Feasting on Fruit
Moist fluffy oat flour cake with two layers of cinnamon streusel and a silky glaze on top–this Vegan Coffee Cake is a delectable baked morning treat!
Sometimes when I finally crack a tricky recipe and am completely in love with how it turned out I cannot wait to share. I want to shoot the video as fast as possible, edit even faster, and have it posted yesterday. My excitement turns into an urgent need for you to know all about whatever this tasty treat is too.
With two kinds of cookie in every bite, these Chocolate Vanilla Marble Cookies are swirly soft-baked snacking at it’s sweetest! Vegan, gluten-free, oil-free.
There is something unusual about this recipe.
No it’s not the melding of two kinds of cookie into one, although this is my first time making a half-and-half cookie.
No it’s not that this is the first cookie recipe since last Christmas.
No it’s not the scrumptious soft-baked texture or the sweet baking scent of these two-toned cookies, although those things do come with. I don’t know what made these cookies so especially aromatic, but the cookie fumes they pump into Disney World could be based off of these exactly.
This Birthday Cake Overnight Oat Parfait is all the fun flavors of a sprinkle-studded birthday cake in one healthy fruit-sweetened breakfast jar!
It’s almost my birthday so I will put sprinkles in my breakfast if I want to.
In years past I have planned a cake or cupcake recipe for right around this time, sticking with classic b-day tradition. But this year I decided on a sprinkle-studded breakfast parfait because it’s as much of a party but without all the multi-layer messy frosting fuss. You could even stick a candle in top if you wanted to, but I am not responsible for any fire damage that may lead to.
Now I know I said there wasn’t any tricky layering involved in this birthday breakfast, but to earn the title of “parfait” there still have to be a few deliciously distinct layers…
The cake crumbles. At the very bottom of the jar is one of my favorite vanilla cupcakes crumbled into sweet cake chunks. A delicious end note of cake after you make it through all those sprinkles. Be sure to really smush the crumbles in though (or even put a thin layer of frosting on top) otherwise the oats will seep through and take over the bottom spot.
The funfetti oats. The main component of this party-in-a-jar and the only reason we can justify calling it breakfast is the overnight oat layer. Just because they are technically a breakfast food doesn’t mean they don’t taste like birthday though. Cake flavor courtesy of sweet vanilla extract, squishy dates, optional vanilla protein powder for extra thickness, and of course SPRINKLES!
Since we are sweetening with dates here, you will need a blender. I like to blend everything except for the oats and sprinkles until very smooth and creamy, then add the oats and briefly pulse them in. Sprinkles are best saved until the next day, and stirred in right before eating. I went with classic funfetti-style sprinkles but you could use these homemade coconut ones too.
The coconut “frosting”. Since the oats are already so thick and rich, I decided to go light and fluffy for the frosting. Coconut whipped cream works perfectly, or Cocowhip. Because sprinkles look most birthday-appropriate when resting on a fluffy cloud of something creamy!
Toppings. I don’t think the extra cake and sprinkles on top even require an explanation. It is my birthday in a couple of days, remember?
You can keep this birthday jar all to yourself, but with the cupcakes in there too it really is enough breakfast to share. Or save for dessert later–up to you!
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This Birthday Cake Overnight Oat Parfait is all the fun flavors of a sprinkle-studded birthday cake in one healthy fruit-sweetened breakfast jar!
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This insanely decadent Chocolate Mousse Cake may taste like a rich dessert indulgence but it’s made from just a few healthy whole-food ingredients right in the blender!
You are going to think I am exaggerating when I say this, but this cake tastes like chocolate frosting. On top of a crust. And it’s low fat. And I am not exaggerating at all, that was typed with a completely straight face. I even ate the last trial straight with a spoon like I used to do with frosting to be sure–it’s a perfect match!
And not just any chocolate frosting either, I’m talking about the chocolate fudge kind that comes in the plastic canister with the red lid and peel-back silver top. The kind that seems way too creamy and perfect to be true. And if by “true” you mean made from actual real naturally-occuring foods then it’s not. The kind with corn syrup as the first ingredient. Yep, that hate-to-love it stuff.
This cake has the same dreamy texture and decadent taste, but created with a completely different mix of ingredients. Not only are the ingredients leaps and bounds healthier, there are fewer of them too. The filling is actually made with just four simple ingredients: a fruit, a root, chocolate, and non-dairy milk. And just two for the crust, inspired by my favorite tart crust.
To turn this oddball mix of things into the dreamiest of creamiest frosting-like fillings requires some serious blending power. Which brings us to the other, non-edible part of what makes this recipe special: my Vitamix.
You may have noticed a slightly different blender starring in my recipe videos lately, the new clear plastic top is kind of a dead giveaway. That beautiful machine is the Vitamix A3500, part of Vitamix’s new Ascent Series.
After having the chance to get to know this new model over the past couple of months, I must say I love it. I love it all the way from its streamlined base to it clear snap-on lid that makes overhead blending shots 10 times more interesting to watch. And trust me the blades and blending power are as sharp and strong as ever!
Touch controls. Start, stop, faster, slower, pulse–it’s all done by touch. Except for the main dial, the entire control interface is touch screen (hello flat and easy to clean!) It took me less time to figure out the basics of how to operate the touch screen display than it did to unwrap the users manual. It is very intuitive especially if you are used to the controls on previous Vitamix models.
Built-in programs. In addition to the usual 1-10 dial, this blender comes with 5 different built-in blending programs as well as a timer that either shows you how long you’ve been blending (great for writing recipes!) or can be set to blend for a certain length of time.
