Raw Christmas Treats Round-Up

Being a grown-up at Christmas can be tough. Before working full-time and taking on the responsibilities that come with getting married and moving to another state, I would have had about ten Christmas treats baked by now, have eaten at least half of them, watched about eleven Christmas movies, and have tins of goodies on all of my family and friends' doorsteps. As of right now I have watched maybe two Christmas movies, made one batch of chocolate covered crunchy peanut butter balls, and have delivered zero goodies to anyone… It changes THIS week. No more putzing around with to-do lists and piles of laundry and cooking. I'm going to let the house get dirty, wear my least favorite socks and shirts leftover when it's laundry day, and bake some darn cookies. All I want to do is hang out with my husband and get fat on the couch with piles of treats while watching movies with little elves and talking snowmen and forget that I am a responsible 24 year old for a few nights. I want to sit and take way too long to wrap all the special gifts we got our family, fill tins of goodies and stand in line way too long at the post office to mail them without a care in the world. I don't care if I still have to show up to work all day for the next five days, THIS IS STILL HAPPENING PEOPLE. I refuse to let another week go by half-committed to this season. (Deep breath.)

Now that I have that off of my chest, here is a little round-up of the healthy, raw versions of my favorite Christmas treats I made last year for those of you looking to watch your refined sugar intake this season (without compromising flavor, I promise these will not disappoint). 

1. Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Balls

2. Peanut Butter & Brazil Nut Chocolate Fudge

3. Mint Chocolate Pudding

4. Snowball Cookies

5. Triple Layer Mint Fudge Brownies

Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bar

My all-time favorite protein bars. These bars are packed with nutrients and add an extra boost of protein to your day to fight off that mid-morning or mid-afternoon hunger attack. Not to mention they can be made completely raw, are easy to whip up, and require zero cooking time (just some chill time in the refrigerator). Here are some of the great nutritional benefits of these bars:

Hemp seeds are rich in iron, magnesium, and zinc. Chia seeds are a great anti-inflamatory, aid in digestion and detoxification, and are a great source of calcium, phosphorus, and manganese. Sunflower seeds are a great source of vitamin E, B6, thiamin, folate, and niacin. Raw cacao is packed with minerals (phosphorus, iron, copper, magnesium, etc) and antioxidants. Peanut butter is also packed with vitamins and minerals, as well as protein.

Makes 8 bars. Approximately 12 grams of protein per bar according to the products I used. This number could vary. 

Ingredients
2 cups GF rolled oats
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/4 cup hemp seeds
1 tablespoon chia seeds
4 tablespoons protein powder I use this Raw Protein
1/4 cup raw cacao
3/4 cup natural peanut butter 
3/4 cup raw agave

Mix the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add the peanut butter and agave. Mix well using a spatula until completely combined (really take your time to make sure the wet is incorporated well and evenly!). Press your protein bar mixture into a non-stick 8x8 inch pan, making sure to press down hard and evenly to ensure is is packed in tight. Refrigerate for an hour or more, preferably, before cutting into 8 bars. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator, best if eaten within one week.

Raw Peanut Butter & Jelly Ice Cream Bars

It all started when I was trying to think of a Valentine's Day recipe to make last week. My greatest setback was that I loath the combination of fruit and chocolate (chocolate covered strawberries being the only exception). However, I was determined to find a way to combine the two. This is where Scott comes into the picture, my fruit-and-chocolate-loving-husband. His favorite combination being raspberries and chocolate - I decided to oblige his taste buds, but with a twist of my own. Peanut butter. I can never go wrong with peanut butter. I eat jars of the stuff homemade every week. Therefore, I knew if I put that golden goodness in the recipe somehow I would be sure to love it regardless of my disdain for the deadly fruit and chocolate combo. The verdict? It was a hit for both fruit and chocolate lovers and haters alike. How can you not love an ice cream bar that tastes like peanut butter and jelly? (Unless you don't like peanut butter and jelly. In which case you have bigger problems to deal with.) Needless to say, I got distracted and Valentine's Day came and went without a blog post on this recipe triumph, but here is the recipe to enjoy year round nonetheless. 

