Edible DIY Gift Ideas (+ printables!)

I have to say that my favorite part about Christmas is wrapping the gifts. When I was in college in Chicago, I had a part time job wrapping gifts at the infamous Marshall Fields on State Street. Their gift wrap room was full of rolls of beautiful wrap, ribbon, and bows – it was a small haven from the holiday chaos that was happening everywhere else outside in the city. So recently, when I was given the opportunity to go through The Container Store’s “Gift Wrap Wonderland,” I was positively giddy. Of course they have gift wrap galore, but they also adorable jars, tags,…

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Vegan Cherry Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Vegan cherry chocolate chip oatmeal cookies get a fantastic pop of flavor from dried cherries. Made with coconut oil, flax, and maple syrup.

vegan / favorites

In my opinion, these vegan chocolate oatmeal cookies are the perfect cookies. If you’re not vegan, don’t let the “vegan” part of this title distract you – there’s nothing vegan tasting about them. These are cookies that happen to be vegan because I like to save my eggs for breakfast and, well, I like to eat more raw cookie dough than the average person. These cookies are rich, chewy, and sweet, but not too sweet. They have the most delicious pop of flavor from the dried tart cherries, which are the star here. They’re soft, plump, and chewy, and they’ve made…

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Vegan Spelt Chocolate Chip Cookies

Looking for the BEST vegan chocolate chip cookies? You've found them. Double this recipe to make a bigger batch, and enjoy!

vegan

Happy Saturday! I’m so excited to share this vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe today because I just realized something: for as much as I love to bake cookies, this blog is seriously lacking recipes to show for it. Then, I realized why – the camera can hardly snap a photo before Jack reaches his hand into the frame, and they all disappear. Waiting for me to arrange warm cookies nicely on a plate is not something this guy I’m with usually has the patience for. But today, we were able to get a few shots of these, and I couldn’t be happier, because…

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Valentine’s Molten Chocolate Cakes

Valentine's Day = time for molten chocolate cake! With 6 ingredients & 20 minutes, you'll have the perfect treat to share with someone you love.

valentines day

Happy almost-Valentine’s Day! Jack here reporting on my first baking love – molten chocolate cake. See, way before this blog, I pretty much had one staple “date night” dish. That dish was seared scallops and it was always a hit. Well, one Valentine’s Day, I decided to kick it up a notch and shoot for the moon… by trying out molten chocolate cakes. I had never made anything like a molten chocolate cake before, and for those unfamiliar, it’s a cake that spills out chocolate sauce when you cut into it. It’s a great show when it works. My first time making…

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Peanut Butter Goji Berry Granola Bars

Delicious & healthy homemade granola bars made with peanut butter, goji berries, pepitas, pistachios, and a little chocolate. Gluten-free and easy to make!

vegan / gluten free / snacks & dips

Happy New Year! Today I’m guest posting over at Better Homes and Gardens’ Dish Delish Blog. These granola bars were inspired by their recipe for Chocolate-Peanut Butter Granola Bars, which reminded me of the ones my mom used to pack into my school lunch everyday. I might not have that Barbie and the Rockers lunchbox anymore, but I thought it would be fun to recreate this favorite afternoon treat in a healthier way. My version is packed with goji berries, chia seeds, pistachios, pepitas, (and of course, chocolate)… These are so quick & easy to make. Click over to the BHG Dish…

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Buttercup Squash Crumble Bars

The ultimate fall dessert - these crumbly, creamy butternut squash bars are topped with chocolate and coconut. (Plus a video!!)

holiday / baking

I had this buttercup squash (perhaps the funkiest looking squash of them all), sitting on my countertop for the longest time. It likely would have become soup had it not been for the name itself – “buttercup” which spoke to me and said: let’s make a crumbly & buttery dessert! I won’t go as far to say this is healthy, but hey, it’s the holidays and we’re making dessert, so let’s live a little. These bars are made with good quality organic ingredients (and remember: squash). This recipe is loosely based on my recipe for raspberry crumble bars. I switched out…

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White Chocolate Almond Butter Cups

holiday

We have a new favorite food and it’s not what you think. Well, ok, it is what you think, given that the title and photo in this post have given it away. Lately, I haven’t been able to make it through the Whole Foods checkout line without sneaking a package of those Justin’s white chocolate almond butter cups – have you had them? (This is not a sponsored post, btw). So I thought – how hard would it be to make them at home? First we tried to make a vegan version w/ cacao butter – total fail. (points for trying…

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Cranberry & Pistachio Chocolate Bark

Cranberry Pistachio Chocolate Bark is a quick & easy holiday recipe. It's delicious topped with dried fruit, coconut, and nuts. Vegan and gluten-free, too!

vegan / holiday

During the holidays, Jack has a thing for peppermint bark. I have a thing for not picking sticky candy pieces out of my teeth, so we compromised this chocolate bark together using festive ingredients that we both love – pistachios, dried cranberries, coconut flakes, and (most importantly!) a sprinkle of coarse sea salt. This chocolate bark is my kind of holiday dessert because it’s (naturally) red and green, and also easy to throw together. You might even already have these ingredients (or similar ones) on hand in your pantry. If you don’t – feel free to customize with whatever toppings you like…

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Vegan Chocolate PB&J Cups

vegan / gluten free

Ever think “I’d like to combine my favorite school lunch with my favorite halloween candy?” Well neither had I – until Jeanine (this is Jack, by the way) came up with this crazy and amazing snack idea. And she even put some salt on top, just to cement it as the best peanut-butter cup idea ever. I’m sorry that this post is a bit light on the photos – I kind of… ate… the subjects before we could take more follow up shots. Sorry about that. Just make your own – you won’t regret it. These are also vegan and gluten…

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Fancy S’mores

summer / whole foods / giveaway

I ate a lot of s’mores as a kid. It all started at our family’s annual summer vacations to Kentucky Lake. Later, at home, my sister and I would make them regularly in the microwave. Authentic “camp” flavor doesn’t happen in the microwave, but it was fun to watch them rise and (nearly!) explode. It probably comes as no surprise that hershey bars and jet puffed marshmallows aren’t quite my thing anymore. So, last weekend, Jack and I headed to Whole Foods where we gathered ideas and ingredients to make these fancy pants gourmet s’mores. Most of our inspiration came…

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Gluten-free Skillet Cookies

gluten free / dairy free / Pamela's

A lot of gluten free baking experiments happen around here. If you haven’t noticed them, it’s because a good many of those trials never become post-able recipes. I’ll say it (and I won’t be the first!) – gluten free baking is hard. I know many of you are pros, but for the rest of us, it can be frustrating and not to mention expensive. Today, I’m here to relieve you of all of your internet-flour purchasing by saying: just buy a pre-made flour blend. One bag, and you’re done. For years, all of my gluten free friends have sworn by…

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