I formed them into cute little nests, then as they firmed up in the freezer I got to work dipping my almonds.

    That was the part that was the most time consuming. These were going to be the eggs in the nests. Once they were all finished and put together they were so cute! Most importantly though they were heavenly! My Mom loved them too, which was also important. If you are looking for something festive to make for Easter, give these a try!

    Matcha Coconut Easter Nests

    Makes 24

    Ingredients:

    Instructions:

    1. In a bowl, mix together the coconut butter, cacao butter, cashew butter, maple syrup, sea salt, vanilla and matcha until smooth. Stir in the coconut until coated.
    2. Spoon into 12 mounds on a piece of parchment paper, then make a little indentation into the center of each (you may need to reshape a little with your hands, that’s ok). Place in the freezer to harden.
    3. Meanwhile, melt the dark chocolate in the top of a double boiler.
    4. Dip each almond into it one by one, letting the excess drain off well, and set on a parchment lined tray. Place in the freezer until hard.
    5. Pipe a little of the leftover melted chocolate into the center of each coconut nest, and place 2 almonds on it. Allow to set.
    6. Enjoy! Store any extra in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a month.
  • Double Hazelnut Chocolate Truffles

    Double Hazelnut Chocolate Truffles

    You know what always makes me happy? the aroma of nuts roasting in the oven. they always smell amazing and they are just begging to be snacked on as soon as they are cool enough to not burn you. Sometimes I am a little hasty I admit and I do end up burning my mouth. I had a bunch of hazelnuts on hand that I roasted for some hazelnut butter and I had extra, so I thought it would be the perfect time to make some copycat Fererro Rocher candy. I have kind of always wanted to make them, and just never gotten around to it.

    I feel like I am that way with a lot of recipes, I have so many ideas in my head that I say I am going to make, and they bounce around in there for a while, sometimes years and I finally decide to make them. At least I know I will never run out! These were actually fairly easy to make and I had all of the ingredients on hand. They are actually slightly less complicated then actual Fererro Rocher candy though, because I like easy when it comes to things like truffles, especially when I am making them on a week day after work.

    I used a hazelnut in the center just like the original, then I wrapped it in a layer of soft hazelnut chocolate fudge with crunchy chopped hazelnuts instead of the wafers in the original. I am not a big fan of wafers, and I had hazelnuts on hand so it worked out. If you wanted something a bit more crunchy, you could use chopped up wafers, or for a healthier more whole foods option, some sprouted dehydrated buckwheat groats. I used to always use those in my raw recipes whenever I wanted crunch.

    Lastly, I dipped the fudgy centers into dark chocolate and sprinkled them with more hazelnuts. These are packed with plenty of hazelnut and chocolate flavor. I actually like them better than the original Ferraro Rocher! That is the thing about making your own candy at home, you can tailor it to your own tastes! I love that! If you are a chocolate and hazelnut fan, give these a try!

    Double Hazelnut Chocolate Truffles

    Makes 16

    Ingredients:

    Filling:

    • 1 cup hazelnut butter (or almond butter if you don’t have any hazelnut butter)
    • 1/2 cup cacao powder
    • 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp maple syrup
    • 3/4 cup finely chopped roasted hazelnuts
    • 16 roasted hazelnuts

    Coating:

    • 1 1/2 cups chopped vegan dark chocolate
    • finely chopped roasted hazelnuts

    Instructions:

    1. Mix together the hazelnut butter, cacao powder, maple syrup, and chopped hazelnuts in a bowl until well blended and smooth (except for the chopped nuts)
    2. Form the mixture into 16 balls, and press a hazelnut into the center of each ball, forming it around it. Place the balls onto a parchment lined tray. Place in the freezer for 20 minutes.
    3. Melt the dark chocolate for the coating on the stove in a double boiler.
    4. Dip each ball into it, letting the excess drain off (I like to set it on a fork), and place back onto the tray and sprinkle with the chopped hazelnuts. Repeat with remaining truffles.
    5. Place in the freezer until set, about 5 minutes.
    6. Enjoy! Store in an airtight container with a lid in the refrigerator for up to a month.

  • Rainbow Vegan White Chocolates

    Rainbow Vegan White Chocolates

    It is finally looking and feeling like Spring here. It isn’t very green yet, the grass is still waking up. But the trees are starting to bud and sprout pussy willows. It feels so nice to be outside after such a snowy cold character building Winter. I am making sure I get out at least once every day for a walk or run. Since it is not quite colorful outside yet and the Spring flowers aren’t quite blooming I figured I would create some color of my own in the form of white chocolate.

    White chocolate is something that I always loved growing up, the vanilla lover that I am, but I thought I would not be able to enjoy it once I went vegan since most of the stuff you can buy contains milk. I was wrong though, there is some out there AND I can make my own, which I was super excited about when I found out I could about a year after becoming vegan. Although I love plain white chocolate I really love making it with fun colors and flavors and I enjoyed playing around with the ones I am sharing with you today.

    I make a creamy white chocolate base from cacao butter, cashew butter and coconut butter to make it extra silky and a little maple syrup, vanilla and a pinch of sea salt. It is heavenly and you can’t even tell it is vegan once it is all set up. I ended up making 6 different colors so I would have the full color spectrum. Because I love that sort of thing having a degree in studio art. I like to play around. These are the flavors I made: Pink Berry, Orange Orange, Yellow Turmeric Ginger, Green Matcha Mint, Blue Blueberry, and Purple Lavender.

    The whole process was fun, and I was very pleased with the result. All of these are heavenly! They are smooth and rich and the flavors are so good! You can make one of the flavors if you prefer one, or make them all. Just note that the recipe below has the ingredients for one full batch of each flavor. I hope you are all having a wonderful Spring!

    Rainbow Vegan White Chocolates

    Makes 24

    Ingredients:

    White Chocolate:

    • 1/3 cup cacao butter (2 oz)
    • 3 Tbsp raw cashew butter
    • 1/3 cup coconut butter
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 3 Tbsp maple syrup (or to taste)
    • 1/8 tsp sea salt

    Colors/Flavors: (Note: these are all to color one full batch not if you want separate colors per batch)

    • Pink (Berry): 1 Tbsp freeze dried berry powder (grind freeze dried strawberries and raspberries to a powder with a mortar and pestle or spice grinder)
    • Orange (Orange): 1/2 tsp turmeric plus 1/4 tsp beet powder plus 1/2 tsp orange extract
    • Yellow (Turmeric Ginger): 1/2 tsp turmeric plus 1/4 tsp ground ginger
    • Green (Matcha Mint): 1 tsp matcha powder plus 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
    • Blue (Blueberry): 1 Tbsp freeze dried blueberry powder (grind freeze dried blueberries to a powder with a mortar and pestle or spice grinder)
    • Purple (lavender): 1 tsp beet powder plus 1 tsp butterfly pea powder plus 1/4 tsp finely ground lavender flowers (grind with a mortar and pestle or spice grinder)

    Instructions:

    1. Combine cacao butter, cashew butter, vanilla, maple syrup,  and sea salt over a double boiler, and whisk until smooth.
    2. Whisk the flavor and color choice combination you choose from the ones above into the white chocolate.
    3. Pour into chocolate molds, and place in the freezer until heard, which can take 30 minutes to 1 hour depending on how warm it is.
    4. Pop chocolate out of molds and enjoy!
    5. Store in the refrigerator for a month or an airtight container in the freezer for up to three months.

    *I get my cacao butter from Amazon HERE.

  • Chocolate Almond Butter Eggs

    Chocolate Almond Butter Eggs

    When I was little, I think Easter candy was my favorite candy of all even above Halloween candy. I loved that you could get malted milk ball eggs, pastel colored M&Ms and giant Reese’s peanut butter eggs all in one Easter basket haul. I also loved hunting for Easter eggs filled with candy and goodies. We would always have contests to see who could find the most although we all had to share and swap when it was all over so we got the same amount of candy. Funny, a few times my Dad hid the eggs so well that we found them later in the year in random spots like under the couch or something. I think I even ate the candy I found too even though it had sat a while because my 8 year old self didn’t care.

    My favorite of all the Easter candy were the giant eggs. The strawberry and raspberry cream and peanut butter ones were amazing at that point in my life. I make peanut butter ones now myself every year because it is fun and that way I know the ingredient quality is good plus I can guarantee that they are vegan. I decided to make almond butter ones this year as well, because I love almond butter almost as much as peanut butter and I had a few people I wanted to share them with who do not care for peanut butter.

    I feel like almond butter is kind of a little more fancy too. I had a lot of fun making these and although it is a process that takes a few steps it is really pretty easy. I used it as a post work stress relieving activity because making desserts totally calms me and makes me happy (so long as they turn out, which they usually do). You feel kind of like a kid playing with play dough when making these eggs because I don’t have any fancy molds and I mold them by hand instead.

    The filling is actually pretty simple, mostly almond butter with some coconut flour to make it into almost a dough that can be molded. I wanted my filling to not be too sweet so I didn’t add any sweeteners, but I know most people like things like this sweeter than me so I have included a little maple syrup in the recipe for those people. Once you dip these in dark chocolate they are sooo freaking good! I made them pretty big so one is pretty satisfying but it is super tempting to eat another one. If you are an almond butter fan, give these a try for Easter!

    Chocolate Almond Butter Eggs
    Makes about 10

    Ingredients:

    • 1 cup smooth organic almond butter
    • 1/3 cup coconut flour (or as needed)
    • 1 Tbsp maple syrup (optional)
    • 1/4 tsp sea salt
    • 1 1/2 cups vegan dark chocolate chips, or chopped vegan dark chocolate

    Instructions:

    1. In a bowl, mix together the almond butter, coconut flour, maple syrup, and sea salt until smooth and well combined.  You want it to be the consistency of dough, if it is still too soft (since almond butter may vary in how liquid it is), add a little more flour.
    2. Shape into eggs, and place on a parchment lined tray.  Place in the freezer to chill for 1-2 hours.
    3. Meanwhile, when you are ready to dip the centers, melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler until smooth.
    4. Dip each egg into the chocolate (letting the excess drain off, I like to set mine on a fork to dip to make it easier) and place back onto the tray until they are all done.  Place in the freezer to set the chocolate until it is hard, which usually takes 5-10 minutes.  Enjoy!
    5. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator in a container with a lid for up to a few months.
  • Vegan Irish Coffee Truffles

    Vegan Irish Coffee Truffles

    Since I made home made Bailey’s Irish Cream last week, I couldn’t stop thinking about how good similar flavors would be in a dessert. So I decided to whip up a batch of Irish Coffee Truffles. My Mom used to call truffles with any kind of alcohol in them liquor bombs. We went to Europe many years ago when I was younger and we had these really amazing Belgian chocolates with liqueur in them. Since I remembered those being really good I thought some Bailey’s coffee truffles sounded good.

    I thought about simply making the ganache type of truffles with a melted dark chocolate base, but instead I settled on a white chocolate creamy base that was more like Bailey’s. I started off with a cacao butter, coconut butter and cashew butter base which comes out tasting like white chocolate before you add anything to it, and then added a little strong espresso, cacao powder, whisky and of course cacao powder. It tasted amazing! I could not stop sampling it with a spoon.

    Once I let it chill it made the most delicious truffle filling! I shaped it into balls, and dipped it into some melted vegan dark chocolate. I could not wait to try the finished product! They were so good, rich and creamy filling that had a hint of cacao, coffee, and the boozy kick of whisky! These are heavenly and they would be perfect with, coffee of course!

    If you have ever loved Bailey’s give these truffles a try! I hope you are all staying warm where you live, it seems that we are in never ending Winter here with 10 inches of snow expected here tomorrow. I don’t know about you, but plan on staying in and creating more deliciousness in my kitchen!

    Vegan Irish Coffee Truffles

    Makes 16

    Ingredients:

    Filling:

    • 1/2 cup Raw Guru cacao butter, warmed to liquid
    • 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp raw cashew butter at room temperature
    • 3/4 cup Dastony coconut butter, warmed to liquid
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 1/4 cup maple syrup
    • 2 Tbsp strong brewed espresso
    • 2 Tbsp Irish whisky (make sure it is vegan on Barnivore)
    • 2 Tbsp filtered water
    • 2 tsp cacao powder

    Dark Chocolate:

    • 2 cups chopped vegan dark chocolate or vegan dark chocolate chips

    Directions:

    1. Combine all of the filling ingredients in a bowl, and whisk until smooth.
    2. Place in the freezer for about 15-20 minutes until it is firm enough to scoop. Scoop into 14 balls, rolling them with your hands.   Place on a parchment lined tray, and place back into the freezer until firm, about 30 minutes.
    3. Meanwhile,  melt the dark chocolate in a double boiler until smooth.
    4. Once the filling has firmed up, dip each chocolate into the dark chocolate, being sure to let the excess drain off, and place back onto the tray (I like to set mine on a fork to allow it to drain better). Once they are all dipped, set them in the freezer until hardened.
    5. Store any leftover truffles in the refrigerator.
  • Vegan Milk Chocolate Pomegranate Raspberry Almond Butter Cups

    Vegan Milk Chocolate Pomegranate Raspberry Almond Butter Cups

    We got 9 inches of snow in the part of Minnesota where I live last Wednesday. It was beautiful, and perfect for skiing of course but it was not so fun trying to travel to and from work in. Especially in my little compact car. I drive like a granny when conditions are like this though, and although it can be scary, I got to work and home safe. Even though the plow decided to pack my car in right before I was trying to leave work and it took effort to get out. When I got home I decided that some wine and chocolate were in order. I make my own home made fruit wines, so I had plenty on my rack downstairs, but the chocolate part I needed to work on. I had the ingredients to make chocolate on hand, so I whipped up a batch.

    I usually just go for dark chocolate, but I decided to make some milk chocolate this time because Raw Guru had recently sent me a big jar of their Dastony coconut butter and I had some of their cacao butter on hand as well. Did you know you can make quick and easy vegan milk chocolate by whisking a little coconut butter into your melted dark chocolate? It is so good! It is a little more mellow than the intense dark chocolate and perfect for those who enjoyed milk chocolate before they went vegan. I myself like ALL kinds of chocolate, so it is nice to have a variety sometimes.

    I decided to make some pomegranate raspberry almond butter cups with the chocolate because that just sounded amazing and I had some fruit sweetened pomegranate raspberry jam on hand. I think that jam and nut butter chocolate cups are my favorite chocolate treat. They are like a fancy step up from the classic peanut butter cups that I thought were the cat’s meow when I was a kid.

    These turned out so good! The milk chocolate was mellow and smooth, the perfect pairing for the sweet raspberry pomegranate jam and rich nutty almond butter. It was enjoyable to look out at the pretty snow from my home all safe and warm in my pjs and enjoy the wine and chocolate cups! I hope you are staying warm where you live. If you are a milk chocolate fan, give these a try!

    Vegan Milk Chocolate Pomegranate Raspberry Almond Butter Cups
    Makes 6 large candies

    Milk Chocolate:

    • 3/4 cup Raw Guru raw cacao powder
    • 1/2 cup Raw Guru melted cacao butter (warmed to liquid)
    • 3 Tbsp Dastony coconut butter
    • pinch sea salt
    • 1/4 cup plus 1 tsp maple syrup divided (at room temperature)

    Filling:

    Instructions:

    1. To make the chocolate, whisk together all ingredients until smooth.
    2. Spoon a little chocolate into the bottoms of 6 peanut butter cup molds, filling them about 1/4-1/3 full.  Place in the freezer until hard, about 10 minutes.
    3. Once the chocolate has hardened, spoon a heaping 1 tsp of almond butter over it, then spoon 1 tsp of jam over the almond butter.
    4. Pour more chocolate over the cups until the jam is covered, and place them in the freezer until set, about 20 minutes.
    5. Store any extra in the refrigerator.

    *Please note: if your almond butter is the runny variety, you may need to add some coconut butter to it to firm it up so it doesn’t run when placed in the cups. Add about 1 tsp coconut butter to it if it is runny.

    *If you can not get raspberry pomegranate jam, you can either stir 1 Tbsp pomegranate juice into the raspberry jam.

  • Vegan Pink Velvet Truffles

    Vegan Pink Velvet Truffles

    I was watching the local news and both of the anchors were wearing red, and one of them said “It just feels right to wear pink and red this week because it is Valentine’s Day week!” Well, I can totally relate, I feel kind of the same way and my favorite color pink so why not be festive? Since I am feeling festive I thought I should make some truffles. Because chocolate and Valentine’s Day go together like peanut butter and jelly. Plus they just sounded good! They weren’t going to be just plain chocolate truffles though.

    You know me, I like to make things a little more interesting so I decided to make some pink velvet truffles, keeping with the pink and red theme. I do love red velvet cake or pink velvet cake, just not the kind with artificial color. I prefer natural color, so these truffles were going to be made with some beet powder and not red food coloring. Don’t worry, you can not taste it at all, it just gives them that beautiful pink color! I think the color of beets is absolutely beautiful and I love that I can use them in things like this!

    The filling for these truffles with super delicious! It had a cacao butter base, to give it a kind of white chocolate flavor, and I combined that with some coconut butter and cashew butter to give these a lovely rich smooth texture. Of course it had to have a dash of vanilla as well, because I love it in desserts! I could have just eaten the filling with a spoon, but of course then I would not have truffles.

    Once they were shaped, and chilled and dipped in the vegan dark chocolate I could not wait to try them! I find the process of making things like this kind of relaxing. Especially the part at the end where I get to indulge! These were super delicious! The filling was a rich and luscious melt in your mouth texture with a sweet vanilla flavor and the intense dark chocolate on the outside was the perfect pairing with it! If you are in need of something of the chocolate variety, satisfy that craving and make these!

    Vegan Pink Velvet Truffles 
    Makes 14 truffles

    Ingredients:

    Filling:

    Dark Chocolate:

    • 2 cups chopped vegan dark chocolate or vegan dark chocolate chips

    Directions:

    1. Combine all of the filling ingredients in a bowl, and whisk until smooth.
    2. Place in the freezer for about 15-20 minutes until it is firm enough to scoop. Scoop into 14 balls, rolling them with your hands.   Place on a parchment lined tray, and place back into the freezer until firm, about 30 minutes.
    3. Meanwhile,  melt the dark chocolate in a double boiler until smooth.
    4. Once the filling has firmed up, dip each chocolate into the dark chocolate, being sure to let the excess drain off, and place back onto the tray (I like to set mine on a fork to allow it to drain better). Once they are all dipped, set them in the freezer until hardened.
    5. Store any leftover truffles in the refrigerator.
  • Vegan Golden Turmeric White Chocolates

    Vegan Golden Turmeric White Chocolates

    Eric and I recently went to the Minneapolis Institute of Art because it was a super cold day and doing things outside isn’t so fun when it is below 10F degrees. That place is amazing. So many beautiful and historic pieces of art, and it is so large that you could get lost in there. Every time I go I see something new even the things that haven’t necessarily changed because it is such a large building. We spent a few hours in there enjoying the art and artifacts, and then they were closing and since we had a long walk to our car in the cold, we decided that warm drinks were the way to go, and so we stopped at Spyhouse coffee which was near by.

    I had never been in there, but I was pleased that they had vegan options for their drinks besides just plain tea like some coffee shops. I don’t usually get fancy drinks, but a their golden turmeric latte caught my eye. It was amazing. Made with oat milk, turmeric of course, ginger, maple syrup, and a hint of black pepper. Sooo good. And I loved that it was served in an actual porcelain cup and not a paper one. I haven’t been to anything but a Caribou or Starbucks for a long long time so that was rare. Anyways, this drink was so good that I have since made my own version at home a couple of times since that was a few weekends ago, and I decided that the flavors would be amazing in a dessert as well.

    So, I decided to make some Golden Turmeric White Chocolates! It was literally -30F below last wednesday morning and -20F for a high temperature so when I got off work the last thing I wanted to do was go outside and making some candy seemed like the perfect idea.

    Vegan Golden Turmeric White Chocolates 

    Makes 24

    Ingredients:

    • 1/3 cup cacao butter (2 oz)
    • 3 Tbsp raw cashew butter
    • 1/3 cup coconut butter
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 3 Tbsp maple syrup (or to taste)
    • 1/8 tsp sea salt
    •  1/2 tsp ground turmeric powder
    • 1/4 ground tsp ginger

    Instructions:

    1. Combine cacao butter, cashew butter, vanilla, maple syrup,  and sea salt over a double boiler, and whisk until smooth.
    2. Whisk the turmeric and ginger into the white chocolate.
    3. Pour into chocolate heart molds, and place in the freezer until heard, which can take 30 minutes to 1 hour depending on how warm it is.
    4. Pop chocolate out of molds and enjoy!
    5. Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to a few months.

    *I get my cacao butter from Amazon HERE.

  • Salted Caramel Tahini Fudge

    Salted Caramel Tahini Fudge

    Back in the day when I was in high school, my Mom used to take me to this natural foods restaurant (you know, the type that had oats milk ice cream, carob cookies, and fresh squeezed juices) which I wasn’t used to back then because there wasn’t a lot of at the time.  They had a famous tahini lemon salad dressing that my Mom used to always talk about. It was a really good dressing, but it made me think that the only way to use tahini was as a sauce or dressing.  Little did I know that there were so many other things you can do with tahini.  I thought it just made amazing dressing until I got more adventurous with food when I was in college and I discovered that it was an ingredient that made hummus amazing, and it could even be used in desserts like halva. 

    I now know that it is pretty versatile, and I actually love it in desserts.  I have made salted caramel tahini brownies and chocolate drizzled tahini cookies and those were amazing.  So when Raw Guru recently sent me some Dastony sesame tahini, I decided that some salted caramel tahini fudge sounded amazing. I have made many other nut butter based fudges before and they are always so easy and so good so I knew I could count on this turning out.  I was also having kind of a busy week where I felt like I wasn’t getting everything done that I needed to, so this sort of dessert was perfect!  I am sure you can relate, it is always nice to make something easy.

    I combined the Dastony sesame tahini with some soft, pitted medjool dates to make this caramel, since dates are nature’s caramel.  I mean seriously.  If you are craving caramel but want to not eat straight refined sugar eat a date, they are so satisfying and about as natural as it gets when it comes to sweeteners. The dates blended up with the tahini, some water, vanilla, sea salt, and coconut butter to allow this fudge to firm up, made it super delicious.  It tasted like caramel.  Simply heavenly.  I could not stop sampling it.

    It just needed to set in the freezer for about an hour before it was ready.  It turned out so good though!  Gooey, delicious healthy caramel with a slightly nutty flavor thanks to the tahini.  If you are a big caramel lover but are trying to stay away from the refined stuff, give this a try!

    Salted Caramel Tahini Fudge
    Makes 16 pieces

    Ingredients:

    • 1 cup Dastony sesame tahini
    • 1 cup Dastony coconut butter, warmed to liquid
    • ¾ cup filtered water
    • 3/4 cup soft, pitted medjool dates (soak in water for 30 minutes first if not soft and drain very well)
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 1/2 tsp sea salt plus more for sprinkling

    Instructions:

    1. In a high speed blender or food processor, combine the tahini, coconut butter, water, dates, vanilla, and sea salt and process until smooth. 
    2. Spread out into a 1/2 inch thick square on a piece of parchment on a board or sheet pan (to make moving it easier). 
    3. Sprinkle with a little sea salt.
    4. Place back in the freezer for about an hour or more until firm. 
    5. Cut into 16 squares and enjoy! 
    6. Store in the fridge in an airtight container up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to a few months. 
  • Vegan Raspberry White Chocolate Truffle Hearts

    Vegan Raspberry White Chocolate Truffle Hearts

    Valentine’s Day is a month away now, so I figure I can start making Valentine’s Day treats.  Because one can never have too many of those, right?  When I was little, I loved the candy part of Valentine’s Day the most.  I know, it should be about celebrating love and all, and that is what I most appreciate about it now, being able to spend time with the ones I love and not about receiving candy and flowers and what not.  But when you are 8 you just want to eat candy and don’t know much about love.  Valentines candy was awesome because in my school you would get a bunch from your classmates along with the Valentines in your box that you would all give to each other. Not only that, my Grandma also always gave me a nice big box of chocolates.  It was awesome to go through the box and try to guess what they were while eating them. I still like to make Valentine’s Day treats though.  Any excuse for me to make things that are heart shaped, or pink, or chocolate I am in. And I even sometimes share them, haha.

    So on my day off I decided to make some Vegan Raspberry White Chocolate Hearts.  I haven’t made any chocolates since Christmas and I am kind of missing them.  These are fun to make too. You get to shape the filling sort of like play dough.  Or at least that is what I do, because I don’t have the right size of fancy heart molds and I like plenty of filling.  For the filling on these I used some Raw Guru cacao butter for the base, as it is the foundation and the essential ingredient for white chocolate.  At least real white chocolate.  None of that fake other oil stuff going on here that you might find if you were buying store bought candy.  Trust me it makes all the difference if you use real cacao butter in your chocolate and white chocolate.  The Raw Guru cacao butter smells amazing too.

    Next, I added in a little cashew butter and Dastony coconut butter to make the filling creamy.  Lastly some freeze dried raspberries, vanilla and maple syrup.  You might be wondering why I use freeze dried berries and not fresh.  I do so because they don’t add extra moisture to the chocolates, they are really intensely flavored and it keeps these a little more shelf stable. I also use the freeze dried berries for things like a raspberry frosting where I want color and flavor but I don’t want any extra moisture.  They work perfect!  I get mine at Trader Joes, they have several different types of berries.

    The filling for these truffles was super delicious.  I could have eaten it with a spoon.  But of course then I wouldn’t have truffles. Once they were all shaped and set, I dipped them in a home made dark chocolate.  Now of course if you didn’t want to make your own, you could use your favorite store bought dark chocolate, but I had all of the ingredients to make it so I thought, why not?  These turned out super delicious.  They would be the perfect little treat to make for Valentine’s day for your loved ones.  If you can share them after you taste one that is.

