Chocolate Chip Blondies

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I am incredibly amazed and overwhelmed at how many of you made and enjoyed my Double Fudge Paleo brownies last month, so much so that I made them several different ways (vegan, oat flour, GF all purpose etc)! Well, several people reached out saying they didn’t have cacao powder on hand and didn’t want to go to the grocery store, which sparked the question, ‘could the brownies work as blondies?!’ Well, my friends, with a couple MINOR adjustments, YES they absolutely can!! And I can’t believe I am about to say this but… I think they are actually BETTER than the brownies!! If you liked my Ooey Gooey Chocolate Chip cookies then you will absolute love these, too!

Without further ado…

What You Will Need:
1 1/2 Cups Almond Flour
3/4 Cup coconut sugar
1/4 Cup melted coconut oil
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 T almond milk
1/4 tsp Baking soda
Dash of salt
Dairy-free mini chocolate chips

What You Will Do: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine your Bob’s almond flour, coconut sugar, baking soda, and salt.
In a small bowl, combine melted coconut oil, whisked eggs, vanilla, and almond milk.
Pour bowl of wet ingredients into the larger bowl of dry ingredients and incorporate!
Sprinkle in some chocolate chips for extra fudge 🙂
Line a brownie pan with parchment paper, and pour batter evenly into the pan.
Top with chocolate chips.
Bake for 25 minutes, max! Stick a knife in, and when it comes out clean it is good to go!
*** IMPT *** Let it cool completely before slicing! It’s nice and gooey so you don’t want to slice it too soon.

ENJOY!! XX

 

Double Chocolate Fudge Brownies

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HELLO WELCOME TO THE BEST #GLUTENFREE BROWNIES I HAVE EVER MADE! Seriously. These PALEO, gluten-free brownies are extra fudgey and incredibly indulgent. I’ve asked you all what recipes you want to see more of, and brownies were the overwhelming winner! I hope all are safe and healthy, and while you’re home this week definitely give these a go! xx Nicole

What You Will Need:
1 1/2 Cups Bob’s Red Mill almond flour
1/4 Cup cacao powder
1 Cup coconut sugar
1/4 Cup melted coconut oil
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup almond milk
1/4 tsp Baking soda
Dash of salt
Dairy-free mini chocolate chips
Sprinkles!

** VEGAN RECIPE- sub out eggs for 2 flax eggs! (2 Tablespoons ground flax meal, 6 Tablespoons water. stir and refrigerate until it sticks together). Cook for 32 minutes at 350. 

** If you do not have almond flour, but you have GF All Purpose Flour, use 1 Cup of All Purpose in place of almond. 

What You Will Do: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine your Bob’s almond flour, cacao powder, coconut sugar, baking soda, and salt.
In a small bowl, combine melted coconut oil, whisked eggs, vanilla, and almond milk.
Pour bowl of wet ingredients into the larger bowl of dry ingredients and incorporate!
Sprinkle in some chocolate chips for extra fudge 🙂
Line a brownie pan with parchment paper, and pour batter evenly into the pan.
Top with chocolate chips and sprinkles.
Bake for 20 minutes and take a peak. Expect to bake for 25 minutes, max! Stick a knife in, and when it comes out clean it is good to go!
*** IMPT *** Let it cool completely before slicing! It’s nice and gooey so you don’t want to slice it too soon.

ENJOY!! XX

OOEY GOOEY Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Introducing the best recipe I have EVER made on NOBREAD. Bold statement, I know, but it’s TRUE. These OOEY GOOEY Chocolate Chip Cookies are PALEO, VEGAN, and GLUTEN-FREE! Like, what?! Without further delay, here is the recipe! Enjoy!

What You Will Need:

  • 6 T Coconut Oil (melted)
  • 1/2 Cup Coconut Sugar
  • 2 T Almond Milk
  • 2 tsp  Vanilla Extract
  • 1/4 Cup Maple Syrup
  • 2 Cups Almond Flour
  • 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
  • 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
  • Enjoy Life Foods Chocolate Chips Morsels (medium size)

What You Will Do:

In a large bowl, combine almond flour, baking soda, baking powder, coconut sugar, and salt.

