double chocolate fudge muffin for one {vegan}

"All the SIIIIIngle ladies! All the single ladies. All the SIIIIngle ladies! All the single ladies. Now put your hands uuuUUUP!" *raising my hand up high*

I was totally singing this song in my head when I was making this muffin. I sing it with pride, ya know? Single people rock! Plus, they get one gigantic muffin all to themselves so... All the more reason to forget boys, I say. 

Although I don't live on my own, I might as well as far as the whole food situation goes. Sure, my family has a nibble of this and a nibble of that, but umm. I don't need a whole jar of granola, a batch of peanut butter cups, a batch of cookies, and a pan of brownies all to myself. {… but do I?}

Yes, that sounds wonderful, but it doesn't really agree with my resolution to only eat when I'm hungry and get better at listening to my body. I'll do good the rest of the day, but shove a giant muffin in my face and goodBYEEEEE resolution, hello chocolate lerrrrv. 

I made this only a few hours after lunch {honestly, sometimes I make things for the sole purpose making things. And photographing things.}, and told myself I wouldn't eat the whole muffin and would eat it for breakfast the next morning. 

Or for dinner after the gym cuz leg presses suck. 

Ten minutes later, that muffin was nowhere to be seen and I had chocolate all over my face somehow… I dunno. Crazy chocolate, how'd you manage to get there??

I've really been loving experimenting with vegan baking {and vegan EATING in general. It's doable.} I've had some really good success when it comes to muffins/cakes/cookies, but BROWNIES. Oh my lawwwwd you guys. I tried making brownies the other day and… whoa. I mean.. They were okay but definitely not your classic brownie. No sireeeeeee. 

One of the many plus sides of vegan baking though? You can lick the bowl! Not that eggs usually stops me from doing so, but I don't have to worry about my mom yelling at me that I'll get sick. Uhh mom, I think I've built up an immunity by now. 

Anyhow. This muffin was honestly one of the best muffins I've ever had. Ever. And I have had a LOT of muffins in my day, mmkay? Not to mention it's totally vegan and there's no processed sugar or flour crap in there. You'd never have thunked it! It totally tastes full on fat and sugar loaded! It's so fluffy and cakey, I don't even want to call it a muffin. It's more like a cupcake, but we're gonna call it a muffin because that makes it more socially acceptable to eat for breakfast. Derrrr. 

"AAAAAAll the single ladies! All the single ladies…"

double chocolate fudge muffin for one {vegan} 

2 tbsp. wholewheat flour {use GF flour blend for a GF muffin}

1 tbsp. oat flour

1 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 banana, mashed

1 1/2 tbsp. pure maple syrup {or other liquid sweetener}

3/4 tbsp. liquid coconut oil

1 sq. dark chocolate {70% or higher is good}, chopped

Preheat oven to 350ºF and grease or line a single muffin tin. In a small bowl, whisk flours, baking powder and soda, and cocoa powder. Add banana, maple syrup, and coconut oil, stirring until combined. Fold in chocolate chunks. Pour into prepared muffin tin and bake for 15-25 minutes. Cool completely before removing from muffin tin.

VEGAN PEANUT BUTTER CUPS!!!

There comes a time in one's life when one must whip out the almighty stretchy pants and stuff one's face crevice with all the peanut butter cups. The ones that are filled with all sorts of crap. Not good for the body, but oh so good for the soul. And although I've been known to do this a time or two, it's not really something to get in the habit of. Pretty soon, one might have to buy oneself a pair of stretchy pants, one size bigger, youknowhati'msayin'!

If you would have asked me what I thought about healthy peanut butter cups pre-health-nut-conversion, I would have scoffed and said some things are better left untouched. BUT NO. Now there is a solution to you fellow chocolate-peanut butter addicts who just want to eat that lovely combo all the livelong day without turning into a balloon and keep your favorite pair of stretchy pants. Make healthy ones that don't taste healthy. Eat some and/or all of them. Be happy. 

My humble self wants to let you know that I'm pretty sure I nailed these thaaaaangs. They're 100% clean, yet taste 100% like the crappy ones. Mummy dear approved to! If you make these, please be prepared to lose all control of your eating habits. But not really, cuz they're healthy. But not really not really because you should have portion control? MY BRAAAAIN, STOP IT HURTS.If you, for some odd reason, don't want to eat them plain, chop 'em up and put them in cookies or brownies. Might I suggest these or these. BOOM. You're on your way to chocolate peanut butter BLISS. 

