Search Results for: vegan chocolate

Chai Spiced Snickerdoodles {vegan}

January 25, 2013 · by Ari ·

Before I tell you about these amazing cookies, I wanted to say a HUGE thank you for all of the kind comments on my marathon recap. You guys sure know how to make me cry over, and over, and over again. Of course I do this for me first, but your support really makes it worth all of the pain and challenges so, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.

I made these cookies to compensate for my visually challenged cookies. As soon as they came out of the oven with that perfect crackle on top, I was thrilled that not just a better looking cookie had come out of my oven, but a downright beautiful cookie! Then the pessimist in me decided that surely they were going to taste bad, because that’s how that day was going.

You.Guys. They were so the opposite of bad!!! I bit into one, and was greeted with my most sought after cookie texture–slightly crunchy on the outside, with a soft, gooey, buttery (even though they include NO butter!) texture inside. In my book, that is cookie perfection!

When I stopped freaking out about the texture miracle, I started to focus on the flavor of these bad boys, and holy cow, they are delicious! Spicy homemade chai spice blend mixed with sweet sugar cookie flavor creating a sweet and comforting cookie that tastes like it came from your grandma’s old recipes.

“Okay maybe these are the best cookies you have ever made.” My husband’s cookie heart is so fickle.

Chai Spiced Snickerdoodles {vegan}

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Yield: 2 1/2 dozen

Serving Size: 1 cookie

Chai Spiced Snickerdoodles {vegan}

Ultra soft vegan & gluten-free snickerdoodle cookies with warm, comforting chai spices--perfect for fall or winter holidays!

Ingredients

2 cups gluten-free baking blend (or white whole wheat flour)
1 tsp baking soda
dash salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup apple butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
3 tbsp unsweetened vanilla almond milk
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

For the coating:

1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp ground ginger
3/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch cloves
pinch ground nutmeg

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat.
In a medium bowl, whisk together baking blend, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat together apple butter,sugar, maple syrup, and almond milk until well combined. Add vanilla, then add dry ingredients and mix until well combined.
In a wide, shallow bowl, combine ingredients for the coating. Lightly spray hands with nonstick spray, then roll dough into one inch balls. Roll in the sugar mixture to coat completely, then transfer to baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned. They may look underdone, but do not over bake. They will set more as they cool. Let stand for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Lightly adapted from Post Punk Kitchen

https://arismenu.com/chai-spiced-snickerdoodles-vegan/

Black & White Cookies {vegan}

January 15, 2013 · by Ari ·

Look to the cookie.

I know I’ve posted that video before. It’s from one of my favorite Seinfeld episodes. I’m also pretty sure I’ve mentioned my Seinfeld addiction. I spent the weekend with my NY Husband, and when I got to his house Thursday evening, he had a Seinfeld all cued up and ready for us to watch before bed. That’s love.

Black and white cookies are the epitome of nostalgia for me. You know how you have certain foods that remind you of certain relationships in your life? Like the way my dad is still always buying me white chocolate kit kat bars because they were my favorite when I was a kid. They still remind me of my dad. The first time I ever had a black and white cookie was when my friend Lisa and I split one at Chompies.

It was pretty much as cliche as you can get–2 Jewish girls at the Jewish deli eating black and white cookies. What can I say? It’s in my blood.

It was love at first bite. The soft, cake-like cookie was absolute perfection. It was so huge we had to eat it with a fork! Ever since, any time I’m in NYC, all I want is a black and white cookie. I had my heart set on one when I was there in November, but it never happened, and so I decided I was going to need to make it happen in Arizona.

I made these cookies with the intent to wait until either Lisa’s baby shower (in March) or when she delivers her baby girl (in May-ish), but I just couldn’t wait.

The homemade version of this deli classic was everything I dreamed it would be! Soft, fluffy, cake-like cookies topped equally with light, white powdered sugar glaze and its rich, chocolatey counter part. It truly is the ultimate flavor combination.

So in honor of Lisa, Mac, and my latest (9 hour) trip to the city, make yourself some black & whites.