In a small bowl, combine melted coconut oil, maple syrup, almond milk, and vanilla.

Pour bowl of wet ingredients into the large bowl of dry ingredients and combine.

Add chocolate chips… I go extra chocolatey!

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray it with coconut oil. Take a spoonful of dough and place on parchment paper.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 9 minutes. Remove and let cool! ENJOY!!
** as badly as you want to eat them STRAIGHT out of the oven, you have to let them cool so they don’t fall apart. They will still be super super gooey!!

Warning- These cookies will melt in your mouth and you WILL be addicted. xo

A Chocolate Christmas

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‘Tis the season… TO EAT CHOCOLATE! So I compiled a list of my #glutenfree chocolate faves! Enjoy! xx

Blondie Bars

Protein Hot Chocolate 

Paleo Cacao Donuts

Cacao Banana Bread

No Bake Chocolate Almond Bars

Sweet Potato Chocolate Chip Cookies

** A recipe from my exclusive E-Book!

Paleo Chocolate Avocado Bread

Coconut Cacao Pancakes made with Califia Farms Almondmilk

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PANCAKES! Do you remember when I was the queen of #glutenfree pancakes?! Two-ingredient, three-ingredient, FOUR and more… I made them all! Until I discovered my smoothie obsession and put my pancake game on pause. WELLLL, it’s time to spruce up my pancake collection… and what’s a better way to do so than by adding a little cacao into the mix?! Introducing my Coconut Cacao Pancakes! With a special thank you to Califia Farms for saving me on a day-to-day with their incredible dairy-free Almondmilk.

What You Will Need:

1 Cup Almond Flour
1/4 C Coconut Flour
1 T Honey
2 T cacao powder (TRY 2T to start!)
1/4 Cup + 1 T Unsweetened Vanilla Califia Farms Almondmilk
4 Eggs
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
pinch of salt
1 tsp Vanilla

What You Will Do:

In a bowl, combine almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda and salt.
In a separate bowl, combine Califia Farms Almondmilk, eggs, honey, and vanilla.
Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until totally combined.
Add cacao, and stir!
Spray a heated skillet with coconut oil spray.
Pour batter into 3″ diameter circles on your skillet (should be able to make 4 at a time). Let the pancakes cook for ~1 minute, or until they start to bubble/firm on top and are firm on the bottom. Flip and cook for ~30 seconds!
Stack your pancakes and top with melted chocolate chips or chocolate sauce (NECESSARY), and more toppings of your choosing! (I added more honey!)

Enjoy!

 

Hot Chocolate Made with Vital Proteins Mocha Creamer

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I talk all the time about my obsession with Vital Proteins (blog, here!), and if you follow me on Instagram, then you will see Vital Proteins on my stories pretty much daily! I’ll save you my speech on why VP and collagen are a necessary part of one’s diet (hair and nail growth, heal leaky gut syndrome, clears skin) and instead, I will talk about their NEWEST addition, Mocha Creamer! For the coffee drinkers out there, this is TOTALLY for you! And if you don’t drink coffee like myself, then this creamer is MEANT for your hot chocolate!

Order your Vital Proteins, here! 

What You Will Need:
1.5 C Unsweetened Coconut Milk
1 T Maple Syrup
2 T Cacao Powder
1 Serving Vital Proteins Mocha Collagen Creamer
Pinch of salt
Gluten-free, dairy-free mini marshmallows
What You Will Do:
Boil unsweetened coconut milk and add to Vitamix.
Add maple syrup, cacao powder, salt, and collagen peptides.
Blend on high until fully mixed!
 Serve and top with mini chocolate chips and marshmallows!

Enjoy!!!

Blondie Bars with Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips

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I’ve tried making blondies for years, but have yet to develop the perfect recipe. Well my friends, that all changed TODAY. Not only did these blondies come out just as I wanted them to, but they were delicious and totally allergy-free!! Feast your eyes on my new favorite recipe, courtesy of Enjoy Life Chocolate Chip Minis! 