Vegan Peanut Butter Cups

chocolate shell: 

6 tbsp. melted coconut oil

2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tbsp. pure maple syrup

In a small bowl, whisk all ingredients until smooth. Let sit for a few minutes until it begins to thicken. Spoon into mini muffin cups, reserving about 1/4 of the chocolate for topping. Place cups in freezer and chill while preparing the peanut butter filling. 

peanut butter filling: 

1/4 c. creamy peanut butter

1 tbsp. melted coconut oil

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 tbsp. pure maple syrup

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Scoop into prepared chocolate cups. Top with remaining chocolate and place in freezer for 1+ hours or overnight. Peel off the muffin cups and store in an airtight container or plastic bag in the freezer.

chunky peanut butter oatmeal dark chocolate cookies

I've been feeling really crappy about my blog lately. I haven't been posting as much as I used to and my stats are nearly a third {A THIRRRRRRRRD!} of what they were at one point. It's kind of discouraging to see how much work I put into each post being rewarded with that. I've also been getting sick of people's comments on my healthy eating/exercising. I know that this is for me, not anyone else and it shouldn't matter what anyone else thinks. It doesn't. But it's disheartening to hear the things people say sometimes. When I told my mom about my blog stats deteriorating, she said "I think I know why." referring to my healthy recipes. If that's the case, c'est la vie. Because healthy eating is my passion and I want to share it with anyone and everyone, unless of course, they don't care about it. Then by all means, go on eating your crap-laden cookies and cakes and let me know how you feel a few years from now. 

We went on a little road trip for a few days and you better believe I was that weirdo chick wearing hippie pants and TOMS, walking around with bananas and homemade energy bites in her bag. I don't care what people think if I have salads for every meal while we're eating out. I don't care if they judge because I drink fresh green juice. I don't care if they think I'm a freak for losing my mind over the sale they had on super cute bowls. {"My oats will look SO cute in there." -my mind.} Or if they rip on my cookies being free of eggs, butter, sugar, and flour. Trust me, I'll hear no end from my brothers. "WHY DON'T YOU JUST MAKE NOOOOOORMAL COOKIES?!" "Because I don't want you to clog your arteries and eat yourself to your death. PLUS. Don't you want to live to be 230?" That's why. 

But no matter what the heck you do, someone will always judge you for some reason. Healthy eating and healthy living isn't about other people. It's about doing something for YOU. So do it and be done with what people think. Eat your salads and enjoy your vegan, soy-free, nut-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, grain-free, sugar-free cookies. Dance with jubilee when you find a really great sale on bowls or find huge bags of flax seeds for cheap. Celebrate with a chocolate protein shake when you survive leg day. Do good for your body and be happy. THE END. 

Ok, rant over. Time for cookies.

I'm experiencing with vegan baking. DISCLOSURE: I'm not going vegan. Mostly because my parents seem like they would excommunicate me to an island or something. But I just think it's fun to mess around in the kitchen and come up with recipes that are suitable to different dietary needs. And I like to see how much nutrition I can pack into a thing before it starts tasting like twigs and grass. These cookies don't taste like twigs and grass, I can very much assure you. They're really simple and CHUNKY. I love chunky cookies. Forget those little thin ones. I like something you can really sink your teeth into. TA DA. I present to you… Chunky peanut butter oatmeal dark chocolate cookies. Vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, processed sugar-free, and 100% fantabulous. 

chunky peanut butter oatmeal dark chocolate cookies {vegan, DF, GF}

1 3/4 c. oat flour
1/3 c. rolled oats
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/2 tbsp. melted coconut oil
1/4 c. creamy peanut butter
3 tbsp. pure maple syrup
2 tbsp. dairy-free milk
1/4 c. dark chocolate chunks {I used 85%}

Preheat oven to 350ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large combine all ingredients and only about half of the chocolate chunks. Roll dough onto balls {it should make about 12} and press remaining chocolate chunks into the tops of the cookies, smushing down slightly. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack before transferring to an airtight container.

cinnamon spiced cocoa granola with toasted coconut & almonds

Ok, so before we get fly into chocolate and granola and all this greatness, I have a little bit of wisdom to share. Lame, I know. But bear with me… I reward with food. 

I seriously love walking to and from the gym, especially with the cold, rainy weather we've been having. Those short walks give me time to actually hear myself think {two brothers and a baby in the house. NOIZEEE.}. And the other day, I had this divine revelation… Or as my mother called it an epiphany if you wanna get all fancy-wordy-pants. 

On the way home from the gym, I was going over in my head what I had done for my workout that day. It wasn't much; I didn't do a million reps of a trillion sets of a zillion exercises {if you can do that, I applaud you.} But what I did do, I felt like I did really well and felt super good about it. I'm trying to apply that concept to every aspect of my life. 

