My PB + J

Chocolate Cherry Granola Bars

For awhile now I’ve had homemade granola bars on my to-make list. With the weather going from the low nineties to high sixties, the Fall baking bug has set in. The warm notes of toasty grains just sounded amazing on a chilly afternoon, plus they were a great snack to send a dear friend on the road with.

Dry Ingredients: 
2 cups old fashioned oats, 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds, 1 cup sliced raw almonds, 3/4 cup wheat germ, 1/2 cup flax seed meal 

Preheat the oven to 350º. Toast grains and seeds for 15 minutes. I set the timer in five minute increments and tossed around to avoid burning. The wheat germ will burn so watch closely. 

Wet Ingredients:
1/2 cup honey, 1/4 brown sugar, pinch of kosher salt, 3 TB butter, 2 tsp vanilla 
Combine ingredients, warm on low heat until brown sugar is dissolved. 

Chop 1/2 cup tart cherries and snack on a few while doing so. 

In a large mixing bowl combine all ingredients. Add in 1/2 cup chocolate chips, the chocolate will melt coating the mixture. If you would prefer chunks of chocolate make sure your syrup is cooled before adding in cherries and chocolate. Not saying I made this mistake…

Grease a 9×9 pan with butter and pat the mixture in until distributed. Bake at 300º for 20 minutes. 

 You can also serve the granola crumbled over pumpkin greek yogurt with a nice cup of joe. It makes for a great start to any chilly morning.

the great mini pumpkin treats

It’s no secret that I love Halloween. Whenever a holiday rolls around I love sending and secretly dropping off cards and a little treat to the children in our lives. Over the weekend I was baking breast cancer awareness ribbons for The Dailey Method donation class and had some leftover dough. I decided it would be cute to bake mini pumpkins for our tricksters. Now, I am not a professional cookie baker. I have tried a few recipes and finally found the best one that works for me, it’s simple to put together and there is no chilling. Like any new recipe you should clearly read all the directions and make sure you have everything on hand. I first made this recipe for Brayden’s mushroom cookies seen here. I probably spent a good hour reading the adventures of sugarbelle blog to ensure I was knowledgeable on the recipe and technique. I cannot urge you to this before beginning. If you want to impress your friends and family with gorgeously iced cookies with a great tasting cookie to boot you must try this recipe.

When I bake I tend to do so in the middle of the night. It’s quiet and I don’t have a certain toddler begging to taste something. My baking time is my zen time. I love perfecting something and with these cookies I think I’ve finally gotten it. I am looking forward to my Christmastime baking, I will finally be able to gift pretty cookies!

Here is how I created my mini pumpkins (ignore that these cell phone pictures, it was nearly 2 am).

watch her videos on royal icing. she even has one on pumpkins and I used the technique to make a dimensional pumpkin. You basically outline and fill the immediately. Once I finished the outer parts of the pumpkins I went back in to finish the middle. I love the way they turned out. The orange of this icing was achieved my taking my leftover red from the mushrooms and mixing in gold gel. 

I took cellophane bags and added our favorite chocolate minis to the bags. Tie it off with some ribbon and you will have one impressive treat this holiday. I mailed these along with the Peanuts holiday collection to my nieces and nephew. 

Do you do something special for Halloween? If so, what is it?

meringue mushrooms

There is just something whimsy and magical about meringue mushrooms. I made them for the first time years ago when partaking in a monthly recipe challenge for a yule log. There is just something special about them that doesn’t necessarily scream holiday season yet this delicately light cookie should make an appearance at any special event. The recipe is simple to make, just allow ample time for a slow bake in a 200º oven for 2+ hours. Serve on a delicate platter or wrapped in a cellophane bag as a party favor, they’ll surely put a smile on any face. 

Thank You Tags c/o Too Cute Invites

pumpkin steel cut oatmeal {recipe}

Like every other pumpkin loving fiend out there I have found myself trying to incorporate the beta-carotene packed purée into just about anything. I would love to indulge into a silky slice of custardy pumpkin pie everyday, however, my waistline would not thank me. I began The Dailey Method Fall 30-Day challenge this past Sunday and with that came a plant-based whole/clean eating meal plan. So far on day three I am enjoying the change. My biggest problem no matter what day it is or what kind of meal plan I am following, breakfast is always the hardest meal for me. I love cheerios with sliced banana and maple oatmeal. Since I am following the diet 99% of the time I mixed my Fall favorite with a breakfast item I know I will eat. I introduce to you, an overnight slow-cooker version of pumpkin steel cut oats.

Pumpkin Steel Cut Oatmeal
inspiration from the yummy life

ingredients:

1-3/4 cups plant based milk such as unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1-1/2 cups water
1 cup uncooked Bob’s Red Mill steel cut oats
1/4 cup Wholesome Sweetners maple flavored agave (Sprouts)
1 can organic pumpkin purée (trader joe’s)
1 tsp vanilla
2 TB pumpkin pie spice
1 TB chia seeds (I used whole chia seeds not ground)
toppings: chopped toasted pecans and walnuts, agave, fresh fruit, toasted pumpkin seeds, organic frozen blueberries.

directions:

If your slow-cooker will fit a medium sized heat safe mixing bowl go this route, if not spray your slow cooker with cooking spray. In a medium bowl combine all the ingredients and mix until combined. Place the bowl into the slow cooker and fill water into the slow cooker around the bowl, about half way. Set your slow-cooker onto low and cook for 7 hours. I turned mine on at 11:30 PM and it was all ready to go for the hubby before he left for work at 6:30 AM.

The oatmeal is really thick, you can add in additional almond milk if you wish. I added in a swirl of maple agave and nuts. It was perfect and really filling.

*I prepped the mixture earlier in the evening so all I had to do was place the bowl into the slow cooker late at night. I will be doing this a lot more, it was nice having breakfast ready for all us before we even woke-up. Great for busy mornings!

vegan carrot cake cupcakes {recipe}

I’ve only baked vegan cupcakes once before. While I went on a vegan diet for one month back in 2008 it just isn’t for me per se. This past weekend I made two vegan cupcake recipes, carrot cake and dark chocolate. The cake on both were delish but the frosting on the chocolate was just weird but tasted amazing. I guess that’s what happens when you compromise real butter vs. faux. I loved these carrot cake cupcakes and I hope you will too! 

Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes
makes 24

  • 1 + 1/3 cup flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 TB cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp cloves 
  • 3/4 tsp ginger
  • 1 + 1/3 cup sugar
  • 2/3 cup sunflower oil 
  • 2/3 cup almond (or soy) milk  
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 cups grated carrots
  • 1 cup raisins
  • 1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional) 

Preheat the oven to 350º. Line your muffin tins with liners, greaseproof work best for this recipe. In a large bowl, mix together the almond milk and apple cider vinegar and let stand for a few minutes. Add the sugar, sunflower oil, and vanilla. Mix thoroughly. In another bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves and ginger. Slowly mix together the wet and dry mixtures. Add the carrots, raisins and nuts – mix until combined. Using an ice cream scoop or a 1/4 cup divide the batter evenly. Bake for 18-24 minutes or until a toothpick is inserted and comes out clean. 


Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting 

  • 1 tub tofutti brand cream cheese 
  • 2 TB vegan margarine 
  • 1 TB vanilla bean paste 
  • 1 1/2 – 2 pounds powdered sugar 


In a stand mixer beat together the cream cheese and margarine until combined. Slowly beat in powdered sugar until you reach your desired consistency. Mix in the vanilla bean paste. Frost to your liking.