Ingredients

Crust

3/4 cup raw walnuts*

3/4 cup raw cashews

1/4 cup natural peanut butter**

1 tablespoon raw honey or agave

Raspberry Ice Cream Layer

1 cup raw cashews soaked for 4 hours and drained

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup coconut oil melted

1 tablespoon raw honey or agave

1 cup fresh raspberries

Chocolate Layer

1/2 cup coconut oil melted

1/2 cup raw cacao powder

2 tablespoons raw honey or agave

*I chose to use walnuts in the crust with the cashews, however, feel free to use all cashews or another one of your favorite nuts instead. 

**Use raw peanut butter to make this dessert 100% raw. If using unsalted peanut butter, I recommend adding a 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the crust ingredients. 

Begin by lining an 8x8 inch baking pan with parchment paper and set aside. To make the crust, process the nuts in a food processor until they resemble a coarse meal, then add in the peanut butter and honey/agave. Process until well mixed (should be a sticky batter). Press the crust mixture evenly into the prepared pan. 

Prepare the raspberry ice cream layer by combining all of the ingredients listed above in a food processor. Process until smooth and creamy, and spread evenly over the crust. 

Whisk the chocolate layer ingredients together until smooth, and pour over the top of the raspberry layer. Place the pan in the freezer, and freeze for at least 1 hour before slicing into squares. Keep the ice cream squares in an airtight container in the freezer until ready to serve. 

Crunchy Peanut Butter with Flax Seeds

This is a simple how-to for my new favorite peanut butter. I have been making my own peanut butter for over a year now, and finally decided to mix it up a bit! Pieces of peanut and golden flax seeds give this peanut butter a great crunch factor, and it tastes oh-so-tasty by the spoonful. Or on apple slices as pictured above if you have enough will power to slice an apple before diving into the jar! I haven't written a post for making peanut butter yet because I thought it was too simple. However, after posting a picture of a jar I made on Instagram the other day, I had people reaching out to me for the recipe! Just when I was having bloggers-block for the past two weeks wracking my brain over some fancy new recipe that had yet to come to mind, I had my followers point out that even the simplest of recipes are valued and needed. Thank you guys! 

Ingredients

16 ounces of roasted, unsalted peanuts 1 bag at Trader Joe's

1 tablespoon golden flaxseeds

1/2 teaspoon salt I use pink Himalayan salt 

In the bowl of your food processor, add 1/3 cup of the peanuts and pulse a few times to break into small pieces. Add these pieces to the empty jar in which you are going to store your peanut butter. Add the flaxseeds to the jar as well, and add the remaining peanuts to your food processor with the salt (adjust the amount of salt to taste, or leave it out entirely if you wish!). Turn your food processor on and let it run for about five minutes. The peanut will clump, maybe even form a ball, and then begin to smooth out. When your peanut butter is looking smooth and glossy let your processor keep running for an additional 30 seconds to ensure it is as smooth as it can get. Transfer your peanut butter to the jar with the peanut pieces and flax seed, and stir with a knife to mix. Keep in your refrigerator to chill until ready to serve. The peanut butter will thicken substantially once refrigerated for a few hours. 

Raw Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Balls

Here is another Christmas-treat-gone-healthy! If you read my earlier post for Chocolate Covered Crunchy Speculoos Balls you would have read about the peanut butter version my family makes each year. After eating way too many of the traditional good-stuff, I was determined to make a raw and healthy version of it to help me get through this week leading up to Christmas with a little less sugar in Scott and I's diet. The verdict? This healthy version is AMAZING. Have I mentioned before how much I love raw desserts? They are truly incredible, forcing you to use only the purest ingredients which makes the final product taste rich and full of flavor. That is exactly what these little balls of joy are - rich and full of peanut butter chocolate flavor.