You’ve seen me post Enjoy Life Baking Chocolate for YEARS now, and there is a reason for it. I am absolutely OBSESSED with it! The mini chips, dark chocolate morsels, and mega chunks are staples in my cabinets, and not only are they incredibly delicious, but the chocolate, as well as the entire Enjoy Life Foods brand, is entirely allergy-free.

I’m known to grab a handful of chocolate chips after each meal, but I also use the chocolate in just about every recipe I make. (i.e. the topping on my Classic Banana Bread and as the necessary coating for my Chocolate Avocado Marshmallow Cups)

What You Will Need:

  • 1 1/4 cup Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour 
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 Chia egg, (1T chia powder to 3T water)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Enjoy Life Baking Chocolate

What You Will Do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a bowl, mix your GF flour, baking soda, salt and brown sugar.
In a separate bowl, mix your chia egg, HALF of the vegan butter, and vanilla.
Combine the two bowls and stir/whisk until totally blended.
**We added the second half of the vegan butter AS IT WAS NEEDED. I was hoping to only need 3/4 C, but I finally got the consistency I wanted after I used the full cup. 

Add your Enjoy Life Baking Chocolate minis!!
Lay parchment paper on a baking sheet or brownie pan, and dab with remaining vegan butter so the blondies don’t totally stick.
Spread dough on the parchment paper. We opted for a thin blondie versus thick.
Bake at 350 for ~17 minutes. Check in at the 15 minute mark. They COULD have been taken out then, but I wanted the bottom to be a little bit more crisp.

Let your blondie cool for ~15 minutes and then slice into bars!
Melt more Enjoy Life Baking Chocolate in the microwave, and drizzle it on top of the bars for more chocolatey goodness!

SERVE!

Links:

 

Cacao Avocado Pudding

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Growing up I had a pudding cup in my lunch bag every day. Which explains why I am a total chocaholic now! Since going gluten and dairy-free, I haven’t had pudding! Well, it dawned on me. I use avocados in my smoothies to make my smoothies extra creamy, so why not use them with a little cacao to make my dream pudding bowl. Four ingredients later, my dream pudding bowl had been made!
What You Will Need:
2 Avocados
1/2 Cup Cacao Powder
1/4C Maple Syrup
1/2C + 2T Unsweetened Almond Milk
Pinch of Salt
1tsp Vanilla
What You Will Do:
Slice two avocados and add to a blender or Vitamix.
Add Cacao Powder, Maple Syrup, Almond Milk, Salt, and Vanilla.

Blend on high, pausing here and there to scrape down the sides of the blender if need be.
Pour into a bowl, and add your toppings! I added Banana Slices and Cacao Nibs.
Enjoy!
 
I like my pudding as is, and use toppings as a way of adding sweetness to the pudding. But if you like things EXTRA sweet like my assistant, add a little more maple syrup on top and stir it in!
This recipe makes 4 servings! 

Cacao Banana Bread

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chocbanana

So, who has made my famous banana bread?? And did you love it? It’s my go-to baked dish when I’m asked to bring breakfast or dessert to a party! Not only is it super filling, but it also uses few ingredients, and on the whole it’s pretty healthy! Well, I decided to take the recipe one step further and add a little cocoa to the mix. The result? Chocolate-y goodness.

chocbanana8

What You Will Need:
2 large very ripe bananas
1/2 cup dairy-free butter, melted
1/3 cup coconut sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 1/2 Cup Almond Flour
1/3 cup cacoa powder
OPTIONAL: Walnuts, Blueberries, Coconut Butter

chocbanana7 chocbanana6 chocbanana5 chocbanana4

What You Will Do:
Preheat oven at 350 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, mash bananas.
Add melted butter, coconut sugar, egg, and vanilla, and mix!
Separately, combine Almond Flour, cacoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
Pour your dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until all ingredients are combined.
Optional: add walnuts or dairy-free chocolate chips!
Pour batter into a 9×5″ bread pan that is coated in olive oil or olive oil spray.
Cook for ~40 minutes! When finished, let sit for 10-15 minutes before serving. chocbanana2

Chocolate Avocado Coconut Cups

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Peanut Butter Cups, Almond Butter Cups, Coconut Butter Cups… why not Avocado Cups!! Last year I made Avocado Marshmallow Cups and they were super tasty! But the filling was more liquidy than your typical nut butter cup. And although I still HIGHLY recommend making them, I decided to give this recipe another go, except this time I opted to use coconut butter in place of marshmallow to give me the nut butter cup consistency I was craving. The result? HUGE SUCCESS. Top 5 recipe of the year right here!!!

