Refined Sugar-Free

Orange Hazelnut Cookies

Flourless cookies with hazelnut butter, fresh squeezed orange, and a whole hazelnut center. Oil-free, grain-free, and naturally sweet with coconut sugar!

The holidays are upon us, friends!

It’s been back to back Christmas parties, shopping, and gift wrapping around here.

How about you?

Since I don’t have a Christmas tree yet, I have a Christmas corner piled high with half-wrapped gifts, runaway bows, and inked gift tags.

And of course, lots of holiday baking.

Is there anything better than sharing something homemade and sweet with friends and family?

M and I aren’t the biggest dessert people, so I’m always trying out new cookie recipes that are anything but typical.

These cookies are fun and seasonal without being so obvious about it; unlike a sugar cookie or a gingerbread man.

This is a cool Christmas cookie that doesn’t know quite how cool it is, friends.

These Orange Hazelnut Cookies are made with just seven ingredients, including hazelnut butter, raw hazelnuts, and fresh squeezed orange!

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Cranberry Apple Crumble

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Cranberry apple crumble with an oat and SunButter crumble topping naturally sweetened with maple syrup. Perfect for a festive breakfast or dessert!

So, this recipe was originally going to be a Cranberry Crumble.

You know I love alliteration, and the double C around Christmas-time was just too much to pass up on.

But after I went apple picking I had an excess of orchard apples and decided it would be wrong *not* to throw the apples into the mix.

So the Cranberry Apple Crumble was born, and I think you’re going to appreciate the addition of apples in this mix.

The combination of tart cranberries and sweet juicy apples topped with a sweet Sunbutter and oat-based crumble is easy, delicious, and so versatile!

I’ve already made this Cranberry Apple Crumble THREE times this fall and each time I love it a bit more than the next.

It’s totally vegan, gluten-free, and refined-sugar-free and created with no-added-oils.

It’s perfect for a fun breakfast, dessert, or snack for the holiday season to make and share!

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Pecan Pie Bars

By Flora & Vino 1 Comment

Vegan and gluten-free pecan pie bars with an almond flour crust, naturally sweetened with dates and packed with pecans. The perfect vegan pie alternative!

For Thanksgiving last week, we had *three* kinds of pies.

Pumpkin, apple, and pecan.

I had the corner on Pecan, because I decided Thanksgiving was the perfect day to test Pecan Pie Bars on my family!

(I usually try to recipe test on days I see a lot of people to get rid of leftovers in exchange for honest reviews.)

The feedback was a resounding thumbs up!

Don’t worry, I perfected the recipe since then so you don’t have to test on yours.

These Pecan Pie Bars are made with just seven ingredients in under an hour for a sweet, nutty treat.

It’s kind of a pie, and kind of a bar, built in three layers of deliciousness.

They start with an almond flour crust, followed by a date-nut based filling, and finally, topped with crunchy whole pecans.

They’re totally vegan, gluten-free, and naturally sweetened with only dates!

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Vegan Mexican Hot Chocolate

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Vegan Mexican hot chocolate made dark chocolate, cacao, and warming spices like chili powder and cinnamon. Perfect for a cold day treat with a kick!

How was your Thanksgiving, buds?!

I got to see my aunt and uncle for the first time since 2019, which was extremely special.

We sat around my parents’ dining room table and laughed and shared lots of delicious food together.

Then, on Black Friday, I started blasting Christmas music through my Sonos speakers around the house.

By 5 PM, M announced that he was feeling a bit underwhelmed by the songs on repeat already.

So I scaled back a bit to save room for the most wonderful time of the year.

But today is December first, so if it’s not a day to play holiday jingles then I don’t even know.

It’s also the season to make steaming mugs of hot chocolate!

If you’re looking for a new spin on your classic hot cocoa, this recipe is a fun upgrade!

The Vegan Mexican Hot Chocolate is a fun spin on plant-based cocoa with warming spices like chili powder and cinnamon.

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Chocolate Caramel SunButter Cups

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Easy 4-ingredient dark chocolate cups stuffed with a SunButter and date-based caramel center. Make them for a quick dessert to enjoy and share!

Are you still working your way through Halloween candy?

When I was a kid I used to have a gallon ziplock bag of my Halloween candy stashed on top of the freezer for *months*.

Even as a child I was comically self-restrained and preferred to dose out sugary gratification in tiny bite-sized doses.

I think I doled myself out a single candy bar a day to make the pre-packaged sweet stuff last longer.

This way I could make the treasure last until Christmas, right?

Wrong.

Well, sort of.

Because I’ve got something better.

I need you to stash the store-bought stuff and make these Chocolate Caramel SunButter Cups.

These easy dark chocolate cups are made with just 4-ingredients and stuffed with a SunButter and date-based caramel.

