Chocolate

The PERFECT vegan chocolate chip cookie sandwiches

August 16, 2015 By Lara 3 Comments

Another rainy sunday in Switzerland. Some people are quite happy that the weather now finally has “normalized” after the heatwave. But for me, I am just wishing for an endless summer. Thinking that the last sunny days have now passed makes me sad. To overcome my sadness I wanted to give these vegan chocolate chip cookies another try. After fails and “they are ok- but not more” attempts, I perfected them now. So here is what I did. I added a mashed banana to the recipe and replaced the peanut butter in the recipe with the smoother sunflower seed butter.

and… I LOVE them now. I am perfectionist so this is quite a thing for me to say. I shared the original recipe just in my ebook but thought it would be a crime to not share these beauties with all of you. I kept the 6 cookie sandwiches under my bed without sharing. I could eat all of them in one sitting.

I might did but you are never going to know that 🙂

Makes 12 Cookies or 6 Cookie Sandwiches

Ingredients

1/2 cup almond meal
1/2 cup fine oats
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup sunflower seed butter (peanut butter works as well)
1 small ripe mashed banana
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup almond milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
a pinch of fine sea salt
1/2 cup dark vegan chocolate chips

Method

1. First you preheat your oven to 180° or (360F)

2. In the blender, blend the oats until you reach a fine consistency.

3. In a small bowl, combine the dry ingredients such as the flour, the blended oats, baking soda, salt.

4. In another bowl, mash the banana, add the sunflower seed butter, the coconut sugar and the vanilla extract and mix until well combined.

5. Add the almond milk and mix a little bit more.

6. Now at low speed add the bowl with the dry ingredients. (not all at once!).

7. Fold in the dark chocolate chips.

8. Now roll the dough into balls and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Flatten them with a spoon and make sure you place them 3 inches apart from each other.

9. Finally, Bake cookies for 10-15 minutes, or until slightly brown, depends a little bit on your oven and how you like them.

Let them cool down, but not until entirely cool. Because now the fun part starts:

Stuff two cookies with a tsp of peanutbutter and one pieces of dark chocolate.
The chocolate and peanutbutter are starting to melt from the remaining warmth of the cookies.

Huge vegan skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie

August 2, 2015 By Lara 5 Comments

Scrolling through Instagram I recently discovered that there are just 3 pictures for the hashtag “veganskilletcookies”

Since I love cookies and I love chocolate and I love a lot of cookies I though why not making a skillet cookie!
There are many recipes that require eggs or normal milk, so I tried to use peanut butter as a substitute for the egg. Now if you don’t have peanut butter at home or you want to use another replacements, I got you covered!
I found a really helpful table on Fablunch’s Instagram page.
I always experiment with this substitutes and it is amazing how they work out and in every case taste better than the original recipe! (Also approved by Non-Vegans!)

So here is the recipe.

Ingredients
1 1/4 cup almond flour (or any other flour works as well)
1/2 cup fine oats
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup coconut oil
½ cup coconut sugar
3 tbsp peanut butter
1/2 cup almond milk*
1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
a pinch of fine sea salt
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

* this amount depends on the type of flour you are using, you want to add more when using a dry flour and maybe less when using another type. For consistency check my YouTube tutorial

Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine oats, flour and baking soda in a medium bowl. Set aside
In another bowl mix coconut sugar, coconut oil, peanut butter, vanilla and salt until smooth.
Now combine the two mixes. After one minute add 1/4 of the milk and see how the mixture turns out. Depending on your flour you want to add the rest of the milk.

(For consistency check YouTube Video of recipe here)

Stir in chocolate chips until well combined.
Now press the dough into an iron skillet pan. Decorate with more chocolate drops, that it looks better for the picture afterwards. Put the pan in the oven (middle) and make sure the pan does not touch the oven from the inside.
Bake for approx. 25-30 minutes. Remove them from the oven when the cookie slowly begins to turn crispy and looks brownish.
Let cool a little and eat still a little bit warm!