    Vegan Raspberry White Chocolate Truffle Hearts
    Makes 10 chocolates

    Ingredients:

    White Chocolate:

    • 1/4 cup Raw Guru cacao butter (2 oz) or coconut oil if unavailable
    • 2 Tbsp raw cashew butter
    • 1/4 cup Dastony coconut butter
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 2 Tbsp maple syrup
    • 1 cup freeze dried raspberries
    • 1/4 cup filtered water

     

    Dark Chocolate:

     

    Directions:

    1. Combine all of the white chocolate ingredients but the berries and water over a double boiler, and whisk until smooth.
    2. Pulverize the berries in a blender until fine, then whisk into the white chocolate along with the water. Place in the freezer for about 15-20 minutes until it is firm enough to scoop. Scoop into 8 balls, rolling them with your hands and shaping them into little hearts.   Place on a parchment lined tray, and place back into the freezer until firm, about 30 minutes.
    3. Meanwhile, to make the dark chocolate, combine all ingredients in a double boiler, and whisk until combined and melted.
    4. Once the filling has firmed up, dip each chocolate into the dark chocolate, being sure to let the excess drain off, and place back onto the tray (I like to set mine on a fork to allow it to drain better). Once they are all dipped, set them in the freezer until hardened.
      Store any leftover truffles in the refrigerator.
  • Vegan Peanut Butter Cup Presents

    Vegan Peanut Butter Cup Presents

    I am obsessed with chocolate and peanut butter, it is no secret as I have probably 40 recipes featuring the combo on my blog.  But you know what my favorite chocolate and peanut butter dessert is? Just plain old PB cups.  Well, not plain, it is actually a party in my mouth when I eat one.  So for every holiday pretty much I find excuses to make some festive ones.  I have been seeing Reese’s peanut butter cups and peanut butter trees commercials, so that made me want some too.  But I don’t just got to the store and buy them, I make them at home because not only is it easy, they taste so much better in my opinion.   Well, I thought it might be nice to gift some as well this year, so I whipped up a batch.  I wanted to make them cute though, so I decided to make little peanut butter presents using square molds (well, actually it is a silicone mini brownie pan but same deal).

    These didn’t take long to make at all!  I melted down some good quality dark vegan chocolate to keep it simple, but of course if you wanted to make your own, by all means go right ahead (you can find a recipe to make your own HERE, just double the recipe, and leave out the hazelnuts and hazelnut butter).  I used my own home made peanut butter as well, and since I like a salty and sweet combo I didn’t even sweeten the filling at all, because the chocolate is sweet enough and I like the peanut butter just as is.  Of course if you like things a little sweeter, feel free to add a dash of maple syrup to it.

    The little chocolates came out lovely and I made some quick white chocolate colored with beet powder and matcha powder to pipe into bows on top of them so that they looked like little presents.  Don’t worry, you can’t taste the powders they just give them a lovely pastel color.  These peanut butter cups were so good!  The rich dark chocolate with the salty peanut butter is amazing, but that little dash of white chocolate on top makes them a little more mellow and creamy. I almost didn’t want to share.  Yes, and this recipe makes 20.  But of course, I am not greedy so I shared some.  If you know someone who loves peanut butter cups, impress them and make these for them for the Holidays!  Or maybe just for yourself, that is ok too. I would love to be gifted a box of these!

    Vegan Peanut Butter Cup Presents
    Makes about 20 candies

    Chocolate:

     

    Filling:

    • about 1/4 cup organic peanut butter refrigerated

     

    White Chocolate Bow:

    • 1 Tbsp raw cashew butter at room temperature
    • 2 Tbsp Dastony coconut butter warmed to liquid
    • 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 1 1/2 tsp maple syrup at room temperature
    • pinch sea salt
    • red beet powder or matcha green tea powder for coloring

     

    Instructions:

    1. Melt the dark chocolate in the top of a double boiler until smooth.
    2. Spoon a little chocolate into the bottoms of 20 small square candy molds set on a tray, filling them about 1/4-1/3 full.  Place in the freezer until hard, about 10 minutes.
    3. Place the peanut butter in a pastry bag (or ziplock bag with the tip of corner cut off) and pipe into the center of the hardened dark chocolate layer (not too much though or it will ooze to the sides), then pour the remaining dark chocolate over it in the cups until the peanut butter is covered, and tap the tray on the counter to level it.  Place in the freezer to harden for about 15-20 minutes. Once hard, unmold and place back in the freezer while you prepare the white chocolate.
    4. To make the white chocolate bow, combine coconut butter, cashew butter, vanilla, maple syrup,  sea salt, and either a little bit of beet powder or matcha powder to color it (start with about 1/4 tsp and add more if you want it darker) in a bowl, and whisk until smooth.
    5. Take the white chocolate and put it in a ziplock bag, and cut off the corner to create a small hole.  Pipe the white chocolate into a bow onto the top of each square of chilled chocolate.
    6. Place them in the freezer until set, about 5 minutes.
    7. Enjoy! Store any extra in the refrigerator.

     

  • Vegan Eggnog Truffles 

    Vegan Eggnog Truffles 

    I know it is not Christmas yet, but I have seen eggnog in stores, so that means it is officially eggnog season, right?!  Not that I usually buy mine from the store, I like to make it so that it has healthier ingredients and not any stabilizers or anything in it.  I like a good vegan eggnog with a little splash of bourbon, now that is delicious!  The funny thing is I didn’t really like it growing up, but I think that was due to the fact that my Dad called it “egg snag” and said it was gross.  I have since learned that it can be super delicious if it is good quality.  One time I helped Eric make a giant batch of eggnog and he ended up drinking the entire gallon in 1 day.  I am still laughing about it to this day.  That is sooo much eggnog!  I myself consider it kind of a dessert or treat, something that you sip in a fancy holiday glass.  I haven’t made any this year yet, but I decided to make some eggnog truffles last weekend.

    I had made some 4 years ago on the blog, but I decided that the recipe needed to be revamped and made easier and more delicious so I remade them. Eggnog truffles sounded amazing so it was perfect!  These are really quite easy to make.  The filling is just whisked together and chilled and then you shape it kinda like playdough!  That is the fun part.  That and eating some of the filling as you go.  It is super delicious!  It is actually a mixture of cashew butter and coconut butter along with some maple and vanilla to sweeten, some bourbon and of course a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg!  Sooo good!

    Once you have your truffles formed, you melt some vegan dark chocolate and give them a little dip into it and voila! Delicious truffles!  Whenever I dip truffles, I always think of that famous I Love Lucy episode when they decide to get jobs and work in a chocolate factory.  I used to love that show (well still do).  Luckily there is no rush for me when dipping my truffles!  These are so good with the creamy, dreamy eggnog filling with a hint of bourbon, dipped in the rich dark chocolate for a contrast!  If you enjoy eggnog, give these a try!  Or, they might be the perfect thing to put out at a holiday party this year!

    Vegan Eggnog Truffles 
    Makes 12 truffles

    Ingredients:

    White Chocolate:

    • 3/4 cup raw cashew butter at room temperature
    • 3/4 cup raw coconut butter, warmed to liquid
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 3 Tbsp maple syrup
    • 1/4 cup filtered water
    • 1 Tbsp bourbon or rum
    • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
    • pinch of nutmeg

     

    Dark Chocolate:

    • 2 cups chopped vegan dark chocolate

     

    Directions:

    1. Combine all of the filling ingredients in a bowl, and whisk until smooth.
    2. Place in the freezer for about 15-20 minutes until it is firm enough to scoop. Scoop into 12 balls, rolling them with your hands.   Place on a parchment lined tray, and place back into the freezer until firm, about 30 minutes.
    3. Meanwhile,  melt the dark chocolate in a double boiler until smooth.
    4. Once the filling has firmed up, dip each chocolate into the dark chocolate, being sure to let the excess drain off, and place back onto the tray (I like to set mine on a fork to allow it to drain better). Once they are all dipped, set them in the freezer until hardened.
      Store any leftover truffles in the refrigerator.
  • DIY Vegan Halloween Candy Recipes

    DIY Vegan Halloween Candy Recipes

    When I was little, I loved dressing up for Halloween.  I think I was a cat the most, since that was always my favorite animal.  I wasn’t very imaginative when it came to costumes.  I also enjoyed the candy. I mean, who didn’t as a child?!  My friends and I would always dump out or big pumpkin full of loot on the living room floor after the night was over and trade candy.  I was all for the chocolate, and my best friend liked more of the sweet sugary fruity candy so it worked out.  My favorite were the Snickers, Milky Ways, and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.  If I got a lot of those, I hit the jackpot.  I now make my own candy as an adult, and not only is it fun, that way I can enjoy the candy knowing it is vegan, and healthier than the store bought since I used only real ingredients, and no refined sugars.  Since it is almost Halloween, and maybe you want to make your own candy too, I decided that a little bit of Halloween candy food porn was in order.  So, I have compiled photos of my favorite Halloween worthy candy on my blog.  As you can see, most of it involves chocolate because like I mentioned earlier, that is my favorite kind and what I make the most. If you like what you see, you should take some time for yourself, have fun and make one of these recipes so you can enjoy them too!  After all, there is nothing more satisfying than eating your own candy that you prepared yourself.  Enjoy!
     
    Candy Corn Macaroons 1
    Chipotle Caramel Apple Chocolates 2



  • CBD Peppermint Chocolate Cups

    CBD Peppermint Chocolate Cups

    Maybe it is because it is Summer, it is hot, and I need things that are refreshing, but I have been really into peppermint lately.  Peppermint in my drinks, home made peppermint body mist and baths (if you are feeling overheated, just sprinkle a few drops of organic good quality peppermint oil into your bath water, it is super cooling), and of course eating peppermint goodies.  Mint chip ice cream is classic of course, and one of my favorite Summer things but I like to eat other peppermint desserts as well, which is why I was happy when I got my hands on some Rawmio Essentials peppermint dark chocolate bars recently.

    Raw Guru recently sent me a box of goodies including those as well as some Veggimins CBD chocolate bars.  So I decided to make some Vegan Chocolate Mint Cups with them, a layer of their dark chocolate on the bottom, and a layer of sweet vanilla mint white chocolate on the top, also with a touch of CBD in the form of oil, which also happens to be from Veggimins.  It is 300 mg Veggimins organic CBD oil , and I love it.  I have been taking CBD oil before bed and in the morning for a few months now, and it really helps me sleep better and calms my nerves.  CBD is also good for relieving inflammation, which I need help with sometimes since I work out a lot.  If you have never tried this oil, it does not contain THC the psychoactive part of cannabis, so you don’t get high, it just helps with things like decreasing anxiety, fighting inflammation, relieving nausea and decreasing depression among other things.  Definitely check it out, it is worth it!  I think it is awesome that they make products besides just the oil too, like the chocolate bars.  Why not get your daily dose of CBD in the form of chocolate?!

    These cups are easy to make and so good!  The mint in them is refreshing, so perfect for Summer, and the dark chocolate against the white chocolate is a heavenly combination.  These remind me of the flavor of Andes mints only better.  They melt in your mouth, and they have just the right amount of sweetness.  If you are in need of a chocolate fix, give these a try!

    CBD Peppermint Chocolate Cups
    Makes 6 large cups

    Chocolate:

    White Chocolate:

    Instructions:

    1. Melt the dark chocolate in the top of a double boiler until smooth.
    2. Spoon a little chocolate into the bottoms of 6 peanut butter cup molds, filling dividing evenly between the cups.  Place in the freezer until hard, about 10 minutes.
    3. Combine cacao butter, cashew butter, vanilla, maple syrup,  and sea salt over a double boiler, and whisk until smooth.  Add the CBD oil and matcha powder and whisk until blended.
    4. Pour the mint white chocolate over the dark chocolate in the cups and place them in the freezer until set, about 20 minutes.
    5. Enjoy! Store any extra in the refrigerator.
  • Vegan Peanut Butter White Chocolates

    Vegan Peanut Butter White Chocolates

    I love white chocolate and I love peanut butter, so I figured, why not make some peanut butter white chocolate?!  I mean, yes I could have just made white chocolate peanut butter cups, and I did make those recently.  But I had another motive for making these.  My Mom recently requested that I make some vegan 7 layer bars, and I needed peanut butter white chocolate chunks (I was not going to make chips, too much work).  So I figured I could make a batch of peanut butter white chocolates, and have some to enjoy and just eat as is, and some for the 7 layer bars recipe.  If I like something I like to make extra and I knew these would be pretty amazing the big peanut butter lover that I am.  Peanut butter is something that I make a big jar of every week because I go through it that much.  It is as good as dessert to me if I just eat a few spoonfuls.  So that is why I try and find ways to work it into so many recipes.

    These chocolates are really simple to make, with very little hands on time which is always a win as far as I am concerned.  They only have 6 ingredients!  You just melt everything together in the top of a double boiler, pour it into molds, and let it set up and chill in the freezer for a while.  I knew they were going to be good when I taste tested the mixture before pouring it into molds. It was sooo good!  They were even better once they had set up.  Luscious white chocolate with the rich peanut butter included is a heavenly combination.

    They are good just for eating alone, but I think they would be really good in cookies if chopped up (just press them in at the end of baking, because they will melt too much in the oven). Or stirred into or served on top of ice cream, or chopped up and stirred into brownies.  I am pretty excited about trying them in my 7 layer bars.  I just have to figure out what other ingredients I need to include in them.  If they turn out I will share the recipe for those too, but for now these peanut butter white chocolates are pretty bomb, so I know this recipe is worth sharing!  If you love peanut butter too, give these a try!

    Vegan Peanut Butter White Chocolates
    Makes 40 chocolates

     

    Instructions:

    1. Combine cacao butter, coconut butter, peanut butter, vanilla, maple syrup,  and sea salt over a double boiler, and whisk until smooth.
    2. Pour into silicone molds, and place in the freezer until firm (about 45 minutes or so).
    3. Pop out of molds and enjoy!  Store any extra in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
  • Black and White Peanut Butter Cups

    Black and White Peanut Butter Cups

    It is no secret that I love chocolate and peanut butter together.  I have about 50 chocolate and peanut butter recipes on this blog.  Yes, I am a little, obsessed.  Or maybe I just know what I like, and I figure that some of you out there have a similar mind set when it comes to the combo.  Reese’s peanut butter cups were my all time favorite candy as a kid, so my love for chocolate and peanut butter started early.  Whenever I would see them at the store, I would beg for my Mom to buy some.  Also, they were the candy I got excited about at every holiday.  Those big giant egg shaped ones for Easter, the single ones for Halloween, which I would trade my other candy for, and of course the red and green wrapped ones for Christmas.  You know what was really exciting to me though?  When they came out with the white and dark chocolate ones back when I was still in high school.  I worked at Michael’s Arts and Crafts at the time, and we had a vending machine in the break room with those in there, and every time I went on break I would buy some.  It made the day more exciting.  Yes, I get pretty motivated by food. The white chocolate ones were my favorite at the time.

    Now of course I do not buy commercially made peanut butter cups like that, because they are usually not vegan, they contain artificial ingredients and lots of sugar.  But that doesn’t mean I don’t still get to enjoy peanut butter cups.  I make my own!  It is much more fun, and that way I can choose which ingredients go into them. I saw some at the gas station, and it made me want some so of course I had to make some. I couldn’t decide between white chocolate and dark, so I decided to make black and white peanut butter cups and get the best of both worlds!  I made my own home made white chocolate, a melt in your mouth delicious concoction made with real cacao butter (unlike a lot of commercial white chocolate that substitutes cheap fat instead), coconut butter and cashew butter (for creaminess).  It is so good, and I think I like it even better than the white chocolate I ate growing up.  For the dark chocolate I decided to melt down some vegan dark chocolate chips that I had on hand.

    I used my own home made peanut butter for the filling (one very important staple in my kitchen that I make weekly), and I did not add anything to it.  I figure the chocolate parts of the cup are sweet enough, and I wanted the center to just be salty, rich and delicious.  They turned out sooo good!  The light and dark chocolate tasted amazing together and the salty gooey peanut butter was just the thing to pair them with.  As a side note, I know I have been making a lot of chocolate recipes lately, but that is a good thing, right?  I have a funny reason why too. I found 2 bags of cacao butter in the back of my cupboard on the top shelf where I can’t reach, and I had bought a third…so I figure what better way to use it then to make chocolate?! If you are a big peanut butter cup fan like me, give these babies a try!

    Black and White Peanut Butter Cups
    Makes 12 large cups

    Chocolate:

    • 1 1/2 cups vegan dark chocolate chips, or vegan dark chocolate chopped

     

    White Chocolate:

     

    Filling:

    • 1/3 cup organic peanut butter*

     

    Instructions:

    1. Melt the dark chocolate in the top of a double boiler until smooth.
    2. Spoon a little chocolate into the bottoms of 12 peanut butter cup molds, filling them about 1/4-1/3 full.  Place in the freezer until hard, about 10 minutes.
    3. Combine cacao butter, cashew butter, vanilla, maple syrup,  and sea salt over a double boiler, and whisk until smooth.
    4. Spoon a heaping 1 tsp of the peanut butter over the hardened dark chocolate layer, then pour the white chocolate over it in the cups until the peanut butter is covered, and place them in the freezer until set, about 20 minutes.
    5. Enjoy! Store any extra in the refrigerator.

     

    *

  • Vegan Chocolate Blueberry Pecan Butter Cups

    Vegan Chocolate Blueberry Pecan Butter Cups

    When I was little, I loved going shopping with my Mom at the mall.  And one of the local malls had this really cool store that looked like a log cabin house inside and they mostly sold home decor items.  You would think that would be a boring place for a kid to shop with her Mom at, but I loved the fact that it was like a house to explore inside and get lost in. Plus I was always up for any kind of shopping trip, it was like an adventure. They always had some goodies near the register for sale, including some huckleberry chocolates that I would always beg my Mom to buy.  They were so good, dark chocolate with jammy huckleberries in the middle!  I don’t think that store is there anymore, but those candies were my main memory of it. A lot of my memories tend to be food related, what can I say?  I like food. Which is why I am sharing recipes with you all in the first place!  I have never seen any huckleberries or huckleberry jam for sale around here, but what we do have is a lot of blueberries, the huckleberry’s close cousin.

    I was thinking about those chocolates the other day and how good they were, so I decided to make something similar with a blueberry jam.  Now I say similar, because I made these into nut butter and jelly cups, one of my all time favorite things.  There is just something so good about the gooey nut butter, jammy fruit and dark chocolate that is so good!  Yes, I take this over a truffle any day!  I bought some fruit sweetened blueberry jam, and I had recently made some pecan butter, so it was perfect!  I decided to make both white and dark chocolate cups because Raw Guru recently sent me both some Rawmio Essentials 100% Cacao Dark Chocolate Bars and Raw Cacao Butter.  The 100% dark chocolate is amazingly smooth, and contains only 2 ingredients, cacao butter and cacao nibs.  If you are truly a dark chocolate lover, you can just eat it as is, but if you like a little more sweetness, you can add your choice of sweetener to it after you melt it down, which is what I did for these cups.  It turned out just perfect as a chocolate base for these cups!

    For the white chocolate I used a mixture of cacao butter, coconut butter, and cashew butter for a rich and creamy base.  Both of the chocolates were sooo good with the pecan butter and blueberry jam filling!  I make my own pecan butter at home in the Vitamix because it is more cost effective than store bought, and I end up making it about once a week.  If you can’t make your own though, and you can’t find it in a store or online, you could use another nut butter like almond for these, that would be really good too.  If you need chocolate making supplies, for desserts like this, you can find the Rawmio Essentials bars, raw cacao butter, or even cacao powder, on the Raw Guru website!

    Vegan White Chocolate Blueberry Pecan Butter Cups
    Makes 6 large candies

    Ingredients:

     

    Filling:

     

    Instructions:

    1. Combine cacao butter, cashew butter, vanilla, maple syrup,  and sea salt over a double boiler, and whisk until smooth.  Pour into the bottoms of 6 larger peanut butter cup tins (or molds), then place them in the freezer to set.
    2. Once the chocolate has hardened, mix together the pecan butter and coconut butter for the filling, and spoon a heaping 1 tsp of the pecan butter mixture over it, then spoon 1 tsp of the jam over the pecan butter.
    3. Pour more chocolate over the cups until the jam is covered, and place them in the freezer until set, about 20 minutes.
    4. Store any extra in the refrigerator.

     

    Vegan Dark Chocolate Blueberry Pecan Butter Cups
    Makes 6 large candies

    Chocolate:

     

    Filling:

     

    Instructions:

    1. To make the chocolate, whisk together all ingredients until smooth.
    2. Spoon a little chocolate into the bottoms of 6 peanut butter cup molds, filling them about 1/4-1/3 full.  Place in the freezer until hard, about 10 minutes.
    3. Once the chocolate has hardened, mix together the pecan butter and coconut butter for the filling, and spoon a heaping 1 tsp of the pecan butter mixture over it, then spoon 1 tsp of the jam over the pecan butter.
    4. Pour more chocolate over the cups until the jam is covered, and place them in the freezer until set, about 20 minutes.
    5. Store any extra in the refrigerator.

     

    *If you would rather make your own dark chocolate, use this recipe that follows. Or if you have another dark chocolate you want to use, just melt down 1 1/2 cups chopped for the recipe.

    Raw chocolate:

     

    Whisk together until smooth. Pour into molds, and chill until hard.  Keeps for a few months in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

     

  • Vegan Chocolate Black Raspberry Almond Butter Cups

    Vegan Chocolate Black Raspberry Almond Butter Cups

    I know that being a runner doesn’t define me, but I still get kind of sad and feel lost when I have an injury and can’t do the thing I love.  It usually takes me a few weeks to adjust, because to me, it is my therapy, and what keeps me from getting as stressed out as I would otherwise.  I has always been that way, ever since I was in college and I had my first bad injury that sidelined me for a few months.  A few weeks back I was running fine and did a race, then bam!  Injury struck again.  I have had a lot of stressful things going on in my life lately and lots of change which I don’t do well with (being a very routine person who likes things the same), and I think my body was just tired of it.  So I am taking time off from running now for a few weeks (or as long as this stubborn thing takes to heal).  I have to still fill that time with something active though, or I will go nuts!  I have been biking, and thank goodness it is nice outside!  I went on a 31 mile bike ride last Saturday, and not only was it nice, but while I was enjoying the scenery along the trails, I spotted a bunch of black raspberry bushes. I didn’t have anything with me to carry them if I picked them, so later me and Eric came back and picked some.

    I love Minnesota wild black raspberries!  You can’t usually buy them at the store, most of the time you have to find them wild and pick them.  I hit the jackpot with all those bushes!  Normally I find a bush here and there, maybe with about 5 ripe berries on it, but these bushes had loads of them!  It must be a really good year for raspberries.  We picked a good sized container, and later I decided to make some black raspberry almond butter cups.  Both white and dark chocolate for variety. Eric approved of my choice of dessert to make with them, and he was excited about trying them as well. Nut butter cups are one of my favorite things.  Ever since I was exposed to Reese’s peanut butter cups as a child.  Although, I like my home made ones better.

    These were pretty simple to make, because I actually had some vegan chocolate already made and on hand.  But in case you don’t I included the recipes so you can make some.  For the dark chocolate, you could just melt vegan dark chocolate chips and use those instead of making your own if you want to simplify things.  I just mashed the berries with a touch of maple syrup (not much was needed because they were so flavorful already), and it tasted like really good jam.  A bit of almond butter for the filling as well, and I could not wait to try them!  Once they were all set up and ready to enjoy and I was able to try them, they were heavenly!  I can’t pick which one I like better, the white chocolate is equally as good as the dark.  If you have access to black raspberries where you live, give these a try (or use red raspberries if you can’t get black).  They definitely put a smile on my face, and made me forget about the running injury.  The berry picking was a fun adventure too!

     

    Vegan White Chocolate Black Raspberry Almond Butter Cups
    Makes 6 large candies

    Ingredients:

     

    Filling:

    • 6 scant tsp almond butter*
    • 1/4 cup black raspberries
    • 1 tsp maple syrup

     

    Instructions:

    1. Combine cacao butter, cashew butter, vanilla, maple syrup,  and sea salt over a double boiler, and whisk until smooth.  Pour into the bottoms of 6 larger peanut butter cup tins (or molds), then place them in the freezer to set.
    2. Once the chocolate has hardened, spoon a heaping 1 tsp of almond butter over it, then mash the berries with the tsp maple syrup until jam like, and spoon 1 tsp of that over the almond butter.
    3. Pour more chocolate over the cups until the jam is covered, and place them in the freezer until set, about 20 minutes.
    4. Store any extra in the refrigerator.

    *Please note: if your almond butter is the runny variety, you may need to add some coconut butter to it to firm it up so it doesn’t run when placed in the cups. Add about 1 tsp coconut butter to it if it is runny.

     

    Vegan Dark Chocolate Black Raspberry Almond Butter Cups
    Makes 6 large candies

    Chocolate:

     

    Filling:

    • 6 scant tsp almond butter*
    • 1/4 cup black raspberries
    • 1 tsp maple syrup

     

    Instructions:

    1. To make the chocolate, whisk together all ingredients until smooth.
    2. Spoon a little chocolate into the bottoms of 6 peanut butter cup molds, filling them about 1/4-1/3 full.  Place in the freezer until hard, about 10 minutes.
    3. Once the chocolate has hardened, spoon a heaping 1 tsp of almond butter over it, then mash the berries with the tsp maple syrup until jam like, and spoon 1 tsp of that over the almond butter.
    4. Pour more chocolate over the cups until the jam is covered, and place them in the freezer until set, about 20 minutes.
    5. Store any extra in the refrigerator.

     

    *Please note: if your almond butter is the runny variety, you may need to add some coconut butter to it to firm it up so it doesn’t run when placed in the cups. Add about 1 tsp coconut butter to it if it is runny.