To my school {my grades. Ugh.} I get so caught up in the amount of school I have to get done rather than focusing on how good I do. Plus the fact that I'm supposed to be done with 10th grade in March… I can slow down if I need to. To my devotions- it doesn't matter how much time I spend in the Word, but that the time I do spend is good and I learn something from it. You can spend hours upon hours with your nose in the Bible and not get anything out of it. But you can also just spent ten minutes or so reading and in prayer and come away from it feeling refreshed and renewed. To my friends- I seriously have no friends. People just suck and people move to other countries. But I'd rather have ZERO friends than a bunch of crappy ones. To my blog- I really need to work on this. But only posting the recipes that were top notch and with good photos. In the blogging world, you get so caught up in what everyone else is doing. "Oh she posts 6 times a week, so I should too." What works for other people doesn't necessarily work for you. 

What I'm trying to say is… Quality over quantity. Do what you gotta do and do it GOOD even if that means doing a little less or working a little slower. Do whatever it is that helps you to put your best work forward. For the record, tons of work does not mean it's good work. In fact, in the long run, if it's really not done well, you only get behind because you have to go back and fix your careless mistakes. I speak from experience.

Time for granola now! You're rejoicing, I just know it. 

Remember what I was saying about putting my best work forward? Well. This granola here truly is divine and I edited the pictures about 5 different times before they turned out how I wanted them to. Truly the worst thing ever is when you have one heckuva recipe and cruddish photos. 

I made some chocolate granola with toasted coconut sometime back in the yesteryears. Three empty bowls and a chocolaty mouth later, I really regretted not writing down the recipe. Of course, I just got to making it for the blog last week, but better late than never. 

I amped up this recipe by adding cinnamon which adds a nice kick and almonds for extra crunch {and fibahhhh and prahhhtein.} It's fantastic on it's own, but what's really insane is sprinkling it on top of smoothies. Or filling a bowl with half smoothie, half granola. You know how it is. 

cinnamon spiced cocoa granola with toasted coconut & almonds

2 1/2 c. oats {I use quick-cooking}

2 tbsp. flax seeds

1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

3 tbsp. oil {coconut oil, vegetable oil, canola oil, etc.}

5 tbsp. pure maple syrup {or liquid sweetener}

1/2 c. raw almonds, roughly chopped

1/2 c. coconut chips

Preheat oven to 350ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except coconut and almonds. Pour onto prepared baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes, stirring through once during the baking time. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. Add coconut and almonds to a baking sheet and bake for about 5 minutes or until just lightly toasted and brown. Stir into granola. Let cool completely before transferring to a container.

peanut butter oatmeal brownies

OHHHHH, YOU GUYSSSSSSSSS. These brownies are so good that I posted them today instead of my other recipe I had chilling in my drafts folder. The other recipe is chocolate and peanut butter too. I've got problems. Ok so, first things first. I think it is my duty to tell you that I edited that first picture about 6 different times. {and my brain is obviously all the places at the moment. Bear with me.} The lighting wasn't right. It needed to be cropped. OH LOOK, I was saving it as the wrong file the last five times. So that was annoying. But I'm OCD and I really liked that picture so gosh dang it, I'll find the right exposure. Stubbornness really pays off sometimes. {Ask my gym buddies. Heh.} 

Now onto more important things. CHOCOLAWWWWWT. It was really weird, the other day I was seriously like a chocolate freak- even more so than usual- and I began questioning my sanity. How does one eat chocolate in 4 different forms in just 24 hours? I'LL TELL YOU. A mini vegan crunch bar {or two.}, a square of 70% dark chocolate, a chocolate smoothie, and an energy bite. That's how it's done, yo. I thought that after my chocolate-filled day, I'd be good for awhile, right? Wrong. About an hour before I went to the gym, I needed a brownie. Let me make this clear- I did not want a brownie. I needed one like my freaking life depended on it. Woman problems. Of course, I wanted to make them healthy {SURPRISE} because I wanted to eat one before the gym and not feel all gross and weighed down. Running with butter and sugar and flour in your belly is not a fun thing, I speak from experience. Oomph. 