Note 1: Flours like coocnut flour are very dry and therefore you will need more milk. Please adjust the amount until the consistency looks like the one in my YouTube video

Note 2: The cookie I made was pretty thick. If you are aiming for a thiner Cookie, aim for a larger pan. (I had no bigger iron pan available ;))

Raw Chocolate Brownie-Fudge Slices

July 25, 2015 By Lara Leave a Comment

This is an unusual twist, on two recipes I really like. There is nothing more indulging than a warm brownie combined with a hot almond milk on a rainy day. Yet a rich and creamy fudge piece can make me happy within minutes.
Well why not combining these two textures I thought, and making raw chocolate Brownie fudge slices!
The nuts in the chocolate-brownie base add a nice little crunch to it, the coconut cream is flavoured with cacao and pure coconut oil.

A combination you should not miss! The recipe is so simple and totally bulletproof.

Ingredients

Bottom
1/3 cup processed buckwheat flour
1/3 cup raw unsweetened cacao powder
1/2 cup walnuts
1/4 cup shredded coconut
12 dates, pitted
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp warm water
a pinch of fine sea salt
1/2 tbs vanilla extract

Fudge Layer
1 can full-fat coconut cream (place the can in the fridge overnight, in order to get the white “creamy” consistency in the can)
3 Tablespoons coconut oil
1/4 cup carob powder
8 oz dark chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

Bottom
For the bottom, simply blend the walnuts in a food processor (process as long as you think you want the size of nut pieces to be), add the dates and shredded coconut, the melted coconut oil, water, sea salt, cacao powder, flour & vanilla extract and process again until sticky and well combined.(Yes, you can use your hands :))

Press the mixture into a square/rectangle tin, firm and flat (I used a pancake flipper to press it down evenly and tightly)

Leave in freezer while making the next layer.

Fudge
Scrap the top layer (white, hard texture) above the coconut milk to a medium sized saucepan and bring to a simmer. (drink the remaining coconut milk, the liquid part :))

Add the coconut oil to the saucepan and stir until it melts. Add the carob powder, vanilla extract and the dark chocolate chips and stir until everything is melted.
Pour over the bottom and refrigerate until firm (up to 4 hours) or freeze if you cannot wait with eating and want to them to be ready in 30 minutes.

ENJOY!

Beginners 2-layer raw vegan chocolate cake

June 27, 2015 By Lara 2 Comments

Super easy for beginners and pro’s 🙂 Have fun trying and show me your version!

Ingredients
Crust:
1/2 cup medjool dates
1/2 cup hazelnuts
1/2 cup almonds
2 tbsp agave syrup
1 heaped tbsp raw cacao powder
3 tablespoons melted coconut oil

Method:
Blend all ingredients food processor. Mix longer if you like the nuts in a finer consistency. If you like it chunky do not blend longer than 15 seconds!

Scoop mixture into a 9″ springform pan.
With your hands (or if you like spoon), press the mixture into the sides and bottom of pan.
Freeze it while you are making the filling.

Filling:
3 cups cashews, (soaked overnight)
3 tbsp agave syrup
2 heaped tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1/3 cup coconut creme (chilled, the upper part of the coconut milk :))
1 tsp vanilla extract
secret ingredient, optional: I put in some orange zest.” Omg so good!!”

Method:

Blend all ingredients together in a food processor for about 4 minutes or until a very smooth consistency forms. Pour the mixture onto the top of the cake crust and let it set in the fridge for a minimum of 5 hours.

raw vegan chocolate cake - easy for beginners.

Delicious Vegan Chocolate Chia pudding

June 20, 2015 By Lara 2 Comments

Chocolate Chia pudding

Ingredients
3 tbsp chia seeds
1 cup of coconut milk
1 tbsp raw cacoa powder (1.5 if you like it intense!)
1 tsp vanillaextract
fruits and raw cacao nibs (got mine from “Therawchocolatecompany”) for topping

Method

In a small pan on medium heat cook milk with chia seeds until boiling.
Lower heat and while stirring add cacao powder and vanilla extract.
Cook for about 5 minutes (always stir!) and then fill into a glas. Put in the fridge for about 20 minutes. (after 10 minutes stir up)
Layer with sliced strawberries, acai berry sauce or whatever you like.