Ingredients
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup raw cashews
1/2 cup natural peanut butter use raw if making 100% raw
4 tablespoons raw agave

1/2 cup raw cacao 
1/2 cup virgin coconut oil
2 tablespoons raw agave

Process the oats and cashews in a food processor until they resemble a fine meal. Then add in the peanut butter and agave. Process until the mixture forms a sticky swirling ball. Scoop rounded spoonfuls with a small cookie scoop into your hands and roll into balls. Place them on a plate in the freezer for 10 minutes. Mix the raw cacao, coconut oil, and agave in a cup to make the chocolate. Dip the top of each peanut butter ball in the raw chocolate and place back on the plate (chocolate side up) to harden. If the raw chocolate starts to stiffen, warm a bowl of water and place the bottom of the cup into the bowl to return the coconut oil in the chocolate to it's liquid state and continue dipping. Freeze the chocolate dipped peanut butter balls for an additional 10 minutes before transferring to an airtight container to store in the freezer until ready to serve.

Peanut Butter Granola

A sweet, salty, and deliciously crunchy way to start your morning. Or to give as a gift to someone special this Christmas season. This granola is processed sugar free, vegan, and gluten free (if you use gluten free rolled oats like I did). I love to pair it with some almond milk in the morning, and brighten my bowl with fresh raspberries or pomegranate seeds. This healthy bowl of goodness will be sure to give your morning a boost! This is also a great gift for your lovely holiday party hosts, packaged in a jar and tied with some ribbon. They will appreciate a healthy bowl of this good stuff the morning after all their holiday party indulgences. Here is to a healthy and delicious holiday season!

Ingredients
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup puffed rice
1/4 cup almond meal
1/4 cup flax seeds
3/4 cup agave nectar
1/2 cup natural peanut butter

Pre heat oven to 325 F. Mix in a medium sized mixing bowl the oats, puffed rice, almond meal, and flax seeds. In a small bowl, whisk together the agave and peanut butter. Incorporate the wet mixture with the dry until well mixed. Turn out onto a 13x9 inch pan and bake for 30 minutes, stirring and flipping the granola half way through baking. Let the granola cool on the countertop in the pan. Once cooled, transfer to an airtight container. It will keep on your counter for a week, in the refrigerator for several weeks, or in the freezer for months. 

Chocolate Covered Crunchy Speculoos Balls

Hello all! Hope you guys had a great Thanksgiving. It was my first one as a vegan so instead of "turkey day" it was "lentil loaf day" for me, and it was delicious! That being said, I am done with Thanksgiving food and ready to move on to all the amazing sweet treats of Christmas! Finally, what I wait for all year long, chocolate covered crunchy peanut butter ball season. Ever since I was a little, I can remember rolling them with my mom. We only ever make these at Christmas, and I look forward to it all year long. This time, though, I was walking down the aisles at Trader Joe's getting the ingredients I needed (practically jumping with excitement) and there it was, speculoos (cookie butter), and I had the greatest idea. What is better than one batch of chocolate covered crunchy peanut butter balls? TWO batches, and one make with speculoos instead! Oh my, what a great experiment. These turned out amazing. If you do not know what speculoos is, it is basically a cookie in spreadable form. I know it sounds wacky, but it's true - you just have to try it! Below is my chocolate covered crunchy speculoos balls' recipe, and I added our family peanut butter one as well! Happy treat making.