Of the built-in program options, I definitely use the frozen dessert and smoothie ones the most. I usually stand by for a bit to add more liquid or use the tamper as needed with those, but once it gets going it comes out creamy and perfect every time. It is especially nice if you are like me and make the same go-to smoothie frequently so you know the amounts already. I can clean-up and put stuff away while it blends without having to worry about over-blending, which I love. It’s like smoothie autopilot! And the countdown timer is nice too so I’m not just guessing how much longer it has to go.
A quick note. Because of all these smarter features, the containers from previous models do not work interchangeably with this base. Only Self-Detect containers do. I was a little surprised by this at first as I used to use my smaller 32oz container most of the time. However, I’ve gotten used to using the 64oz container and this one has quickly become my go-to blender for pretty much everything. And supposedly more Self-Detect containers/sizes are coming soon, so that’s exciting!
The bubble button! I can’t even tell you how much I love this. If you are anything like me and too often give in to the rinsing-is-good-enough temptation, then this little feature will save your beautiful blender container from getting the dreaded cloudy-not-clean look. One button, walk away, and 35 seconds later it’s clean. The lid, the sticky stuff on the sides, the bothersome bits under the blades–all of them = gone.
In the past I would turn my blender on to clean, walk away, get sidetracked, and come back to bubbles overflowing out the top. The fact that it shuts itself off saves me from cleaning up the clean up. And makes it impossible to rationalize just rinsing.
In action. Like I said, this machine has already made it’s debut in a few of my videos.
You can see it…
-Here making an extra frothy matcha latte
-Or here making cupcakes
-And here turning breakfast into a piece of (pan)cake
-And in many more soon-to-be-posted recipes!
This post is not sponsored, but I was sent this product in exchange for my honest review. If you want to learn more about this smart little self-sufficient superstar of a kitchen appliance, you can check it out -> here
Now let’s get to the elephant moose in the room, this Chocolate Mousse Cake!
One bite…okay let’s be honest, I didn’t stop to breathe think about anything until the whole first slice was demolished. One slice in and I was already thinking that THIS is the sort of elegant-meets-decadent, always-appropriate dessert that I will be whipping up for any and every special occasion from now until chocolate goes out of style (which we both know will never actually happen!)
Happy frosting-by-the-slice eating!
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This insanely decadent Chocolate Mousse Cake may taste like fudge frosting but is made from just a few healthy whole food ingredients right in the blender!
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Your favorite salty-sweet, un-baked indulgence in healthy breakfast form, this Cookie Dough Oatmeal is the ultimate easy dessert for breakfast!
One does not simply create cookie dough bits without a greater cookie dough end goal in mind. Actually one might. Okay one probably would. But in this case, one had a bigger breakfast plan involving more than just cookie dough bits + milk + a spoon.
And I promise I won’t use the word “one” again for the rest of this post, that was getting weird.
That bigger breakfast plan: Cookie Dough Oatmeal.
I’ve seen cookie dough oatmeal recipes before where the oatmeal is made to taste like cookie and then you stir in chocolate chips effectively making the oatmeal itself the dough.
But where’s the dough-y texture in that technique? Nowhere to be found.
If I asked for cookie dough ice cream and was handed ice cream with nothing but chocolate chips mixed in I would be disappointed no matter how much salty-sweet, buttery, vanilla flavor the ice cream had to it. I need the dough part of the cookie dough title to be represented somehow! The same logic applies to cookie dough oatmeal.
So I made the cookie dough bits. And stirred them into the cooking oatmeal. And it was delicious. And it satisfied all my cookie dough in a breakfast bowl standards.
Despite my ranting about how salty-sweet, buttery, vanilla flavor isn’t enough to call it cookie dough oatmeal, those things certainly don’t hurt. So I added them here too in the form of vanilla extract, a pinch of salt, and cashew butter. The first two are very familiar, but let’s talk about that last one ingredient (oops almost slipped!).
Cashew butter is quite possibly my favorite nut butter, especially the raw stuff. It’s sweet and rich and almost reminds me of…cocoa butter? That makes no sense, I know, but it does somehow. Melted into simmering oats it not only adds a buttery-delicious flavor but it also makes the end oatmeal product extra thick and creamy.
I actually opted not to sweeten this oatmeal at all because with the natural nutty sweetness of the raw cashew butter and the sprinkled-in sweetness of the date-based cookie dough bits, I don’t think you need it. You can taste and decide for yourself though–a tablespoon of maple syrup or date paste won’t hurt.
Right as those extra thick and creamy oats are almost done cooking, sprinkle in the star of the show–the cookie dough bits. Don’t add them too early or all the chocolate chips will melt and turn the whole pot into chocolate chocolate chip cookie dough oatmeal (hmmmm…?) Right as you take the pan off the heat, that’s the optimal time to add them. Then all the cookie dough flavor can meld in and the chips turn just the perfect degree of melty.
Happy breakfast cooki(e)ng!
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Your favorite salty-sweet, un-baked indulgence in healthy breakfast form, this Cookie Dough Oatmeal is the ultimate easy dessert for breakfast!
While we’re talking chocolate chip…
-Classic cookie form with a soft-baked texture and fruit-sweetened secret
-More cookie dough goodness plus the addition of peanut butter
–Chocolate chip snacking that tastes a lot like a certain popular packaged bar
-Chocolate times 3 all packed into one crinkle cookie
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