Well, I'm happy to report, I have come up with a fan-flipping-tastic healthy brownie recipe that doesn't suck. Like at all. I've made countless healthy brownie recipes and have loved them all, but something is always a little off. You know what I'm talking about? They're always a little too spongey and weird. Last time I checked, brownies aren't supposed to be spongey and weird! Well these ones are seriously perfection! They're a little crumbly, but not like you can't pick them up crumbly. A good crumbly and quite fudgey. My favorite part is they even have the crackly top like legit brownies! Some healthy brownies out there use mashed bananas, which from my experience, makes them spongey and totally banana-y. No weird flavors here, just pure brownie GREATNESS. I can't even relate to you how normal these brownies were so methinks you should get your buns in the kitchen and whip up a batch. And eat it for dinner. OR BREAKFAST. These brownies are destined for even more greatness. But I'll get to that another time. MUAHA. 

peanut butter oatmeal brownies {healthy, gluten free, dairy free}

1/2 c. creamy peanut butter

1/4 c. liquid coconut oil

1/3 c. soy milk {or other non-dairy milk.}

1/2 c. pure maple syrup

1/4 c. granulated sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 c. oat flour

1/3 c. quick cooking oats

1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

sea salt for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350ºF and grease an 8x8 pan; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk peanut butter, coconut oil, milk, egg, sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla. Add in dry ingredients and mix until combined. Pour into prepared pan and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Let cool before cutting into squares.

mini vegan crunch bars

Time for me to get all real up in herrrrrrr! I'm gonna be honest right now. I WANT TO BE HOME. The last few months have been really really REALLY hard on me, and I think I'm ready to let go of this part of my life and move on. The do-nothing-ness of this place is really getting to me and I've lost some good friendships. I know it's just part of missionary life, but all my relationships are really in and out. People come and then they move somewhere else {or just stop talking to me. HA.} I miss my friends and family in the States like cray and can't wait to get back to our life there. On top of that, I really miss snow, Starbucks, shopping malls with real stores and clothes that don't fall apart two weeks after you purchase them. I'm not saying the last two years have been ALL bad though. I've learned a lot about myself, about people, about life in general. But it's time for a gingerbread latte, youknowwhati'msayinnnnn? On the upside, my freakish boredom gives me a lot of time to do school. I should be graduating in about two months. {kidding. dude I wish.}

I'm pretty sure if you looked up EMOTIONAL EATER up in the dictionary, you'd see a huge picture of my face right before your very eyes. I've got a problem and I know it. It's no wonder I gained like 15 pounds since we got here. I'm booooored, you guys! What else am I supposed to do? Read or something? Nahh. I'm trying to fix this little issue of constant munching, but while I'm working on it, might as well munch on something healthy. VEGAN CRUNCH BARS TO THE RESCUE! They heal wounds. Make you feel warm and fuzzy inside. Bring world peace. They're so simple to make and are one of those things where you're like "This is healthy? Stop playing with my heart like that." Although they're not exactly low calorie {darn you, coconut oil, you.}, they're made of nothing but wholesome ingredients and loaded with antioxidants. Golly, I really do love chocolate. 

vegan mini crunch bars

1/2 c. liquid coconut oil 

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

3 1/2 tbsp. pure maple syrup

pinch of sea salt {optional}

1/2 c. puffed brown rice cereal

In a large bowl, whisk all ingredients except for the cereal until smooth. Add in the cereal and stir until combined. Spoon into an ice cube tray- it should make about 10 mini bars. Place tray in freezer and freeze for about 3 hours or overnight. Once chilled, pop the crunch bars out of tray and place in a small container or plastic bag; store in freezer. 

chocolate chip cookie dough energy bites

Yes, I still exist. Honestly, I have no other excuse for not blogging other than the fact that I didn't feel like baking slash making food for a few weeks there. I blame that on this ridic heat. Good lord, you guys, it's so hot. Considering that I'm one of those weird people who have to be like in arctic conditions in order to fall asleep at night, I'm not really loving this whole no AC thing. My solution is showering right before bed, not drying off, and putting the fan on high. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do! My baking schedule needed to change, so now when I feel like whipping together a batch of granola or banana bread, I have to do it at night or early in the morning. Otherwise it feels like I'm in the devil's oven by about 10 a.m. 

In other news, since I last wrote, I did this really weird thing. I joined a gym. I KNOWWWWWWRIIIGHTTT. It all happened one day when we were at the doctor's office and I heard the music pumping in the gym next door. That was all I needed. It's just something to do I guess, because most days I don't even leave the house except for going for a run or occasionally going to the grocery store. {Isn't that depressing? No life, I tell you.} So even on my boring days, I will have had gone to the gym. 

My friend and I started last week and I'm pretty sure there's been more laughing going on than actual exercising. We make fools out of ourselves and I'm pretty sure the adults there think we're insane. Seriously, we were laughing so hard the other day when our treadmills seemed to have a mind of their own. It was actually kind of scary… I looked at the panel thing and saw my speed just going up and up and up without me touching anything! If it wasn't for my ninja-like reflexes, I could have been run off the back of the treadmill and against the wall like on a cartoon. 