ENJOY!

Vegan Chocolate Squarebar Cake

June 11, 2015 By Lara 4 Comments

Ingredients

Cake
7 Squarebars of your choice
3/4 cups Quinoa flour
1 tsp baking powder
3 tablespoons flax meal
1 cup almond or soy milk
¼ cup coconut oil
1 tbsp vanilla extract

Filling
1 avocado
1 ripe banana
1/2 cup organic unsweetened almond milk
3/4 cup Organic Cacao Powder
1/3 cup agave syrup
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Frosting
1 can chilled coconut cream
1 tbsp vanilla extract
+ Vegan dark chocolate and seeds and Articberries cranberry powder for decoration

Method
Soak the Squarebars in half of the almond milk for 3 hours. (this is weird but totally worth it in the end ;))
Preheat oven to 350F and grease the pan or use a silicon pan!
Mix flax meal with desired water and let sit for several minutes.
In a large bowl, first combine all the dry ingredients.
In another bowl blend the Squarebars with the rest of the almond milk. Do not throw away the milk they were soaked in you just use it as well.Add the flax mixture , the coconut oil and the vanilla extract.
Then combine the dry and the wet ingredients.
Pour into baking pan and and bake at 350F for 35 minutes (might vary slightly based on pan and flour type, but just test) While the cake is in the oven you can do the filling.

Blend the avocado and the banana in the blender until smooth, add almond milk and syrup.
Add the rest of the ingredients and blend for 2 more minutes until creamy.
In a bowl, put into refrigerator to chill for later.

Half or make three layers of the cake (I did it with a long knife :D) so you can put in the filling.
Once the filling is in you can go on with the frosting.
Very simple put the chilled (overnight in the fridge!!!) can of coconut cream into a bowl with the vanilla extract and whip that thing up 🙂

Cool again for another 20 minutes before decorating 🙂

The perfect moist vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies- So easy even my grandma can make them!

September 30, 2014 By Lara 9 Comments

Ingredients

1 can chickpeas beans, rinsed well

1.5 Tbsp. peanut butter

2 tbsp coconut milk

2 Tbsp coconut oil (or any other oil)

3 Tbsp coconut flour flour

2 tbsp agave syrup

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. vanilla extract

pinch of salt

⅓ cup dark or white vegan chocolate chips

Method

Preheat oven to 370F (170 degree)

Combine the beans, coconut milk, peanut butter, and coconut oil in a food processor and process until smooth.

Add in the coconut flour, sugar, agave syrup, vanilla, and salt, and continue processing until combined and mousse-like.

Stir in the chocolate chips.

Spoon the batter onto the baking sheet and sprinkle with the extra chocolate chips if you like ( this is for the look 😛 )

Bake for 10 minutes or longer if needed ( depends on your oven)

Best served warm with a glass of almond milk!!

Vegan Brownies with a refreshing mango curd

August 20, 2014 By Lara 2 Comments

Adapted from Osheglows

Ingredients

1.5 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp water, whisked

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/2 cup whole almonds, ground into a flour/meal & sifted

1/2 cup cocoa powder

2 African Mango Coffee

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/3 cup Coconut oil

1/2 cup cup non-dairy chocolate, divided

1 cup cup organic coconut sugar

1/4 cup coconut milk

1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9 inch square pan with parchment and grease all sides. In a small bowl, whisk together the ground flax and water and set aside.

2. In a blender or processor, process almonds into a meal/flour. Sift out large pieces. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flours, cocoa, salt, soda).