  • Vegan Salted Caramel White Chocolates 

    Vegan Salted Caramel White Chocolates 

    Everyone always thinks to pair dark chocolate with salt, but why not white chocolate?  At least that was what I was pondering last weekend when I decided to make some vegan salted caramel white chocolates.  The idea sounded absolutely heavenly!  For most of my life, I have thought of myself as mainly a vanilla favoring girl.  Always vanilla cake over chocolate, and blondies over brownies or white chocolate over dark when I was little.  I have come to appreciate dark chocolate more, but anything vanilla or vanilla caramel always has a special place in my heart.  Raw Guru recently sent me some Raw Guru Raw Organic Cacao Butter and Raw Guru Himalayan Pink Crystal Salt and they were the inspiration for the salted caramel white chocolates.  These are two ingredients that I always have to have on hand, and the Raw Guru products are some of the best quality I have tried.  Salt belongs in everything as far as I am concerned.  I use it to bring out flavors in everything from sweet to savory and I prefer Himalayan salt, because it contains the most minerals.  Cacao butter is something I use a lot to make things like chocolate (white or dark), to thicken things like cheesecake (giving it a white chocolate flavor), or to make body care products.  So, I was excited about receiving both!

    For the caramel, I used dates to make a sweet gooey filling.  Dates are nature’s caramel after all.  They are about as natural as you can get when it comes to sweeteners too.  I have always loved caramel.  But what I don’t love is the refined sugar content.  So when I found out about date caramel years ago I was super excited.  It is my go-to caramel now in recipes.  In this one, I combined the dates with the cacao butter to give the caramel a white chocolate flavor, and added in some vanilla and the Himalayan salt and it was sooo good!  Like the sort of thing you want to eat with a spoon, or pour over your ice cream.  Once it chilled for a while, it became mold-able soft caramel.  I decided to dip it in some of my vegan home made white chocolate.

    The whole process was fun, because it was a little messy, and I could eat the extra white chocolate and leftover chocolate chunks that were left on the parchment paper from dipping the chocolate. Sooo good!  What was even better was the finished product with the sweet slightly salty caramel and rich decadent dark chocolate.  If you are a white chocolate person, give these babies a try! Also, if you want to try out any of the Raw Guru products on their website, use the coupon code FRAGRANTVANILLA to get 10% off your order, typed in at your checkout.  I hope you all are having a wonderful start to your week!

    Vegan Salted Caramel White Chocolates 
    Makes 12

    Ingredients:

    Caramel Filling:

     

    White Chocolate:

     

    Decoration:

     

    Instructions:

    1. To make the filling, combine all ingredients in a high speed blender, and blend until smooth like caramel.
    2. Pour into a bowl, and place the bowl in the freezer for about 45 minutes until it is firm enough to scoop.
    3. Scoop the filling out and roll into 12 balls.  Place on a parchment lined tray and freeze until firm, about an hour.
    4. Meanwhile, to make the  white chocolate, combine all ingredients in a double boiler, and whisk until combined and melted.
    5. Once the filling has firmed up, dip each ball into the white chocolate, being sure to let the excess drain off, and place back onto the tray (I like to set mine on a fork to allow it to drain better). Once they are all dipped, set them in the freezer until hardened.  If you want a thicker layer of white chocolate, you will have to repeat this process several times.  I dipped mine 3 times.  Allow to harden in the freezer.
    6. Melt the dark chocolate in the top of a double boiler, then drizzle it over the truffles, then sprinkle with the salt.  Allow the chocolate to harden, then enjoy!
    7. Store any leftover truffles in the refrigerator.
  • Vegan Strawberry Lemonade Truffles

    Vegan Strawberry Lemonade Truffles

    It was 90F+ degrees last weekend here in Minnesota. Which is pretty odd for this time of the year.  You usually don’t get a bunch of days like that until June or July.  But it feels like July!  It was character building for my Sunday morning run.  I really appreciated any trees to provide shade, or sprinklers in people’s yards near the street I could run through to cool off.  Because being in direct Sun was brutal.  If I stood in one place afterwards I would create a small puddle I was sweating so bad.  After I had taken a cooling shower, and hydrated I decided that I wanted to stay cool and not go back outside because I had sweated enough already.  It was a good day for an indoor activity and I felt like making something delicious in the kitchen.  But not something that would heat up the kitchen.  I decided on truffles.  Why not?  They are easy to make, and I had all of the ingredients.  I do a little happy dance when I have all of the ingredients for the recipe I am visualizing. These weren’t just going to be plain chocolate truffles, they were going to be strawberry lemonade truffles.  Because I am on a Strawberry kick.  I hope you all don’t mind, but I am loving anything strawberry lately.  Maybe because I was deprived all Winter long and they are plentiful finally.

    The truffles were fairly easy to make.  To make the filling creamy and rich, I used a combination that I normally use for my white chocolate base, cacao butter, cashew butter, and coconut butter.  Add a dash of vanilla and it is luscious.  But of course these were strawberry lemonade so I added plenty of lemon juice and zest, as well as freeze dried strawberries.  Why freeze dried?  Well, they add loads of flavor in things like this without a lot of moisture so you can get the correct texture.  The filling tasted kind of like strawberry lemon cheesecake!  I could not wait to combine them with the chocolate shell!  I thought about making them white chocolate, but decided on dark instead for more of a contrast.  And, because I love chocolate with both berries and lemon.

    Once the filling was all shaped and set, I dipped them in dark chocolate and could not wait to try them.  They were sooo good!  The filling was sweet, and a tad tart with the flavor of jammy berries and aromatic lemon.  It was perfect with the rich dark chocolate to accompany it!  They tasted like Summer and were actually kind of refreshing!  If you are a strawberry fan definitely give these a try.  They are the perfect thing to make when you are escaping the heat, because they won’t heat up your kitchen.

    Vegan Strawberry Lemonade Truffles 
    Makes 12

    Ingredients:

    Filling:

    • 1/4 cup cacao butter (2 oz) or coconut oil if unavailable
    • 1/4 cup raw cashew butter
    • 1/4 cup coconut butter
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 2 Tbsp maple syrup
    • 1 cup freeze dried strawberries
    • 1/4 cup lemon juice
    • 1 Tbsp organic lemon zest

     

    Dark Chocolate:

    • 2 cups vegan dark chocolate chips

     

    Directions:

    1. Combine all of the white chocolate ingredients but the berries and lemon juice and zest over a double boiler, and whisk until smooth.
    2. Pulverize the berries in a blender until fine, then whisk into the white chocolate along with the lemon juice and zest. Place in the freezer for about 15-20 minutes until it is firm enough to scoop. Scoop into 12 balls, rolling them with your hands.   Place on a parchment lined tray, and place back into the freezer until firm, about 30 minutes.
    3. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler, and whisk until combined and melted.
    4. Once the filling has firmed up, dip each chocolate into the dark chocolate, being sure to let the excess drain off, and place back onto the tray (I like to set mine on a fork to allow it to drain better). Once they are all dipped, set them in the freezer until hardened.
      Store any leftover truffles in the refrigerator.
  • Vegan Chocolate Covered Caramel Eggs

    Vegan Chocolate Covered Caramel Eggs

    When I was little, caramel was one of my all time favorite things in the world.  When I would get a box of chocolates from my Grandma on holidays, I would always seek out the little square caramels first, because I knew they would always be sweet and delicious, whereas the other ones were hit and miss.  Whenever I had an ice cream sundae, it always had to have gooey caramel on it too.  When I decided to give up refined sugars, and when I went vegan, I thought that I would never be able to enjoy gooey delicious caramel again, because I thought that the best caramel had to have heavy cream in it.  But I was totally wrong, because I then discovered the wonders of date caramel.  Dates are nature’s caramel after all on their own, so if you turn them into an actual caramel it tastes just as good as the bad for you refined sugar caramel, or non-vegan caramel. Even better if you ask me, because I still feel good after eating it. I love it blended into a caramel sauce for pouring over things, but I also like chocolate covered caramel candies.  They sounded really good to me a few days back, so I made an excuse to make some.  Easter is in less than two weeks, so I decided to make some cute little caramel eggs!

    Filled eggs with a chocolate shell have always been my favorite Easter candy. But surprisingly I have never made caramel ones. I had mini caramel eggs when I was little that were amazing, so I knew home made ones would be even better.  The filling in these is completely date sweetened!  I love naturally sweetened desserts, and dates are about as natural as you can get when it comes to sweeteners.  I like to buy mine in the bulk section at the health food store because they are cheaper that way. Anyways, this filling is easy to make if you have a high speed blender.  You just buzz dates, almond butter, coconut butter, vanilla and sea salt in the blender and you get the most delicious sweet caramel!  It has to set up a little while before you can shape it, but trust me it is worth the wait.

    I dipped them in a delicious dark chocolate, just my favorite dark chocolate chips melted down, so super simple.  They were lovely!  I couldn’t wait to try one with the chocolate.  Not that I hadn’t been sampling the filling earlier (it was hard to put it down after I did so), but I knew it would be even better with the chocolate.  They were so much better than any Easter candy I had as a kid!  They are just as sweet and delicious, but these are larger, so more caramel to enjoy!  If you are a caramel fan, and looking for something special to make for Easter, give these a try!

    Vegan Chocolate Covered Caramel Eggs
    Makes 16

    Ingredients:

    • 2 cups soft pitted medjool dates soaked in water 30 minutes until soft and drain well before using in recipe
    • 1/2 cup almond butter
    • 1/3 cup filtered water
    • 1 cup coconut butter, warmed to liquid
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 1/4 tsp sea salt
    • 2 cups chopped vegan dark chocolate or dark chocolate chips

     

    Instructions:

    1. To make the caramel filling, combine the dates, almond butter, water, coconut butter, vanilla, and sea salt in a high speed blender and blend until smooth.
    2. Drop it onto a parchment lined tray by the mounded tablespoon, you should have about 10 mounds.  Place in the freezer until they are more firm (about 20 minutes), and you can shape them into eggs.  Shape them into eggs with your hands (like you would with play dough.  Put them back on the tray and freeze until hard, about 1 hour to 1-2 hours.
    3. When the centers are almost ready, melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler until smooth.
    4. Dip each caramel egg into the chocolate, coating it completely and allowing the excess to drain off (I like to set mine on a fork to do so), and place back onto the tray.  When they are all done, put them back into the freezer to harden the chocolate if it isn’t set yet.
    5. Store caramels in the refrigerator for up to a month in an airtight container with a lid.

     

     

  • Vegan Lemon White Chocolate Truffle Eggs 

    Vegan Lemon White Chocolate Truffle Eggs 

    When I was little, whenever I would go shopping with my Mom at the mall, we would always stop by the candy counter in one of the stores and buy a couple of truffles to enjoy.  There were so many delicious options, but the ones that we found ourselves drawn to time and time again were the key lime, and lemon cream. One time the woman at the counter said to us, “You know those are really tart!  I can’t handle them!” But we loved that about them!  I guess it runs in our family because my Mom and Grandma both loved tart lemon and lime desserts and passed that onto me.  I mean, what is a key lime pie, or lemon meringue pie without the tart and too much sweet?!  That is why now when I make those things or anything with lemon or lime for that matter, it has to be a bit tart to balance out the sweet.  So, last weekend I decided to make some lemon white chocolate truffle eggs and I wanted them to be packed with delicious lemon flavor!

    I have made berry cream eggs, mint cream eggs, hazelnut truffle eggs, peanut butter eggs, and vegan Butterfinger eggs, but never any lemon or lime ones.  And, it was about time.  It just sounded really good to me, because I had citrus on hand and I was thinking about those truffles I enjoyed as a child.  I wanted the filling to be luscious, so I combined cacao butter, cashew butter and coconut butter for a heavenly white chocolate base. Trust me, it makes the most creamy dreamy concoction once it has firmed up to the proper consistency.  I mixed in plenty of lemon in both the form of lemon juice and zest, and a touch of vanilla and it was so good! I formed it into little egg shapes once it had cooled and it was ready for its coating.  I thought about dipping it in more white chocolate but decided on dark chocolate instead for more of a contrast, and because dark chocolate is amazing with lemon.

    They turned out so cute!  Filled chocolate eggs are my all time favorite Easter candy treat (well obviously judging by the ones I mentioned earlier in this post)!  These are heavenly!  Sweet tart lemon white chocolate cream and decadent dark chocolate!  I would be so happy if I got these in my Easter basket! If you are a lemon fan too, give these a try!  What is your favorite Easter candy treat?

    Vegan Lemon White Chocolate Truffle Eggs 
    Makes 6-8 large eggs

    Ingredients:

    White Chocolate:

    • 1/4 cup raw cacao butter (2 oz) or coconut oil if unavailable
    • 1/2 cup raw cashew butter
    • 1/3 cup raw coconut butter
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 2 Tbsp maple syrup
    • 2 Tbsp organic lemon zest
    • 1/4 cup lemon juice
    • 1/8 tsp turmeric (for color)

     

    Dark Chocolate:

     

    Directions:

    1. Combine all of the white chocolate ingredients but the lemon zest and juice over a double boiler, and whisk until smooth.
    2. Whisk the lemon zest, juice, and turmeric into the white chocolate until well combined. Place in the freezer for about 20-30 minutes until it is firm enough to scoop. Scoop into 8 balls, rolling them with your hands and shaping them into eggs.   Place on a parchment lined tray, and place back into the freezer until firm, about 30 minutes.
    3. Meanwhile, to make the dark chocolate, combine all ingredients in a double boiler, and whisk until combined and melted.
    4. Once the filling has firmed up, dip each chocolate into the dark chocolate, being sure to let the excess drain off, and place back onto the tray (I like to set mine on a fork to allow it to drain better). Once they are all dipped, set them in the freezer until hardened.
      Store any leftover truffles in the refrigerator.
  • Vegan Dark Chocolate Chili Truffles 

    Vegan Dark Chocolate Chili Truffles 

    My boyfriend Eric has a passion for hot peppers and spicy food. When I first met him, the first food item I ever gave him was some of my home made habanero hot sauce because I knew it would impress him. I too love spicy food, so we have that in common.  There was a point in time I would put hot sauce on pretty much every savory food item I was eating, and I would sit and sweat while I ate dinner.  He would do the same, because he made his own home made hot sauce too.  Recently, he had a shaker full of habanero flakes, and he would put them on everything.  He is originally from Arizona, so none of the Minnesota wimpy tastes for him.  I am not a wimp about spice, but people here in Minnesota are notorious for thinking black pepper and ketchup are spicy.  What Eric really seems to love is sweet and spicy together.  The first Birthday cake I made him was a vegan chipotle turtle cheesecake.  It was pretty amazing and chocolate and chilies are a match made in heaven.

    So, this week, I decided to make some dark chocolate chili truffles to share with Eric.  Because they sounded really good to me, and I knew he would love them too.  He loves chocolate way more than I do.  I wanted this to be a simple recipe because I didn’t have a lot of time, so lucky for you, they are easy to make and contain only 6 ingredients.  For the filling I used almond butter as the base because it is creamy, delicious and sort of a blank palate. But of course you can feel free to use your favorite nut butter.  I think peanut butter or cashew butter would be amazing as well.  I simply combined it with cacao powder, maple syrup, sea salt, and of course a good amount of chipotle powder to give these a kick.  It is actually slightly more than I have listed in the recipe, because I don’t want to kill anyone, but if you like super spicy too, just add a tad more.  This mixture tastes like the most amazing fudge, and I could sit and eat it with a spoon.

    But I rolled it into truffles, and dipped them in my favorite vegan dark chocolate melted. They turned out super delicious!  Almost like something you would pay a lot of money for if it were in say, a heart shaped box around Valentine’s day.  This is why I like to make my own candy, because it can taste just as good as the store bought, you know that good ingredients have gone into it, and of course what better way to show your significant other that you care, than taking the time to make something for them.  So, if you love chocolate and spicy things, give these a go!

    Vegan Dark Chocolate Chili Truffles 
    Makes about 10

    Ingredients:

    • 3/4 cup smooth almond butter
    • 1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder (or as needed)
    • 3 Tbsp maple syrup
    • 1/4 tsp chipotle powder
    • 1/4 tsp sea salt
    • 1 1/2 cups vegan dark chocolate chips, or chopped vegan dark chocolate

     

    Instructions:

    1. In a bowl, mix together the almond butter, cacao powder, maple syrup, chipotle powder and sea salt until smooth and well combined.  You want it to be the consistency of dough, if it is still too soft (since peanut butter may vary in how liquid it is), add a little more cacao powder.
    2. Roll into 1 1/2 inch balls, and place on a parchment lined tray.  Place in the freezer to chill for 1 hour.
    3. Meanwhile, when you are ready to dip the truffles, melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler until smooth.
    4. Dip each truffle into the chocolate (letting the excess drain off, I like to set mine on a fork to dip to make it easier) and place back onto the tray until they are all done.  Place in the freezer to set the chocolate until it is hard, which usually takes 5-10 minutes.  Enjoy!
    5. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator in a container with a lid for up to a few months.
  • Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Hearts

    Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Hearts

    When it came to Valentine’s Day candy when I was little, hands down the Reese’s peanut butter hearts were my favorite.  You know, the giant ones that were almost the size of a candy bar, not just the little fun sized ones.  I always hoped to get those from my Grandma, who would every year give me a Valentine’s candy stash that included a box of chocolates and a few bigger ones like the peanut butter hearts. In school we also made Valentine’s boxes and gave out little Valentines to every one of our classmates.  Sometimes candy was included but of course it was usually the mini Reese’s pb cups because that would be expensive to buy for all 30 other kids and we had to give one to everyone. I always got lots of suckers and hard candies, and those I ate first because I have always enjoyed saving the best for last which was the peanut butter filled ones.  I am still that way, I figure it always gives me something to look forward too. Now, I am even more picky about candy though, and I mostly just make my own because then I know I will get exactly what I want.  It is still lots of peanut butter cups, or in this case peanut butter hearts, because that is what I decided to make last weekend!

    Honestly I got the idea from when Eric and I were in Target last weekend and I spotted the Reese’s Valentine’s hearts in the checkout line.  I began to remember how good they were to my 10 year old self and I really wanted one. But of course I wasn’t going to buy one because they are not vegan, they contain artificial ingredients now, and refined sugars.  So I HAD to make some.  There was no way around this craving.  I much prefer my home made peanut butter to the sweet peanut butter in those store bought ones anyhow.  They ended up being really easy to make!  Now, they are slightly different than a peanut butter cup, because the filling has to be a little less soft so that you can shape it, so I decided to add peanut flour to it. I have had it in my freezer for a while, I had picked it up a long time ago because it sounded interesting, and this was the perfect use for it!  It make the peanut butter filling more firm without taking away the peanut butter flavor.  I added just a little maple syrup and it was perfect!

    These actually only contain 5 ingredients including sea salt, so nothing too complicated here.  I used vegan chocolate chips for these instead of making my own chocolate so they were even faster to make than usual.  I like Lily’s Chocolate Chips because they taste really good and they happen to be vegan too!  So that is what I melted down to dip the peanut butter hearts in.  OMG were they ever delicious when they were all finished!  It was so good to satisfy my craving for peanut butter chocolate hearts!  If you have ever loved that classic candy, you need to give these a try!

    Peanut Butter Chocolate Hearts
    Makes about 10

    Ingredients:

     

    Instructions:

    1. In a bowl, mix together the peanut butter, peanut flour, maple syrup, and sea salt until smooth and well combined.  You want it to be the consistency of dough, if it is still too soft (since peanut butter may vary in how liquid it is), add a little more peanut flour.
    2. Shape into hearts, and place on a parchment lined tray.  Place in the freezer to chill for 1-2 hours.
    3. Meanwhile, when you are ready to dip the peanut butter centers, melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler until smooth.
    4. Dip each peanut butter heart into the chocolate (letting the excess drain off, I like to set mine on a fork to dip to make it easier) and place back onto the tray until they are all done.  Place in the freezer to set the chocolate until it is hard, which usually takes 5-10 minutes.  Enjoy!
    5. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator in a container with a lid for up to a few months.
  • Vegan Chocolate Raspberry Jam Cups

    Vegan Chocolate Raspberry Jam Cups

    I am in a chocolate making mood lately.  Probably because Valentine’s day is coming up, and I want to be able to give some as gifts, and enjoy some for myself.  So lots of chocolate goodies are essential.  I know people like to buy boxes of chocolates to give their significant others, but I like to make them myself, because I feel like if someone puts the time into making something special and thoughtful to me, it means more than if they just bought it.  Bonus points if it is my favorite flavor, or has ingredients that I really love in it.  Plus, I feel like there aren’t a lot of options out there for Vegan Valentine’s candy, at least not around here.  Well, you are in luck, I made something really simple but really delicious a few days back that your sweetheart might just really love. Some dark chocolate and white chocolate raspberry cups. So whether you and your significant other love chocolate, or vanilla I have you both covered.  These are what I would choose as a favorite next to peanut butter cups if I am in a fruit sort of mood. Because raspberries are my all time favorite fruit. And, although I would choose the white chocolate cups most days because I am a vanilla girl, the dark chocolate are amazing as well.

    Eric’s Dad sent us a big care package of his home made jam (a bunch of different flavors) and soap a few weeks back, and the raspberry is my favorite so I have been using some of it in my desserts. I figured this would be the perfect application for it to shine, and simplify my life significantly when making these cups so I don’t have to make a blend up a “jam”.  The white chocolate is luxurious, with a base of cacao butter, coconut butter and cashew butter.  It has that silky melt in your mouth thing going on that non-vegan chocolate has (or from what I can remember.  I like it better actually, since it is not super sugary, I add just enough maple syrup to sweeten it. I love also that it is vanilla scented, by favorite flavor, which smells heavenly before you even take a bite out of one of these babies.

    The chocolate is quite simple, only 4 ingredients plus the jam.  But of course if you didn’t want to make your own chocolate like I do, you could melt down your favorite vegan dark chocolate.  I just like to make my own because it is cheaper, and I control what sweetener goes into it.  If you are a dark chocolate person all the way, you will love these!  If you have some peanut butter cup molds, or even foil muffin tins, you can make these.  And, how much more special would it be if you made candy for your sweetheart than if you had bought it from the store for them this Valentine’s day?  If they are not a fan of raspberry jam, use their favorite instead.  Just make sure it is not too runny. I hope you are all having a wonderful week!

    Vegan White Chocolate Raspberry Cups
    Makes 6 large candies

    Ingredients:

    • 1/4 cup cacao butter (2 oz)
    • 2 Tbsp raw cashew butter
    • 1/4 cup coconut butter
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 2 Tbsp maple syrup (or to taste)
    • 1/8 tsp sea salt
    • about 1/3 cup vegan raspberry jam

     

    Instructions:

    1. Combine cacao butter, cashew butter, vanilla, maple syrup,  and sea salt over a double boiler, and whisk until smooth.  Pour into the bottoms of 6 larger peanut butter cup tins (or molds), then place them in the freezer to set.
    2. Once the bottom chocolate has set, spoon about a heaping 2 tsp of the jam onto the top of the set chocolate, then pour remaining melted chocolate over that.
    3. Place them in the freezer to set, about 15 minutes.
    4. Store in the refrigerator.

     

    Vegan Dark Chocolate Raspberry Cups
    Makes 6 large candies

    Chocolate:

     

    Filling:

    • about 1/3 cup raspberry jam

     

    Instructions:

    1. To make the chocolate, whisk together all ingredients until smooth.
    2. Spoon a little chocolate into the bottoms of 6 peanut butter cup molds, filling them about 1/4-1/3 full.  Place in the freezer until hard, about 10 minutes.
    3. Once the chocolate has hardened, spoon a heaping 2 tsp of jam over that.
    4. Pour more chocolate over the cups until the jam is covered, and place them in the freezer until set, about 20 minutes.
    5. Store any extra in the refrigerator.

     

     

  • Vegan Rose White Chocolate Hearts 

    Vegan Rose White Chocolate Hearts 

    It feels downright balmy here in Minnesota with a 32F degree temperature!  That is because it has been in the below zero temps lately or just single digits.  Funny how in the Fall we think 32 is cold after having Summer temperatures, and now it is warm.  Well, I am embracing it and getting out for walks and runs while I can before it chills down more again.  Not that the cold ever stops me from being active.  When I was in high school, I spent nearly every day of the Winter outside for nordic skiing practice.  At one of my ski races I remember it was -15 and we had to bundle up, but not so much that we could not move.  My coach always said there is no such thing as bad weather if you dress right.  Well, I do occasionally go out running when it is that cold, I prefer it to be above 15 at least to go out for activities now.  And, when I do go out, it is not usually for more than a few hours.  Then it is time to warm up.  Since it is not Summer, and I am spending more time inside, I spend a little more time in the kitchen creating delicious things.  Like the Vegan Rose White Chocolate Hearts I made last weekend.

    I had made some white chocolate for topping an ice cream cake off with a few months back and it was delicious!  I told myself then, that I had to remake it into molds so I could enjoy it just as it was.  I had tinted the original stuff half pink and swirled it, so I thought this time I could do all of it pink, scent it with rosewater because it is so lovely, and make little hearts for Valentine’s Day.  It is almost a month away now, and Valentine’s candy makes me happy.  I have to make at least 5 different kinds every year.  Candy was always my favorite part of Valentine’s Day when I was little, and my Grandma used to give me those chocolate heart boxes filled with different types of chocolate.  It was super exciting to my 8 year old self. Now I mainly just make it for me and Eric.  I remember our first Valentine’s day I made him some chocolate dipped strawberries, and some spicy chipotle dark chocolate caramels.  He loved them!  But I usually make different things every year and these rose white chocolates are new.

    These are super simple to make if you have all of the ingredients, just combine everything in the top of a double boiler, let it melt and whisk it together, then pour it into molds.  I promise you, your kitchen will smell incredibly heavenly!  There is nothing like the smell of melted cacao butter.  It doesn’t take long to harden up, about an hour then you can enjoy some delicious white chocolate with rose!  This is way better than any of that store bought stuff with fake ingredients or dairy in it.  So, if your sweetheart likes white chocolate, make these for them!  Or maybe just for you, because you don’t have to share if you don’t want too, that is fine too.

