Vegan Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars

September 30th, 2015 | Posted by Milana in Dessert | Recipes - (0 Comments)

 

Vegan Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars

 
Hi everyone! Hope your week is going well despite the depressing weather here in NY. I guess the fall season is always rather gloomy especially with Halloween coming up exactly a month from today. Pumpkin season has officially begun and I better get started with my pumpkin treats. Speaking of treats I originally stumbled upon this amazingly easy recipe from Sally’s Bake Blog. I tweaked it a bit and made it my own and they’re a huge hit! This recipe is vegan but it’s very versatile and you’re free to add anything that you like to it in terms of toppings such as dried fruit, different chocolate pieces or candy, nuts/seeds of all kinds and more. I really love this recipe since it is oh-so-effortless but looks like you spent hours making them. Hopefully you will appreciate them as much as I do. They’re packed with protein, antioxidants, and fiber! Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

1 Cup Organic All Natural Peanut Butter (make sure the ingredients are just peanuts and salt)

1/2 Cup Dark Brown Sugar (you can use any brown sugar. I just prefer the rich molasses flavor)

2 tsp Organic Vanilla Extract

1 Cup Organic Old Fashioned Rolled Oats

1 Cup White Whole Wheat Flour or any flour that you like

1 tsp Baking Soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 Cup Organic Almond Milk (unsweetened) but you can use any milk that you like

1/2 Cup Sliced Organic Almonds

1/2 Cup Vegan Chocolate Chips or any kind will work too

1/2 cup of any additional toppings that you like

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 350F degrees. Line a 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper or spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.

With an electric or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the brown sugar and peanut butter on medium speed until light in color and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the vanilla, scraping down the sides as needed.
On medium speed, add in the flour, oats, salt, and baking soda. The dough will be very thick and clumpy, but it will come together. Slowly add the milk in a steady stream, mixing until a dough forms. Fold in chocolate chips , alomonds and any other fixings you want.  Use your hands to make sure everything is combined, if needed.
Once dough is completely combined, press it lightly into the prepared baking dish. Bake for about 17-20 minutes until the bars are lightly golden and set. Allow to cool completely and cut into squares. I keep mine in the refrigerator in a covered container. Bars will be good stored up to 2 weeks. And in the freezer for about 2 months. 

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Rating: 5.0/5 (2 votes cast)

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Lower Fat Chocolate Molten Lava Cake for 2

March 3rd, 2015 | Posted by Milana in Dessert | Recipes - (0 Comments)



Everyone knows that usually lava cakes require eggs and additionally egg yolks that further increase cholesterol and fat contents per serving. Of course everyone wants the luxurious velvety textures without all the artery-clogging effects. Therefore, I have found this recipe that makes scrumptious lava cakes with much lower fat and saturated fat contents. Give this a try and I promise you won’t miss the eggs! Especially when each serving comes out to a staggering 281 calories with 6.1 grams of insoluble fiber compared to 590 of the traditional version with zero grams of fiber but loaded with sugar, much higher cholesterol and overall fat contents. 

INGREDIENTS:

2 Tbsp White Whole Wheat Flour

3 Tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1/4 tsp Baking Powder & Baking Soda

2 Tbsp Semi Sweet Chocolate Chopped (60% cocoa)

2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter or Coconut Oil*

1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp Nonfat Plain Greek Yogurt

2 Tbsp Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

2-6oz. Ramekins

*if using coconut oil it will alter the saturated fat per serving since it is a plant based saturated fat. 

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 350F. In the meantime, spray your 6oz. Ramekins with cooking spray. 

Sift your flour,cocoa, baking powder,and baking soda. 

In a double boiler melt chocolate with butter. Add sugar and whisk well until sugar dissolves. Fold in flour mixture. Add yogurt and milk until mixture is nice and smooth. 

Pour mixture evenly into ramekins and bake 6-7 min. The cakes should be firm all around and liquid-like in the center. 

Invert cakes onto plate. Dust with powdered sugar and top with berries or a compote of your choice.  Enjoy! 




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Rating: 5.0/5 (3 votes cast)

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Silky Double Chocolate Pie

December 15th, 2011 | Posted by Milana in Dessert - (0 Comments)

This smooth and silky pie will satisfy anyone’s sweet, chocolaty craving!! This is one of my favorite recipes by Chef and Registered Dietitian, Ellie Krieger, who has her own show on the cooking channel called HEALTHY APPETITES. I’ve made this pie in the summer since it’s served cold. But I just made it a few days ago and it goes very well with a hot cup of tea or coffee.

Ingredients:

  • 14 graham cracker squares (7 full sheets)
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin or agar agar
  • 1/3 cup boiling water
  • 2/3 cup cane or coconut sugar, plus 1/2 teaspoon
  • 1/3 cup cocoa unsweetened
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch or arrowroot powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 3 cups Unsweetened Original Ripple milk
  • 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • Can of coconut whipped cream

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray.  In a food processor, process the graham crackers until finely ground. Add butter and water and process until the crumbs clump together. Press the crumb mixture into bottom of pie plate and about 1-inch up the sides. Bake for 10 minutes, then let cool.

In the meantime, make the pudding. Put the gelatin in a small bowl, add the boiling water and stir until dissolved. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, mix the 2/3 cup of sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt. Gradually add half of the milk, whisking until smooth. Whisk in the rest of the milk. Turn the heat on to medium and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and comes to a boil, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add the chocolate and stir until melted. Stir in the vanilla and reserved gelatin. Pour the mixture into the pie crust and let set for 3 hours in the refrigerator.

Garnish the pie with the whipped cream.

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Rating: 5.0/5 (5 votes cast)

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