They’re vegan, gluten-free, and refined-sugar-free, making them suitable for everyone to sink their teeth into this holiday season.

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Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

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Chocolate thumbprint cookies made grain-free, gluten-free, and naturally sweetened with coconut sugar. Finish them with a melty dark chocolate center!

Welp, the time changed this past weekend.

The extra hour of sleep felt nice initially, but by the evening I was tired and slightly confused when the neighborhood was dark before 5 PM.

I’m always a bit miffed to have less daylight; truncating outdoor activities and natural light photoshoots and time to soak in Vitamin D.

But there is something about the darkening days that makes home feel, really, well, home-y.

Where else do you want to go when the sky is already dusky and dark after work?

Home.

Yeah, falling forward makes me crave fuzzy blankets, binge-worthy shows, and cuddles on the couch.

And maybe…just maybe…cookies!

These Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies are definitely on my Christmas baking list.

They’re made with just 7 vegan, gluten-free, and refined-sugar-free ingredients, complete with a salty dark chocolate center.

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Cinnamon Tahini Walnut Banana Bread

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

Cinnamon tahini walnut banana bread made gluten-free with almond flour, oats, and tahini, naturally sweetened with coconut sugar and bananas!

So, when is too soon to start watching those cheesy Hallmark holiday movies?

Oh come on, I know you love them too.

I’d say anytime past Halloween is probably the beginnings of the “holiday season”; what do you think?

Every season I get giddy this time of year thinking about crisp Christmas cards and fresh first snows and the smell of pine needles.

The temperatures are definitely dropping here and I really have to bundle up for my daily walks.

Holiday season or no, it’s the perfect time to turn on the oven and bake a loaf of bread.

I’ve been saving this recipe for colder weather!

This Cinnamon Tahini Walnut Banana Bread is made in just one bowl with plenty of tahini, texture, and natural sweetness!

Grab some spotty bananas and your favorite jar of tahini and let’s make some brag-worthy bread.
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African Peanut Butter Stew

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Vegan peanut stew made with organic peanut butter, collard greens, and root vegetables in a tomato broth. Serve by itself or over grains!

When we had my friends over for dinner a few months back, they raved about a peanut stew they’d made together.

“It tasted *better* than takeout!” they both agreed.

I’m all about reducing my takeout budget, and the thought of a peanut stew really sounded like something special.

So I set out testing my own peanut stew with root veggies, leafy greens, and plenty of peanut butter.

What I came up with is my variation on African Peanut Stew that tastes like a big winter win.

This African Peanut Butter Stew was an instant favorite of ours, so I’m really excited to share it with you.

It’s flavorful, thick, creamy, cozy, and so versatile!

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Vegan Chocolate Chili

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Vegan chili packed with vegetables, legumes, and a delicious dark chocolate twist. This chili is cozy, thick, and perfect for a winter weeknight meal.

Hi guys, what’s up?

I’m sitting on the couch in my living room as I type up this post.

The patio is to my right, showcasing the changing colors and falling leaves through sliding glass doors.

I’ve been feeling like I want to do all of the outdoor things, like, NOW, because I know fall is so fleeting and this perfect weather won’t last.

So I’ve been prioritizing hikes with friends, dining outdoors at sunset, long runs, and outdoor climbing with M.

It hit me today that we basically only have two more months left in 2021.

Two months left in the year after 2020; is that even possible?

A lot happened this year that invited me stay in and go inward– moving to a new state, working on a cookbook, reconnecting physically with friends and family.

But I’m not here today to do a recap of 2021 (yet), I’m here to share a uniquely cozy recipe that you’ll have on repeat this fall and winter.

Say hello to Vegan Chocolate Chili.

It’s made in 1-pot with a thick broth with legumes, vegetables, and a dark chocolate twist.

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Pumpkin Fudge Layer Bars

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Pumpkin fudge layer bars made in two layers; a pumpkin-cashew-coconut based fudge on a layer of dark chocolate. Perfect for a fun fall dessert!

The Fall foliage is in full swing here on the East Coast.

I hiked White Oak Canyon Trail with my friends in the Shenandoah this past weekend.

Colorful leaves fell around us like snowflakes as we ascended the trail past *three* stunning waterfalls.

When we got to the final and largest falls we sat down and devoured lunch.

I had dark chocolate to share at the top, amongst other goodies.

“This is what you get when you take a food blogger hiking,” I joked, tossing my favorite snacks at my friends to share (but also to lighten my pack, HA!).

Afterthought: I wish I’d had these Pumpkin Fudge Layer Bars at the top.

They’re made vegan, gluten-free, and refined-sugar-free in two delicious layers.

We start with a dark chocolate base topped off with a dairy-free pumpkin fudge!

They taste as good as the fall foliage looks right about now.

Ready to fall in love?

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Refined Sugar-Free

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