    Vegan Rose White Chocolate Hearts 

    Makes about 16

    Ingredients:

    • 1/4 cup cacao butter (2 oz)
    • 3 Tbsp raw cashew butter
    • 1/3 cup coconut butter
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 1 tsp rosewater
    • 3 Tbsp maple syrup (or to taste)
    • 1/8 tsp sea salt
    •  2 Tbsp beet powder, or a few drops natural vegan red food coloring

     

    Instructions:

    1. Combine cacao butter, cashew butter, vanilla, rosewater, maple syrup,  and sea salt over a double boiler, and whisk until smooth.
    2. Whisk the beet powder or food coloring into one bowl until even in color.
    3. Pour into a chocolate heart mold, and place in the freezer until heard, which can take 30 minutes to 1 hour depending on how warm it is.
    4. Pop chocolate out of molds and enjoy!
    5. Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to a few months.

     

    *I get my cacao butter from Amazon HERE.

  • Vegan Chocolate Gingerbread Bourbon Balls

    Vegan Chocolate Gingerbread Bourbon Balls

    Sometimes you have those days where you are a disaster in the kitchen and in fact you should probably stay far away from it.  But unfortunately sometimes you don’t have a choice, you have to get things done, even if you are a clutz or super forgetful that day because you have other stuff on your mind or maybe are just trying to work too fast.  Well, I have those days sometimes.  The ones where I spill an entire thing of protein powder on the floor, burn my quinoa, and accidentally touch part of the oven on my arm and burn it.  You know, those types.  Well, I was having a bad cooking day a few week back when I decided to make some molasses spice (or cheater gingerbread) cookies.  The dough turned out wonderful  and they were baking up beautifully but then I got distracted and they got over baked.  No, they were not burnt, simply just super hard when they cooled down.  I hate cookies that are too hard. Molasses cookies should be somewhat soft, so I was super disappointed.  But not to fret, I figured I would save them and use them for something.  And I figured out just the thing.  Bourbon balls!  Back in the day I made several different types of liquor balls around the Holidays.  You know, like rum balls, bourbon balls etc.  I even made a cherry vodka ball which was really good.  But my favorite were always the bourbon balls.  Well, it has been a really long time, like maybe 7 years since I have made them so I figured it was about time this year.

    So, I blended up the cookies to a fine powder, and they were the perfect base for bourbon balls.  I decided that these needed to be chocolate bourbon balls, because those are my favorite so I added some cocoa powder too.  Plenty of bourbon, some maple syrup for a little more sweetness and the “dough” it made was really delicious. I had to have a little shot of bourbon while I was making them too, because why not?  I should have just made a hot toddy in the style my Mom used to with bourbon, because tis the season but I was feeling a little lazy.  I rolled them into little balls, chilled them for a while in the freezer and they were ready for their coating.

    I mean, yes I could have coated them with cocoa powder, but dark chocolate is so much better. So I melted down my favorite brand and they took a bath in it.  Once they were all set, they were lovely.  They tasted wonderful too.  Boozy and rich and chocolaty with the warming spices of gingerbread.  These are very warming little treats between the bourbon and the spices.  If you over baked your gingerbread cookies, now you know what to do with them!  But even if you didn’t these are delicious so maybe you should sacrifice a few for this treat.

    Vegan Chocolate Gingerbread Bourbon Balls
    Makes 10

    Ingredients:

    • 2 cups vegan gluten free gingerbread cookie crumbs (or molasses cookie crumbs)
    • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
    • 2 Tbsp bourbon (make sure it is vegan on Barnivore)
    • 2 Tbsp maple syrup
    • 1 1/2 cups chopped vegan dark chocolate

     

    Directions:

    1. Place the gingerbread crumbs and cocoa powder in a food processor and process until very fine like flour.
    2. Add the bourbon and maple syrup and blend until smooth and the consistency of dough.
    3. Roll into balls, and place on a parchment lined tray.  Place in the freezer and freeze until firm, about an hour.
    4. Melt the dark chocolate in the top of a double boiler, and then dip the balls one by one into it, letting the excess drain off (I like to set them on a fork to do so), then place them back on the tray.  When they are all done, place the tray in the freezer until they are set.
    5. Store them in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
  • Chocolate Covered Chestnut Caramels

    Chocolate Covered Chestnut Caramels

    My Grandma used to give us grand kids boxes of chocolate on Holidays.  The assorted ones that had at least 15 different chocolates, and you did not know what they were.  I would always try to guess.  I loved the ones that were all chocolate, caramel, or raspberry cream.  But then sometimes I would bite into one that I totally did not like, maybe a cherry cordial or orange cream (sorry if those are your favorites).  You could usually tell the caramels because they were square.  I really didn’t care if they were dark chocolate or milk chocolate, the caramels were my favorite!  I was thinking about those boxes of chocolates recently and I thought to myself, why not make some chocolate coated caramels?!  I could have a whole batch of my favorite!  I thought I could give them a festive twist though, and I added chestnuts to them.  I love chestnuts this time of the year, they are a delicious snack, that does not get enough attention because I don’t think people know how to cook them. You can usually buy them in the produce section at the store this time of the year.  I have included instructions for making them at the bottom of this post.  Anyways, I think they have kind of a nutty buttered popcorn flavor.  They have a different texture from other nuts that is worth trying out.  You might just get hooked like I am!

    So back to those caramels, I actually had some cooked chestnuts on hand, so I blended them up with some gooey dates to make a delicious caramel.  Date caramel is something that is completely essential if you are a vegan who is trying to eat unprocessed foods.  I mean, technically if you are craving caramel you could just eat a date because they are nature’s caramel, but if I did that here, I could not get that smooth texture and combine them with the delicious chestnuts.  I added some coconut oil to the caramel to help it firm up enough to hold the square caramel shape and it was so silky smooth and luscious!  I could have just eaten it with a spoon, but instead I chilled it and cut it into caramels.

    I melted my favorite dark chocolate for coating these, but you can use your favorite brand. If you are looking for a good quality vegan dark chocolate with good ingredients and no refined sugars, I recommend Lily’s chocolate chips, Luv dark chocolate chunks, or Zimt baking chocolate. Once the caramels were all dipped and set up I was so excited to try one! They were super delicious!  Rich buttery creamy sweet gooey caramel with a thin layer of dark chocolate!  So heavenly!  I would take these over those ones in the boxes of candy I had as a kid any day.  If you are a big caramel fan, or looking for a recipe to include some chestnuts in, give these a try!

    Chocolate Covered Chestnut Caramels
    Makes 16

    Ingredients:

    • 2 cups soft pitted medjool dates (soak them in water 30 minutes until soft if not soft, and drain well before using in recipe)
    • 1 cup roasted chestnuts, finely chopped*
    • 1/2 cup filtered water
    • 1/4 cup melted coconut oil (at room temperature)
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 1/4 tsp sea salt
    • 1 1/2 cups chopped vegan dark chocolate or dark chocolate chips

     

    Instructions:

    1. To make the caramel filling, combine the dates, chestnuts, water, coconut oil, vanilla, and sea salt in a high speed blender and blend until smooth.  Spread out onto a parchment lined tray in a square about an inch thick.  Set in the freezer for a few hours until completely firm. Cut into 16 squares, separate them, then place back into the freezer until they are completely hard (if they have warmed up at all).
    2. Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler until smooth.
    3. Dip each caramel into the chocolate, coating it completely and allowing the excess to drain off (I like to set mine on a fork to do so), and place back onto the tray.  When they are all done, put them back into the freezer to harden the chocolate if it isn’t set yet.
    4. Store caramels in the refrigerator for up to a month in an airtight container with a lid.

     

    *For Roasted Chestnuts:

    Preheat the oven to 400F degrees, and cut an X in the top of each chestnut with a knife.  Spread them out on the sheet pan, and place them in the oven.  Bake them until they start to smell fragrant and the insides are looking toasted, about 10-15 minutes depending on your oven.  Remove them from the oven, and let cool until you can handle them.  Then, remove the shell by pressing down on them (it usually cracks in half if they have roasted long enough).

  • Vegan White Chocolate Pumpkin Pie Cups

    Vegan White Chocolate Pumpkin Pie Cups

    To be completely honest, pumpkin pie was not my favorite growing up.  It was just something I ate because it was tradition.  Apple and pecan won over it.  But, don’t worry.  I have come to appreciate it more as an adult, mostly because my home made version is really good.  You know what makes it so good?  Topping it with something rich and creamy like coconut whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream.  That is kind of a must for me.  It cuts the pumpkin spices and makes it feel more decadent.  I decided to make some pumpkin chocolates this week, and I opted for white chocolate instead of dark for this reason. White chocolate is kind of mellow, rich and creamy melt in your mouth, the same way the whipped cream and ice cream are with pumpkin.  Plus, I had never made white chocolate pumpkin candies and it sounded like a heavenly combination.

    When I was growing up I actually preferred white chocolate to dark because I have always been a vanilla girl.  But now I appreciate both.  I do feel like white chocolate is a little more special sometimes.  I know you can probably buy it at the store, but I prefer to make my own.  I use a mixture of cacao butter (the essential ingredient to make it taste like regular white chocolate), cashew butter, and coconut butter as a base and it tastes wonderful.  It melts in your mouth, and is silky and creamy almost.  I add in a touch of vanilla and sweeten it with maple syrup and it is so good!

    For the filling, I used the classic pumpkin pie spices with a little vanilla in some canned pumpkin puree I had left over.  This time of the year I often have little containers of it in the refrigerator or freezer leftover from other recipes because I hate to waste it.  Well, this was the perfect use for that 1/4 cup I had left!  So if you have a little left too, now you know what to make with it!  These are super delicious, the filling tastes just like the pie and it is so good with the decadent white chocolate!

    Vegan White Chocolate Pumpkin Pie Cups
    Makes 6 large candies

    Ingredients:

    • 1/4 cup cacao butter (2 oz)
    • 3 Tbsp raw cashew butter
    • 1/3 cup coconut butter
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 3 Tbsp maple syrup (or to taste)
    • 1/8 tsp sea salt

     

    Filling:

    • 1/4 cup Tbsp pumpkin puree at room temperature
    • 2 Tbsp coconut butter, softened
    • 1 1/2 Tbsp maple syrup
    • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
    • 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

     

    Instructions:

    1. Combine cacao butter, cashew butter, vanilla, maple syrup,  and sea salt over a double boiler, and whisk until smooth.  Pour into the bottoms of 6 larger peanut butter cup tins (or molds), then place them in the freezer to set.
    2. Mix the pumpkin puree and 1 Tbsp coconut butter together in a small bowl, along with the maple syrup and spices.
    3. Once the bottom chocolate has set, spoon about 1 tsp of the almond butter and then the jam onto the top of the set chocolate, then pour remaining melted chocolate over that.
    4. Place them in the freezer to set, about 15 minutes.
    5. Store in the refrigerator.
  • Vegan Peppermint Patties

    Vegan Peppermint Patties

    Peppermint patties are completely unique when it comes to Halloween candy. Unless you count the red and white after dinner hard candy peppermints your Grandma gave out when unexpected trick or treaters came by, they are pretty much the only minty candy out there (that I am aware of).  I admit they weren’t usually my first choice, because I was all about the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and Snickers Bars and I wasn’t a big fan of mint. But now as an adult, I can see why people like them.  They were one of my Dad’s favorite candies, and it makes sense since he is the most mint obsessed person I know.  He always had mints in his pockets when I was little that I would ask for from time to time and thin mint Girl Scout cookies were his favorite too.  So, peppermint patties make me think of him.  That and Christmas.  Which has nothing to do with Halloween candy, but you know, mint and Christmas go together like peanut butter and jelly.  So this year, I decided to make some vegan peppermint patties for Halloween.  I have made most other chocolate Halloween candies but not those yet so it was about time.

    I try to make new and different things every year because it is more exciting and you never know, one of you might love peppermint patties but want a vegan version so it would be a win for both of us!  These are actually pretty simple to make and not very time consuming.  For the filling I used a combination of coconut butter and raw cashew butter to get the right consistency and texture.  It was sweetened of course with maple syrup and I added plenty of peppermint and vanilla.  The filling was delicious even before I shaped it into the patties.  I always have to taste the desserts I am making during the process. Not just to snack on because my mouth is watering, but to make sure it tastes good so I don’t ruin the finished product. Especially when it is a new recipe I haven’t made before.  The filling for these was like play dough, all nice and pliable.  I felt kind of like a kid playing with play dough when shaping them. Once the filling was chilled it was time for the dark chocolate!

    I like to use a good quality vegan dark chocolate like Zimt Dark Chocolate Chunks, Luv Chocolate Chunks, or Lily’s chocolate chips. They are all either sugar free or refined sugar free and taste wonderful.  If you use the best chocolate your candy will taste the most delicious.  These were super yummy once they were finished and the chocolate was all set up.  To be honest they tasted even better than real peppermint patties.  If you are a mint fan, give these a try!  Making your own Halloween candy is not only fun, you can also make sure it is quality real ingredients like these and feel good about eating it!

     

    Vegan Peppermint Patties
    Makes 8

    Ingredients:

    • 1/4 cup coconut butter, softened
    • 1/2 cup raw cashew butter
    • 2 Tbsp maple syrup
    • pinch sea salt
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 1 tsp peppermint extract
    • 1 cup chopped vegan dark chocolate

     

    Instructions:

    1. In a medium bowl, combine the coconut butter, cashew butter, maple syrup, sea salt, vanilla extract and peppermint extract in a bowl, and mix together with a spoon until completely blended.
    2. Place the bowl in the freezer until the mixture is firm enough to be shaped, about 10-15 minutes (depending on how warm it was).
    3. Shape the mixture into 8 patties, and place on a parchment lined tray. Place in the freezer and freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
    4. Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler.
    5. Dip each of the patties into the chocolate (I like to use a fork to set them on, and a spoon to assist) letting the excess drain off, and set them back onto the piece of parchment paper.  When they are all dipped, place them in the freezer until the chocolate has hardened, about 5-10 minutes.
    6. Store the chocolates in the refrigerator for up to a month in an airtight container.

     

  • Vegan Nutella Truffles

    Vegan Nutella Truffles

    I used to think Nutella was pretty awesome when I was little.  I mean, I could eat chocolate on toast for breakfast and it was considered ok.  When I made a trip to Europe with my French class in high school, I ate nutella on baguettes or croissants every day.  What’s not to love about chocolate that is spreadable?!  I never thought about the fact that it had hazelnuts in it, because it didn’t really taste like them to me, and I have since looked at the ingredients and realize that it is because the first two ingredients are sugar and vegetable oil.  I didn’t really care what I ate then, and it didn’t matter to me at the time but it does now.  If I buy anything that is supposed to be nut butter, nuts better be the first ingredient in it.  I don’t eat real Nutella anyhow because it is not vegan.  So, I make my own more delicious vegan nutella!  I say more delicious because you can really taste the hazelnuts in it, and it contains way less sweetener (and no refined sugar).  I was given a bunch of hazelnuts recently and made a few jars of just plain hazelnut butter, and I decided that I wanted some “nutella” truffles.

    So, I whipped some up, and they were super simple!  Only 5 ingredients, if you use already made vegan dark chocolate.  I recommend Lily’s Dark Chocolate Chips, Zimt Baking Chocolate, or Luv Dark Chocolate Chunks for melting, because they are all either sugar free or refined sugar free and quality chocolate. I try to look for chocolate with few ingredients that are real.  The filling for the truffles is just hazelnut butter, maple syrup, sea salt and cacao butter, that is all!  I made my own hazelnut butter so it was a little less runny than some of the commercial brands, but if yours is commercial and more runny don’t worry, all you need to do is add a little more cacao powder (I have included instructions below). The truffles came out super delicious!

    This is way better than most of the Halloween candy out there, more like grown up real Halloween candy.  So, it is the perfect time of the year to make them, so you can enjoy them instead of the store bought candy that is not made with good ingredients.  I think if I had eaten these as a youngster,  I would not have liked the real Nutella because these are so much better and actually taste like hazelnuts!  If you are craving Nutella, you need to give these lovelies a try!

    Vegan Nutella Truffles
    Makes 12

    Ingredients:

    • 1 cup hazelnut butter*
    • 3 Tbsp maple syrup
    • 1/4 tsp sea salt
    • 3 Tbsp cacao powder (or unsweetened cocoa powder)
    • 1 cup chopped vegan dark chocolate

     

    Instructions:

    1. In a bowl, mix together the hazelnut butter, maple syrup, sea salt and cacao powder until well blended.
    2. Roll the mixture into balls, and place on a parchment lined tray. Freeze for about 1 hour.
    3. When the filling has chilled for an hour, melt the dark chocolate in the top of a double boiler until smooth.
    4. Dip each filling ball into the melted chocolate, let the excess drain off (I like to set it on a fork), and place back onto the tray.  When you are finished dipping them, place them in the freezer to firm up for about 10  minutes.
    5. Store truffles in the refrigerator for up to a few months in a sealed container.

    *Note: If you hazelnut butter is more runny, you may need to add an additional 2-3 Tbsp cacao powder to make the filling mixture firm enough.

     

  • Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles with Fleur de Sel

    Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles with Fleur de Sel

    I don’t know about all of you, but I enjoy eating cookie dough just as much as baked cookies.  I always ignored the warnings about raw eggs, as I secretly swiped spoonfuls of dough from my Grandmother’s cookie dough bowl when her back was turned as a child in her kitchen.  Good thing I never got sick, and I admit that I haven’t made a batch of cookies myself as an adult without “sampling” well, more like indulging in the dough.  Good thing all of the cookie dough I make now is vegan, and contains no eggs, and therefore no risk of contamination.

    As I was enjoying some cookie dough last weekend for a batch of cookies, I was thinking how wonderful it would be if I made some just for enjoying in that form.  However, dough balls themselves are a bit messy, and would stick together once stored…so I thought dipping them in chocolate and having them be “truffle” style would be perfect!  Now, I know these probably don’t qualify as truffles but who says I can’t call them that on my own recipe. I was just about drooling at the thought of them.  But, what would make them even better in my mind was a little fleur de sel.  Salty and sweet is just an irresistible combination to me especially with dark chocolate! So I made a simple recipe for vegan chocolate chip cookie dough, omitting the rising ingredients, since they wouldn’t be needed and went to work!

    I will admit I ate quite a few of the dough balls before they were dipped in the chocolate because I just couldn’t wait, and of course I needed to be sure they were up to my standards! Once finished they were even better though, with the extra chocolate shell!  Who knew cookie dough could be even better than it already was.  If you are like me and you cannot resist cookie dough, you must try this.  Never deprive yourself of good cookie dough, enjoy!

    Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles with Fleur de Sel

    Makes

    Ingredients:

    • 1 cup rolled oats
    • 3/4 cup almond butter
    • 1 cup pitted soft dates (if they are not soft, soak them in filtered water before using in the recipe and drain well)
    • 1/4 cup filtered water
    • 2 Tbsp coconut butter or oil
    • 3/4 tsp fleur de sel or 1/2 tsp sea salt
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 1 3/4 cups vegan chocolate chips, divided

     

    Instructions:

    1. In a food processor or blender, blend the oats until a fine flour.  Remove and set aside.
    2. In the food processor or blender, combine the almond butter, dates, filtered water, coconut butter, sea salt, and vanilla and blend until smooth.
    3. Add the oats and blend until smooth.
    4. Stir in 3/4 cup of the chocolate chips.
    5. Roll the cookie dough into 1 1/2 inch balls, and place on a parchment lined tray.  Set in the freezer until firm, about 30 minutes.
    6. Melt the remaining vegan chocolate chips in the top of a double boiler.
    7. Dip each cookie dough ball into the chocolate (I like to set it on a fork), and allow excess to drip off.  Set back on the tray.  Repeat with the remaining truffles, and then place them all in the freezer until the chocolate has hardened.
    8. Store truffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
  • Vegan Coconut Mint and Lime Chocolates

    Vegan Coconut Mint and Lime Chocolates

    Sometimes I make desserts based on what I am craving, and sometimes I get ideas for them in my everyday life.  Maybe the way something looks, or an ingredient I am using at work (I work in a deli).  Well this time I gained inspiration from my favorite summer lip balm flavor.  A coconut lime and mint (Pitta) lip balm from Hurraw! It is seriously delicious.  I have always loved flavored lip balms.  Ever since I was in high school I keep an arsenal of lip balms and glosses, in fact my nickname was “Glossy”.  But now they have to be vegan and natural ingredients in order for me to buy them.  Anyways, this coconut lime mint one is perfect for Summer because not only does it smell like dessert, but it is cooling on your lips.  Well, I was sitting there smelling my lip balm (yes, smelling it) and I dreamed up a heavenly truffle recipe.

    A truffle with a heavenly coconut mint and lime white chocolate center and dark chocolate on the outside. Move over Mounds, this is way better. I was never a fan of Mounds bars growing up because the coconut part was a weird sweet flavor to my taste buds.  But I do love chocolate and coconut together.  I made a heavenly filling with cacao butter, coconut butter and cashew butter blended together with fresh mint and lime zest and it was crave worthy!  I mixed in some shredded coconut as well, because I love the crunchy texture.  I knew this would be so good with the dark chocolate, and it smelled just like the lip balm.

    Once it was all coated in dark chocolate, I could not wait to try them.  They were a lovely shade of green inside thanks to the fresh mint leaves, and they were a feast for the senses.  The lovely sweet aromas of coconut and dark chocolate, and the cooling mint flavor with the touch of lime… I felt like I was transported somewhere tropical!  Not that it doesn’t feel tropical here in Minnesota right now.  But you know, imagining palm trees and an ocean next to me.  These truffles are a little cooling, so they are perfect for Summer!  If you are a coconut fan, give these a try!  Even better if you happen to have fresh mint growing in your garden, and if you do I envy you, because all I have right now is basil.

    Vegan Coconut Mint and Lime Chocolates
    Makes 12

    Ingredients:

    White Chocolate Filling:

    • 1/2 cup cacao butter (4 oz)
    • 1/4 cup raw cashew butter
    • 1/2 cup coconut butter
    • 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves and/or 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
    • 2 Tbsp organic lime zest
    • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 1/4 cup maple syrup
    • 1 cup finely shredded coconut

    Coating:

    • 8 oz vegan dark chocolate, chopped

    Directions:

    1. Combine the cashew butter, coconut butter, and cacao butter over a double boiler, and whisk until smooth.
    2. Pour into a food processor and add the lime and mint leaves. Blend until smooth, and add the coconut, pulsing just to combine.  Place the bowl with the filling the freezer for about 15-20 minutes until it is firm enough to scoop. Scoop into 12 balls, rolling them with your hands until smooth and place on a parchment lined tray, and place back into the freezer until firm, about 30 minutes.
    3. Once the filling has firmed up, melt the dark chocolate in the top of a double boiler.
    4. Dip each white chocolate center into the dark chocolate (if it has gotten too cool and is firming up, warm it a little more over the double boiler) being sure to let the excess drain off, and place back onto the tray (I like to set mine on a fork to allow it to drain better). Once they are all dipped, set them in the freezer until hardened.
      Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.
  • Vegan White Chocolate Strawberry Almond Butter Cups

    Vegan White Chocolate Strawberry Almond Butter Cups

    Berries and white chocolate is a simply heavenly combination!  So thank goodness I am able to make vegan white chocolate at home so I can enjoy it.  I admit, when I went vegan I thought I would not be able to enjoy it again since it has milk a lot of the time, and I don’t eat refined sugars or sketchy ingredients which can be found in a lot of commercial white chocolate even the plant based ones, so it seemed impossible.  But I have found recipes that allow me to make it at home, and tailored them to my tastes and needs and come up with one that I like and don’t feel yucky after eating.  I was craving white chocolate and berries together the other day, and I had just made a batch of strawberry chia jam, so the first thing that popped into my mind was strawberry white chocolate cups.  But that wasn’t decadent enough, I had to add almond butter too to make it even more crave worthy.

    This white chocolate is so good you will want to scrape the bowl clean with your spatula to enjoy every little bit.  The base is a mixture of cacao butter, coconut butter and cashew butter and it is luscious and creamy almost once set!  I sweeten it with a little maple syrup and it is just right. For the jam, like I mentioned I used a strawberry chia jam I had made the day before.  I like it because not only is it delicious but you get the health benefits of the the chia seeds along with your sweet jam!  If you would like to make some for yourself, all you need to do is cook 3 cups strawberries, 2 Tbsp water, 2 Tbsp maple syrup, a pinch sea salt, and 1 Tbsp lemon juice over medium heat in a sauce pan for about 15 minutes until the berries have softened.  Then mash them a little with a fork and add 1/3 cup chia seeds.  Allow to cool and sit for 30 minutes until it thickens. It keeps in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.

    It is so good with the white chocolate and almond butter in these candies let me tell you!  These are simply heavenly. Of course if you have your own favorite strawberry jam you would like to use, (or even another flavor of jam) these would be just as delicious I am sure.

    Vegan White Chocolate Strawberry Almond Butter Cups
    Makes 6 large candies

    Ingredients:

    • 1/4 cup cacao butter (2 oz)
    • 2 Tbsp raw cashew butter
    • 1/4 cup coconut butter
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 2 Tbsp maple syrup (or to taste)
    • 1/8 tsp sea salt
    • 2 Tbsp strawberry jam
    • 2 Tbsp organic almond butter

     

    Instructions:

    1. Combine cacao butter, cashew butter, vanilla, maple syrup,  and sea salt over a double boiler, and whisk until smooth.  Pour into the bottoms of 6 larger peanut butter cup tins (or molds), then place them in the freezer to set.
    2. Once the bottom chocolate has set, spoon about 1 tsp of the almond butter and then the jam onto the top of the set chocolate, then pour remaining melted chocolate over that.
    3. Place them in the freezer to set, about 15 minutes.
    4. Store in the refrigerator.