Black & White Cookies

adapted from Smitten Kitchen

yield approx. 3 ½ dozen

1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon lemon extract
1 and 1/4 cups whole wheat cake flour
1 and 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp baking powder
dash salt
1 and 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 cups powdered sugar
2-4 tbsp hot water
1 and 1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat.
In large mixing bowl, combine sugar and applesauce and extracts until combined.
In medium bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, cornstarch and salt. Add half of the dry ingredients into applesauce mixture, followed by milk, then remaining dry ingredients. Mix until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl when necessary.
Use a small cookie scoop to drop the dough 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake 15-18 minutes until edges begin to brown. Cool completely.
To make the frosting, place powdered sugar in a medium mixing bowl. Slowly, mix in hot water 1 tbsp at a time, until icing has reached your desired consistency. Be careful—a little bit of liquid goes a long way with powdered sugar!
Spread icing on half of the flat (bottom) side of each cookie. Once all cookie halves have been half frosted, add melted chocolate to remaining frosting. To make the “black” darker, you may add in 1 tbsp of unsweetened cocoa if desired (I did). If icing appears too thick, add an other tbsp. of hot water.
Frost the remaining half of the cookies with the chocolate frosting. If icing becomes dry, just whisk in a little bit of extra water—it can dry up pretty quickly, and I had to do this a few times.
Let frosting set and serve immediately or store in an airtight container for 3-4 days.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies with Dark Chocolate, Cherries & Coconut

January 14, 2013 · by Ari ·

Friends, these are not the prettiest cookies I’ve ever made.

In fact, when I made them for our first Ragnar team meeting, I almost didn’t serve them because I didn’t love the look, but as I kept reaching over, and over, and over for the pieces of the uglier ones I planned to throw away, I realized they were so delicious, I just had to save them, and post about them, pretty or not.

I don’t think I’ve mentioned it yet, but this February I will be running Ragnar Del Sol with 11 other amazing ladies! The line up includes Nicole, Karla, Melissa, Megan, Tara, Stacey, Jaime, Bety, Jennifer, Jenn, and Kelli. I am sosoSO excited! We had our first official meeting a couple of weeks ago, and did a potluck at my house, so of course I called dibs on making dessert. 😉 Tara and Jaime don’t eat gluten or dairy, so I wanted to make something that everyone would be able to enjoy.

So I did end up serving my visually-challenged cookies, and I’m even sharing them with you, because I love them. They are so chewy, and packed with flavor. In true Ari style, there is definitely a lot going on, which leads to my new longest title ever (I think?), but it all comes together perfectly in a way that rather than tasting each component, you taste the combination as a whole.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies with Dark Chocolate, Cherries & Coconut

1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
3 tbsp apple butter
1 cup natural peanut butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
½ cup unsweetened almond milk
1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 and 1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp cornstarch
dash salt
1/3 cup reduced fat unsweetened shredded coconut
3 cups raw oats (use gluten-free if you care about that sort of thing)
6 oz good quality dark chocolate, chopped into chunks (I used 2 bars—a coconut dark chocolate and a sea salt dark chocolate)
3/4 cup sweet cherries, pitted and chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat.
In a large bowl, beat together coconut oil, apple butter, peanut butter, and sugars until smooth. Add almond milk, vanilla, baking soda, cornstarch, salt, and coconut, and beat until well combined. Fold in oats, followed by chocolate, cherries and coconut.
Use a small cookie scoop to drop batter onto prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart (these spread quite a bit).
Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown around the edges. Cool completely on baking sheet before transferring to serve.

**Notes: These cookies are very sticky. I don’t recommend sealing them for storage. You also don’t want to crowd them. They work best unstacked in a large Tupperware with the lid resting on top, but unsealed.

Lemon Coconut Cupcakes {vegan}

January 2, 2013 · by Ari ·

Hi. There’s cupcakes. But first, can we please talk about Les Miserables for a hot minute? My poor, sweet, perfect husband ~~got forced~~ volunteered to go with me to see it. When I first saw the trailer, I was convinced it was going to be horrible, but as time went on, the hype got bigger and bigger, and I started to believe I was actually going to love it.

And I’m really sorry, because if you saw it, I’m sure you probably loved it too. But we walked out and Steve said “My favorite part was when he jumped off the bridge because that meant he couldn’t sing anymore.” Spoiler alert: Javert jumps off a bridge. Spoiler #2: I kind of agree. I don’t want to talk about everything that was wrong with the movie, because flaws and all, I still enjoyed all 2.5 hours of it. Well maybe like 2 of them, but what was sooooo funny was listening to Steve go on and on and ON about it the whole car ride home. I’ve never seen him hate a movie so much!