Crunchy Speculoos Balls

Ingredients
11 ounces speculoos cookie butter spread (one 11oz. jar from Trader Joe's)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) Earth Balance vegan butter, softened
1 cup organic powder sugar
2 cups crispy rice cereal
17 ounces dark chocolate, melted for dipping


Crunchy Peanut Butter Balls

Ingredients
2 cups creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) Earth Balance vegan butter, softened
2 cups organic powder sugar
3 cups crispy rice cereal
17 ounces dark chocolate, melted for dipping

*I got all of the above ingredients at Trader Joe's (except for the Earth Balance vegan butter sticks I purchased at Whole Foods). One jar of TJ's speculoos cookie butter, or 1 jar of their creamy peanut butter are both perfect measurements for the above recipes! Also, their organic powder sugar and crispy rice cereal are amazing. I have rolled these in their huge Belgium dark chocolate bar, melted, since I was a little girl. These are all just my own opinions and recommendations though, not sponsored in any way!

Begin by combining the speculoos (or peanut butter) and the softened butter in a large mixing bowl, stirring well to incorporate. Next, add in the powder sugar and give it a few stirs. Now add in the crispy rice, and using your hands mix everything together. Roll balls using about two tablespoons of the mixture for each ball, and place them on a few large plates, or one large cookie sheet that will fit in your freezer. Freeze the balls for at least 20 minutes. Then melt your chocolate in a glass bowl, either in the microwave or in the stove top using the double boiler method. Roll each frozen ball in the melted chocolate, and place on a plate or cookie sheet lined with foil. I usually use two spoons to twirl the balls in the chocolate to get them fully coated. You could always stick toothpicks in the top of the balls before freezing to make it easier to dunk them in the chocolate. Once you have coated all the balls, place them in the freezer to set for at least another 20 minutes. Then store in an airtight container in either the refrigerator or freezer until ready to serve.

Raw Chocolate Fudge

It all started with an unused bad of raw Brazil nuts. I had boughten them thinking I would find a use for them, and there they sat in the pantry each week without a purpose. Until, that is, I discovered a recipe for raw fudge. I wasn't sure how it would come out, being a total experiment (and most my experiments don not come out entirely edible the first time around) but holy cow was I wrong! After making the batch first pictured below, I started thinking of all the ways you could alter this recipe... The combinations are seemingly endless. You could use any nut as your base, really, and then there are add-ins and toppings galore. I topped this first batch of Brazil but fudge with raw cashew cream, coconut, and raw cacao nibs. Then I decided to make my favorite flavor combination of them all - chocolate peanut butter fudge. Yep, you do just what you are thinking - substitute the brazil nuts for peanuts. Plus subtract the cinnamon and add a pinch of sea salt, and BAM you have chocolate peanut butter fudge. And get this - it is HEALTHY. Oh my, hold me back! I listed some optional toppings and add-ins below, but there are so many more I left out, so experiment away! 

Chocolate Brazil Nut Fudge

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge

Ingredients

Brazil Nut Fudge
2 cups raw brazil nuts
1/4 cup caw cacao powder
1/4 cup raw agave nectar
1/4 cup coconut oil, in its solid form
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge
2 cups raw peanuts, unsalted (or roasted if not concerned with being raw)
1/4 cup raw cacao powder
1/4 cup raw agave nectar
1/4 cup coconut oil, in its solid form
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Optional Toppings
Cashew cream recipe used here.
Raw shredded coconut
Raw cacao nibs

Optional Mix-in Ideas
Chopped nuts
Raw cacao nibs
Dried fruit (cherries, cranberries, goji berries)

For either of these fudge recipes (or any other ones you create modifying the two listed above) you must first ground the nuts in your food processor into a butter. The brazil nuts will take longer, so don't lose hope when it is taking forever. Use your spatula to continue to scrape down the sides until it magically begins to turn into a butter. The peanuts break down much quicker. After your nut butter is made, add the rest of the ingredients all at once. Process until all the ingredients are well incorporated and reach a smooth consistency. If adding any mix-ins, spoon your fudge into a mixing bowl and fold in your mix-ins now. Line a non-stick bread pan with parchment paper, and smooth your fudge into the container with a spatula (pressing down and smoothing until evenly spread). Refrigerate for an hour or two before slicing and serving. Simply pull on the parchment "wings" to remove the fudge from the container, slice, and either serve cold or store in an air tight container in the refrigerator until ready to consume. Top with toppings as you wish, or simply eat it by itself, it is that good.

