Dessert

Caramel Pumpkin Butter Cups

November 17, 2016 by Zucchini Runner in Dessert, Food | Comments Off on Caramel Pumpkin Butter Cups

These delicious little creations take a little bit of skill, but I know you can do it! They are a healthy alternative to buying candy, which would be loaded with refined white sugar and gross additives. The ingredients are simple and taste AMAZING. I gave one to my dad, a sweet connoisseur and he simply said, “Wow. That’s incredible.” Win! The holidays are right around the corner, so why not create and eat something you know will be BETTER for you in the long run. No refined sugar in these babies.

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This was after freezing overnight. Highly recommended.

Homemade Vegan Chocolate (or you can melt down 24 oz. of your favorite chocolate bars or chips)
1 c. maple syrup
1 c. culinary coconut milk
1/2 c. coconut oil
1 c. raw cacao powder

Almond Butter Filling
3/4-1 c. almond butter

Pumpkin Spiced Caramel Filling
1 1/2 c. pitted dates, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes and drained
1-2 TBSP culinary coconut milk
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. maca powder (optional)

Yields 24 caramel pumpkin butter cups. No baking required, just freezing!

You will also need:
3 – quart-sized zipper, plastic baggies; 2 – muffin trays; 24 paper muffin liners; scissors; blender

Preparation

  1. Combine the first three ingredients for the vegan chocolate in your blender, and blend on low to combine. With the lid off, add the cocoa powder slowly. Continue to blend until smooth and creamy.
  2. Pour the chocolate into a quart-sized plastic baggie, zip shut and set inside a bowl to help keep it upright. Set aside.
  3. Scoop almond butter into a quart-sized plastic baggie, zip shut and set aside.
  4. For the pumpkin spiced caramel filling: place soaked dates and milk in your blender, and blend on low to start incorporating. Add spices and maca powder (if using). Puree the dates until they are a smooth, creamy paste free of any lumps or skins.
  5. Scoop date/caramel filling in the last remaining quart-sized plastic baggie, zip shut and set aside.

Assembly

  1. Line muffin tins with paper liners.
  2. Carefully cut a small corner off the baggie containing the chocolate (about a 1/4″), on the non-zipper end. You want to create an easy pour spout to fill each of the 24 cups, ~1/4″ full of chocolate. The chocolate will be very runny, so be sure to move quick and tilt the baggie up in the air after each cup is filled, to not waste any.
  3. Next, cut a small corner off the baggie containing the almond butter (see below). Put about 1-2 tsp. of almond butter in the center of each muffin tin.
  4. Place trays in freezer to set up a bit, about 10-20 minutes…

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5. Now, cut a hole in the corner of the baggie filled with the date/caramel filling. Pipe the filling around the almond butter, and fill up the center too.

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6. Use a spoon or your finger (I used my finger, cause it was easier) to flatten the caramel filling, gently into the chocolate and almond base.

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7. Top with remaining chocolate to cover the filling. Use less than you used on the bottom layer. You can tap the trays on the counter to help smooth out the chocolate and release any bubbles.

8. Sprinkle the top with a tiny bit of Real salt. You can also top with chopped almonds or add a goji berry for some added color. Have fun with it!

9. Place in freezer for a minimum of 3 hours to harden before serving; but overnight is best. Serve immediately after removing from freezer, especially if you made your own chocolate! 🙂 These will not work in the Summer months! haha

I cut my paper cups down so they looked a little nicer for the photo. Which I would do if I were bringing these to a party or potluck. But just to eat at home, we will eat them straight from the freezer!

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This was after only 3 hours in the freezer.

I think these would be delicious without the pumpkin pie spice too! For a Christmas version you could add peppermint extract and omit the cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and maca. I bet that would be amazing!

What do you think you would try; pumpkin pie spice or peppermint? Any other ideas?

Also, in case you missed it on Instagram or Facebook, let me know if you are interested in the below focus group I’m throwing together. Should be fun!

focus_groupI JUST GOT A “CRAZY” IDEA 💡Would anyone be willing to be part of a food comparison focus group? I’m thinking it would be something like: eat a meal out and then eat a version of that same meal at home, that you prepare yourself; then answer questions about each experience. What do you think?! I would use this “super official data” in a blog post. You all know I’m super big on home cooked meals, and I thought this could be a fun way to see what others notice, in addition to what I already know and notice myself. If you want more info, please comment below! 😊👍🏼✨ Thanks!!

Peanut Butter Muffins

August 10, 2016 by Zucchini Runner in Dessert, Food | 1 Comment

First of all, sorry I flaked out on last week’s post! I was just having so much fun with family, I totally lost track of the days. (Side note, I wrote that post at about 9:30 pm, poolside, from my phone!) Today’s recipe was born out of REQUESTS from friends and family on Facebook. I asked for ideas, and they answered! As a matter of fact, I have the next two weeks set as well.

What? You didn’t know you could request recipes? SURE! Why not?! If there is something I haven’t done before, and you want a healthier or vegan version of it, feel free to mention it in the comments below. So last week the top request was PEANUT BUTTER, with a little sprinkle of muffins. Sooooo… these peanut butter muffins were created! They have a mild dough, with sweet bursts from chopped up dates and a little crunch from chopped up peanuts. If you want a sweeter muffin, you can add some brown sugar (maybe 1/4 c.); but I tried to keep this on the healthier side, as always.

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Ingredients

1 1/2 c. Einkorn flour (or standard, all-purpose)
3/4 c. oats
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 flax seed eggs (2 tbsp. ground flaxseed + 6 tbsp. water)
1/3 c. creamy peanut butter
3/4 c. coconut milk
3/4 c. water
12 Medjool dates, divided in half, with half chopped
1/2 c. roasted, salted peanuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 375°F

Yields 12 muffins

  1. Combine all the dry ingredients (first 4) in a large bowl and stir.
  2. Get your flax eggs ready by combining the flax and water in a little ramekin and set aside.
  3. In a blender combine milk of choice, water and 6 of the dates, pitted. Blend very well on high, until it’s a creamy liquid.
  4. Pour sweetened milk mixture into the dry bowl mixture and stir well to combine.
  5. By now your flax egg should be thickened up; pour over mixture and stir to combine.
  6. Add the remaining 6 chopped dates.
  7. Add the peanuts to bowl, stir well to incorporate dates and nuts with batter.
  8. Add paper muffin cups to a muffin pan.
  9. Fill each cup to the brim. This made 12 muffins for me.
  10. Bake at 375°F for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
  11. Cool on a cooling rack for 30 minutes before devouring. 🙂

Here is a step-by-step slideshow showing how easy these are to make!

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These are VERY good with some jelly! 🙂

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What other recipes would you like to see on this site? Are there any other topics you’d like me to cover? And on a side note, is anyone else’s sleep schedule all messed up because of staying up late to watch the Olympics? No? Just us? haha

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