His other finest quote was “No wonder they couldn’t get anything done in that French revolution! They had to sing about everything first!” If you didn’t love the movie, you should really ask him about it, but if you’re one of the people who cried in the theatre, then it’s probably a subject best left untapped. Okay, musical theatre snobbery is over. Let’s talk about cupcakes!

You guys know how I’m always talking about perfect flavor combinations. I’m not one to just have one flavor. I like variety. I get bored easily, and I need a lot going on in order to stay interested. I hadn’t ever had lemon and coconut together before (that I can remember), but I had a hunch it was going to be pretty great, and it may not be peanut butter and chocolate, but it is definitely a contendor for my secret mental list. 😉

The light, citrusy flavor of the lemon complements the rich, creamy coconut flavor in these soft and fluffy cupcakes. They are definitely dessert, but not too sweet, and that slightly tart lemon glaze is the perfect finishing touch. And I promise, the best part is not when they jump off a bridge. Unless the bridge is your hand and they are jumping into your mouth. Worst joke ever?

Lemon Coconut Cupcakes

yield 1 1/2 dozen cupcakes

2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
dash salt
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp coconut extract
2/3 cups sugar
zest of 1 extra large lemons
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 2/3 cups canned light coconut milk
reduced fat unsweetened shredded coconut and yellow sprinkles for topping (optional)

For the glaze:

½ cup powdered sugar
dash lemon extract
1-2 tbs hot water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Line 18 muffin tins with paper liners. Set aside
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cornstarch. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat together sugar and lemon zest until fragrant. Add applesauce and coconut extract and beat until combined. Slowly pour half of the coconut milk and beat until well incorporated. Add half of the flour mixture, beating until incorporated, followed by remaining coconut milk. Beat until smooth, then add remaining flour mixture, and continue beating until well incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl when necessary.
Evenly divide batter between cupcake tins (they should be about 2/3 full) and bake for 18-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
To make the glaze, in a small-medium mixing bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, lemon extract and 1 tbs hot water. Slowly continue to add more water (and I mean very slowly. A little bit of liquid goes a long way with powdered sugar) until desired drippy consistency. Spread onto cooled cupcakes, and top with sprinkles and coconut if desired.

Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies

December 22, 2012 · by Ari ·

OOOOMMMMMGGGGG it’s 3 days until Christmas!!!!

The other day I was teasing Nicole about being backed up on her recipe posting. “Are you even going to be able to post everything by Christmas???” I asked her. She responded with “I have to post every day.”

It was so funny until I started counting and realized that I do too…

You see, I may have gotten a little overzealous in my holiday baking this year. I’ve just been so excited! I didn’t realize how many holiday themed recipes I had to share with you until just now! Either that, or I’ve been in denial that it’s actually Christmastime, not just the time I like to call “Christmastime” that begins on Veteran’s Day…

Perhaps instead of spending my time blogging I should be out, you know, buying presents for the 700 people still on my list. But I already did all the hard work on the recipes. This is just like doing the wrapping, which I LOVE…obviously.

Actually, I wish I had 2 dozen more of these cookies to use for gift wrapping fuel right now. Sally always tells me I should use cookies for “fuel” and I’m beginning to think she’s onto something. How much more fun is sitting on the floor in a mess of wrapping paper, dollar store tape, and puppy hair when you have spicy, cinnamony chocolate cookies stuffed with melty, oozy chile dark chocolate to keep you warm and energized??

These cookies will keep you warm and cozy even if you live in a place that actually has winter. Pinky promise. And if the dough didn’t have enough bold spices, I’ve topped them off with a dusting of cinnamon powdered sugar for even more cinnamon sweetness. You will absolutely love with the way the cayenne and cinnamon pair with the sweet, rich dark chocolate. So much love.

And if you love it as much as I do, I have to give some love to some of the best cookies I’ve eaten. Ever. Oooooomg, make both batches at once and you will be so happy.

Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies

yield approx 2.5 dozen

3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp espresso powder
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
Pinch black pepper
Pinch cayenne pepper
5 oz dark chocolate, melted and cooled
1 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup apple butter
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/3-1/2 chile dark chocolate bar, chopped into fairly large chunks (big enough so that each cookie only needs 1, small enough that a 1″ cookie dough ball can cover it completely)

For the powdered sugar topping:

1 tbsp powdered sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, espresso powder, baking powder, salt, and peppers. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat together melted chocolate, sugar, apple butter, almond milk and vanilla, Slowly mix in dry ingredients until well combined. Cover dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes (this is optional, but recommended).
Preheat oven to 350 and line 2 large baking sheets with Silpat or parchment paper. Roll chilled dough into 1″ dough balls then press a chunk of chile dark chocolate in the center and re-roll the dough so it is covering the chocolate completely and drop onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for 8-12 minutes until set. Let stand for 2-3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and cinnamon, then lightly dust cookies with mixture.

Almond Meal Baileys Chocolate Chunk Cookies

December 20, 2012 · by Ari ·

The other night I had dinner at my mom’s house. As I’ve gotten older, she tells me more and more funny stories about my childhood. I don’t know why growing up we didn’t seem to talk about it much, but now one of my favorite things is listening to her tell stories about me when I was little. Maybe it’s because I just reallllly like to talk about myself? It’s my favorite topic in case you haven’t noticed. 😉

Food is probably second. Or running. It’s a close call. I’m sure this is a shocking revelation considering my content.

Anyway, my mom was talking about about teaching me to ride a bike. I reminded her that my friend’s dad had to teach me, and she admitted that things like that were never her strength. Apparently teaching me to cross the street was about her limit. She said she told me to “look both ways”, and so every time I crossed the street I would just look back and forth, back and forth, all the way across. Like a penguin.

What can I say? I’m special. She did say that she was never a baby person, but that when my brother and I came out, it changed all of that. I was perfect, but he cried all the time. I mean, at least that’s what I heard when she told the story. He was fussy, and I wasn’t, but then she says “You just really liked to eat.”

At which point Steve and I both cracked up laughing because, well…DUH! You guys, I never stood a chance!

She said every time she would walk in the room, I’d think it was time for lunch. I seriously laughed so hard because I don’t think it’s ever stopped. I spend all day daydreaming about food–what I can make, what I can eat, ~~how far I’m going to have to run so that I can eat more….~~

But you know what? I’m kind of okay with it. It is my ridiculous obsession with food that brings you lovely treats like these cookies, and trust me, you don’t want to live in a world where these cookies do not exist. They are so soft and fluffy, in fact, I still cannot get over the perfect texture almond meal brings to baked goods. They’re perfectly delicate, and not at all heavy or the bad kind of chewy that makes you NEED the glass of milk instead of just enjoying it on the side….you know what I mean. They are just perfect with the hint or Irish cream in the flavor and the bold stand out dark chocolate chunks. And they are sososo easy! I mixed everything together in one bowl! I love a good small prep time with minimal dishes dessert. They are like a perfect gem. You know, kind of like me 😉

Except, we all know I’m not delicate, and I really hope I wouldn’t be considered “chewy” either. That would be weird.

Almond Meal Baileys Chocolate Chunk Cookies

yield about 15 cookies

1 1/2 cups almond meal
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp brown sugar, packed
dash salt
1/2 cup vegan “baileys”
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 oz dark dark chocolate, chopped into chunks

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with silpat or parchment paper and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together almond meal, baking soda, cornstarch, brown sugar and salt. Add Baileys and vanilla and mix until well combined. Fold in dark chocolate.
Use a small cookie scoop to drop onto prepared baking pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden. Let stand for 2-3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies

November 20, 2012 · by Ari ·

There is no better combination than peanut butter and chocolate. It’s a proven fact.

I would also like to say that chocolate chunks > chocolate chips. Fact. Just call me the Chocolate Encyclopedia. Or the Chocolate Whisperer. I like the sound of that. You can picture me sitting in my kitchen whispering sweet nothings to my chocolate.

In college, my friends referred to me as the Musical Theatre Lexicon. I guess you could say when something’s important to me, I spend a lot of time with it. Like chocolate. And peanut butter.

I made these for my wonderful friend Emily’s birthday. Then I spent too much time taking pictures of them and was late to her party. Story of my life. The cookies were so good though. Like, really reallllllly good, so I like to think they made up for it 😉

You know what’s REALLY hard??? Not eating all the birthday cookies you baked for your friend. Especially when they are so gooey it’s practically like biting through a slightly crunchy shell into hot cookie dough with rich, bold dark chocolate pouring out from the inside. Not eating all the cookies = true friendship.

