Refined Sugar-Free

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies made with natural peanut butter, dark chocolate chips, and hearty oats for the best texture and taste.

I was guilty of blasting Christmas music before Thanksgiving this year.

Because we leave for Germany in mid-December, everything holiday-related that I want to do here in the states has been a bit premature.

I resisted the urge to get a Christmas tree and instead have our gifts arranged under our giant monstera, now fondly referred to as the “Christmas monstera”.

What I really wanted to do was actually hang ornaments on the plant, but I care too much about her to risk damaging her structure for the novelty.

Anyway, so you get the idea, it’s been a truncated end to the year here at F&V HQ.

Being a recipe creator, I’m pretty used to being out of sync with the seasons.

As the goal is always to be ahead on content, that means creating holiday cookies before holiday cookie season.

Speaking of cookies, I have things to say about these circular baked goods.

I’m hereby proclaiming myself the cookie queen because I have the *best* new cookie recipe to share with you.

Save this one and share it with your friends, partners, parents, kids, and Santa himself.

These Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies are made with peanut butter, chocolate chips, and oatmeal for best texture and taste!

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Vegan Chocolate Chunk Cookies

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Vegan Chocolate Chunk Cookies made gluten-free with almond and oat flour and bursting with chocolate chunks. The perfect classic cookie!

It’s cookie exchange time!!!

My favorite part of baking is sharing my creations with others (yes, even more than eating them!).

That’s why I send M to work with platefuls of treats all year round.

So I’m *so* glad that it’s finally seasonally appropriate to bake cookies and give them to everyone!

It came to my attention recently that, while I have cookies with chocolate chips in them in my recipe archives, I don’t have a *classic* chocolate chip cookie.

You know, the chocolate chip cookies from your childhood, chewy and fluffy and loaded with chocolate pieces.

I might be biased, but I always preferred chocolate chunks to chocolate chips.

That’s because chocolate chunks are usually bigger than chips, and more chocolate is always a good thing.

These Vegan Chocolate Chunk Cookies are made gluten-free with almond and oat flour and bursting with chocolate chunks.

They are, dare I say, the perfect classic cookie!

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Vegan Holiday Fruit Cake

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Vegan Holiday Fruit Cake made with no-added-oil baked with almonds, applesauce, and Fruit Bliss Organic Fruit Medley for a sweet festive cake to share.

Friends, my house is officially decorated for the holidays.

Now, I’ve always been a “let’s wait until after Thanksgiving and then everything is fair game” kind of a Christmas enthusiast.

However, this year it feels like I need to get a head start.

It was a very rational decision I made based on the fact that we leave for Germany in a month paired with the very emotional allure of the Christmas box.

After much debate, I decided to put out all of my Christmas decorations this week!

I’ve got to say, I have zero regrets about it, as I write this post in the multi-color glow of the ceramic Christmas tree my grandma made for me.

And it’s fitting, really, because I have the ultimate holiday recipe for you today.

This isn’t your grandma’s fruit cake, this is Vegan Holiday Fruit Cake!

Unlike traditional fruit cakes, this one is vegan, gluten-free, refined-sugar-free, and made with no-added-oil.

It’s a sweet festive cake to share and one you can feel good about eating during the holiday season!

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Sweet Potato Pie Bars

By Flora & Vino 1 Comment

Vegan and gluten-free sweet potato pie bars with an almond flour crust, naturally sweetened with dates. The perfect portioned holiday bite!

While brainstorming pie flavors, I happened upon a recipe for sweet potato pie.

“Now that’s something I haven’t tried yet,” I thought.

Being a self-proclaimed sweet potato addict, I knew I had to make it happen before Thanksgiving to share with you.

As sweet potatoes are gloriously sweet all by themselves, I knew it would be easy to whip them into seasonal pie!

M’s brain tells him that everything orange is pumpkin, so he has referred to this recipe multiple times as “pumpkin pie”.

To which I corrected him with an exaggerated sigh and huffed, “it’s *sweet potato*!” in response.

While it’s understandable that you confuse the two (they’re both orange and delicious) I like to think these sweet potato pie bars are something special.

These vegan and gluten-free Sweet Potato Pie Bars are made with an almond flour crust and a fluffy sweet potato interior.

Served them in squares with a dollop of coconut whip for the perfect portioned holiday dessert!

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Apple Cider Mulled Wine

By Flora & Vino 1 Comment

Apple cider mulled wine made with a bottle of white wine, whole spices, apples, and apple cider. Perfect to cozy up to in wintertime!

The first year that I spent the holidays in Germany, I drank a lot of mulled wine.

That’s because mulled wine is kind of a thing in Germany this time of year.

You can buy it at every Christmas market and outdoor event, and friends heat it up at home for social gatherings.

Like most things, I think mulled wine tastes best when it’s homemade.

I brought the tradition back to the U.S. with me, and love to make a pot when it starts to get cold outside.