Every morning before I leave, I like to eat something small and carby to keep my blood sugars and energy level while I'm at the gym. Sure, bananas are all fine and good, but YO. I already eat like 5 throughout the day {I have an addiction. Now you know.}, so I'd prefer something a little different. Last week's pre-gym treat was these raw chocolate truffles. Those things are my favorite and I could shove a whole batch in my face hole in a matter of minutes if I wasn't careful. When I finished those, I wanted to come up with a new energy bite concoction. I have a million ideas in my noggin, but chocolate chip cookie dough was first up. 

If you're wondering why they look so messy, it's because I thought I would try making my own dairy-free chocolate chips using coconut oil, cocoa powder, and maple syrup. I've used this combo before and it firms up beautifully, but for some reason this time it didn't. Maybe it's because I was impatient, but they turned out more like little fudge chips. You can use regular chocolate chips, chopped dark chocolate, or other dairy-free chocolate chips. Whatever works! Chocolate mess aside, these energy bites really do taste like cookie dough. I think it was the combo of maple syrup and cashew butter, but these are LEGIT. 

chocolate chip cookie dough energy bites

1 c. oats

1/4 c. flax seeds

1/4 c. coconut flakes

1 c. chopped dates

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 c. pure maple syrup

1/4 c. cashew butter

3 tbsp. dairy-free milk 

1/2 c. chocolate chips 

Place oats, coconut, and flax in a blender or food processor and pulse until a flour has formed. Add the remaining ingredients except for the chocolate chips and pulse until combined. Pour into a bowl and stir in chocolate chips. Roll into balls and store refrigerated in an airtight container. Makes about 9-10 large bites. 

salted chocolate peanut butter cookies

Moving on is something I'm really struggling with lately. I know that some people come through our lives to stay. And some are just merely passing through for the purpose of teaching us lessons and helping us to discover ourselves. But sometimes, they meld together and look like the same. You'll think someone is there for you always {the kind that sticks around.}, but it turns out they're just one of those ones that you learn something from and you're supposed to forget and move on after they've done their time.

I'm doing my best to put this all into perspective, but sometimes when you don't have much going on for you, it's hard to take a step back and see the big picture. I'm thinking of my life as a book- there's events that come and go and characters who soon fade away into the first few chapters. As much as you loved those characters or you loved those cliff-hanging events, you have to keep reading to see what happens next, regardless of who comes and goes. If you sit there thinking about how the way things COULD have turned out, you'll simply scan over the words of the present and miss out on the next big thing.

It's so so hard to let go of a friendship I thought would be a lasting one. But things change. People change. And I know I've got to move on, but I can't stop clinging to the past and the things that used to be. This letting go has been one of the hardest things I've gone through in all my years and has been in the painful process for months. I keep feeling like I'm on the mend, but if I think of or see the littlest thing that reminds me of the way things used to be, I burst into tears. This afternoon, it was a full on lay-in-my-parents-bed-in-the-fetal-position-head-in-my-hands-sobbing-my-eyeballs out. But I know I'm supposed to be learning something about myself, about life in general. So thank you to the ones who have come and gone and taught me things. I'll keep on moving. Life goes on before and after you. 

After I had my little meltdown, I dragged myself out of bed, eyes red and puffy, and decided to make some cookies. I knew it would help- it always does. I'm thankful for friends I can talk to, peanut butter, chocolate, and chunks of sea salt. And I put them all in cookies and great things happened! Errrrr waaaaaaaait. I don't put friends in my cookies. That is one thing you will not need to run to the store and grab for this recipe. You'll need them for other things, not eating. This is getting awkward.

salted chocolate peanut butter cookies {gluten & dairy free}

3/4 c. peanut butter
2 eggs
1/3 c. + 2 tbsp. maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/3 c. oat flour
1/2 c. gluten-free flour
1 tsp. sea salt + more for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 375ºF and grease or line a baking sheet. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, maple syrup, vanilla, peanut butter, and eggs until smooth. Add in cocoa, flours, and salt. Mix until evenly combined. Scoop onto prepared baking sheet. Press down slightly and spindle with sea salt. Bake for 7-10 minutes.

almond coconut crunch bars

The past few weeks, our life has been so crazy and school has definitely taken the backseat. It seems like there just aren't enough hours in the day for me, even though I feel like I have absolutely no life. Weeeeeeird. After two weeks of doing only a science or math lesson here and there, I'm back to school this week. UGH. I always tell myself if I keep putting it off, I'll pay for it later. And I am. I'm paying alright. After my morning run, I was literally plopped in front of the computer, sitting on my exercise ball for like 6 hours straight studying and catching up on the schoolwork I'd been putting off. The worst part was that I didn't have time to eat a good lunch {I'm so high maintenance.} and ended up eating a bowl of steamed veggies at 2 while studying science. Whenever I have such long days, I always ALWAYS end up in the kitchen. It's approximately 1909998º outside and still quite steamy in the house even though the curtains are closed and we have a million fans blowing in our house that looks more or less like some sort of dark dungeon. The only way to stay cool is by sitting in front of a fan ON HIGH, not moving an inch, with minimal clothing, and some ice on yerrrrr neck. What I'm trying to say is… Turning on the oven was tooooodes out of the equation unless I had a death wish. And I really hate summers in Africa. Yuck.