  • Vegan Unicorn White Chocolates

    Vegan Unicorn White Chocolates

    When I was little, I loved unicorns.  I know it is not unusual for a little girl to love unicorns, they are after all mysterious and beautiful creatures.  But I think at one point when I was about 5 I thought that they were real and I had just never seen one.  I had a unicorn My Little Pony, unicorn wallpaper, unicorn pjs, among other things. I thought that they were pretty awesome.  But for about 25 years I haven’t thought much about them.  Until this latest unicorn everything phase everyone is going through.  I am cool with it.  I love brightly colored rainbow swirled and sparkly things.  Although I wouldn’t drink a Starbuck’s Unicorn Frapp.  I would rather make my own at home that I made myself and I knew tasted good and wouldn’t put me into a sugar coma.  I have been wanting to make something “unicorn” themed for a while now, so I decided to finally do it this week.  I did not make a unicorn frapp. though, because you can already find plenty of healthier vegan recipes for those, and I wasn’t in a smoothie mood. So, I decided on unicorn white chocolates!

    I love vegan white chocolate, it is so tasty and I figured I could color it with some natural ingredients that would add some surprise flavors.  I chose raspberries, blueberries, matcha and turmeric.  So, it was more on the fruity side since the matcha and turmeric didn’t add much flavor.  Berries and white chocolate are a match made in heaven as far as I am concerned.  If you didn’t like berries and you wanted this to be a purely vanilla chocolate, you could color it with other things such as beet powder or a small amount of spirulina (be careful with that one though, you don’t want the flavor to come through).  For my white chocolate base, I use a mixture of cacao butter, coconut butter, and cashew butter and it turns out so rich and dreamy once chilled.

    These turned out just as delicious as I imagined!  I think I would have loved them as a kid, because I always went for white chocolate and anything rainbow and colorful always got my attention.  If you are in the mood for something sweet, give these a go!  They are so dreamy, and that slight berry flavor is so heavenly with the sweet vanilla!

    Vegan Unicorn White Chocolates
    Makes 10

    Ingredients:

    White Chocolate:

    • 1/2 cup cacao butter (4 oz)
    • 1/2 cup raw cashew butter
    • 1/2 cup coconut butter
    • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 1/4 cup maple syrup
    • 1 Tbsp raspberry powder*
    • 1 Tbsp blueberry powder*
    • 2 tsp matcha powder or spinach powder
    • 1/4 tsp turmeric

    Directions:

    1. Combine all of the white chocolate ingredients over a double boiler, and whisk until smooth.  Divide between 4 bowls.
    2. Stir the raspberry powder into one bowl until completely blended, then the blueberry powder into the next bowl, then the matcha powder into the next, then the turmeric into the last.
    3. Set out 8 (peanut butter cup style) chocolate molds. Drizzle a little of each of the different colors of chocolate into each mold, swirl a little with a toothpick, and place into the freezer for about 30 minutes until hard.  Enjoy!
    4. Store any leftover chocolates in the refrigerator.

     

    *To make the fruit powders, simply pulverize freeze dried raspberries and blueberries (separately) in a coffee grinder or blender.

     

     

  • Vegan Vanilla Mint Chocolate Eggs

    Vegan Vanilla Mint Chocolate Eggs

    It has been lovely here lately.  I love it when it is 45 degrees in the morning, and I can run in shorts in the fresh air and be comfortable, then in the afternoon when I want to relax it is 60 degrees.  The birds are chirping like crazy, and all of the ducks and geese are back.  I even saw a couple swans on the pond by my house which is unusual.  Now I am just waiting for the leaves, grass, and everything green to return. The trees are kind of sad without them.  Speaking of green things, I had some leftover fresh mint from another recipe I had made and I decided that it would be lovely in some Easter candy.  Specifically some vanilla mint cream chocolate covered eggs.

    They just sounded really good to me.  Mint is such a fresh flavor, perfect for Spring!  I made a creamy white chocolate filling with some cacao butter, fresh mint and vanilla along with the mint and it was super delicious!  But I knew it would be even better once I dipped the centers in dark chocolate.  You know, kind of an Andes mint flavor thing going on.  I always loved those as a kid.  Because of the strong vanilla presence along with the mint.  These turned out cute but more importantly simply heavenly.

    These would be awesome in an Easter basket (wrapped up of course). They are so much tastier then most of the commercial Easter candy out there, and you can feel good about the ingredients that are put into these.  Nothing fake here. Like for instance, apparently Hershey’s chocolate has replaced the cacao butter in some of its chocolate candy with cheap vegetable oil.  And, they don’t even use real vanilla. Just because it is cheaper I am sure.  I know other companies do this as well. Really sad the chocolate I ate as a child isn’t what it used to be.  Not that I would eat it now anyway because it contains animal products among other things I don’t eat. Luckily, I know how to make my own delicious candy!

    Vegan Vanilla Mint Chocolate Eggs 
    Makes 6-8 large eggs

    Ingredients:

    White Chocolate:

    • 1/4 cup raw cacao butter (2 oz) or coconut oil if unavailable
    • 1/4 cup raw cashew butter
    • 1/4 cup raw coconut butter
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 2 Tbsp maple syrup
    • 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves (or 1 tsp mint extract and 2 tsp matcha powder)
    • 1/4 cup filtered water

     

    Dark Chocolate:

    • 1/2 cup raw cacao butter (4 oz) or coconut butter if unavailable
    • 3/4 cup raw cacao powder
    • 1/4 cup maple syrup
    • pinch sea salt

     

    Directions:

    1. Combine all of the white chocolate ingredients but the mint and water over a double boiler, and whisk until smooth.
    2. Place the white chocolate, mint and water in a food processor, and process until it is uniform in color. Place in the freezer for about 15-20 minutes until it is firm enough to scoop. Scoop into 8 balls, rolling them with your hands and shaping them into eggs.   Place on a parchment lined tray, and place back into the freezer until firm, about 30 minutes.
    3. Meanwhile, to make the dark chocolate, combine all ingredients in a double boiler, and whisk until combined and melted.
    4. Once the filling has firmed up, dip each chocolate into the dark chocolate, being sure to let the excess drain off, and place back onto the tray (I like to set mine on a fork to allow it to drain better). Once they are all dipped, set them in the freezer until hardened.
      Store any leftover truffles in the refrigerator.
  • Vegan Strawberry Chocolate Eggs

    Vegan Strawberry Chocolate Eggs

    When I was little, I really looked forward to the Easter candy in the Spring.  I think it was my favorite candy of the year, because it was all decorated in cute pastel colors, and chocolate bunnies and eggs were usually bigger than the other Holiday’s candies.  My favorite were the Reese’s peanut butter eggs and the berry cream eggs, either strawberry or raspberry.  I was always hoping for those in my Easter basket.  I have since started to make my own, since most of the commercial candy companies are filled with refined sugars, dairy, and preservatives I don’t want to be putting into my body.  But I do still like to indulge, I just do it with healthier ingredients.  Who says you have to give up your Easter candy because you are vegan?! Plus, I love making home made candy.  It is fun, and also fun to share with people, and they appreciate that you put work into it.

    So, I decided to make some strawberry cream eggs this year.  I realized Easter is fast approaching so I better get with the program!  I feel like this year is going so fast that the Holidays come and go and I barely have time to enjoy them.  So, I got to work and made some deliciousness of the Easter candy variety!  The filling was luscious, a mixture of cacao butter (which makes it taste like white chocolate), cashew butter and coconut butter.  These were rich as candy should be.  I used dried strawberries in them because they pack loads of intense flavor, and don’t add any extra moisture so good for candy.  I could not stop sampling the filling, because it was so good, but I knew I better because I wanted to end up with enough eggs.

    Once the filling was shaped and frozen, I dipped the little eggs into home made dark chocolate.  I could not wait to try them!  They were super delicious, even better than the cream eggs I had as a child, and they didn’t leave me feeling yuck.  The good thing about these is that they are good sized, so one is satisfying.  If you have time, why not make your own Easter candy this year instead of buying it?  It is a lot of fun, and stuff tastes so much better knowing you put love into it!

    Vegan Strawberry Chocolate Eggs 
    Makes 6-8 large eggs

    Ingredients:

    White Chocolate:

    • 1/4 cup cacao butter (2 oz) or coconut oil if unavailable
    • 2 Tbsp raw cashew butter
    • 1/4 cup coconut butter
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 2 Tbsp maple syrup
    • 1 cup freeze dried strawberries
    • 1/4 cup filtered water

     

    Dark Chocolate:

    • 1/2 cup cacao butter (4 oz) or coconut butter if unavailable
    • 3/4 cup cacao powder
    • 1/4 cup maple syrup
    • pinch sea salt

     

    Directions:

    1. Combine all of the white chocolate ingredients but the berries and water over a double boiler, and whisk until smooth.
    2. Pulverize the berries in a blender until fine, then whisk into the white chocolate along with the water. Place in the freezer for about 15-20 minutes until it is firm enough to scoop. Scoop into 8 balls, rolling them with your hands and shaping them into eggs.   Place on a parchment lined tray, and place back into the freezer until firm, about 30 minutes.
    3. Meanwhile, to make the dark chocolate, combine all ingredients in a double boiler, and whisk until combined and melted.
    4. Once the filling has firmed up, dip each chocolate into the dark chocolate, being sure to let the excess drain off, and place back onto the tray (I like to set mine on a fork to allow it to drain better). Once they are all dipped, set them in the freezer until hardened.
      Store any leftover truffles in the refrigerator.
  • Vegan White Mocha Chocolates

    Vegan White Mocha Chocolates

    When I was in high school, every Sunday after Church my Mom and I would go to a local independently owned coffee shop.  It was really small, and it carried locally roasted coffee, and it smelled amazing when you walked in.  Much better than Caribou or Starbucks in my opinion.  I always appreciate the small local businesses, and like to spend money there instead of big chains when I have the choice.  I got the dark mocha for many years, and later switched to the americano when I wanted to cut my sugar intake.  But my Mom would always get the white mocha.  It was always enjoyable to go there, it was sort of a treat and it made my Sunday more relaxing.  I don’t drink coffee now, I am more of a matcha latte girl, and my Mom makes her own French press on weekends at home instead of going out, but she must still have a soft spot in her heart for those white mochas because she asked me a few months back if I would make her some white mocha truffles.  They sounded good to me too, so I put them on my to make list, but I did not have cacao butter at the time so they had to wait.

    Finally this week I got some, so I was all over making those truffles!  It has kind of been a coffee weekend for me, I made an Irish Coffee Layer Cake too!  I wanted the truffles to be rich and delicious with a white chocolate coffee cream center, and white chocolate shell.  They are actually pretty simple to make, you just make the white chocolate mixture, then remove part of it and whisk the coffee in for the filling.  I wanted them to have plenty of coffee flavor, so I added both brewed coffee and espresso powder and it was delicious!  It tasted like a delicious steaming white mocha, only cooled down of course!

    I dipped them in white chocolate, and voila!  Pure delicious coffee white chocolate goodness!  The centers were melt in your mouth smooth and rich, sweet and something you savor and you need just one to satisfy!  I can’t wait to share them with my Mom, I think they will go perfect with her mid morning coffee! If you are a fan of white chocolate and coffee, these are a must try!

    Vegan White Mocha Chocolates
    Makes 10

    Ingredients:

    White Chocolate:

    • 1/2 cup cacao butter (4 oz)
    • 1/4 cup raw cashew butter
    • 1/2 cup coconut butter
    • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 1/4 cup maple syrup

     

    Filling:

    • 1/4 cup strong organic coffee
    • 2 tsp fine espresso powder

     

    Directions:

    1. Combine all of the white chocolate ingredients over a double boiler, and whisk until smooth.  Divide between 2 bowls.
    2. Whisk the coffee and espresso powder into one of the bowls. Place the bowl with the coffee in the freezer for about 15-20 minutes until it is firm enough to scoop. Scoop into 10 balls, rolling them with your hands until smooth and place on a parchment lined tray, and place back into the freezer until firm, about 30 minutes.
    3. Once the filling has firmed up, dip each chocolate into the remaining melted white chocolate (if it has gotten too cool and is firming up, warm it a little more over the double boiler) being sure to let the excess drain off, and place back onto the tray (I like to set mine on a fork to allow it to drain better). Once they are all dipped, set them in the freezer until hardened.
      Store any leftover truffles in the refrigerator.

     

  • Mini Vegan Whatchamacallit Bars

    Mini Vegan Whatchamacallit Bars

    Whatchamacallit Bars 3

    Eric occasionally asks me to make him things that he used to enjoy as a child, and the latest was a vegan Whatchamacallit bar.  If you haven’t heard of them, they are chocolate bars with peanut butter crisp and caramel.  To be completely honest, I think the last time I had one was probably in my Halloween candy stash as a kid, and I had to have him remind me what was in them, and look them up.  They sounded good to me though, and I like to veganize things, so I was happy to make them.  I mean whats not to love about chocolate peanut butter and caramel with a bit of crunch?  Sounds crave worthy.  Eric is the biggest chocolate lover I know and every Valentine’s day I load him up with it.  Since it is that time of the year, I thought that instead of just cutting the Whatchamacallits into square bars, I would make them into cute little hearts.  Because presentation is everything!

    Whatchamacallit Bars 4

    I decided to make these raw vegan actually because the best crispy ingredient for candy bars as far as I am concerned is buckwheat crispies.  If you are not familiar with them, they are activated, dehydrated buckwheat groats.  You can make them by soaking raw buckwheat groats in filtered water for 30 minutes. Then draining well, and spreading out onto a dehydrator tray and drying them for about 24 hours at 115F degrees (alternatively you can use an oven at the lowest temperature, but they will not be raw and will take a whole lot less time).  I store a bag in the freezer for when I need them. Anyways, I used them in my bars along with a date caramel made with peanut butter.  It was a heavenly crunchy combination!  I could not stop sampling it!  I pressed it out on a tray, topped with more caramel, then chilled it and cut it into hearts with a cookie cutter.  It worked out perfect!

    Whatchamacallit Bars 2

    I like to make my own raw chocolate.  If you would rather buy some and melt it though, go right ahead.  Just keep in mind you will need at least a cup of melted chocolate for the recipe.  The best part of making chocolates is eating the extra chocolate left over in the bowl…just sayin!  That makes me happy.  They turned out super cute as you can see, and really delicious!  I have a feeling if I had a side to side comparison with the regular bars I would love these much more.  I am not a big fan of commercial big chocolate companies anymore.  Way too sweet and it doesn’t taste real.  These on the other hand taste really amazing.  And, they are perfect for giving to your sweetie for Valentine’s day if Whatchamacallit bars are their jam.

    Whatchamacallit Bars 1

    Mini Vegan Whatchamacallit Bars 

    Makes 16

    Ingredients:

    Filling:

    • 1 cup soaked and dehydrated buckwheat
    • 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp raw jungle peanut butter, divided (or organic peanut butter if you prefer)
    • 1/4 cup raw coconut butter, warmed to liquid
    • 3/4 cup soft pitted medjool dates
    • 1/4 cup filtered water
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 1/4 tsp sea salt

     

    Chocolate coating:

    • 1/2 cup melted raw cacao butter or coconut oil
    • 1/2 cup raw cacao powder
    • 1/4 cup raw coconut nectar or maple syrup
    • pinch sea salt

     

    Instructions:

    1. Place the buckwheat in a large bowl. In a high speed blender, combine 1/2 cup of the peanut butter, coconut butter, dates, water, vanilla and sea salt and blend until smooth.
    2. Divide between 2 bowls.
    3. Stir the remaining 2 Tbsp peanut butter into one bowl, followed by the buckwheat until it is evenly coated.
    4. Press the mixture into the bottom of a 8×8 inch square pan lined with parchment (for easy removal). Spread the caramel over that evenly. Chill for at least 30 minutes until firm.
    5. Cut into squares or shapes (I used a heart cookie cutter).
    6. To make the coating, whisk together all ingredients until smooth.
    7. Lay out a sheet of parchment paper, then dip the bars one by one into the chocolate then place them on the paper (letting the excess drain off.  I like to use a fork to dip them for that reason.  Just set them on the fork).  Once they are all dipped, place back in the freezer until set, about 5-10 minutes.  Store extra bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
  • Vegan Mango Pineapple White Chocolates

    Vegan Mango Pineapple White Chocolates

    Vegan Mango Pineapple White Chocolate 2

    When I was little, my Mom always packed little delicious snacks in my lunch.  Sometimes it was veggies, but when I was younger, I was quite the junk food junkie, so I would ask for things like chips or cheese crackers a lot.  I didn’t get a lot of fruit, because that tended to go bad faster and I wasn’t a fan of things like brown cut up apples.  For kids now, there are much better products on the market, like Crispy Green freeze dried fruit. The only ingredient?  Just the dried fruit, and that I appreciate because a lot of dried fruit is sweetened. They even have little individual serving packets that are perfect for lunches! They are perfect for adding a sweet and healthy treat to your lunch! The company Crispy Green is a part of the Power Your Lunchbox Pledge that is going on right now, and if healthy lunches are important to you and your family go check it out. They sent me some to try, and I am a big fan of freeze dried fruit so I was all for it.  They sent me mango, pineapple, and apple, all of which were delicious!

    IMG_5229

    I like it stirred into my overnight oats, because it rehydrates well and adds lots of flavor, but I also like to use it in recipes where I want fruit flavor but I don’t want to add a lot of additional moisture.  Like frostings, or chocolates. I made some really delicious mango pineapple white chocolates with it, and they were delicious so I had to share the recipe with you all!  Just in time for Valentine’s Day!  Because as far as I am concerned Valentine’s day is a good reason to make chocolates.  When I was younger that is what I was excited about.  In elementary school, we would trade candy and cards, and I could have cared less about the mushy side of V-day but the candy was something that made me happy.  Now, I like to make candy for those I love and give it to them to enjoy.

    Vegan Mango Pineapple White Chocolate 1

    The white chocolate was delicious with the tropical mango and pineapple!  I make a lot of dark chocolate, so it can be nice to have some white chocolate goodness like these once in a while.  If you would like to try these out, you can find some Crispy Green for yourself on Amazon.  Or, you can enter my giveaway and try to win some!  I am giving away a Crispy Green prize pack including a lunch bag along with their new Tropical Variety Box of dried fruit packs (apple, mango and pineapple).  Open to US residents only please, to enter, scroll down to the bottom of the page.  Good Luck!

    IMG_5215

    Vegan Mango Pineapple White Chocolate

    Vegan Mango Pineapple White Chocolates
    Makes 10

    Ingredients:

    White Chocolate:

    • 1/2 cup cacao butter (4 oz)
    • 1/4 cup raw cashew butter
    • 1/2 cup coconut butter
    • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 1/4 cup maple syrup

     

    Filling:

    • 1 10g pkg Crispy Green pineapple
    • 1 10g pkg Crispy Green mango
    • 1/4 cup filtered water

    Directions:

    1. Combine all of the white chocolate ingredients over a double boiler, and whisk until smooth.  Divide between 2 bowls.
    2. Pulverize the mango and pineapple in a blender until fine, then whisk into one of the bowls of chocolate along with the water. Place the bowl with the fruit in the freezer for about 15-20 minutes until it is firm enough to scoop. Scoop into 10 balls, rolling them with your hands until smooth and place on a parchment lined tray, and place back into the freezer until firm, about 30 minutes.
    3. Once the filling has firmed up, dip each chocolate into the remaining melted white chocolate (if it has gotten too cool and is firming up, warm it a little more over the double boiler) being sure to let the excess drain off, and place back onto the tray (I like to set mine on a fork to allow it to drain better). Once they are all dipped, set them in the freezer until hardened.
      Store any leftover truffles in the refrigerator.

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  • Vegan Inside Out Peanut Butter Cups

    Vegan Inside Out Peanut Butter Cups

    inside-out-pb-cups-4

    Peanut butter and chocolate have always been at the top of my list.  If I had a choice of candy growing up, it was always a peanut butter cup over everything else.  I am sure many of you agree, it is a match made in heaven after all!  Even when I don’t have peanut butter cups on hand, I like to have a spoon of PB with some dark chocolate, kind of a lazy girl’s PB cup.  Some of my favorite desserts involve PB cups as well, like this PB Cup Layer Cake, or these PB Cup Cupcakes.  There is just something about the salty with the sweet and rich that makes me crave it!  So, it should come of no surprise that I decided to make PB cups last weekend.  I made them a little different this time though, inside out!

    inside-out-pb-cups-3

    Because white chocolate kind of sounded good to me too, so it was a combination of the light, dark and peanut butter.  For the white chocolate portion, I swapped in peanut butter for the usual cashew butter in my mixture, and it tasted fabulous!  That salty peanut butter in there was simply heavenly, and a touch of vanilla made it even better!  I suppose you could use this to make PB chips or chunks if you wanted, that is what it reminded me of.  You know like the ones in Monster cookies?  Or at least I always use them in mine (but if you are using this chocolate to make those, best to press into the tops of the cookies, as they are more melty).

    inside-out-pb-cups-1

    The filling was super simple, only peanut butter, cacao butter, maple syrup, and sea salt.  But that was all it needed!  Once the candies were all assembled, I couldn’t wait to try them!  They were crave worthy, just let me say that.  Rich, sweet, and a little salty just like normal PB cups, but different in a good way. If you are not all Halloween candied out, give these a try.  You will thank yourself for taking the time, trust me!

    inside-out-pb-cups

    Vegan Inside Out Peanut Butter Cups
    Makes 6 large candies

    Ingredients:

    Peanut Butter White Chocolate:

    • 1/4 cup cacao butter (2 oz)
    • 2 Tbsp organic smooth peanut butter
    • 1/4 cup coconut butter
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 2 Tbsp maple syrup (or to taste)
    • pinch sea salt

     

    Chocolate Peanut Butter filling:

    • 1/4 cup organic smooth peanut butter
    • 1 Tbsp cacao powder or cocoa powder
    • 1 Tbsp maple syrup
    • pinch sea salt

     

    Directions:

    1. Combine all of the peanut butter white chocolate ingredients over a double boiler, and whisk until smooth.  Pour into the bottoms of 6 larger peanut butter cup tins (or molds), then place them in the freezer to set.
    2. Mix the filling ingredients together, and set aside.
    3. Once the bottom chocolate has set, spoon about 1 heaping tsp of the peanut butter mixture onto the top of the set chocolate, then pour remaining melted chocolate over that. Place them in the freezer to set, about 15 minutes.
  • Vegan Maple Nut Cheesecake Dark Chocolates

    Vegan Maple Nut Cheesecake Dark Chocolates

    maple-nut-cheesecake-chocolates-3

    I have been in a candy making mood lately.  Most likely because Halloween is coming up, and I don’t buy candy at the store, but I love making it!  When I make my own, I can control the ingredients that go into it, which are always good quality.  I have made copy cat versions of Halloween candy classics, like Snickers, Twix, and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, but I like to create new delicious types of candy too.  Always chocolate though, I was never a fan of any Halloween candy that wasn’t chocolate.

    maple-nut-cheesecake-chocolates-2

    I made some Vegan Maple Nut Cheesecake Dark Chocolates last night, and they were so good I had to share the recipe with you all.  These are sort of like grown up Halloween Candy.  They were inspired by a raw cheesecake I made a while back with the same flavors.  It was simple but so good.  Also, maple and nuts make me think of fall.  Probably because of my family’s love for pecan pie.  But I would take cheesecake over pecan pie most days, so pecan cheesecake is what I was craving.  These are pretty simple to make, which is always a plus for me!  I don’t know about you, but I am not always in the mood for making something super complicated when I get home from work in the evening.  For the filling, I used a mixture of cashew butter, pecan butter, and coconut butter, and it was the most luscious delicious mixture!  Especially with the maple added.  Omg…I could have eaten it like that with a spoon!

    maple-nut-cheesecake-chocolates

    I did with some…but most of it made it to the being dipped in chocolate stage after pecans were added to it.  I chose pecans for my chocolates, but I am leaving it up to you what type of nuts you would like to use.  I know pecans can be spendy, or maybe you like walnuts or almonds better so if you like those swap them in for the pecans.  It is always ok to make recipes your own!  That is what I have always done after all, and how I learned how to create and make things!  Anyways, back to the chocolates…these turned out simply heavenly!  Chocolate covered nutty cheesecake heaven!  If you could create your own Halloween candy, what would you make?

    maple-nut-cheesecake-chocolates-1

    Vegan Maple Nut Cheesecake Dark Chocolates
    Makes 12

    • Cheesecake filling:
    • 1/3 cup raw pecan butter, walnut butter, or almond butter at room temperature
    • 1/3 cup raw cashew butter at room temperature
    • ¼ cup coconut butter, warmed to liquid
    • 2 Tbsp maple syrup
    • Pinch sea salt
    • ¼ tsp maple extract
    • ¼ cup chopped pecans, walnuts, or almonds

     

    Coating:

    • 6 oz vegan dark chocolate, chopped

     

    1. Whisk together all of the ingredients for the filling except the pecans.   Place in the freezer for about 10 minutes until the mixture is a little thicker.
    2. Drop the mixture onto a parchment lined tray by the heaping teaspoonful, and sprinkle with pecans (pressing in lightly). Place back into the freezer until firm.
    3. Meanwhile, melt the dark chocolate in the top of a double boiler.
    4. Dip each ball of cheesecake into the chocolate and place back on the lined tray (I like to use a fork to set the candy on to dip it so that the excess can run off, and then I carefully use a knife to slide it off touching only the bottom, onto the tray).  One they are all dipped, place back in the freezer until the chocolate has set, about 10 minutes.
    5. Store chocolates in the refrigerator in a sealed container.
  • Sugar Free Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cups

    Sugar Free Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cups

    sugar-free-almond-butter-cups-4

    When it comes to Halloween candy, I have always gone for the chocolate over every other type of candy.  You can have the smarties, suckers, and jolly ranchers…I was all about the Reese’s peanut butter cups, Snickers, and Milky Ways.  I am still this way as an adult.  Not that I buy commercial candy at the store, because it is much more fun to make your own, and that way you know that the ingredients are quality and no fillers or weird ingredients you don’t want to put into your body.  Dark chocolate can be good for you if it is the right kind.  So, I thought why not make a healthier nut butter cup with no sugar just good dark chocolate and nut butter?!  I know many of you are looking to cut your sugar intake for a variety of reasons, so these are for you!  Everyone should be able to enjoy dark chocolate after all!

    sugar-free-almond-butter-cups-3

    I made my usual dark chocolate recipe, but instead of the maple syrup, I substituted SweetLeaf stevia drops.  The English toffee flavor, because it is my favorite and it gives it a hint of caramel.  But of course, you could just use plain if you like.  I am not a fan of all stevias, some leave a weird aftertaste, but SweetLeaf does not have that.  It is the only brand I like.  I have been sweetening my smoothies and such with it for over 10 years when I don’t want to add excess sugar and it always tastes good.  This chocolate was no exception.  I gave it a good pinch of sea salt as well, resulting in an almost salted caramel flavor with the English toffee stevia.  I love peanut butter cups, but I am such a peanut butter obsessed person, that I thought I would do something a little different this time and make almond butter cups.  Variety is the spice of life right?  And getting  stuck in ruts is not always a good thing.  There will be more peanut butter inclusive posts in the future, don’t worry, but for today almond butter is the star!

    sugar-free-almond-butter-cups-1

    I had also just been given a big container of chunky almond butter, which I had never actually tried before so I wanted to use that.  I was never a fan of crunchy peanut butter growing up, but this almond butter is awesome!  I like crunchy almond butter!  It was perfect to fill these little chocolate treats with too!  I did not add any sweetener to my almond butter because I like my nut butter cups to be salty on the inside and sweet on the outside.  But of course you can do what you like with yours.  These were awesome!  I did not even miss the regular sweeteners, and would not have guessed that they were stevia sweetened if someone else made them and gave them to me.  These are sort of grown up Halloween candy.  Because to me almond butter has always been a little more grown up than peanut butter (probably because I never tried any until high school).  What is your favorite Halloween candy?

    sugar-free-almond-butter-cups-2

    Sugar Free Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cups
    Makes 6

    Ingredients:

    • 1/2 cup cacao butter, warmed to liquid
    • 1/4 cup coconut butter, warmed to liquid
    • 3/4 cup cacao powder
    • 1/8 tsp sea salt
    • 1/2 tsp SweetLeaf Stevia English Toffee Sweet Drops (or regular plain stevia drops)
    • 1/3 cup crunchy salted almond butter

    I melt my cacao butter and coconut butter in the top of a double boiler. Whisk together the chocolate ingredients until smooth.
    Set 6 medium sized peanut butter cup molds (or silicone muffin tins work too) on a tray. Pour the chocolate into the bottoms of the molds, filling them 1/3 full. Place the tray in the freezer for about 15 minutes until firm.
    Once firm, spoon a little of the almond butter (like 1 heaping tsp) into the centers of the tins on top of the chocolate (but not too mounded or it will stick out the top or ooze to the sides. Pour the remaining chocolate over the top and place back in the freezer to firm up, about 20 minutes. Unmold and enjoy!
    Store any leftover candy in the refrigerator in a sealed container.