I’d had my eye on doing some chocolate chunk cookies for a while now. I recently read a post on making the perfect chocolate chip cookies, and the two things that stood out were that you should use more than one type of chocolate to keep the taste buds interested, and always very lightly salt the dough before it goes into the oven–not for the “salted cookie” effect, but just a tiny bit to contrast the sweetness and bring the most flavor out of the cookie, so that’s what I did. The result? Cookie heaven.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies

yield 1 dozen (these are BIG cookies)

1 1/4 cups gluten-free baking blend (or white whole wheat flour)
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tbs corn starch
1/2 cup apple butter
1 cup peanut butter
3/4 cup turbinado sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup water (+ corn starch = egg replacement)
4 oz good quality dark chocolate, chopped into large chunks (I used a chili dark chocolate and an espresso dark chocolate, but any chocolate would be delicious)
sea salt for topping

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and corn starch. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the apple butter, peanut butter, sugars, and vanilla until smooth. Add water, followed by flour mixture and beat thoroughly. Fold in chocolate chunks. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Use a large cookie scoop (or your hands) to drop dough onto prepared cookie sheet. Lightly sprinkle the top of dough with sea salt.
Bake for 14-18 minutes until just golden. Do not overbake. Let cookies stand on sheet for 2-3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Chip Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

November 1, 2012 · by Ari ·

If you had to choose only one cookie to eat for the rest of your life, what would it be?

For me, it’s definitely a toss up between oatmeal and peanut butter, but then you have to take into account black and white cookies which, you know, could solve all of our problems.

Okay, so can we just talk for a second about that moment you search for something strange on the internet, or at least you think it’s strange, and then a few words in, it pops up all the way because so many other people searched for it too? It makes me giggle. I didn’t realize how many other Seinfeld fanatics were out there searching for the black and white cookie episode on youtube. Turns out, there are tons of crazies out there just.like.me. Scary thought. Look out world.

You know what else is scary??? My “baby” brother just got his freaking learners permit. You see, I’m so much older than him (wahhh) that most of his life I referred to him as my baby brother, but somehow he got to be 15, and I got to be pushing 30 (well, I mean I’m pushing it from a distance, I guess, but still, IT’S LOOMING), and the world as I knew it has ended. I can’t even handle it.

And he had to go and do it on marathon week when I am an emotional basket case. Rude. Umm, today I got teary eyed IN FRONT OF MY STUDENTS when I spoke the word “marathon”. I should be locked away until this thing is over.

Okay, so back to the cookies. “Look to the cookie, Elaine.” Sorry. Go watch the video on youtube, and that will make sense. These cookies would definitely be on my list if I had to choose one to eat for the rest of my life. I kinda feel like I’ve developed my perfect oatmeal cookie recipe, and I keep coming up with different variations on it, but the basics stay the same, and it all started with this cookie. The edges just slightly brown, the soft is so gooey that you would swear I used a Paula Dean portion of butter (spoiler alert: I used none), and they have the perfect amount of sweetness for my taste–somewhere between diabetic coma and healthy tasting. 😉

I made these for an event my mom was attending, and they were a huge hit. Everyone that tasted them fell just as in love as I did. Also, they’re vegan so some of my awesome friends can enjoy them too!

Chocolate Chip Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

yield 3 dozen

1 1/2 cup white whole wheat Flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
dash salt
1 tbs cornstarch
1/2 cup apple butter
1 1/2 tbs coconut oil
1/2 cup turbinado sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, not packed
1/4 cup water or unsweetened almond milk (+ the corn starch = egg replacement)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup reduced fat unsweetened shredded coconut
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup mini dark chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and corn starch. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat together apple butter, coconut oil, sugar, water/almond milk and vanilla until combined. Slowly beat in dry ingredients, then fold in oats and coconut, followed by the chocolate chips.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and drop cookies onto the sheet using a small cookie scoop.
Bake for 12 minutes until golden. Let stand on cookie sheet for 3-5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Salted Chocolate Chip Sunflower Butter Cookies

October 5, 2012 · by Ari ·

My recipes always have the loooooongest titles. I’m not the type of person that can just say “Sunflower Cookies” and call it good. That does NOT explain these cookies. The have sunflower butter and dark chocolate chips and a SALT!