Ok, so these bars? Ugly, I know. They're definitely not the most photogenic things I've ever made. I absolutely hate when pictures don't turn out the way I'd like {or… Anything for that matter.} BUT. They're so unbelievably quick and easy to make, I'd be some kind of foodie criminal to not share them with you. I've seen recipes for homemade crunch bars popping up on Pinterest and food blogs like some sort of forest fire spreading. I was skeptical when I saw that the base was coconut oil and cocoa powder. GROSS? Nope. It literally tastes like you just melted a whole bunch of chocolate chips. I'm so excited to experiment with that base recipe and see what else I can come up with. But for now, these bars are pretty dang amazing. I feel like I say this every single post {I do, in fact say this every post.}, but these bars are surprisingly healthy, raw, vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free. My family, who usually totally rips on all my healthy desserts actually loved these and they were gone in about 24 hours. You know they're good, you knooooow ittttttt.

P.S. If you're wondering, no. These are not three of the same picture.

almond coconut crunch bars 

3/4 c. melted coconut oil

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 c. liquid sweetener {I used maple syrup, but you could use honey.}

1/4 c. + 2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

2/3 c. raw almonds

2 c. puffed brown rice

1/3 c. shredded coconut

line a 8x8 pan with parchment paper. in a large bowl, combine melted coconut oil, vanilla, sweetener, and cocoa powder. Add in puffed brown rice and almonds. Pour into prepared pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle with coconut. Place in freezer for at least an hour before cutting into squares. Store in freezer. 

XXL dark chocolate & sea salt brownie cookie

So I'm kinda on this chocolate kick lately… Exceeeeept when am I not on a chocolate kick? Hi, my name is Sophie and I am addicted to Lindt 70% cocoa dark chocolate. {Hiiiii, Sooooophiieeeee.} No but really. This is getting out of hand. Looking back, I just realized there hasn't been a day in the last- oh, I don't know- EVER, that I haven't had chocolate in some way shape or form. It's a crazy love for the stuff. A yearning. A desire as strong as Channing Tatum's abs. A BURNING PASSION IN MY SOOOOOUL. 

I'll stop. 

I've come to the mature decision to feed this obsession in a good, healthy way. Although if you ask me, chocolate is pretty healthy in and of itself. It's just probably not very good if you go and eat the whole bar of chocolate, batch of brownies, pint of ice cream… You get my gist. I'll admit. I basically eat chocolate in every single way possible. In my oatmeal? Dunnniiitttt. Definitely not a bad idea, if you're wondering. Smoothies? Check. Healthy brownies? Shooosh yahhhh. Eaten the whole dang pan, in fact! But let's not go there. 

AND NOW. COOKIES. Actually, cookiEEEEE. Just for you and your pretty little chocolate loving face. 

This cookie is kind of sort of a freaking SUCCCCESSSS. I've tried making a healthy single serving cookie before and oh my gross, you guys. So did not work. That experience kind of scarred me for life and I was hesitant about trying out a new recipe. Thank heavens I did though. I basically saved all of humanity with this cookie. {things get baaaaad if I don't satisfy my cravings fast.}

This cookie is going to blow your mind. It's soft and chewy AND CHOCOLATEY. So much chocolate. So much happiness. GET EXCITED. The cookie itself is like a little hunk 'a fudgalicious brownie. And if that couldn't get any better, I pressed some of my beloved 70% on the top. And if THAT couldn't get any better… Sea salt. This is just pure chocolatey, fudgey greatness made JUST for you in a matter of minutes. 

It's actually healthy too. I know, weird huh? WHOOODA THUUUUNKED IT? It's dairy-free, gluten-free, and processed sugar free. Which MEANS. You can eat it for breakfast. With a cup of hot coffee? Oh my gosh, that is like. Heaven. Like suddenly, all is right in the world while you dip your fudgey cookie in a ginormous mug of coffee. 

No more werrrrrrds.

…… Except I do have a few more. My sincerest apologies.