  • Vegan Pumpkin Caramels

    Vegan Pumpkin Caramels

    Pumpkin Spice Caramels 3

    Is it weird that I have never actually had an actual pumpkin spice latte?  The thing that everyone is always obsessing about this time of the year, I have never had.  I make lots of pumpkin spice desserts though!  I am going for the pumpkin desserts full force.  I made pumpkin cheesecakes, and a pumpkin spice cake (the recipes for both will be shared soon), and pumpkin caramels just this week!  And, I am sharing the caramel recipe with you today.  I was just in the mood for caramel, and I had an open can of pumpkin, so I decided to make pumpkin caramels dipped in dark chocolate.  Making candy (or any dessert for that matter), is something I find enjoyable and relaxing!  So, it was the perfect Friday night project after work.  I am one of those people who would rather stay at home and make goodies in the kitchen in my PJs on a Friday than go out and party.  Partly because I work Saturdays, but I am also a huge introvert.

    Pumpkin Spice Caramels 2

    I made the caramels with dates, an ingredient I consider essential to any vegan caramel.  They are about as natural as you can get when it comes to sweeteners, and they just taste so darn good!  I added all of my usual pumpkin pie spices and some raw pecan butter to give it even more of a caramel flavor, and it tasted amazing!  This is one of those things where you take a spoonful and then have to go back for another, and another, and another until you have a big pile of tasting spoons!  I added some coconut oil to these to make them hold up and be a little more firm so they could be shaped or cut into squares, and the consistency turned out perfect! I dipped them in a home made dark chocolate, and couldn’t wait to taste the finished product.

    Pumpkin Spice Caramels 1

    They were soft, sweet, caramelly, pumpkin, decadent, melt in your mouth amazing!  I have a feeling you will all love them, and they would be a nice Halloween candy for next month!  I am all about making your own Halloween candy, because so many of the commercial ones are not vegan, filled with preservatives and fake ingredients and lots of sugar.  If you make your own, you know that they are quality!  So what if they don’t turn out perfect looking (mine don’t always), what matters is how good they taste as you devour them!  I hope you are all having a wonderful start to Fall!

    Pumpkin Spice Caramels

    Vegan Pumpkin Caramels

    Makes 12 caramels

    Ingredients:

    Filling:

    • 1 cup soft medjool dates, pitted
    • 1/4 cup raw pecan butter
    • 1/4 cup filtered water
    • 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
    • 1/4 cup coconut oil, softened
    • 1/4 tsp sea salt
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 2 tsp cinnamon
    • 1 1/2 tsp ginger
    • 1/4 tsp cloves
    • 1/4 tsp nutmeg

     

    Chocolate Coating:

    • 1/2 cup raw cacao powder
    • 3/4 cup raw cacao butter warmed to liquid (or coconut oil may be used instead)
    • 3 Tbsp raw coconut nectar or maple syrup
    • pinch sea salt

     

    Directions:

    1. Combine all filling ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until smooth (if you do not have a high speed blender, you may have to pass the caramel through a fine meshed strainer to remove any date bits).
    2. Spoon into square molds and place in the freezer until firm, about 3 hours (alternatively, spread out on a sheet of parchment to about 3/4 inch thick, and cut into squares once hardened).
    3. To make the chocolate, whisk together all ingredients until smooth, in a small bowl.
    4. Lay out a piece of parchment, and dip the caramels one by one into the chocolate and set them back on the tray.  Allow the chocolate to set (which will happen faster if you place them in the freezer for about 15 minutes).  Store extra caramels in the fridge.



  • Raw Chocolate Covered Cherry Macaroons

    Raw Chocolate Covered Cherry Macaroons

    Chocolate Covered Cherry Macaroons 3

    My Mom brought me some dried cherries and shredded coconut and asked me if I could make her some cherry coconut bon bons.  The cherries were so amazing and fresh and flavorful, and the coconut so sweet and delicious that I was up for trying to make some!  After all, she has good taste in food and good ideas for possible things to try making, so I knew these would be good.  When I was little, we would page through cookbooks we got at the library together and find recipes we wanted to try making.  Often times we would change up the ingredients to make them our own, and to our own tastes.  Now she sometimes just asks me if I can create something, which I am always happy to do because in a way it is still trying something out together.  I wasn’t sure by what she meant by coconut bon bons at first, because my Grandma used to make some that were smooth on the inside, but what she meant this time was ones with a macaroon like texture.  We both love macaroons so I was excited to make these.

    Chocolate Covered Cherry Macaroons

    They are really pretty easy to make if you have a food processor, just throw all the macaroon ingredients into a food processor, blend and roll into balls and dip into dark chocolate.  I am finding my body is happy when I sweeten things with fruit lately, so I kept the macaroon part of these completely fruit sweetened.  The cherries and coconut added plenty of sweet, and the chocolate of course!  I added a little almond butter and coconut butter to bind them and they were just right.  I made my own raw chocolate for these, but if you have a favorite raw chocolate brand, by all means go ahead and use it.  These are fabulous!  Chewy and coconutty with the flavor of cherries and rich dark chocolate…a match made in heaven!  I never used to like things like chocolate covered cherries (or Queen Anne cherries) with the white gooey syrupy stuff around the cherries and milk chocolate when I was a kid.  Funny how they were even too sweet then, but I loved this chocolate cherry combo!  Real food does taste better though!  My Mom loved these, and she was very happy with them, which made me happy.  If you are a cherry fan, give these a try!

     

    Raw Chocolate Covered Cherry Macaroons
    Makes 12

    Macaroons:

    • 1 1/2 cups finely shredded unsweetened coconut
    • 3/4 cup soft unsweetened dried cherries
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 1/4 tsp sea salt
    • 1//3 cup raw almond butter
    • 1/3 cup raw coconut butter
    • 3/4 cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut

    Raw Chocolate:

    • 1/2 cup raw cacao powder
    • 3/4 cup raw cacao butter warmed to liquid (or coconut oil may be used instead)
    • 3 Tbsp raw coconut nectar or maple syrup
    • pinch sea salt

    Place 1 1/2 cups coconut, cherries, vanilla, sea salt, almond butter, and coconut butter in the food processor and process until smooth and well combined. Add remaining 3/4 cup coconut and pulse until the mixture holds together when squeezed. Form mixture into 1 1/2 inch balls, and place in the freezer to harden for about 30 minutes.
    To make the chocolate, whisk together all ingredients until smooth, in a small bowl.  Lay out a piece of parchment, and dip the macaroons one by one into the chocolate and set them back on the tray.  Allow the chocolate to set (which will happen faster if you place them in the freezer for about 15 minutes).  Store extra macaroons in the fridge.

     



  • Vegan Snickers Layer Cake

    Vegan Snickers Layer Cake

    Snickers Cake 6

    My birthday was last Friday, so this post is a little belated, but I promise you the recipe that accompanies it is well worth the wait. Normally I post my birthday cake recipe on my Birthday but it was a little busier this year and I wanted to relax and not stress myself out last week so I figured it was ok to wait. This year I turned 31, and I feel like I am more mature now that I am in my 30s, but I still also feel like I am 25. I don’t feel old enough to be 30 if that makes sense. When I was younger, I guess I thought I would have everything in my life figured out by the time I was 30 but I am still working on it, and learning valuable lessons. One of which is to take care of yourself first, because if you don’t do that, you will not be able to help out or take care of anyone else. It is not being selfish, it is being smart. Another thing, when I was younger I cared more about what other people thought about me and now, not so much. So what if I am a quiet introvert that likes to spend more time with the cat or just my significant other instead of going out to parties and being social? Also, who cares if someone doesn’t like what I am wearing or how I do my makeup? I wear what I like, and I am comfortable with how I look and who I am. Be who you are, do what you enjoy, dress how you like, what matters is that you are happy.

    Snickers Cake 5

    You know what made me really happy? The Snickers layer cake I made for my birthday. I am usually a vanilla girl, but this year I went chocolate with my cake, because that is what I was craving. And after all, I was the one making it so I had full say in what it was. I have always made my own cake, since I got into baking because it is the only way I can get exactly what I want, plus I actually enjoy it! I don’t know anyone around here who would make me a vegan Snickers cake. So, I went for it. I will admit right now, that this cake has quite a few steps to make it. None of them are very difficult, it is just a little more time consuming. But this is after all a special occasion cake so it is worth the time!

    Snickers Cake

    For the cake layers, I made a rich chocolate cake with dates to sweeten it. I find that dates give the cake the perfect amount of sweetness and moisture when baked for the proper amount of time. You can not taste the dates, they just give it a brown sugar like note of flavor. This cake batter recipe has been called the most delicious by my omnivore family and friends. So naturally I had to use it for this cake. I made a mousse filling topped off with peanuts that tasted like the nougat inside a snickers, as well as date caramel to top it and the cake off. For the outside of the cake, I made the most luscious peanut butter fudge frosting. It is only 4 ingredients, and simple to make, but it is sooo good.

    Snickers Cake 2

    Once this cake was assembled it was pretty marvelous to behold.  But most importantly, it met my standards for taste.  It tasted amazing.  Way better than any snickers bar because cake was involved.  Dare I say it one of the best cakes I have made lately (which is not to say the other cakes weren’t really good, this one just was out of this world good).  It was the perfect birthday cake.  I was very happy with it, it was fun to make on my day off, and it was a really good birthday present to myself.  Don’t worry, I did not eat it all myself, I am not selfish, I shared.  But it is something that you will want to go back for seconds for.  Just sayin’ when your Birthday comes around take note of this cake.

    Vegan Snickers Layer Cake
    Makes 1 6 inch 2 layer cake

    2 6 inch cake pans

    Cake:
    1 1/2 cups quinoa flour (or all purpose gluten free flour works also)
    1/4 cup cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
    1 1/2 tsp baking soda
    1 tsp baking powder
    1/2 tsp sea salt
    1 cup packed soft medjool dates, pitted, soaked in water for 30 minutes and 1/2 cup of the water reserved
    1/4 cup organic peanut butter (smooth)
    1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
    1 cup filtered water
    2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

    Peanut Butter Caramel:
    1 cup pitted medjool dates
    3 Tbsp organic peanut butter
    1/3 cup filtered water (or as needed)
    1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    1/8 tsp sea salt

    Filling:
    1 15 oz can organic full fat coconut milk
    1/2 cup organic peanut butter
    1/4 cup maple syrup
    1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    1/4 tsp sea salt
    1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp coconut butter, warmed to liquid

    Frosting
    3/4 cup pitted medjool dates, soaked in water for 30 minutes, and 3/4 cup of the water reserved
    1 cup organic peanut butter (smooth)
    1/2 Tbsp cacao powder
    pinch sea salt

    about 1 cup organic peanuts

    Preheat the oven to 375F degrees and position rack in center of oven. Line the bottoms of two six-inch-diameter cake pans with 2-inch-high sides with parchment paper. Coat parchment paper and pan sides lightly with coconut oil so that the cake doesn’t stick. Whisk flour, cacao powder, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt in a large bowl to blend well. Place dates, reserved water, peanut butter, water, and vanilla extract into a blender, and blend until smooth, then whisk this blended mixture into the flour mixture until well blended. Whisk in the cider vinegar until bubbles form. Transfer cake batter to prepared pans and bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 23-25 minutes. Cool cakes completely in pan on rack, about 1 hour. Cut around sides of pan to loosen. Turn cakes out onto platter; peel off parchment paper. Cut cakes in half horizontally with a serrated knife, or very sharp long knife (being very careful so that they don’t break) cover (so that they don’t dry out, you may stack them with parchment in between) and set aside.
    For the caramel, combine all ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until smooth (adding a little more water if needed to create a caramel that is not super runny but thin enough to almost pour). Set aside in the refrigerator.
    To make the filling, combine all ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until smooth, then pour into a bowl and place in the freezer until it is the consistency of whipped cream (it takes about 30-45 minutes depending on how warm it has gotten). Set aside in the refrigerator until ready to frost.
    To make the frosting, combine all ingredients in a high speed blender or food processor and blend until smooth (since hazelnut butters and dates can vary, if the frosting is too thin, add a little more cacao powder, too thick, add a little more water). Set aside in the refrigerator.
    To assemble the cake, place one layer on a plate, spread 1/3 of the filling over it, then some of the caramel and sprinkle with about 1/4 cup of the peanuts. Repeat with another layer and another, then ending with a cake layer on the top. Place the cake in the freezer for about half an hour to 45 minutes to firm up the filling so it stays put when you frost the cake. Spread the chocolate frosting over the top and down the sides of the cake. Top off with more peanuts, and pour remaining caramel carefully over the top allowing it to drip down the sides (if the caramel is not runny enough to drip down the sides of the cake add a little water to it first). Enjoy! Store leftover cake in the refrigerator.



     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Vegan White Chocolate Raspberry Peanut Butter Cups

    Vegan White Chocolate Raspberry Peanut Butter Cups

    White Chocolate PB Raspberry Cups 4

    One of my favorite things about Summer is the raspberries.  Being able to buy fresh, local organic ones at the store or even better, finding them on my walks when I am in the woods.  It is like finding treasure when you come across raspberries, they are like little edible jewels!  I remember my Dad used to grow raspberries in his garden also, but the wild ones are always the tastiest.  I love raspberries in every form though, so I won’t complain when I get my hands on some.  Fresh are awesome, but I also like to keep dried ones on hand for when I want to make something more shelf stable, or color and flavor a frosting or whipped coconut cream without adding excess moisture.  I used some of those in the awesome candy I am sharing with you today, white chocolate raspberry peanut butter cups!

    White Chocolate PB Raspberry Cups

    I am a huge PB and J fan, and I was craving that in dessert form, so I made PB cups.  Back when I was in college, they had white chocolate Reese’s PB cups and I thought they were pretty awesome at the time.  I am sure I would find them way too sweet now, but that was kind of what I was going for with these, plus the raspberries of course which gave them a PB and J like flavor.  I made my favorite white chocolate recipe, which I think I have down pretty well now after some tweaking.  It is just the right amount of sweet and has a little vanilla added, because the good quality white chocolate bars with vanilla beans in them that actually smelled like vanilla were always my favorite.  For the filling, I did not sweeten the peanut butter, because I feel that these are sweet enough with the white chocolate and the salty peanut butter adds a nice contrast.  The raspberries added little pops of tart flavor.

    White Chocolate PB Raspberry Cups 2

    These were so freaking good!  They were way better than the white chocolate PB cups I ate back in the day, and the PB and J like twist on them with the raspberries put them over the top.  I even shared some with someone who is not a big fan of peanut butter and she loved them too.  If you are a PB and J fan, you must try these, they are worth the little bit of time to make them, and I must warn you hard to share.

    White Chocolate PB Raspberry Cups 1

    Vegan White Chocolate Raspberry Peanut Butter Cups
    Makes 6 large candies

    White Chocolate:
    1/4 cup cacao butter (2 oz)
    2 Tbsp raw cashew butter
    1/4 cup coconut butter
    1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    2 Tbsp maple syrup (or to taste)

    1/4 cup freeze dried raspberries

    1/4 cup organic peanut butter

    Combine all of the white chocolate ingredients over a double boiler, and whisk until smooth.  Pour into the bottoms of 6 larger peanut butter cup tins (or molds), then place them in the freezer to set.

    Mix the raspberries into the peanut butter, and set aside.

    Once the bottom chocolate has set, spoon about 1 heaping tsp of the peanut butter mixture onto the top of the set chocolate, then pour remaining melted chocolate over that. Place them in the freezer to set, about 15 minutes.



  • Vegan Chili Mango Dark Chocolates

    Vegan Chili Mango Dark Chocolates

    I was given a bag of dried, unsweetened mango.  It was delicious!  It tasted like fresh mango intensified!  I snacked on some, but I wanted to make something with it as well.  Something in the form of dessert that I could share with the person that gave it to me.  I decided that I wanted to pair the sweet, tangy mango with dark chocolate. As if that wouldn’t be a good enough pairing as it is, I added in a little heat in the form of chili too.  Eric is always telling me that he misses fruit candy made with chilies that he got in Arizona when he lived there as a kid, so I figured I would share some of these with him as well.

    Chili Mango Dark Chocolates 2

    They are really quite simple to make if you can find the dried, unsweetened unsulfured mango.  This kind came from Trader Joes.  When I am looking for dried fruit, I always look for unsweetened and unsulfured because dried fruit is already concentrated and very sweet so why add a bunch of refined sugar to it? Also, I don’t like un-natural preservatives in my foods.  I mean, they were meant to have a shelf life, not last forever.  But anyways, this mango was perfect.  I made raw dark chocolate the way I always do, and stirred in the finely chopped mango and chili flakes.  The combination was delicious, I thought to myself when I had a taste before pouring it into the molds.  It is that simple, just mix together, pour into molds, chill and enjoy!

    Chili Mango Dark Chocolates 1

    They tasted fabulous once set, sweet, rich, a little spicy, and the type of thing that you want to indulge in but it only takes a few to be satisfied.  I think sometimes when flavors are more interesting we are satisfied with less.  At least that is how I feel.  I can’t wait to share these and get other people’s takes on them!  I think if you try them, you will enjoy them as well, provided you like a spice in your life.

    Chili Mango Dark Chocolates

    Vegan Chili Mango Dark Chocolates
    Makes 6

    Chocolate:
    3/4 cup raw cacao powder
    1/2 cup melted cacao butter (warmed to liquid)
    pinch sea salt
    1/4 cup maple syrup (at room temperature)

    1/2 cup chopped, dried unsweetened mango
    1/2 tsp red chili flakes

    To make the chocolate, whisk together all ingredients until smooth in a medium sized glass measuring cup. Mix in the mango and chili flakes. Spoon or pour into molds, and place in the freezer to harden, about 30 minutes. Pop out of molds and enjoy! Store any extra in the refrigerator.



  • Raw Strawberry Jam and Almond Butter Cups

    Raw Strawberry Jam and Almond Butter Cups

    Strawberry Almond Butter Chocolate Cups 3

    I try to be thankful for the little things.  I am trying not to dwell on the negatives or things I can’t change lately and instead try and find the positives in things.  And if I can’t find a positive, like it is a really bad day or something I go home and do something that I enjoy to calm and relax myself.  Like making chocolates.  One can simply not be unhappy while making chocolate.  Chocolate makes me happy at least.  The other thing about it is, it is easy to make.  Of course you could start off with pre-made raw chocolate and melt it and that would be even easier but I usually make my own because it is cheaper.

    Strawberry Almond Butter Chocolate Cups 4

    I had some strawberries in my fridge and I was thinking about making chocolate dipped strawberries, but then I was also craving some nut butter…so I decided to make raw strawberry jam almond butter cups so I could have it all.  I whipped up my raw chocolate, and while the bases of the cups were setting I made the jam.  It is only 3 ingredients, so super simple and fast to make and of course it is raw so it doesn’t require cooking.  I had just made raw almond butter the day before so I was set!  They were ready within the hour and I was so ready to try one.

    Strawberry Almond Butter Chocolate Cups

    Talk about pure delicious goodness!  This is such a heavenly flavor combination! Like a AB and J with chocolate.  My Mom occasionally made me almond butter and jelly sandwiches as a kid, and I always thought that they were a little more special than PB and Js (as delicious as they were) because almond butter was harder to come by at that point in time.  Anyways, I was also happy I did not have to heat up the kitchen to make these, because it had been a hot humid day.  If you are in need of a little deliciousness in your life, do try these chocolate cups!

    Strawberry Almond Butter Chocolate Cups 2

    Raw Strawberry Jam and Almond Butter Cups
    Makes 6

    Chocolate:
    3/4 cup raw cacao powder
    1/2 cup melted cacao butter (warmed to liquid)
    pinch sea salt
    1/4 cup maple syrup (at room temperature)

    Filling:
    1/3 cup raw almond butter*
    1/3 cup quick raw strawberry jam (recipe follows)

    To make the chocolate, whisk together all ingredients until smooth. Spoon a little chocolate into the bottoms of 6 peanut butter cup molds, filling them about 1/4-1/3 full. Place in the freezer until hard, about 10 minutes. Once the chocolate has hardened, spoon a heaping tsp of the almond butter over that, making sure it stays in the center (so you don’t have it oozing out the sides later). Spoon a tsp of jam over that. Pour more chocolate over the cups until the jam is covered, and place them in the freezer until set, about 20 minutes. Store any extra in the refrigerator.

    Quick Raw Blackberry Jam:

    1 cup organic strawberries
    1 Tbsp raw coconut nectar or maple syrup
    1-2 Tbsp chia seeds

    Combine berries and nectar in a food processor and pulse until the strawberries are saucy. Pour into a bowl. Stir in the chia seeds. If they are very runny (if you used frozen) use 2 Tbsp chia seeds, if they are fresh use one. Keeps for 1 week in a covered container in the refrigerator.

    *If your almond butter is really runny, whisk some melted coconut butter or coconut oil into it, about 1 Tbsp to thicken it up.



  • Raw German Chocolate Macaroons

    Raw German Chocolate Macaroons

    My Mom gave me a bag of fancy shredded coconut and told me to make something good out of it.  I made a cake decorated with it, which will be shared in the near future in case you are interested, but I also decided to make some coconut macaroons.  Because she loves coconut macaroons, and I have to agree with that, because they are pretty darn delicious.  I could have just made the classic coconut and left it at that, but I wanted to make something a bit more exiting and something that included chocolate.  So I ended up making German Chocolate Macaroons.

    German Chocolate Macaroons 2

    I know there are plenty of good recipes out there for baked macaroons, and I have made some but really my favorite are the raw ones.  So I made these raw.  They are really pretty simple to make, easy and hard to mess up. They got a bit of a caramel flavor thanks to the dates, and instead of adding chopped walnuts I added walnut butter to help hold them together.  Just a few tablespoons of raw cacao powder was enough to make them taste like the classic cake. The mixture was quite delicious, and I ended up with a few less macaroons because of that since I had to taste it to make sure it was good…several times…just to make sure, you know?  Of course you do, stuff like that is hard to resist.

    German Chocolate Macaroons 3

    I dipped them in chocolate once they were finished to make them extra good.  These tasted like German chocolate cake but were so much easier to make, and of course portion controlled.  I couldn’t wait to share them with my Mom and see what she thought about them.  They were sooo good.  If you are looking for a simple and easy dessert that tastes amazing, give these a go!