3. In a large microwave safe bowl, add chocolate and melt in microwave for about 30-45 seconds until melted or in a waterbad. Stir well and add in flax egg, sugar, vanilla, milk and coconut oil. Whisk.
4. Pour wet mixture over dry mixture and stir well. The mixture will be VERY dry, but not to worry keep mixing!
5. Scoop batter into prepared pan and place a piece of parchment on top. Spread with hands or a pastry roller until smooth and even.
6. Bake for 32-34 minutes at 350F and allow brownies to cool in pan for about 1.5 hours. Tip from Osheglows: DO NOT REMOVE BROWNIES until completely cool or they will crack apart. After an hour or so, gently separate edge of brownie from pan with a butter knife and place on a cooling rack.

Mangocurd

INGREDIENTS

2 15oz. mangoes, peeled and pitted

1/2 cup coconut sugar

4 tablespoons lime juice

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/3 cup full fat coconut milk

DIRECTIONS

Puree mangoes and sugar in a food processor until uniformly smooth.

Strain through a sieve into a saucepan.

Whisk lime juice, cornstarch, and salt in a bowl.

Heat mango puree over medium heat until bubbly, whisking constantly.

Whisk in lime

Take curd off heat and whisk in full fat coconut milk.

Cool and store in the fridge overnight.

African Mango Coffee* can;

– Boost metabolism

– Assist in thermogenic fat burning

– Suppress the appetite

– Act as a fatigue fighter

– Lower cholesterol

– Work as an overall health booster

The coffee contains an extract of the African mango’s seeds which has a large amount of healthy fats and fibre.

Research on African mango shows beneficial effects for diabetes and obesity, as well as analgesic, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and GI activity.

Every cup of our African Mango Coffee contains 150mg of the African Mango superfood supplement –which research has shown to be an ideal intake to reduce fat around the waist, thighs, hips and buttocks. Along with weight loss, our African Mango Coffee can also bring down cholesterol, blood glucose and leptin levels.

Benefits:

Thermogenic fat burning:
Upon further investigation following the study, it was found that the African mango allowed large amounts of fat to be burned through the process of thermogenesis by increasing the body’s core temperature, resulting in large amounts of fat being burned without the loss of muscle.

Appetite Suppression:
Since African mango increases the levels of the hormone leptin, studies found that it also plays an important role in appetite suppression allowing you to maintain a healthy diet without the fear of uncontrollable food cravings that are so common with beginning a healthy eating plan and can mean the difference between success and disaster when it comes to losing weight.

Reducing Cholesterol Levels:
After extensive research it has been found that African mango also has been proven to reduce cholesterol levels and improve heart function in the long term. Studies have also shown that it does not interact with prescription cholesterol medication, making African mango an excellent addition to your diet if you have higher than average cholesterol.

*source Coffeenotcoffee

The worlds easiest Chocolate Coconut Truffles with a secret ingredient

April 14, 2014 By Lara 6 Comments

You have never seen a faster recipe! And yap it is also vegan!
All moist in the inside and topped with roasted Coconut

3/4 cup coconut milk (not “light” or low-fat variety)
11 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/4-1/2 tsp coconut extract, optional
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 lb chocolate candy coating
A handful of GOJI Berries (place 3-4 in each truffle)

Toasted or flaked coconut to decorate

Preparation:

1. Place the finely chopped chocolate in medium heat-safe bowl and set aside. Place the coconut milk in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.

2. Heat the coconut milk until it is just under a boil—bubbles should appear along the sides of the pan, but it shouldn’t be bubbling vigorously.

3. Pour the hot coconut milk over the chopped chocolate and allow it to sit for one minute to soften the chocolate, then gently whisk them together until the chocolate is melted and it becomes a smooth, shiny chocolate ganache.

4. If you leave the ganache plain, it has a subtle fruity flavor from the coconut milk, but it is not extremely noticeable and you could add other extracts or additives to make other flavors of vegan truffles. If you want to increase the coconut flavor, add 1/4 tsp of coconut extract to the ganache. Taste it and add up to 1/4 tsp more if you prefer a stronger coconut flavor.