You know that song "Give Me Love" by Ed Sheeran? I am making a parody… Caaaaaalled. {drumroll please.} "Give Me Fudge". Give me FUUUUUUUUHHUUUUDGE… Hmmmm myyy myyyuhhhh hmmm myyyyyy myuuhhh. Give me fuuuuuuudgeeeeee. I sure hope you've heard that song before because otherwise, you're totally thinking I'm a fool right now. And you would be correct. 

Ok, thanks for listening! Now go make yerrrsehhhlf a cookie.

XXL dark chocolate & sea salt brownie cookie

1 egg

1 1/2 tbsp. coconut oil

1 tbsp. nut butter {I used peanut butter. duh.}

dash of vanilla

2 tbsp. pure maple syrup

1/4 c. gluten-free flour

2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp. baking powder

pinch of sea salt

1 square 70% cocoa dark chocolate, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 350ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine egg, coconut oil, nut butter, vanilla, and maple syrup. Add flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and sea salt. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and form into a disk. Press dark chocolate chunks onto the top of the cookie and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake for 10-15 minutes. 

salted dark chocolate almond coconut oil cookies

 So the other day while grocery shopping, my brother made this weird face as we trotted on by the health food section {i.e. a little 3 foot shelf full of gluten free flours, molasses, and xylitol. that's aboooout all. } and exclaimed with a questionable tone, "COOOOOconut oil?" I was all like "WHAAAA FOOOO!" I've been wanting to use coconut oil for um ever since I saw it making appearances in healthy recipes all over the interwebulars. So when my brosophegus spotted it I totally freaked out. Likeeeeeeeeee full on freaked. Did a little jig? Sang a little bit? Made a fool out of myself in front of the entire population of the grocery store? Why yes. Indeed I did. No shame.

Immediately my mind went all the places. Cookies. Muffins. Blondies. Cake. Where the heck am I supposed to start experimenting? There's no telling when I'll quit. Or if I ever will.  After discovering that replacing butter with coconut oil seriously didn't change the flavor or texture of cookies, there's no turning back now. I've gone to the dark side. Errr actually, the light side! These cookies kinda blew my mind. Ya know when you try to healthify cookie recipes and use yogurt or banana instead of butter? Things don't go right. Things get cakey and weird and not like how cookies should be. Cookies that are more like muffins are just not okay. BUUU-HUUUUUT. No butter here. And no muffin-y cookies. Mind bloooooooooown.I've been really wanting something to dunk in my morning cup of coffee and pretty sure these cookies couldn't be any better for the job. Nothing wrong with starting out the day with some chocolate! The fact that they're healthy and actually taste like normal cookies makes me super excited. No guilt and no surprise breakouts due to dairy!! 

salted dark chocolate almond coconut oil cookies

1/2 c. coconut oil
1/2 c. dark brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. wholewheat flour
1 c. oat four
1/2 c. quick cooking oats
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 c. dark chocolate chunks/chips
1/2 c. raw almonds, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 350ºF and grease/line a baking sheet; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk coconut oil, eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Mix in flours, oats, salt, and baking powder. Stir until just combined. Fold in almonds and chocolate chunks. Scoop dough onto prepared baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool before removing to a wire rack. Recipe yields about 15 cookies.

fudgey double chocolate brownies with peanut butter cookies 'n cream frosting

I typically only make rich, indulgent desserts when there are other people that are gonna eat it. I enjoy making other people fat, but put spinach in my smoothies every morning. 

Riddle me that one.

It's even better when said rich, indulgent dessert is made for three teenage boys. That way I am guaranteed no leftovers. 

No leftovers means I don't have the temptation to stand at the fridge with the door open, digging into a pan of brownies with a fork. 

Hey, it happens. At least I'm willing to admit it. 

I love when I bake something and it's gone in minutes. Because A) that means it was good. and B) I don't have to wait to get rid of leftovers and can bake something again!

Moooooore sugaaaaaaar fooo yooo faaaace.

SO let's talk. About brownies, cuz DUHHH. 

These brownies are my fave recipe. I've made them multiple times and have memorized the recipe. True love right derrrrr. 

I actually made these same brownies the other day and trashed them up with cherry baking chips. Note to self- I don't care what the package says, those things are far from cherry. They smelled like lip smackers. 

Don't you love lip smacker flavored brownies? Yahhhnoooo. 

GRODYYYY.

Chapstick flavor aside, these brownies are pretty bomb. Simple, fudgey, and moist. Yah, I went there. MOIST. I made them again sans cherry chips and topped them off with FROSTING. Peanut butter frosting. With crushed Oreos in it. So yah. 