    German Chocolate Macaroons

    Raw German Chocolate Macaroons
    Makes 12

    Macaroons:
    1 1/2 cups finely shredded unsweetened coconut, divided
    1/2 cup pitted soft medjool dates (if they are not soft, soak them in filtered water and drain well before using in the recipe)
    2 Tbsp raw walnut butter
    1 tsp vanilla extract
    2 Tbsp cacao powder
    1/4 tsp sea salt

    Raw Chocolate:
    1/4 cup raw cacao powder
    1/4 cup raw cacao butter warmed to liquid (or coconut oil may be used instead)
    2 Tbsp raw coconut nectar or maple syrup

    pinch sea salt

    Place 3/4 cup coconut, dates, walnut butter and vanilla and sea salt in the food processor and process until smooth and well combined. Add cacao powder and remaining 3/4 cup coconut and pulse until the mixture holds together. Form mixture into 12 balls (they will be fragile before dehydrating, so be careful) and stick a clove into the top of each. Place in the freezer until firm, about 30 minutes.
    To make the chocolate, whisk together all ingredients until smooth, in a small bowl.  Lay out a piece of parchment, and line up the macaroons on it. Drizzle the macaroons with the chocolate (I like to put it in a plastic bag, and cut off the corner and squeeze it out to drizzle it).  Allow the chocolate to set (which will happen faster if you place them in the freezer for about 5 minutes).  Store extra macaroons in the fridge.

    *Note, since dates can vary in softness and moisture levels (depending on if you soaked them or not), if the macaroons seem too dry, add more dates (before adding the last coconut).  If they seem too wet, add more coconut.



  • Raw Blackberry Jam and Hazelnut Butter Cups

    Raw Blackberry Jam and Hazelnut Butter Cups

    Blackberry Jam and Hazelnut Butter Cups 5

    When I was little, my Mom and I used to go to this little shop that sold blackberry jam filled chocolates.  They were always so good.  Blackberries seemed exotic to me at that age, since they were less common than strawberries and raspberries.  So, they were special.  I hadn’t really thought about them until recently when I made some raw blackberry jam, and decided to make some candy with it, pairing it with chocolate and hazelnut butter.  Jams with lots of seeds were my favorite growing up. Raspberry mostly, but if I could get my hands on blackberry, that was even better.

    Blackberry Jam and Hazelnut Butter Cups 4

    So anyways, I made this jam and thought it would be awesome as a filling for chocolate cups with nut butter.  I had just made some hazelnut butter, and blackberry hazelnut sounded heavenly.  They were really pretty easy to make, which is why I love chocolate cups instead of truffles or things that need to be dipped sometimes.

    Blackberry Jam and Hazelnut Butter Cups 1

    They reminded me of those chocolates I had enjoyed as a kid but better, the nutty gooey hazelnut butter the perfect partner for the sweet jam and rich chocolate.  If you want a real treat, make these for yourself (or to share) because these are awesome!  I got good reviews from my taste testers as well!

    Blackberry Jam and Hazelnut Butter Cups 2

    Raw Blackberry Jam and Hazelnut Butter Cups
    Makes 6

    Chocolate:
    3/4 cup raw cacao powder
    1/2 cup melted cacao butter (warmed to liquid)
    pinch sea salt
    1/4 cup maple syrup (at room temperature)

    Filling:
    1/3 cup raw hazelnut butter*
    1/3 cup quick raw blackberry jam (recipe follows)

    To make the chocolate, whisk together all ingredients until smooth. Spoon a little chocolate into the bottoms of 6 peanut butter cup molds, filling them about 1/4-1/3 full.  Place in the freezer until hard, about 10 minutes. Once the chocolate has hardened, spoon a heaping tsp of the hazelnut butter over that, making sure it stays in the center (so you don’t have it oozing out the sides later).  Spoon a tsp of jam over that. Pour more chocolate over the cups until the jam is covered, and place them in the freezer until set, about 20 minutes.  Store any extra in the refrigerator.

    Quick Raw Blackberry Jam:

    1 cup organic blackberries
    1 Tbsp raw coconut nectar or maple syrup
    1-2 Tbsp chia seeds

    Combine blackberries and nectar in a food processor and pulse until the blackberries are chopped up but not smooth. Pour into a bowl. Stir in the chia seeds.  If they are very runny (if you used frozen) use 2 Tbsp chia seeds, if they are fresh use one. Keeps for 1 week in a covered container in the refrigerator.

    *If your hazelnut butter is really runny, whisk some melted coconut butter or coconut oil into it, about 1 Tbsp to thicken it up.



  • Raw Mini 100 Grand Bars

    Raw Mini 100 Grand Bars

    Raw 100 Grand Bars 4

    Sometimes I make recipes thinking they are going to turn out one way and they end up being totally different.  Sometimes for the good, meaning it turned out more awesome than I thought, and sometimes bad meaning I had to throw it away and I was bummed about wasting time and ingredients. Well, the recipe I am sharing with you today is one of the good.  This is why I say I play in the kitchen. Playing with ingredients and creating things that may or may not be how I pictured them.

    Raw 100 Grand Bars 3

    My Mom asked me if I could make a vegan version of some rice crispy bars we used to enjoy when I was younger.  You know, the ones with peanut butter and a chocolate coating?  Well, I already had made a raw version of them last year and I was looking for new recipes, so then she said, “What about caramel crunch crispy bars?” Sounded pretty delicious to me so I was going to go for it.  I made the caramel mixture with pecan butter and dates to give it that caramel flavor, and added some coconut butter so that they would firm up and not be so sticky. I mixed in the buckwheat, and let me tell you it was downright addictive. I could not stop tasting it.  Which is both a good and bad thing.  Bad because it spoils my dinner, and good because I know they will be a hit!

    Raw 100 Grand Bars 2

    Once I chilled them like I did my other bars, they were not quite as firm, they were still a little chewy.  They tasted like 100 Grand bars!  Well, better actually.  So, I decided instead that that is what they would be.  I dipped them in chocolate and it was perfect!  Just like the mini ones I used to get in my Halloween candy.  So, a sort of mistake turned into a win.  These have it all as far as cravings go.  Sweet, chocolaty, crunchy, salty, and gooey.  Sooo good.

    Raw 100 Grand Bars

    Raw Mini 100 Grand Bars 
    Makes 32 mini candy bars

    3 cups soaked and dehydrated buckwheat
    1 cup raw pecan butter (or almond butter if you prefer
    1/2 cup raw coconut butter, warmed to liquid
    1/2 cup soft pitted medjool dates
    1/2 cup filtered water
    1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    1/4 tsp sea salt

    Chocolate coating:
    1/2 cup melted coconut oil or raw cacao butter
    1/2 cup raw cacao powder
    1/4 cup raw coconut nectar or maple syrup
    pinch sea salt

    Place the buckwheat in a large bowl. In a high speed blender, combine the pecan butter, coconut butter, dates, water, vanilla and sea salt and blend until smooth.  Scrape into a bowl. Stir into the buckwheat until it is evenly coated. Press the mixture into the bottom of a 8×8 inch square pan lined with parchment (for easy removal, or you may use a silicone mini brownie pan, which is what I used). Chill for at least 30 minutes until firm.

    To make the coating, whisk together all ingredients until smooth. Lay out a sheet of parchment paper, then dip the bars one by one into the chocolate then place them on the paper (letting the excess drain off.  I like to use a fork to dip them for that reason.  Just set them on the fork).  Once they are all dipped, place back in the freezer until set, about 5-10 minutes.

    Store extra bars in an airtight container in the refridgerator.



  • White Chocolate Matcha Hemp Eggs

    White Chocolate Matcha Hemp Eggs

    I am on an Easter candy making kick. It is really quite fun, and of course you get to enjoy a delicious end product and maybe share it with others if it is good enough.  I made some last night that was just that. Delicious. But not what you would expect.  I love my hemp seeds, and recently made some hemp seed butter.  I thought incorporating it into a candy would be awesome, so I could get my healthy fats, and enjoy my dessert too.  So, I decided to go with the color.  By color I mean the lovely green of the hemp seeds.  I added matcha to the hemp seed butter as well for the filling of this candy.

    White Chocolate Matcha Hemp Eggs 3

    Why not have some anti-oxidants with your healthy oils and dessert?!  Ok, at this point, I know it sounds more savory than sweet.  But don’t you worry, I added cacao butter and vanilla and sweetened it up so that it tasted heavenly.  White chocolate with green tea.  You don’t really taste the hemp seeds, but they contribute to the lovely color.

    White Chocolate Matcha Hemp Eggs 1

    I dipped them in raw white chocolate to complete them.  Since I was in more of a vanilla white chocolate sort of mood than a dark chocolate one.  Plus they looked more like real eggs, and I loved the contrast of the off white chocolate shell on the pale green filling. They tasted sweet and wonderful as well, you would never know they were made from healthier ingredients!  Definitely something wonderful to fill your Easter baskets with!

    White Chocolate Matcha Hemp Eggs

    White Chocolate Matcha Hemp Eggs
    Makes 12

    2/3 cup raw hemp seed butter*
    1/2 cup raw cacao butter, warmed to liquid
    3 Tbsp raw coconut nectar or maple syrup
    2 tsp pure vanilla extract
    2 tsp matcha powder
    pinch sea salt

    White Chocolate:
    1/4 cup raw cacao butter, warmed to liquid*
    2 Tbsp raw cashew butter
    1/4 cup coconut butter, warmed to liquid*
    1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    2 Tbsp raw coconut butter, or maple syrup (or to taste)

    Whisk together all filling ingredients until smooth, then place in the freezer to firm up (but not until it is hard), about 15 minutes (whisk every 5). Once it is the consistency of play dough, form into little egg shapes (it is ok if it sticks to your hands a little, but if it is too warm, put it back in the freezer). Place the eggs on a foil lined tray, and place back in the freezer for about 15 minutes to chill.
    Meanwhile, whisk all of the white chocolate ingredients together in a bowl. Set the bowl next to the eggs, and dip each into the white chocolate letting the excess drain off, and placing back on the tray (I like to set them on a fork for dipping). Once they are all dipped, place back in the freezer for 5 minutes to harden, then dip them again, and repeat. Store in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to a month.

    *You can buy raw hemp seed butter, or if you have a high speed blender, make it like I did.  To do so, place about 3 1/2 cups shelled hemp seeds into your blender and blend until smooth, using the tamper to press them down into the blades (do not try this with a regular blender, it will not work). Store in the refrigerator.



  • Raw Vegan Tie Dye Cream Eggs

    Raw Vegan Tie Dye Cream Eggs

    Tie Dye Eggs 4

    Easter is fast approaching, and I am in an Easter candy sort of mood.  Everything with chocolate so far, because that was always my favorite. I was never a jelly bean or marshmallow Peeps sort of girl.  I thought it would be fun to make some candy eggs with color in the middle, so I went for it and made Raw Vegan Tie Dye Cream Eggs. I have made raw Cadbury Eggs in the past, and they turned out awesome, so these were sort of like those.

    Tie Dye Eggs 5

    The filling kind of tasted like raw cheesecake, delicious, sweet and creamy as it melted in my mouth.  I used natural food coloring for these since I never use the fake stuff.  I tossed that out years ago along with all of my refined sugars and flours.  I actually used turmeric, spinach powder and beets for these.  But don’t worry, you could not taste any of it, it just gave the filling a lovely color.

    Tie Dye Eggs 3

    It was kind of fun shaping the filling like play dough.  I felt like a child at play.  Not that I don’t always feel that way when making colorful desserts or decorating cakes. Part of why I make these things of course, it makes me happy!  Anyways, I dipped the eggs in some raw dark chocolate and they turned out just as I had imagined!

    Tie Dye Eggs

    You do not have to go without Easter candy if you don’t like the ingredients in store bought, you can make your own instead and enjoy them not having to worry about what went into them! Plus, I think when you make things yourself, they mean more because of the time and love you put into them.

    Tie Dye Eggs 2

    Raw Vegan Tie Dye Cream Eggs
    Makes 12

    Filling:
    1 cup raw coconut butter (not oil) warmed to liquid

    1/2 cup raw cashew butter
    1/3 cup raw coconut nectar, or maple syrup
    2 tsp pure vanilla extract
    2/3 cup filtered water
    a pinch sea salt

    1/2 tsp turmeric powder

    1/2 tsp spinach powder

    1/2 tsp beet powder

    1 1/2 cups raw dark chocolate chunks, or chopped raw dark chocolate

    Note: all ingredients in this recipe must be at room temperature or warmer or when you mix them together they will clump up.

    Whisk together all ingredients until well combined, then divide into 3 bowls, and whisk turmeric into the first, the spinach powder into the second, and the beet powder into the third.  Pipe into mounded tsp, layering the 3 colors together (so about 3 tsp total each) onto a foil lined tray.  Place in the freezer for about 2-3 minutes to allow to firm up enough to shape with your hands.  Gently shape into eggs, kind of molding as you go like you would with play dough (if ever it gets too sticky, put back in the freezer for a few minutes). Place them back on the tray, and put back in the freezer for about 20 minutes.

    Melt the dark chocolate, either in a bowl in the dehydrator, set at 115F, or in the top of a double boiler (being careful not to heat above 115F degrees).  Once the eggs have chilled, dip them one by one into the chocolate (I like to set them on top of a fork), letting the excess drain off, and place them back onto the foil lined tray. Once they have all been dipped, place them back into the freezer, and chill until chocolate has hardened.  Store eggs in the refrigerator for up to a month in a container.



  • Vegan Hazelnut Truffle Eggs

    Vegan Hazelnut Truffle Eggs

    Easter is coming up, so I thought it was about time I made some Easter treats.  When I was little, I was never a big fan of the jelly beans and Peeps.  I was all about the chocolate candies.  Reese’s peanut butter eggs were my favorite.  I have made my own before in recent years and they were wonderful and even better than the store bought ones.  So I thought why not make a twist on those and use hazelnut butter and chocolate for the filling?

    hazelnut chocolate eggs 3

    Sounded good to me, I love home made Nutella, and hazelnuts and chocolate are always a hit with everyone I know. So, I made some pretty simple truffle eggs.  Only 5 ingredients total, so anyone can do this!  If it is not around Easter, you do not have to shape them into eggs, but I think they are cute, and I have fun playing with my food.  It was sort of like molding play dough.

    hazelnut chocolate eggs 4

    For the filling, I used my own home made hazelnut butter, some cacao powder, a touch of maple syrup and sea salt.  It tasted like the most delicious fudge.  I shaped it into eggs, and dipped them into vegan dark chocolate.  I used a brand I am currently in love with that is local to me, LUV dark chocolate. It is sugar free, made from good ingredients and my favorite go to chocolate indulgence simple snack lately.

    hazelnut chocolate eggs 2

    The eggs were sooo good!  It would have been awesome to have treats like these in my Easter basket as a kid, and I would have loved them.  They are right up there with the peanut butter eggs! What is your favorite Easter candy?

    hazelnut chocolate eggs

    Vegan Hazelnut Truffle Eggs

    Filling:

    1 cup hazelnut butter*

    2/3 cup cacao powder or as needed*

    2 Tbsp maple syrup (or to taste)

    pinch sea salt

    Coating:

    1 cup chopped good quality vegan dark chocolate

    In a bowl, mix together the filling ingredients until smooth.  You want it to be the consistency of dough so you can shape it into eggs.  If it is too soft add a little more cacao powder, too hard, a little a touch of water or a little more maple syrup. Shape into 10 eggs, and place on a foil lined tray.  Refrigerate for about 30 minutes to chill.  Once the filling has chilled, melt the dark chocolate in the top of a double boiler.  Dip each egg into the melted dark chocolate, then place it back on the tray.  Allow the chocolate to set, which will happen faster if you pop them in the freezer for about 10 minutes. Store in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to a month.

    *Since hazelnut butter varies in how smooth it is, the cacao powder amount may vary in this recipe.

    To make your own hazelnut butter, place 3 cups hazelnuts into  a high speed blender and blend until smooth, using the tamper to press them down into the blades (if you need to add a little (like a Tbsp at a time) hazelnut, walnut or almond oil to make it smoother if it seems too dry and is not blending smoothly).  You can also make it in a food processor, but keep in mind it will take a long time, and you have to scrape it down a lot.  Also, it will most likely not get very smooth.

    **If you want to make this recipe raw, use raw hazelnut butter, raw cacao powder, and raw dark chocolate.  When melting the dark chocolate be sure that it stays below 115F degrees.



  • Raw White Chocolate Pistachio Butter Cups

    Raw White Chocolate Pistachio Butter Cups

      Pistachio Butter Cups

    Vivapura was kind enough to send me some of their products recently to create some delicious recipes with, and one of them was Raw Pistachio Kernals.  I love pistachios!  When I was a kid, I used to enjoy shelling them, enjoying the fruits of my labor as I went. I can’t say as much now.  Although it is satisfying to enjoy pistachios after you have taken the time to shell them, I do not have time for that for the most part when making recipes.  That is why I love that Vivapura has shelled raw pistachios! So I can just enjoy them and use them in recipes without having to go through a lot of work to shell them.  They are a beautiful color too, some of the freshest I have had!  Sometimes when you get them in bulk at the store they are discolored, but Vivapura’s are a beautiful bright green.

    Pistachio Butter

    I have always wanted to make pistachio butter, and now was my chance.  I blended up the pistachios with a little sea salt and some avocado oil to make it smooth, and was it ever delicious!  Such a vibrant color too, and I thought it would be perfect paired with white chocolate.

    Pistachio Butter Cups 3

    I wasn’t in the mood to make something fussy, but chocolate candy cups sounded wonderful.  So, I made a bit of vegan white chocolate, and made some white chocolate pistachio butter cups! The sweet mellow vanilla scented white chocolate was perfect with the salty nutty pistachio butter. It was a match made in heaven.  This is one of those weeknight recipes you can make quickly, when you are in need of a sweet fix.  Craving white chocolate?  Try these!  and definitely next time you want pistachios, get them from Vivapura so you don’t have to shell them!

    Pistachio Butter Cups 1

    Raw White Chocolate Pistachio Butter Cups
    Makes 6 large candies

    Pistachio Butter:

    3 cups Vivapura raw pistachio kernals
    1/4 tsp sea salt
    avocado oil as needed

    White Chocolate:
    1/4 cup cacao butter, warmed to liquid*
    2 Tbsp raw cashew butter
    1/4 cup coconut butter, warmed to liquid*
    1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    2 Tbsp maple syrup (or to taste)

    To make the pistachio butter, combine all ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until smooth, using the tamper to press the mixture down into the blades.  Add avocado oil as needed until you get a smooth (but not runny) consistency. You will need about 2 Tbsp of this butter for the candy recipe, and if you want it a little sweeter, you may add a little maple syrup to those 2 Tbsp.

    To make the white chocolate, whisk together all ingredients until smooth.  Pour into the bottoms of 6 larger peanut butter cup tins (or molds), then place them in the freezer to set.  Once set, spoon about 1 tsp of the pistachio butter onto the top of the set chocolate, then pour remaining melted chocolate over that.  Place them in the freezer to set, about 15 minutes.

    I like to warm up my cacao butter and coconut butter in the dehydrator in a bowl, but you may also use a double boiler.  If you use the double boiler and you want these to be truly raw, then do not heat the mixture above 115F degrees. Of course if you do not mind it not being kept raw, don’t worry about the temperature so much.

     



  • Raw Almond Butter Stuffed Chocolate Figs

    Raw Almond Butter Stuffed Chocolate Figs

    almond-butter-chocolate-figs-5

     

    I picked up a large bag of figs recently on a whim, because they sounded so good to me.  I wasn’t sure what I would make with them, but I knew they would be great for snacking.  There is something I just love about them, I think it is the crunchy little seeds along with the sweetness that makes them so good.  They are a great replacement for dates in a raw pie or cheesecake crust, and they contain a lot of fiber.  I thought about making fig newtons with some of the figs I picked up first, because I always liked those as a kid, and I think a vegan home made version would be even better, but I decided to make something a little simpler instead, since I did not have a lot of time that night.

    almond-butter-chocolate-figs-3

    Figs, chocolate and nuts together is a delicious combination, so I decided to make almond butter stuffed figs dipped in chocolate.  If you have raw chocolate on hand, this recipe is only 3 ingredients!  So, no excuses not to make it because it is simple, and easy. No special equipment required either. If you don’t have a double boiler to melt the chocolate, you can either use your dehydrator or a heat proof bowl set over a pot with water in it.

    almond-butter-chocolate-figs-2

    The whole thing took me about 15 minutes to make, and then I was enjoying pure deliciousness.  The sweet nutty almond butter is a perfect pairing with the rich dark chocolate and sweet figs.  Valentine’s day is coming up, and these sexy, sweet little figs would be a perfect thing to surprise your hunny with.  I know a box of these would make me quite happy, and home made thoughtful gifts are always the best.

    almond-butter-chocolate-figs-1

    Raw Almond Butter Stuffed Chocolate Figs

    makes 1 dozen

    12 dried figs

    about 3 Tbsp raw almond butter or roasted if not raw

    1/2 cup chopped raw dark chocolate* or vegan dark chocolate if not raw

    Cut a slit into the side of each of the figs. Place the almond butter in a ziplock bag with the corner cut off, and pipe into each of the figs (but not too much or it will ooze out too much). Melt the dark chocolate in the top of a double boiler.  Line a sheet pan with parchment.  Dip each fig into the dark chocolate than place it onto the parchment lined pan. When they are all done, place them in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes until the chocolate has set.  Store in the refrigerator in a sealed container.

    *If you wish to make your own, like I do, here is the recipe:

    Raw Dark Chocolate

    1/2 cup melted raw cacao butter (when melting, keep below 115F degrees, I use a double boiler)

    1/2 cup raw cacao powder butter

    1/4 cup raw coconut nectar or maple syrup

    pinch sea salt

    Whisk together all ingredients until smooth, and pour into a mold. Place in the freezer until hardened.  You will have extra if you are making the recipe above.



  • Maple Chestnut Truffles

    Maple Chestnut Truffles

    IMG_1443

    I was so excited last weekend when I went to the store and saw chestnuts!  Every year I have to buy some to roast, because they are delicious and I love snacking on them.  Eric had never tried them before so even more of a reason to buy them this time. We snacked on some, but I decided that I wanted to use the rest in some sort of dessert.  I have always just roasted them and ate them as a snack in the past, but this year I actually wanted to try using them in things.  I decided to go simple with the first recipe though, and made truffles.

    IMG_1446

    I wanted the chestnut flavor to shine in the filling, so I included just a few ingredients.  Among them maple syrup as a sweetener, and it was delicious with the chestnut flavor.  I blended the filling until very smooth in the food processor and it was delicious.  Almost like a caramelly nut butter.  Once I rolled it into truffles, and dipped them in chocolate though it was heavenly!

     

    IMG_1451

    The dark chocolate was perfect with the vanilla maple chestnut filling to balance it out.  Simple, but delicious and I think anyone could appreciate these.  I cant wait to experiment more with chestnuts, they are sooo good!  Now if only I had an open fire to roast them on like the Christmas song!  I will have to settle for my oven for now.

    IMG_1452

    Maple Chestnut Truffles

    Makes 12

    Filling:

    3/4 cup chestnuts, roasted*
    3 Tbsp maple syrup
    1/4 cup coconut butter
    1/8 tsp sea salt
    2 tsp pure vanilla extract
    1/3 cup filtered water

    Coating:

    3/4 cup vegan dark chocolate, chopped

    In a high speed blender or food processor, combine all filling ingredients, and blend until smooth. Scoop out 1 1/2 inch balls onto a foil lined tray, and place in the freezer for about 20 minutes until you can shape them into neat little balls. Place back in the freezer.

    In the top of a double boiler, melt the chocolate.  Dip each little chestnut filling ball into the chocolate, then place back on the foil.  When you are all finished, place them back in the freezer until the chocolate sets.

    Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

    *To roast the chestnuts, pre-heat the oven to 475F degrees.  Cut a small X into the top of each one with a knife, then spread them out on a sheet pan. Place in the oven and roast for about 20 minutes, or until they start to smell aromatic. Let cool, then peel them (It usually works to gently squeeze them to get a crack down the outside of the shell, then pop them out



  • Mini Raw Salted Caramel Mounds Bars

    Mini Raw Salted Caramel Mounds Bars

    caramel-mounds-bars-2

    I always have to make some sort of Halloween candy every year, and I like to switch it up and make at least one new thing.  I have made most of the favorite chocolate candies, but I realized I have never made Mounds bars!  I have made Almond Joy, but not Mounds.  Both of these are my Mom’s favorite candies as far as the Halloween classics go and I would always give them to her since I did not care for them as a child.  So she is kind of my inspiration for making raw Mounds bars this year.

    caramel-mounds-bars-3

    Not just any raw Mounds bars though.  Everyone makes those.  So I wanted to make them a little more delicious and just a little different.  I made salted caramel Mounds bars.  Because I have always been a caramel fan and I love it even more with chocolate and coconut.  You know, think German chocolate frosting on German chocolate cake.  The best part about these is they were really simple to make.  I used dates for the salted caramel and a little pecan butter and they tasted wonderful!

    caramel-mounds-bars-1

    I like this variation on Mounds more than the original.  Who after all, can resist salted caramel anything?!  These are crave worthy.  Halloween may be today, but you still have time to make these. And if not, they are good year round of course!  Happy Halloween!

    caramel-mounds-bars

    Mini Raw Salted Caramel Mounds Bars

    Makes 8

    Filling:

    3/4 cup soft, pitted medjool dates

    2 Tbsp raw pecan butter (or raw almond butter)

    1/4 tsp sea salt

    1 tsp pure vanilla extract

    1 cup finely shredded, dried coconut

    Chocolate:

    1/2 cup melted cacao butter or coconut oil

    1/2 cup cacao powder

    1/4 cup maple syrup or raw coconut nectar

    pinch sea salt

    In a food processor, combine the dates, pecan butter, sea salt, and vanilla and process until mostly smooth.  Add the coconut and pulse until the mixture holds together when squeezed.  Shape into little mini bars with your hands (you have to sort of squeeze them), and set them aside on a piece of foil or parchment.