What You Will Need:
1/2 Cup Mashed Avocado (1 medium avocado)
1/3 Cup Coconut Butter
1/4 Maple Syrup (or alternative paleo sugar)
Pinch of Salt
Half Bag of GF/DF chocolate Chips
1T Almond Flour

What You Will Do:
In a small bowl, add mashed avocado, coconut butter, maple syrup, salt, and almond flour.
Mix until combined and smooth.
Line a muffin tray with Cups, and add 1T of batter to each cup.

Melt chocolate chips in the microwave (add coconut oil if need be)
Top each avocado cup with a thin layer of chocolate.


Chill in the refrigerator or freezer for at least 30 minutes, and serve!


PRO TIP: FREEZE your cups!! They LITERALLY taste like ice cream when you do!!!

No Bake Chocolate Almond Bars

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I first started making no-bake recipes because whenever I cook, I tend to eat half the batter before baking! And when a recipe has egg in it this isn’t the smartest idea. Does anyone else agree that the batter is the best part of a recipe?? With this No Bake Chocolate Almond Bar recipe you can indulge in the batter, guilt-free!

What You Will Need:
For the Almond Bake:
1 Cup Almond Butter (or other nut butter)
1/2 Cup Coconut Flour
1/4 Cup Coconut Sugar (or alternative natural sweetener)

For the Chocolate Spread:
1 Cup Vegan Chocolate Chips for melting
1/2 Cup Almond Butter (or other nut butter)

What You Will Do:
In a bowl, combine almond butter, coconut sugar, and coconut flour. Stir until totally mixed.


Line a 8″ square baking pan with parchment paper, and pour batter into the pan. Spread until the batter is even throughout.
Place in the refrigerator to cool.
In a separate bowl, melt your chocolate chips in the microwave. Add almond butter and mix!
Remove batter from the refrigerator, and pour chocolate over the batter. Spread evenly!
Place back in the refrigerator and cool for 1-2 hours before cutting.
Slice and serve!

For even firmer results, place in the freezer! You can also do a double chocolate layer and pour the chocolate spread under and on top of the almond batter.

NOTES:
This recipe can also be used to make peanut butter cups!
If you want to eat immediately, refrigerate and eat after an hour or two. But it will melt quick! For best results, FREEZE!!

Pumpkin Chia Pudding

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It’s October, and as pumpkins line the grocery stores and homes on my street, it also fills my cabinets and refrigerator. I love making classic pumpkin dishes like roast pumpkin, pumpkin pie, and pumpkin bread, but it’s also fun to incorporate pumpkin into my everyday, year-round recipes! One of my favorite recipes to incorporate seasonal flavors into is my Chia Seed pudding! When you make the pudding parfait style you can play around with the different layers, and given the time of year, I figured a Pumpkin Chia Seed Pudding Parfait sounded just right.

What You Will Need:
2 C Unsweetened Vanilla Hemp Milk
6 T Chia Seeds
1T Maple Syrup
1/2 tsp Vanilla
1/2 C Pumpkin
Dash of Cinnamon
Handful of Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips

What You Will Do:
Pour maple syrup, chia seeds, and vanilla into your bowl of hemp milk and stir.
Place in a refrigerator for minimum 1-2 hours. I like making the recipe before I go to bed, and eating it in the morning!
When your pudding is done, pour half of the pudding in a jar. Add 1/4C pumpkin. Add the second half of the pudding, and the second half of the pumpkin. Top with chocolate chips!!
Mix it all together and eat up! Or, if you’re a purist like myself, eat it layer by layer!

This recipe serves 2 people and although it may not seem like it, it totally fills you up! Enjoy!