Raspberry-Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies (Vegan, GF)

Jennifer came home for the weekend so we decided to go on a baking frenzy! We sort of just made this recipe up as we went along and believe it or not they turned out amazing! These cookies are so classy! They're like the kind you would find in one of those chic coffee shops. They turned out nice and chewy the way oatmeal cookies should be :) 

1 1/2 cup old fashioned oats (make sure they are GF oats)

1 1/2 cup Gluten-free Flour Blend (see substitutes tab)

1/4 cup arrowroot flour

1/2 cup brown rice syrup

1/2 cup sucanat (evaporated cane juice)

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/3 cup safflower oil

3 tbsp almond milk

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup fresh or frozen raspberries

1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips

1/2 cup nuts ie. pecans or walnuts (we used pecans)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl, set aside. In a separate bowl combine all remaning ingredients except for raspberries, chocolate and nuts. Combine dry ingredients to wet, mix until combined. Then add raspberries, chocolate and nuts. Oil a baking sheet with safflower oil, drop cookies by the spoonful, flatten a bit. Bake for around 12 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Once taken out of oven, the cookies will seem very loose, don't be alarmed! They need time to stiffen up, leave on cookie sheet for at least 10 minutes, transfer to a cooler place in order to stiffen up even more. These were perfect the next day, because they had time to set overnight. 

The texture of these cookies are pretty amazing considering they are gluten free. The arrowroot makes the cookies nice and dense and chewy. Perfect with your afternoon coffee! 

Splashes of Raspberry

Raw Apple Streusel Bars (Vegan, GF)

We found this recipe on http://vegancookbookcritic.blogspot.com/. They looked so amazing and we loved how we didn't need a dehydrator to make it. We made a few changes to the recipe and we think they turned out pretty great. If you leave them to sit overnight, the chia gelatinizes the butter so it actually stays together. We added an extra date to thicken the butter even more. We found that it needed more streusel topping, so we also added more walnuts. The original icing does not have any sweetness so we added agave/honey and vanilla to give it a richer, more "dessert" taste.


Crust:
2 cups cashews
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp agave (we used raw honey)


Grind in a food processor until crummy. Press into the bottom of a pan.


Apple Butter:
2 cups apples (choose a sweet variety such as Royal Gala)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
Pinch of cloves
3 dates, pitted
1 tbsp ground chia - important because it gelatinizes butter!
2 tsp lemon juice


Blend ingredients in food processor and spread on top of the crust.


Apple Slices:
1 apple, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tsp lemon juice


Place slices in a single layer on top of apple butter layer.


Streusel:
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
2 tbsp sucanat or coconut sugar
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon


Mix ingredients together by hand and sprinkle on top of apple slices.


Cashew icing:
1/2 cup cashews
1 tsp agave or raw honey
1-2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
Water to thin


Blend ingredients in food processor, place in a ziploc bag and cut the corner off. Pipe in a cool design on top of streusel.


Chill in the fridge overnight.

Yummmmm!

These turned out super amazing. They taste exactly like apple pie and have the texture of being baked because the apples really soften up in the fridge. We gave a piece to our non-vegan friend and she was floored by how good these are and couldn't believe they are raw!

Green Guacamole (Vegan, GF)

Three little avocados sitting in the fridge, what is one to do?! Why, make guacamole of course! I never considered meddling with the ever so-holy guacamole, but this worked out great and gave it a lovely green hue. If this doesn't please your veggie friends, you didn't use enough spinach :)

3 Haas avocados (very soft)
1 lime, juiced
1/2 tsp salt
Ground pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/2 onion diced
2 tomatoes, diced
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
1 clove of garlic
1 tbsp olive oil (if needed)
1/2-1 bunch of spinach, wilted

Mash the avocados, combine with spices, juice, onion, garlic, tomato and olive oil. Wilt spinach by massaging by hand for a few minutes or until the leaves dramatically reduce in size, you may want to add more depending on preference (I added one whole bunch of spinach, because I love my greens!). You will be left with some juice, drain this out and do not put in with spinach. Fold in wilted spinach. Makes one big bowl, serve with dehydrated raw crackers, rice chips, or carrot sticks.

Raw Frozen Cookie Dough Bites (Vegan, GF)

If I had to be certain about one thing in this world, it would be this raw chocolate chip cookie recipe from Oh She Glows. Every time I make it, even if I vary or substitute certain ingredients, it always turns out ah-mazingly.
Jenn and I have made this recipe soo many times we had to change it up, behold: The Raw Frozen Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bite. I promise, these will not disappoint. My absolute favourite raw sweet so far!

Still Life Choco

Dough:

1 3/4 cup cashews ground into a flour (don't soak unless you are able to dehydrate them)
3/4 cup oat flour
2 tbsp agave
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup coconut oil
Pinch of salt

Raw Chocolate Chips:

2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup carob powder
1/2 cup raw cacao powder
4 tbsp agave nectar/maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate Coating:

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup raw cacao powder
2 tbsp agave nectar
1 tsp vanilla extract

First prepare raw chocolate chips by combining above ingredients, you will be left with a doughy consistency. Spread out on a flat pan or plate and put in freezer for at least an hour. Then, cut into small chips.
Next, prepare the cookie dough filling by combining above ingredients, then mixing in chocolate chips. Then form into a flat slab about 1/2 inch thick and freeze for 15 minutes. Once frozen, cut into small bar sizes (enough to take 2-3 bites out of it) and skewer each one with a small toothpick.
Prepare chocolate coating by combining all ingredients in a small bowl.
One by one, dip each bite into chocolate, place on a flat tray and freeze for 1-2 minutes. Dip again in chocolate and top with chopped cashews, or other desired topping. Freeze until frozen. Makes 24 bites.