I was technically on a "raw diet" but my tongue somehow found its way to the spatula covered in brownie batter. And then my finger found its way into the bowl of fluffy peanut butter dreams. I mean frosting. 

BUT seriously. How the heck am I supposed to make frosting without tasting it? That's not even legal. I don't think.

Butter, peanut butter, vanilla extract, powdered sugar, and oreos are kinda sorta destined for greatness, but you know what I mean. At least that's what I tell myself.

You understaaaaand me!

fudgey double chocolate brownies with peanut butter cookies 'n cream frosting

brownies: 

3/4 c. butter, softened

1 1/2 c. granulated sugar

2/3 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

3 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 c. all purpose flour

1/2 c. chocolate chips 

frosting: 

1/4 c. butter, softened

1/2 c. creamy peanut butter

1/3 c. milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3 c. powdered sugar

10 oreos, chopped

Preheat oven to 350ºF and grease a 9x13 pan; set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter, sugar, and vanilla. Whisk in eggs. Add flour, cocoa powder, and chocolate chips. Pour into prepared pan; bake for 25-30 minutes. While brownies are cooling, prepare the frosting by combining all ingredients until smooth. Add more powdered sugar or milk as needed. Once brownies are completely cooled, spread frosting evenly. 

{raw} banana & toasted coconut brownie pie

I don't what came over me, but the last few weeks my health-freak-ism has freakishly increased. The result? I got it in my big 'ol noggin that I could totally go raw for a week. 'Cuz, ya know. I have serious discipline and stuff. I messaged my friend on Facebook who's in the States at the moment {yay for fellow Freaks!!} and said I wish she was here to do it with me because, uhh. My family would never even think of doing anything remotely close to a diet. They love their pasta and doughnuts and Doritos way too much for that. My friend said she'd do it with me even though she's approximately 8236 miles away. Hey, whatever works, works.

If you don't know what a raw diet is, it's pretty self-explanatory. You just eat foods that are raw! It's mostly fruit and veggies, but also beans, nuts, and whole grains. I'm really getting creative with the grains. JUST KIDDING. The only way I can think of to eat whole grains RAW is overnight oats. So yes, I'll be living on raw oats for the next how many days. HA.

We started on Monday and about 5 minutes into it, I decided I needed coffee and cookies. It was the only way I could do to get through a morning of studying without passing out on my bed. Not even joking. I couldn't study in my room because I was afraid I was going to just fall over into a lack-of-coffee-coma. Don't worry though, guys. You know that serious discipline I mentioned? Turns out. It actually exists. I've gone 3 days without coffee and I'm still breathing! If you're not surprised by that bold statement I just made than you obviously don't know that coffee is basically what keeps me alive on a day to day basis. Well coffee and insulin.

Just because I'm going raw for a week does not mean I'll just eat spinach all the live long day and forget about the sweets. Uhh no. Sophie never forgets about the sweets. EVER. I need dessert every. day. whether that be ice cream with chocolate, peanut butter sauce, caramel, peanuts, banana, cherries, pineapple, and butterscotch {for the days when I'm feeling rather piggish.}, a smoothie, or some sort of healthy concoction like this herr pie. 

Remember when I made that chocolate peanut butter banana pie? That stuff is seriously, like… UGH. It shouldn't be healthy. But thank heavens it is because I could eat half the thing in one sitting. I seriously could. Don't test me. {although if ya wanted toooo….} I shnazzied up that pie and made this pie. GUUUUUYYZZEEEZ. It's better. The filling pretty much totally tastes like brownie batter. Yah. Brownie batter. And the crust is like a chocolate truffle. And the top if like crunchy munchy coconutty greatness. Don't you love the way I describe things? Har harrrr.

 I strongly urge you to make this pie. It's what dreams are made of!!! There's a little bit of everything in there. Peanut butter, chocolate {loooots and looooots and loooooots of chocolate.}, coconut, and banana. Plus it's no bake and super quick and easy. The only hard part is waiting. Which if you're kinda running low in the area of patience like yours truly, you could make this at night, pop it in the freezer, and it's ready to be chowed down upon for breakfast! Mhmmmm. 

{raw} banana & toasted coconut brownie pie 

crust: 

1 c. chopped dates

1/4 c. honey

3 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 c. quick cooking oats

Blend all ingredients in a blender until the mixture resembles a coarse crumb. Press into a greased pie dish; set aside. 

filling:

2 bananas

3 tbsp. honey

1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 c. creamy peanut butter

2 tbsp. soymilk {or any kind of milk will work} 

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Pour into prepared crust. Top with sliced bananas and toasted coconut.