If you are one of those people that doesn’t like sweet and salty, then I’m pretty sure we can’t be friends. It is my very favorite thing. When I saw these, I just about died. Also, I sweat a lot which makes me crave salt, and I’m sure knowing my sweating habits makes you realllllly hungry. No? Weird. Maybe an other picture of awesome sweet and salty cookies will revive your appetite.

I’ve been making lots of vegan desserts lately. As I was stalking all the pins that come from my site (seriously, I have a problem), I noticed that a lot of people were labeling my recipes as vegan, and I was like “Whaaaaa???? I don’t think so….”, but then I looked and realized that a lot of them are, or are super easily adaptable. I don’t really use butter very often, and I use a liquid egg substitute a lot, but a flax egg, or corn starch egg works just as well. So now you plant lovers can eat lots of cookies also. And trust me, you want to eat these cookies.

I don’t know about you, but I think sunflower butter might be the best nut butter. I should know. I am, like, a nut butter connoisseur. I could do one of those blindfold tests where you put out different types in front of me, and I could probably tell you the nut and the brand. Maybe I should be embarrassed? I’m not.

Sunflower butter has the perfect texture and flavor for cookies. And spoons and fingers. Or at least the TJ’s brand does. I love it so much, I won’t try anything else. I don’t mess with a good thing. When I find something I like, I REALLY like it, and become quickly obsessed with how it’s THE BEST THING EVER, but really…I think this is. The only thing better might be making my own, which is on my list. Yes, I have lists. SO MANY. Each of them overflowing with the many things I want to make, and some crazy ramblings for my brain. It’s kind of like this blog on paper with no pretty pictures.

Anyway, back to the cookies. It’s pretty easy. Dough, baking sheet, salty goodness…

I would actually recommend smushing them down slightly less than this. I made a couple with the left over dough and I left them puffier, and I actually liked those even more! Not that I wasn’t ridiculously eat 8 cookies a day obsessed with these just as they were 😉

I loooooove the way these ones look on their cute little silpat.

Salted Chocolate Chip Sunflower Cutter Cookies

yield approx 1.5 dozen

1 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup apple butter
1 cup sunflower butter
3/4 cup turbinado sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbs corn starch
1/4 cup water
2/3 cup mini dark chocolate chips
coarse sea salt for topping

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the apple butter, sunflower butter, sugars and vanilla until smooth.
In a small bowl, whisk together corn starch and water, then beat into sunflower butter mixture.
Add the flour mixture and beat thoroughly. Fold in chocolate chips.
Using a small cookie scoop, drop dough onto lined cookie sheet. Use an extra piece of sprayed parchment paper to slightly flatten each dough ball. Generously sprinkle sea salt over cookie dough (about a pinch per cookie).
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until just golden. Do not overbake. Let cookies stand on sheet for 2-3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Chip Coconut Milk Ice Cream

September 20, 2012 · by Ari ·

What? It’s fall where you are? I’m really sorry, but the high here today is still in the triple digits, so I bring you ice cream.

Special creamy coconut milk ice cream that I can share with all my vegan and no dairy friends, because I really like them. This was made special for Bethany who recently gave up dairy and is taking a more paleo approach to eating. This ice cream isn’t paleo–it has sugar, but it is dairy free, and about a billion times more delicious than any soy ice cream I’ve ever tried.

Have I ever mentioned that ice cream is my very favorite thing? Okay, I know I have a lot of very favorite things, but ice cream has been on the list since I was like 1. And I’m kind of old, so that’s a long time. To be honest, light ice creams are tough to make at home. I’ve made a couple I like, but it’s really tough to get the right texture. Coconut milk is so perfectly creamy–it worked as an amazing base, plus the recipe was so simple!

The flavor combination of coconut milk + brown sugar with dark chocolate was ridiculously good. In fact, I ended up having to give the leftovers to my mom and step dad because I knew I couldn’t be trusted. I got the empty container back about 3 days later. I guess they liked it too 😉

Chocolate Chip Coconut Milk Ice Cream

Ingredients

1x15 ounce can full fat coconut milk
1/4-1/3 cup brown sugar (depending how sweet you like it)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup mini dark chocolate chips (if you want to keep it vegan, make sure to buy vegan chips)

Instructions

In a medium bowl or blender, combine coconut milk, brown sugar and vanilla.
Freeze mixture according to ice cream maker instructions.
After finished churning, fold in chocolate chips before transferring to storing container.

https://arismenu.com/chocolate-chip-coconut-milk-ice-cream/

90+ Healthy Recipes for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner & Dessert

January 26, 2015 · by Ari ·

90+ healthy recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner & dessert will help you with healthy meal planning for the new year with plenty of options for every meal of the day! With plenty of vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, paleo & low carb options.