5. Press a layer of cling wrap directly on top of the ganache, and refrigerate it until it is firm enough to scoop and roll, about 1 hour. If you wait too long it will get very stiff and hard to work with, so it’s best to check it after an hour to make it easy to shape the truffles.

6. Pour the cocoa powder in a shallow bowl. Dust your hands lightly with cocoa powder. Use a spoon or a small candy scoop to form small balls from the ganache, and roll them between your hands to get them round. You can finish them by rolling them in a thin coating of cocoa powder, or rolling them in shredded coconut, toasted or untoasted. If you would prefer to dip them in chocolate, continue on to the next step.

7.Melt your chocolate candy coating in the microwave until it is smooth and fluid. Using forks or dipping tools, dip a truffle until it is completely submerged in the melted coating, then bring it up out of the coating and tap the fork against the lip of the bowl to remove excess. Place the truffle on a foil-covered baking sheet, and while it is still wet, sprinkle the top with toasted or untoasted coconut.

8. Repeat until all the truffles have been dipped. Place tray in the refrigerator to set the coating for about 15 minutes. Vegan Chocolate Coconut Truffles can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 weeks, and are best served at room temperature.

Also cute as a gift!

adapted from:

http://candy.about.com/od/coconutcandyrecipes/r/Vegan-Chocolate-Coconut-Truffles.htm

Vegan Chocolate Mint Fudges

March 22, 2014 By Lara Leave a Comment

Ingredients

1 cup coconut oil
3/4 cup cacao powder
1tsp vanilla
1/4 cup sweetener (rice malt/maple syrup/coconut sugar)
*You can skip this step and use melted dark chocolate if you prefer.

Mint Filling:
1 cup soaked cashews
1/4 desiccated coconut
1/2 cup milk of choice
1/4 cup coconut oil 1 cup baby spinach leaves
Handful of mint leaves
A drop or two of peppermint essence (optional)

Method:
Make raw chocolate by whisking ingredients together in a bowl. Spread a thin-medium layer at the base of your chocolate moulds. Refrigerate for 10mins or until firmly set. Make mint filling by processing cashews, coconut, milk & coconut oil in a food processor. Mixture should be completely smooth so keep processing. Add mint leaves, spinach & essence and blend until leaves have fully disintegrated. Pour the filling over the chocolate. Freeze until firm. Pour remaining chocolate over filling and refrigerate overnight.

Recipe from @talinegabriel

Raw Vegan Bountys

March 17, 2014 By Lara 6 Comments

Hello Readers. If you are from the icaniwillsummerbody challenge and you like to reduce your sugar intake: Try these heavenly vegan Raw Coconut Bountys!

Make the healthy SWITCH. Raw Coconut Bountys for Storebought Bountys

For the bars:
1 cup desiccated coconut
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 tbsp agave nectar/maple syrup/coconut sugar

For the raw chocolate coating:
3 tbsp cacao butter or coconut oil
2 1/2 tbsps cacao powder
1 tbsp maple syrup/agave nectar

Put half of the desiccated coconut in a food processor and process for 15 or so minutes, until it forms a runny coconut butter, then combine with all the rest of the ingredients for the bars in the food processor and process for a few minutes until it forms a thick mixture. Either spread out flat in the bottom of a small baking tray, or roll into the desired shapes, then place into the freezer to set.

Whilst the coconut is freezing, get to work on the raw chocolate coating. Place the cacao butter or coconut oil into a small glass bowl that is sitting in a pot of hot water to form a water bath so that it can melt. If necessary, turn the heat up under the pot to a low heat, but be careful not to get any water into the cacao butter. Once the cacao butter is liquid, add the cacao powder and sweetener, mixing vigorously to prevent any lumps.

Now comes the fun part 😀 dip your coconut bars into the raw chocolate mixture, and then place onto a piece of greaseproof paper to set. The coldness of the coconut should make the chocolate set almost immediately so that they are ready to eat, so enjoy, or freeze to keep them in their best condition.

Chocolate

Footer

Instagram