NO-BAKE VEGAN COOKIE BALLS

 

WHY HELLO AGAIN! More chocolate you say? YES, more chocolate and sweets. I have been taken over by a SERIOUS chocolate craving lately. You know what's amazing though? These little babies are so easy, delicious and of course V E G A N too. Yummy on the tummy is always important! A very easy and quick, healthy way to curb your sweet appetite.

 

I recently made these for a Women's dinner and they were a pretty big hit. One of the ladies daughters (who is 3 and very active!) gave me a brilliant idea. She wanted a cookie, but her mama didn't want crumbs going all over the floor where she travelled (makes sense!)- so she compacted them into little balls. GENIUS, thanks Gillian and Olivia!

Most of this recipe is mine- although I give credit to my mother, as I used her basic idea of her original no-bake recipe, so thanks mom!! They are so good you will want to eat them all before they hit the cookie sheet.....I guarantee it!

THESE ARE

CHEWY

YUMMY

CHOCOLATE-Y

PEANUT-BUTTERY

and SO EASY TO MAKE!

 

NO-BAKE VEGAN COOKIE BALLS

1/4 C. + 1/8 C. Organic, NON-GMO Coconut Oil (I use unrefined)
1/4 C.  Organic DARK (Grade B) Maple Syrup (I don't like my cookies too sweet- you can always add more if you like! NOTE: Agave Syrup works great too!)
1/2 C. Organic, NON-GMO Coconut Milk (or any other plant based milk
1/4 C. Carob Powder or Cocoa

8 TBS. Organic, NON-GMO Peanut Butter (or other nut butter)
3 C. Organic Gluten Free Oats (Regular Rolled work better)
1 Tsp. Organic Vanilla
1-2 TBS. Organic, NON-GMO Coconut Flakes, finely chopped

Mix first set of ingredients- coconut oil, maple syrup, coconut milk & cocoa in a small saucepot. Let this come to a boil, and let boil for at LEAST 30 sec but no more than 1 minute. Take off heat, add in peanut butter and vanilla, quickly swirl to combine. Dump in oats and stir to evenly mix. Use a cookie baller/ice-cream scoop or your hands to shape these little balls, then set on parchment lined cookie sheet. Simply add finely chopped coconut flakes on the top of each cookie. Let rest at least 30 minutes, and they set up quicker in the fridge. Then ENJOY!!!

Please let me know how these turn out! Please hastag me on Instagram (link on right of page). Have a lovely day- now go enjoy some chocolate!! 

Peace, Love, Joy

Courtney

Photos: Courtney Hayes

 

VEGAN CHOCOLATE QUINOA CAKE!

HOORAY for CHOCOLATE CAKE!! Who's with me? Or does anyone stand a chance against me....especially while eating this cake? Probably not.......because it is THAT amazing.

This cake is

GOOEY
CHEWY
CHOCOLATE-Y
FUDGE-Y
MOIST
TENDER
& Straight-up D E L I C I O U S!!!

I have been eating mainly vegan for awhile now (coming up on a year), and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I currently am enrolled in a NON-VEGAN culinary school, and it actually makes me want to be MORE VEGAN. Pretty awesome, eh?

 This cake uses flax "eggs" instead of actual eggs, and is FLOUR-LESS!!! WHAT? Amazing, I know......

 The only question I have for you is.......WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? You know you want to make this cake!

So, just cave in....after all, think of all the joy it will bring!


VEGAN CHOCOLATE QUINOA CAKE

2 cups cooked Organic Quinoa, loosely packed
1/3 cup NON-GMO PLANT based milk (I used Almond)
4 Flax "eggs" (1/4 C. Flaxseed Meal + 3/4 C. Warm Water, let sit 5-10 min)
1 teaspoon Organic Vanilla
3/4 cup Organic, NON-GMO Grapeseed Oil
1 1/2 cups Organic, NON-GMO Cane Sugar
1 cup unsweetened Organic, Fair-Trade Cocoa Powder
1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease two round cake pans (or a 9x13 pan), or 3 small (like I did) and then line the bottoms of the pans with parchment. (Do not skip the parchment if you want to be able to flip the cake out of the pan!)