    Whisk together  the chocolate ingredients until smooth.  Dip each little mounds bar into the chocolate letting the excess drip off and place back onto the foil (I like to use a fork, setting the bar on top and dipping it carefully).  Once they are all dipped, place them in the freezer to set, about 15 minutes.  Store in the refrigerator in an air tight container for up to 1 month.



  • Raw Caramel Peanut Clusters

    Raw Caramel Peanut Clusters

    Peanut Caramel Clusters 1

    Just as you should never judge a book by its cover, or a person by their looks, you should never judge a food only by its appearance.  Unless it has mold or something…but that is not what I am talking about.  I am talking about freshly made food here.  I have had so many people say things like, “well I would make a cake, but it would be ugly.” or “I made some truffles, but they are not perfectly round and uniform in shape so they are no good.” It is not all about the appearances here people.  Just think, if all the organic veggies were thrown out (I know they do this in some places and it is very disturbing to me) and never used…how much deliciousness we would miss out on!  I mean if you closed your eyes and ate that cake or those truffles, you would never know…you would only be happy because you were tasting something wonderful! It is awesome to have talent, and make a beautiful cake, but an ugly cake with lots of love put into it is just as special. What matters is how it tastes and the time put into it.  So…where am I going with all this?  I made something delicious the other day which would not win any beauty contests…but it was sooo good!

    Peanut Caramel Clusters 3

    I am talking about my Raw Caramel Peanut Clusters.  I loved the caramel so much that I had used in my vegan salted caramel peanut butter brownies that I decided that it needed to make another appearance. So, I mixed it with chopped peanuts, dipped it in dark chocolate, and voila!  Pure ugly deliciousness. It was gooey, it was messy, and it was lumpy.  But was it ever delicious.  Moral of the story, never judge a dessert by its appearance.

    Peanut Caramel Clusters 4

    Raw Caramel Peanut Clusters

    makes 12

    Caramel:

    1 cup soft medjool dates, pitted (if they are not soft, soak them in water and drain well first)

    2 heaping Tbsp creamy raw jungle peanut butter (or organic peanut butter)

    2 Tbsp maple syrup

    1/4 tsp sea salt

    2 tsp pure vanilla extract

    1/2 cup filtered water (or as needed)

    1 1/4 cups raw jungle peanuts (or roasted organic peanuts), chopped

    1/2 cup chopped raw dark chocolate (or you may use your choice vegan dark chocolate)

    To make the caramel, combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth (adding a little water if necessary, it should be the consistency of pourable but still thick caramel).  Pour into a bowl, and mix in the peanuts. Then drop by the heaping Tbsp onto a foil or parchment lined tray.  Place in the freezer for a few hours until more firm and very chilled.

    Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler or your preferred method.  Then, once the caramel part is firm, dip them into the chocolate (I like to use a fork to allow the excess to drip off) and set back on the tray.  Once they are all dipped, set the tray in the freezer for about 10 minutes until the chocolate has set.  Store any leftover candy in the refrigerator in a sealed container.

    Peanut Caramel Clusters 2



  • Raw Mocha Crunch Pecan Butter Cups

    Raw Mocha Crunch Pecan Butter Cups

     Mocha Pecan Butter Cups 2

    I hadn’t made any chocolates in ages, and I was really craving some sort of nut butter cup really bad…so I had to make some.  I never ignore these things you know.  Peanut butter cups were always my favorite growing up but that is because I never got to experience any other type.  The only other nut butter I remember eating was almond when my Mom would buy that.  Now…I can have just about any type thanks to being able to make it myself with the Vitamix. There are some awesome brands out there like Rawmio and Dastony, but if you have the time home made is awesome.

    Mocha Pecan Butter Cups 1

    One of my favorites (peanut butter and macadamia butter also make the top 3) is pecan butter.  OMG it is almost caramel flavored (which is why I often times use it in my raw caramel).  Amazing stuff, and so silky.  So this time when I made nut butter cups it had to be with that, because it sounded so good.  I didn’t stop there though, I mixed it with a little chocolate, coffee and crunchy pecans for a sinfully decadent combination.

    Mocha Pecan Butter Cups

    This was all covered in raw dark chocolate of course, and topped off with more crunchy pecans and some crunchy cacao nibs.  Try and eat just one, I dare you.  Your taste buds will crave more.  These would make the perfect gift for someone special (if you can share after trying one).

    Mocha Pecan Butter Cups 3 

    Raw Mocha Crunch Pecan Butter Cups

    Makes 12 large cups

    Chocolate:

    1/2 cup raw cacao butter or raw coconut oil, warmed to liquid

    3/4 cup raw cacao powder

    1/2 cup organic maple syrup or raw coconut nectar

    a pinch sea salt

    Filling:

    2/3 cup raw pecan butter

    1 1/2 Tbsp organic maple syrup or raw coconut nectar

    2 tsp ground espresso powder

    3 Tbsp raw cacao powder

    pinch sea salt

    1/4 cup chopped raw pecans

    To make the chocolate, whisk all ingredients together until smooth, and set aside.
    Lay out 12 PB cup tins (not the mini ones, the larger candy size) or molds on a flat cutting board or tray, and fill them about 1/3 full with the chocolate.  Place them in the freezer to set about 5 minutes.
    In a small bowl, mix together the filling ingredients until well blended. Once set, spoon about 1 heaping tsp of filling mixture onto each, but not so much that it oozes to the sides (you want to be able to cover it with more chocolate and not have it stick out the top).  Spoon chocolate over each mound of nut butter enough to cover and fill to the top of the tins.  Place in the freezer to set for about 15-20 min. to set.  Enjoy!



  • Vegan Salted Caramel Maple Meringues

    Vegan Salted Caramel Maple Meringues

    Caramel Meringues

    The first meringues I ever tried to make had coconut sugar in them.  The ones that fell flat as I popped them into the oven making my heart sink.  I had so much hope for them!  The problem was that the aquafaba (chickpea liquid used to make vegan meringue) had not been whipped long enough and the sugar was not added carefully causing them to deflate.  Plus they had nothing to stabilize them.  Which I figured out after trying a few times to make them.  I figured out how to make xylitol meringues in the dehydrator (my Matcha Raspberry Meringues), my only success for crunchy ones so far because the others I tried  never dried out in the oven or they fell flat.  So…anyways, this is my success with using coconut sugar, the recipe I am sharing today. 

    Caramel Meringues 1

    What I did differently was to buzz it to powder first before adding it to the whipped chickpea liquid, and using stabilizers.  I am calling them salted caramel maple, because the nature of the coconut sugar is caramel flavored, I added a touch of maple extract, and a pinch extra of sea salt.  Hence the salted caramel which is what these taste exactly like!  If you would like these to be maple through and through, you can use maple sugar in place of the coconut sugar (I just use that more sparingly because it costs more) it works, I tested that out as well.  These are delicious little bites of goodness, which are simple which is just what some of us need when venturing into the art of vegan meringue.  Now to experiment with more meringue!  I have loads of chickpea liquid from work just begging to be made into something fabulous!

    Caramel Meringues 2 

    Vegan Salted Caramel Maple Meringues

    Makes 12

    1/2 cup aquafaba*

    1/2 tsp guar gum or xanthin gum

    1/2 tsp cream of tartar

    1/2 cup powdered maple sugar or coconut sugar**

    1/4 tsp sea salt (if your chickpea liquid has no salt)

    2 Tbsp arrowroot powder

    1/4 tsp maple extract

    1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

    In a food processor (which is what I used, or you may use a stand mixer with a whisk attachment), whip up the chickpea liquid until it has reached pretty stiff peaks. This will take about 2 minutes in the food processor.  Add the guar gum and cream of tartar and process until incorporated.  Add the sea salt, sugar and arrowroot with the motor running, a little at a time through the feed tube (so you do not deflate it), then allow to process until the sugar is completely dissolved and the meringue is smooth, shiny and thick.  Add the vanilla and maple extract, and blend until uniform in color.

    Carefully place the meringue mixture into a pastry bag with a large tip, and pipe into meringues on a parchment paper lined dehydrator tray.

    Dehydrate at 155F for 16-20 hours, or until crisp (the time may vary according to your dehydrator and the moisture in the air).  Remove from the dehydrator and store in an airtight container.

    *Aquafaba is the liquid from chickpeas.  You may either use the liquid from canned chickpeas, or liquid from chickpeas you have cooked yourself (if it is thick enough).

    **I buzzed the sugar in the blender until fine before using in the recipe, this makes it less likely to deflate the meringue.



  • Vegan Matcha Raspberry Meringues

    Vegan Matcha Raspberry Meringues

     

    With all of the vegan meringues that have been popping up lately on social media I had to try my hand at making some.  I admit that these types of things have always intimidated me a bit, especially macarons which I used to love before I stopped eating animal products.  Funny because I like to make lots of different desserts, but I tend to make what I know well.  Time for me to step outside the box though.  I need that every once in a while, keeps life interesting.  So, I figured I would start off with something simple. I used the aquafaba method for meringue making which in case you haven’t heard is using the brine from canned chickpeas. It whips up into a beautiful meringue!  I do not have a stand mixer, so I used my food processor to whip the liquid up.  It worked so much faster than everyone says a stand mixer does.  I admit I had a few fails, about 4.  The first time, I added the sugar too fast, and it was not fine enough, and it turned into liquid.  The second, it whipped up into a beautiful marshmallow fluff, but I had no stabilizers in it so when I put it in the oven it ran to flat pancakes.  The third, they didn’t get hard enough in the oven even after 3 hours they were like marshmallows. Luckilly I have a lot of access to chickpea liquid since I make loads of them at my work in the deli.  I am sure if I were using the usual refined sugar in my recipes like everyone else, they would have turned out.  But that is not something I keep in my home, or want to eat. So…I have been working with coconut sugar and xylitol.  I saw a post on the FB group Vegan Meringue- Hits and Misses about someone dehydrating xylitol meringues so I figured I would try my own version of that.

    Green Tea Meringues 4

    Every time I have used the xylitol it whipped up nicely.  So, the question was would it stay nice in the dehydrator since I did not have success with the oven the first time I tried that.  The meringue was lovely, shiny and perfect. I decided to add in a little matcha powder with the vanilla just to make it more interesting.  I can never leave things plain…my brain just doesn’t work that way.  I also folded in tart freeze dried raspberries because I love berries with green tea, and I thought the red and the pale green would be lovely.

    Green Tea Raspberry Meringues

    I popped them in the dehydrator, and crossed my fingers, and prayed they would turn out.  24 hours later, I ended up with delicious little meringues!  I was so happy they actually turned out you have no idea. The earthy sweet green tea base was perfect with the flecks of tart raspberry. I have included the recipe if you have a dehydrator and want to try this too.  I am not done experimenting yet with my meringues, and I have another experiment baking as I type this.  Stay tuned.

    Green Tea Raspberry Meringues 2

    Vegan Matcha Raspberry Meringues

    Makes 12

    1/2 cup aquafaba*

    1/2 tsp guar gum

    1/2 tsp cream of tartar

    1/2 cup powdered xylitol sugar**

    pinch sea salt (if your chickpea liquid has no salt)

    2 Tbsp arrowroot powder

    1 Tbsp matcha powder

    1 tsp pure vanilla extract

    1/2 cup freeze dried raspberries, crushed up into smaller pieces

    In a food processor (which is what I used, or you may use a stand mixer with a whisk attatchment), whip up the chickpea liquid until it has reached pretty stiff peaks. This will take about 2 minutes in the food processor.  Add the guar gum and cream of tartar and process until incorporated.  Add the sea , sugar and arrowroot with the motor running, a little at a time through the feed tube (so you do not deflate it), then allow to process until the sugar is completely dissolved and the meringue is smooth, shiny and thick.  Add the vanilla and matcha, and blend until uniform in color. fold in the raspberries.

    Carefully place the meringue mixture into a pastry bag with a large tip, and pipe into meringues on a parchment paper lined dehydrator tray.

    Dehydrate at 155F for 24 hours, until crisp.  Remove from the dehydrator and store in an airtight container.

    *Aquafaba is the liquid from chickpeas.  You may either use the liquid from canned chickpeas, or liquid from chickpeas you have cooked yourself (if it is thick enough).

    **I buzzed the xylitol in the blender until fine before using in the recipe, this makes it less likely to deflate the meringue. Xylitol is toxic to dogs the same way chocolate is, so do not let your dog get ahold of this marshmallow fluff.

    ***Please note, if it is very humid where you are and your meringues get a little soft, just place them in the fridge in the container you store them in and they will become more crunchy.

    Green Tea Raspberry Meringues 1



  • Raw Strawberries and Cream Truffles

    Raw Strawberries and Cream Truffles

    Strawberry Truffles

    We have all had one of those days.  You know, the ones where you wake up on the wrong side of the bed, repeatedly drop things, ruin things…like spilling something that stains on your favorite pair of shoes or burn a huge pot of soup and have to throw it out. Or have to face rude people throughout the day.  Although days like that are tough, it is always nice to know that at the end of the day you can do things to make yourself feel better.  After one of those days, I like to relax, maybe watch something funny, or make a new delicious recipe.  Involving chocolate is best.  Brownies are awesome, but truffles are faster. So, I had a tough day last week and made some truffles.

    Strawberry Truffles 2

    I chose strawberry white chocolate filling, because it sounded heavenly.  And it was.  I admit I sampled a couple truffles worth while making them because it was that good. With the dark chocolate coating even better.  You could not possibly be in a bad mood while enjoying one of these babies.  This recipe is a keeper for special occasions by the way.  I would definitely recommend it for Valentine’s Day next year.  But don’t wait until then to make these, enjoy them now!

    Strawberry Truffles 3

    Raw Strawberries and Cream Truffles

    makes about 10

    Filling:

    1/4 cup raw coconut nectar or maple syrup

    1/2 cup fresh strawberries

    1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

    1/4 tsp sea salt

    1/2 cup raw coconut butter, warmed to liquid

    1/4 cup raw cacao butter, warmed to liquid

    Chocolate:

    3/4 cup melted cacao butter (or you may use coconut oil)

    1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp maple syrup at room temperature

    heaping 3/4 cup raw cacao powder

    a good pinch of sea salt

    In a high speed blender, combine the coconut nectar, berries, vanilla, and salt and blend until smooth. Add the coconut butter and cacao butter and blend until combined.  Pour into a bowl, and place in the freezer until firm enough to scoop, about an hour.

    Once the filling is firm enough to scoop, scoop out little 1 1/2 inch balls, and set on a parchment lined sheet pan or tray.  Freeze until firm, about 1 hour.

    Meanwhile, when the truffles are almost ready, to make the chocolate, melt the cacao butter in the top of a double boiler with simmering water beneath (being careful not to let the chocolate mixture on top get above 115F degrees).  Or alternatively you can melt it in the dehydrator as I often do, it just takes a little longer.  Once the cacao butter is melted, whisk in all other ingredients until smooth.

    When ready to dip the truffles, place one on a fork, drop it into the chocolate, then lift it out, letting the excess drain off back into the bowl.  Place back on the tray, and repeat with the others.  Once they are all done, allow the chocolate to set (which will happen faster if you pop them in the freezer for about 10 minutes).

    Store candies in the refrigerator in an airtight container.



  • Raw Almond Joy Bark

    Raw Almond Joy Bark

    Almond Joy Bark 1.

    I am so thankful for my Mom, I love her so much.  I have never wanted to change anything about her.  She has always been there for me, no matter what I have decided to go after in life, following me to my track meets in school, road races as an adult. Helping me find a job that best suit me where I can make delicious food, trying my recipes that I make to share with you all, giving me advice, praying for me, always supporting me. She has been a best friend, as well as taught me to be the strong woman I am today.  Teaching me values, right and wrong and how to care for others. She is wise, and although I didn’t always listen to her advice, I know it was good advice now as an adult, and I learn from it. I hope when I get to be her age, I can be as wonderful as her.

    FullSizeRender

    She even inspires me sometimes to make recipes for this blog.  Since it is Mother’s Day, I made her some raw chocolate bark with the flavors of one of her favorite candies, Almond Joy.  A layer of dark chocolate, then a layer of coconut white chocolate, swirled with coconut and almonds.

    Almond Joy Bark 3.

    It is simply heavenly.  My Mom loved it, and that is what truly counts to me.  She is my biggest critic when it comes to food, and if she likes it, then it passes the test and is really good.  Happy Mother’s Day to all of the Moms out there, I hope you all feel loved and have a wonderful day!

    Almond Joy Bark 2. 

    Raw Almond Joy Bark

    Makes 10 large pieces

    Dark Chocolate:

    1/2 cup raw cacao butter or coconut oil, warmed to liquid

    1/2 cup raw cacao powder

    1/4 cup raw coconut nectar or maple syrup

    pinch sea salt

    Coconut White Chocolate:

    1/3 cup raw coconut butter, warmed to liquid

    1/3 cup raw cacao butter or coconut oil, warmed to liquid

    2 Tbsp raw coconut nectar or maple syrup

    pinch sea salt

    1/2 cup large flake coconut

    1/2 cup raw almonds

    Line an 8 inch square pan with foil or parchment paper going up the sides as well.

    Whisk all of the dark chocolate ingredients together until smooth.  Then pour into the prepared pan, reserving a few Tbsp.

    Whisk all of the coconut white chocolate ingredients together until smooth, then pour in lines over the dark chocolate mixture in the pan. Then drizzle the reserved dark chocolate over that.  Swirl with a knife to create marbling.  Sprinkle the top with the large flake coconut and almonds.

    Place the pan in the freezer until the bark is set, about 30-45 minutes depending on how warm it was.  When the bark is hard, break into pieces.  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

     

     

  • Raw Pineapple Chili Truffles

    Raw Pineapple Chili Truffles

    Thai Pineapple Truffles 2

    My boyfriend Eric is always telling me I should make desserts with fruit and heat in the form of chilies added to them.  One time he asked me to make him a smoothie with berries and ghost peppers in it.  That is how much he loves hot peppers.  Probably because he is originally from Arizona and doesn’t have the milk Minnesotan palate.  But I am Minnesotan and I love my chilies as well. Maybe because I should actually be living somewhere warm, but I like it here.  He is right about the fruit and hot pepper combination though, it is delicious.  So when I had lots of pineapple last weekend, and decided to make pineapple truffles, for Eric I added in a bit of chilies.

    Thai Pineapple Truffles

    They tasted like piña colada with a little kick and when paired with the chocolate I dipped them in, even better.  They were smooth, silk and delicious.  Not just your run of the mill truffles.  If you like a bit of heat, then you will love these. Want to be extra daring, add more pepper flakes.  I went modest in the recipe below but feel free to adjust to your tastes.

    Thai Pineapple Truffles 3

    Raw Pineapple Chili Truffles

    makes about 10

    Filling:

    1/4 cup raw coconut nectar or maple syrup

    1/2 cup diced fresh pineapple

    1/2 tsp red chili flakes

    1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

    1/4 tsp sea salt

    1/2 cup raw coconut butter, warmed to liquid

    1/4 cup raw cacao butter, warmed to liquid

    Chocolate:

    3/4 cup melted cacao butter (or you may use coconut oil)

    1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp maple syrup at room temperature

    heaping 3/4 cup raw cacao powder

    a good pinch of sea salt

    chili flakes for sprinkling

    In a high speed blender, combine the coconut nectar, pineapple, chili flakes, vanilla, and salt and blend until smooth. Add the coconut butter and cacao butter and blend until combined.  Pour into a bowl, and place in the freezer until firm enough to scoop, about an hour.

    Once the filling is firm enough to scoop, scoop out little 1 1/2 inch balls, and set on a parchment lined sheet pan or tray.  Freeze until firm, about 1 hour.

    Meanwhile, when the truffles are almost ready, to make the chocolate, melt the cacao butter in the top of a double boiler with simmering water beneath (being careful not to let the chocolate mixture on top get above 115F degrees).  Or alternatively you can melt it in the dehydrator as I often do, it just takes a little longer.  Once the cacao butter is melted, whisk in all other ingredients until smooth.

    When ready to dip the truffles, place one on a fork, drop it into the chocolate, then lift it out, letting the excess drain off back into the bowl.  Place back on the tray, and repeat with the others.  Sprinkling each with chili flakes as you go.  Once they are all done, allow the chocolate to set (which will happen faster if you pop them in the freezer for about 10 minutes).

    Store candies in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

    Thai Pineapple Truffles 1

  • Raw Almond Maple Crunch Truffles

    Raw Almond Maple Crunch Truffles

    Almond Crunch Truffles 2

    There is just something so delicious about the combination of chocolate, nut butter and crunch.  Sure, smooth plain dark chocolate or silky truffles are good sometimes, but I decided to go a little different route with my last batch of truffles.  Ever since I made some Raw Butterfinger Eggs for Easter, I have been loving chocolate and crunch. Plus I ate most of those and I didn’t share and people were bummed that I didn’t.  So I had to make something else which was crunchy, nutty and chocolaty to please everyone including myself.  The best thing about making your own candy is getting exactly what you want.  You could not find this candy I made in stores.

    Almond Crunch Truffles

    I made the most delicious addictive truffles with a raw almond butter base, sweetened by dates and maple, with crunchy buckwheat included. Which was wonderful just as it was.  It reminded me of these rice crispy treats that I used to enjoy as a kid which had nut butter in them.  But of course this was better.  Then to make it even better, they were bathed in dark chocolate.  Let me tell you, these are crave worthy!  Just try and stop at just one.  Bet you can’t.

    Almond Crunch Truffles 1

    Raw Almond Maple Crunch Truffles
    Makes 20

    Filling:
    1 cup raw almond butter

    1 cup soft medjool dates, pitted

    2 Tbsp maple syrup

    2 tsp pure vanilla extract

    1 tsp maple extract

    1/2 tsp sea salt

    1 1/2 cups sprouted, dehydrated buckwheat groats

    1 1/2 cups chopped raw dark chocolate

    In a food processor, combine the almond butter, dates, maple syrup, vanilla, maple extract, and sea salt, and blend until smooth.  Add the buckwheat groats and pulse until chopped and it is all combined and holds together when squeezed (if it doesn’t add a little more almond butter).  Shape into 20 small truffles (you will need to squeeze the mixture as it may be a little crumbly), and place on a foil lined tray, then place in the freezer to chill, about an hour.

    When truffles are ready, melt the chocolate in a bowl (I like to set mine in a bowl in the dehydrator until it is melted).  Then set the chocolate next to the tray and dip each chocolate into it letting the excess drain off before setting it back onto the tray (I use a fork, setting the chocolate on top of it, to let the excess drain off).  Once the chocolates are all dipped, place in the freezer to set the chocolate, about 5 minutes.  Store in the fridge.

    Almond Crunch Truffles 3

     

  • Raw Butterfinger Eggs

    Raw Butterfinger Eggs

    Butterfinger Eggs 1

    I have made Raw Maca Peanut Butter Eggs, Raw Raspberry Cream Eggs, and Raw Vanilla Bean White Chocolate Eggs…but I did not want to stop there.  What other candy eggs could I make?  Then it came to me.  Butterfinger eggs!  I loved the mini ones that they used to have when I was little, and why not recreate them! I haven’t had a Butterfinger in probably about 12 years, so I thought it would be fun to enjoy one again.  But a rawified veganized version of course.   Free of refined sugars!

    Butterfinger Eggs

    Butterfinger is sort of a tough thing to recreate in a raw version, since it is super crunchy.  I think I did a pretty good job with the flavor, it was as I remembered butterfingers, but they were just slightly less crunchy than the original.  I didn’t care though, they were deliciously addictive!

    Butterfinger Eggs 2

    To make the Butterfinger part, I took a cue from Brandi over at The Vegan 8 who has an awesome Butterfinger Bar recipe you can find HERE.  She used white mulberries in hers, and I loved that idea!  Genius!  For my filling I used a peanut butter and date base with a pinch of sea salt and vanilla to make it caramelly and give it that flavor of a butterfinger, then I added in the white mulberries along with some sprouted, dehydrated buckwheat for crunch.  The filling was really hard to stop tasting.  I guess I still love the flavor of Butterfingers.

    Butterfinger Eggs 4

    I shaped the filling into eggs, well more like squeezed it because I didn’t want to add too much gooeyness to it to keep them crunchy.  Then I dipped them in raw dark chocolate.  Omg…were they ever fabulous!  I don’t think I would ever eat a real Butterfinger again having enjoyed these babies!  Sooo tasty!  I would be really happy if someone made a batch of these and put them in my Easter basket!

    Butterfinger Eggs 3

    Raw Butterfinger Eggs
    Makes 20

    Filling:
    1 1/4 cups raw jungle peanut butter or regular peanut butter (not raw)

    1/2 cup soft medjool dates, pitted

    2 tsp pure vanilla extract

    1/2 tsp sea salt

    1 cup dried white mulberries

    1 cup sprouted, dehydrated buckwheat groats

    1 1/2 cups chopped raw dark chocolate

    In a food processor, combine the peanut butter, dates, vanilla and se salt, and blend until smooth.  Add the mulberries and buckwheat groats and pulse until chopped and it is all combined and holds together when squeezed (if it doesn’t add a little more peanut butter).  Shape into 20 small eggs (you will need to squeeze the mixture as it may be a little crumbly), and place on a foil lined tray, then place in the freezer to chill, about an hour.

    When eggs are ready, melt the chocolate in a bowl (I like to set mine in a bowl in the dehydrator until it is melted).  Then set the chocolate next to the tray and dip each chocolate into it letting the excess drain off before setting it back onto the tray (I use a fork, setting the chocolate on top of it, to let the excess drain off).  Once the chocolates are all dipped, place in the freezer to set the chocolate, about 5 minutes.  Place some of the remaining melted dark chocolate in a pastry bag (or a ziplock bag with the corner cut off), and drizzle over the eggs for decoration.  Place in the freezer to set again, then they will be ready to serve.  Store in the fridge.