Typically, mulled wine is made with red wine, but it can be done with white wine, too!

By making it yourself, you can control the sweetness, which is the main reason I prefer homemade over store bought.

This Apple Cider Mulled Wine is my latest favorite creation; a seasonal mix of apple cider and mulled wine.

It’s made with bottle of white wine, whole spices, apples, and apple cider.

It’s perfect to cozy up to in wintertime, and is best enjoyed with company.

Grab a wine lover and let’s dress your wine up for winter with this cozy recipe!

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Vegan Pumpkin Buckwheat Pancakes

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Super fluffy Vegan Pumpkin Buckwheat Pancakes with gluten-free flour, pumpkin purée, and fall spices. Perfect for a weekend breakfast topped with SunButter!

Ever since making my Blueberry Buckwheat Pancakes earlier this year I’ve been dreaming of ways to add more buckwheat to my mornings.

M and I don’t often eat breakfast together, so I love it when we come together at the breakfast table for pancake Sunday.

Since I’m currently adding pumpkin to everything, let’s add it to our pancakes.

So, I made you Vegan Pumpkin Buckwheat Pancakes!

They’re made gluten-free with buckwheat flour and are perfectly seasoned with pumpkin purée and fall spices.

Make a stack for a weekend breakfast topped with SunButter!

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Peanut Butter Stuffed Dates

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Peanut butter stuffed dates for a quick and healthy snack made with gooey Medjool dates, creamy peanut butter, and dark chocolate chips. So good!

We’ve allllll been there.

It’s been a long day that just keeps going and you’re completely out of snack options.

Or maybe you’ve got all your snack options around but you’re just really freaking tired of them.

In times like this, keeping it simple is important.

These Peanut Butter Stuffed Dates were born from one of these exact circumstances.

It was a Sunday and I hadn’t been to the grocery store so the fridge was bare bones and my need for a snack was dire.

In a moment of inspiration, I grabbed a Medjool date, pitted it, then spooned in peanut butter and finished it with dark chocolate chips.

The moment I sunk my teeth in I new it wouldn’t be the first time I had this pairing.

Peanut butter stuffed dates are a quick and healthy snack made with gooey Medjool dates, creamy peanut butter, and dark chocolate chips.

Try them out for a quick snack or dessert when you’re in a pinch!

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Vegan Pumpkin Spice Bread

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

Vegan pumpkin spice bread made in 1-bowl with a mix of almond flour, oats, and plenty of pumpkin. It’s the perfect fall breakfast, snack, or dessert!

This October marks a year since I ran my first marathon!

It’s hard to believe that a year ago I ran 26 miles because this year, well, I haven’t run much at all.

This week I decided to commemorate all of the work I put in last year running a 5K around my neighborhood.

It was humbling reminder of how goals change over time, and that that’s OK.

Last year I trained to run marathon, and this year I’m focused on being the strongest version of me.

I had forgotten how much I love running; propelling myself over concrete, grass, and asphalt while my worries take the backseat.

Do you know what else I missed?

The smell of vegan, gluten-free, and no-oil-added pumpkin bread baking in a glowing oven.

This Vegan Pumpkin Spice Bread is made in 1-bowl with a mix of almond flour, oats, and plenty of pumpkin.

Bake it for the perfect fall breakfast, snack, or dessert!

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Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Vegan chocolate cheesecake with a gluten-free almond-oat crust, dairy-free cashew coconut cream cheese filling, and 2-ingredient chocolate ganache topping.

It’s a rare occasion to see M really enjoy sweet things.

While I enjoy my daily dose of dark chocolate, he would much rather eat all of the salty savory snacks.

So he usually skips dessert, unless said dessert starts with “cheese” and ends with “cake”.

This Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake has three layers of chocolate-y goodness that work together for a cacao explosion.

It was inspired by the Vegan Raspberry Cheesecake that I make every year for M’s birthday.

This vegan chocolate cheesecake is made with a gluten-free almond-oat crust, dairy-free cashew coconut cream cheese filling, and 2-ingredient chocolate ganache.

It’s perfect to make for birthdays, the upcoming holiday season, or any day you want to celebrate with a forkful of something intensely chocolate.

You deserve it.

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Flourless Vegan Brownies

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

Flourless vegan brownies made with black beans, nut butter, and naturally sweetened with maple syrup and dark chocolate. The best black bean brownies!

Where did September go, friends?!

I haven’t done much baking this fall, so let’s change that today.

And I have the perfect recipe; one I’ve been saving for just the right moment.

I know what you’re thinking.

“Black bean brownies, Lauren?! That’s SO 2017. ”

So let me preface this by saying that nothing about these black bean brownies tastes like black beans.

These Flourless Vegan Brownies are dense, fudgy, and chocolate-y with just 5 easy ingredients.

The best part is that they’re packed with plant-based protein, fiber, and healthy fats.

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Refined Sugar-Free

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