It’s January, which is every healthy food blogger’s favorite time of year! To help keep you on the healthy eating bandwagon, I’ve put together 90+ healthy recipes to get you through your day for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert! This way you can have tons to choose from for each meal!

Breakfast

Above photos from Healthy Seasonal Recipes & Taste, Love & Nourish

Cranberry Almond Granola

Gingerbread Apple Pancakes from Healthy Seasonal Recipes <—OMG that shot. Gorgeous.

Sweet Potato Waffles from The Lean Green Bean

Paleo Mexican Hot Chocolate Pancakes with Salted Dulce de Leche from The Healthy Maven

Lemon Almond Meal Scones

Coconut Vanilla & Almond Butter Smoothie from The Housewife Training Files

Tropical Breakfast Quinoa from Savvy Eats

Honey Sesame Granola

Raisin Nut Granola from Savvy Eats

Whole Wheat Blueberry Scones from Yummy Healthy Easy

Portobello Breakfast Cups

Coconut Almond Quinoa Granola from Taste Love & Nourish

Berry & Banana Oat Breakfast Smoothie from Eat. Drink. Love.

Acorn Squash Egg in the Hole from The Roasted Root

Tropical Mango Muffins from Snappy Gourmet

Cranberry Orange Muffins from Texanerin Baking

Chocolate Chip Banana Bran Muffins from Amy’s Healthy Baking

Banana Maple Yogurt Parfait from Lemon Tree Dwelling

Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie from The Nutritious Kitchen

Red Potato, Bell Pepper & Spinach Breakfast Hash from Neighbor Food Blog

Peanut Butter & Fig Granola from Keep it Sweet Desserts

Protein Packed Pancakes from The Lemon Bowl

Lunch

Above photos from The Healthy Maven & Taste Love & Nourish

Cranberry Apple Chicken Salad

Avocado Tuna Salad from The Healthy Maven

Chicken & Chickpea Green Goddess Power Salad from Healthy Seasonal Recipes

Copycat Panera Hummus Chicken Power Salad from Food Faith Fitness

Guacamole Chicken Salad

Avocado Chickpea Salad Sandwiches from Yummy Healthy Easy

Spicy Kale Caesar Salad with Roasted Garlic from The Roasted Root

Black Bean Burger Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

Southwest Chopped Salad with Salsa Vinaigrette from Taste Love & Nourish

Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers with Cilantro Avocado Cream

Chicken Broccoli Slaw with Spicy Peanut Dressing from Eat. Drink. Love.

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Butternut Squash & Spelt Salad with Goat Cheese & Toasted Almonds from The Lemon Bowl

$90 + Healthy Recipes for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner & Dessert$
Tex Mex Quinoa Salad with Lime Vinaigrette from Eat. Drink. Love.

Portobello Tuna Melts from Home Cooking Memories

Southwest Quinoa Bowls

Dinner

Above photos from The Marvelous Misadventures of a Foodie & The Roasted Root

Lasagna Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Fajita Burgers from The Marvelous Misadventures of a Foodie

Hot & Sweet Slaw with Jerk Spice Salmon from Healthy Seasonal Recipes

10 Minute Taco Salad

Cider Chai Crockpot Pulled Pork from The Roasted Root <–Check out that perfect shot!

Crockpot Sweet Potato Chicken Chili

Crockpot BBQ Pulled Chicken Tacos from The Nutritious Kitchen

BBQ Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Butter Chicken Meatballs with Spicy Masala Sauce from The Healthy Maven

Caprese Pasta

Shrimp and Israeli Pepper Salad from Know Your Produce

Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Soup

Honey Mustard Chicken Stir Fry from Food Faith Fitness

French Onion Meatloaf

Easy Baked Chicken Cacciatore from The Kitchen is My Playground

Crockpot Curry Soup with Sweet Potato, Chicken & Kale

Skinny Chicken Broccoli Casserole from Yummy Healthy Easy

Buffalo Turkey Burgers

Loaded Mediterranean Sweet Potato Fries from Neighbor Food Blog <– OMG this is SO happening!