Combine the milk, flax "eggs" and vanilla in the blender/food processor and pulse to combine. Add both the quinoa & oil, and puree until completely smooth. Stop the machine as needed to scrape the sides and make sure everything is well mixed. This will be a thick and creamy consistency once pureed. SIFT together the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl, make a "well" in your bowl, and add the contents from the blender. Stir until well combined.

Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans (or 3 like me :)) and bake on a center oven rack for 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean (may need more time if you have a DEEPER dish, less for a more SHALLOW). Remove the cakes from the oven and let cool 10 minutes before inverting them onto a wire cooling rack. Peel off the parchment and let the cakes cool completely before frosting/icing/decorating. TA DA!!!!

Please let me know how yours turned out, if you've questions, comments & the like!

Love, Peace, & Joy,

Courtney

VEGAN PEANUT BUTTER CAKE!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!! 2015 is in full swing! Before we talk more

 in depth about how 2014 was and the expectancies of 2015- lets talk about C A K E!! And not just any cake....V E G A N PEANUT BUTTER C A K E! WHHHAAATTT?! Yep, that's right.

There are several reasons why this cake is SUPER amazing. It uses Flax Eggs rather than animal eggs, plant milk & plant oils/fats instead of dairy. On top of that you have the superb addition of peanut butter and it's heaven in every bite. Don't believe me? Try the cake yourself and let me know in the comments below!

This cake is so delicious, moist & bursting with so much flavor, it does not need a frosting. However, it was for New Years Day- celebrate big or go home, AM I RIGHT?!.......

 

The frosting I made was a fudgy Chocolate Peanut Butter delight. Seriously, it takes just like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (which I no longer eat, but still crave intensely). You could imagine how happy I was with the results....... :)

How about coming over, kicking off your shoes, enjoying some coffee or tea along with a slice of this heavenly creation while we mull over 2014 and look ahead to 2015? (recipe below)

ENJOY!!! Wishing you all the best in the New Year! God bless!

Courtney

Photo Credit: Courtney Hayes

VEGAN PEANUT BUTTER CAKE 

1/2 C. NON-GMO, SOY-FREE Butter at room temperature (1 stick)

3/4 C. Vegan, Organic, NON-GMO Peanut Butter (you can sub crunchy if you'd like, I used all natural, smooth, no salt added)

2 C. Organic, Fair-Trade DARK Brown Sugar (loosely packed)

1 Tsp. Organic Vanilla

3 FLAX EGGS (For each egg, it's 1 TBSP Flaxmeal + 3 TBSP Warm Water)

2 C. Organic Whole Wheat Pastry Flour

1 TBSP Baking Powder (aluminium free)

1/2 Tsp. Sea Salt

1 C. Organic, NON-GMO Plant Based Milk (I used Almond, but you can sub any)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

First make the flax eggs and set aside, as they need about 5 minutes to set properly. 

Next, mix the butter, PB and Sugar together. 

Then,  slowly add milk, vanilla and flax eggs. Combine and stir well, but don't overbeat. Batter should be runny and smooth at this point.

In a seperate bowl add all the dry ingredients, mix them together- then slowly add them to the batter mixture. Sift you feel the need too- if your flour is clumpy. Mix well.

You can now decide if you want to bake these as a layer cake, 2 layer cake, or 18 cupcakes. Baking time will vary- for a layer cake (9x13 size), it's about 40-45 min. For 2 layer cakes, about 35 min (check after the 30 min mark every 5 min until done), and the cupcakes about 20-25 min. Let cool on wire rack for at least 30 min.

VEGAN CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING

1 Stick (1/2 c.) NON-GMO Vegan Butter

1 Tsp. Organic Vanilla

A couple TBS of Vegan Peanut Butter (you decide how peanut-y you want it to be!)

Coconut Milk (NOT FROM THE CAN- FROM THE CARTON) to add in to make the frosting thinner) if you need.

1/2 C. Fair-Trade, Organic Cocoa

Roughly 1 1/2 C. Organic, Fair-Trade Powdered Sugar (ADD as you go, as depending on the temps of the butters, you may need less or more)

Mix the butters together, add in the vanilla. Mix well. Add in the cocoa and a bit of coconut milk (about 1/2 tsp), then slowly add in the powdered sugar. Note: If your frosting mix is really thick- just add more coconut milk to thin it to your desired texture. ENJOY!!!