No-Bake Spider Cookies

Finally, after avoiding vegan-izing my favorite cookie on the planet in fear of over consumption - I caved. I think I always knew I could make the vegan version quite simply, but decided to keep putting it off because of my history with these dangerously satisfying bad boys - the no-bake cookie. Before going vegan I use to make these all the time. They were my go-to cookie for late night movie treats, or when that chocolate craving overcame me with full force. Never having just one, I always devour at least half the batch. Then they become breakfast the next day, snacks in between snacks, they are my ultimate weakness. Nonetheless, I am ecstatic to share my favorite cookie with you now vegan-ized! It is by no means a healthy cookie, definitely a treat, and now a spooky treat when you do it spider style! Something about the sweet and salty seems to get my taste buds going, so the addition of the pretzel sticks was a huge win. Not to mention even MORE chocolate with the chocolate chip eyes (as if they needed more), this is a halloween party treat hit!

Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) Earth Balance vegan butter
1 cup organic cane sugar
1/3 cup almond milk, unsweetened (I used vanilla flavor)
6 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 1/2 cups instant/quick cooking oats
3/4 cup natural peanut butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pretzel sticks for the legs.
Vegan chocolate chips for the eyes.

Place the stick of vegan butter in a medium sauce pan and heat to medium-high heat. While that is heating, measure in a mixing bowl your oats and peanut butter. Once butter is mostly melted, add in the sugar, almond milk, and cocoa powder. Whisk constantly, bringing the mixture to a boil. Whisk while boiling for about 30 seconds or so, and then immediately remove from heat and pour over the oats and peanut butter mixture. Add the vanilla to the batter at this time, and mix well until peanut butter and oats are evenly mixed. Spoon (or scoop with a cookie scoop) rounded tablespoons of batter onto a foil-lined cookie sheet or several plates (whichever will fit in your freezer easiest!). Freeze for 20 minutes, remove, and add your pretzel legs and chocolate chip eyes to create your spiders! Keep them in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to serve (I like keeping them in the freezer so they are extra cold and chewy, but refrigerator works great too). Happy Halloween!

Best Vegan Cookies

I know, best is a strong word, but these are literally my favorite cookies ever. Out of the vegan and non-vegan cookies I've come across, these are number one in my mind. There are so many great flavors going on in these cookies: chocolate chips, oatmeal, peanut butter, and coconut with crunchy flax and chia seeds. This is a healthy twist on a delicious treat, too. Chia seeds contain protein, other vitamins and minerals, and are great for digestion - as are flax seeds! And coconut oil has been proven to increase brain and memory function, as well as help in losing weight. Then you have more protein from the natural peanut butter, and fiber from the oats and flax seeds. Yes, there is some brown sugar in these, as well as white flour, so they are meant for in moderation or for a slight cheat night. But these babies trump any other cookie I've found both health-wise, and taste-wise. So don't feel too guilty. Can't wait to dig into these tonight!

Below is my modified recipe of the original I found here.

Ingredients
1/2 cup natural (or homemade) peanut butter
1/2 cup virgin coconut oil
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 tablespoons almond milk
1 tablespoon flax seed
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup quick cooking oats
1 cup vegan chocolate chips

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, combine the peanut butter, coconut oil, brown sugar, and vanilla. Mix well. In a cup, combine the almond milk, apple cider vinegar, and flax seed. Add this mixture to the bowl and whisk to combine. Then add in the chia seeds, followed by the baking powder, baking soda, flour, and oats. Lastly, add the vegan chocolate chips.

Scoop spoonfuls of dough onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet (I use a cookie scoop for easy, even scooping). Bake cookies for 10 minutes, let cool, and store in an air tight container. These won't last long, eat up and enjoy with a delicious glass of vanilla almond milk.