Skinnified “Fettuccine” Alfredo

Slow Cooker Indian Butter Chicken with Cauliflower from The Lemon Bowl

Wild Rice Stuffed Acorn Squash from The Marvelous Misadventures of a Foodie

Thai Coconut Cabbage Soup from Cotter Crunch

Dessert

Above photos from Cook the Story & The Nutritious Kitchen

Toasted Marshmallow Sweet Potato Ice Cream

Soft Hazelnut Mocha Cookies from Healthy Sweet Eats

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites

Blueberry Almond Tart from Healthy Seasonal Recipes

Peanut Butter & Jelly Cookies

Tart Cherry Fro-yo {with White & Dark Chocolate Chips}

Peanut Butter Cup Hot Chocolate from The Nutritious Kitchen

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Greek Yogurt Peanut Butter Cheesecake with Maple Peanut Clusters from The Housewife Training Files

Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Healthy Chocolate Mockshake from Snappy Gourmet

Salted Caramel Mocha Cookies

Easy Fruit Dip: Dark Chocolate Greek Yogurt with Cinnamon & Spice from Cook the Story

Chai Spiced Coconut Cream Ice Cream

Cannoli Cups from Home Cooking Memories

Soft & Fluffy Sugar Cookies

Pumpkin Bread from The Lean Green Bean

Chocolate Frosted Orange Donuts

Paleo Cocoa Hazelnut Bread with Molasses from Cotter Crunch

Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread

Enjoy!! Happy meal planning!

Cinnamon Apple Bread

October 5, 2015 · by Ari ·

Cinnamon Apple Bread — ultra soft and tender quick bread loaded with two layers of apple and cinnamon sugar make this the perfect, healthy fall treat.

So where you live it’s fall, yes? Scarves, hot drinks and all things pumpkin? We’ve had an unusually hot September, even for Phoenix. Like, 5 days ago it got to 110. In SEPTEMBER. It’s pretty disgusting. But in honor of finally seeing a forecast without triple digits and a peak of lows in the 60s, I felt like it was finally time to celebrate fall. With food, obviously. And apples because pumpkins are so trendy.

So we start out with a simple little quick bread that we load up with crazy amounts of chopped apples and cinnamon sugar. I always thought I didn’t like warm apples. I mean…I don’t. Like, just an apple cooked by itself? All soggy and wet? No thank you. But baked into bread? That is something I can get on board with!

The best part of this cinnamon apple bread is that the top layer of cinnamon sugar forms this perfect, cinnamon-y crust that is the perfect topping to the ultra soft bread. I kept finding myself going back for “just one more piece”.

Cinnamon Apple Bread

Recipe Type: Dessert

Author: Ari Ziskin

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 1 hour

Total time: 1 hour 20 mins

Serves: 12

Cinnamon Apple Bread — ultra soft and tender quick bread loaded with two layers of apple and cinnamon sugar make this the perfect, healthy fall treat.

Ingredients

For the cinnamon apples:
2 apples (any kind), peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
For the cinnamon sugar:
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
For the bread:
3 cups[url href=”http://arismenu.com/gluten-free-baking-blend/” target=”_blank”]gluten-free baking blend[/url] (or white whole wheat flour)
4 teaspoons baking powder
pinch salt
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs*
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup unsweetened almond milk**

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350. Line the bottom of a 9×5 loaf pan with parchment paper. Spray sides all around pan. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, gently toss all the cinnamon apple ingredients. Set aside. In a small bowl, mix brown sugar and cinnamon for cinnamon sugar mixture. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat together coconut oil, apple sauce and sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time followed by vanilla. Stir in half the flour mixture, then milk, then remaining flour mixture until just combined.
Pour half of the bread mixture into prepared loaf pan. Top with half the apples. Lightly press the apples down into the batter. Evenly sprinkle half the cinnamon sugar mixture. Repeat with second half of ingredients.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool completely before slicing and serving. Store at room temperature in an airtight container for 5-7 days. If only keeping for 1-2 days, leave lid slightly ajar to preserve crisp cinnamon top.

Notes

*For vegan option, replace eggs with 1/4 cup cornstarch and 1 cup almond milk.[br]**Can be subbed for buttermilk

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