[Gluten Free & Vegan]

Do you believe in love at first bite?

You will after you try these vegan, gluten free, peanut butter banana bread bites!

These magnificent, moist, and “Mmmmmm” worthy morsels are made with oats instead of wheat, so they’re gluten free.

And the egg replacement is made by combining ground Flaxseeds with water.

These terrific treats will take your tastebuds on a trip to heaven & are sure to leave you speechless!

I bake them in a muffin pan and top them with peanut butter, so they’re almost like a cupcake!

I actually recently gifted them to a few friends who told me they’re more of a cake than a bread, so I think it’s fantastically fitting that they could be mistaken for cupcakes.

Here’s what you need to make them for a special surprise, a typical Tuesday or even on Earth Day!

Ingredients

3 Medium, Super Spotty, Browning Bananas! (The spottier, the better)
2 ½ Cups of Gluten Free Rolled (Old Fashioned) Oats – Separated
½ Cup Coconut Sugar
¼ Cup Natural, Drippy, Room Temperature Peanut Butter (Plus extra for topping)
2 Tablespoons of Ground Flaxseeds* + 6 Tablespoons of Filtered Water
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda + 2 Teaspoons Cream of Tartar (Can be substituted with 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder**)
1 Teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/4 Teaspoon Sea Salt
½ tsp Cinnamon

Awesome Optional Add-Ins

Your favorite Chocolate Chips

Notes & Nuances

*I buy my Flaxseeds whole and ground them myself in my mini Ninja Food Processor. Doing it this way keeps them fresher, longer. Once the oil that’s released when grounding is exposed to the air, it begins to break down and turn rancid, which won’t hurt you, but will affect the freshness / taste. That’s why I ground mine fresh immediately before using.

**For some strange reason, I never seem to have any baking powder on hand. So when I heard that combining Cream of Tartar with Baking Soda will have the same effect as using Baking Powder, I was thrilled! I tried it and it turned out to be true!

Here’s what you do

Step One: Preheat your oven to 350°F, use your favorite method to make your muffin pan a non-stick surface (line with papers, silicone cups, coconut oil, etc) and set aside. I lightly coat mine with coconut oil.

Step Two: Add two cups of the Old Fashioned Oats into a blender or food processor, reserving the ½ cup for later, and process until you create an “oat flour.” I use my mini ninja food processor for this.

Step Three: Ground the Flaxseeds. Then, mix the ground Flaxseeds and Filtered Water together in a small bowl, stir thoroughly, and set aside. This will create your “Flax Eggs.” Be sure to allow the mixture to sit for at least 10-15 minutes.

Step Four: Thoroughly mix the Baking Soda and Baking Powder together in a small bowl.

Step Five: Combine all the “dry ingredients” (the Oat Flour, Coconut Sugar, Sea Salt, Cinnamon & Baking Soda + Cream of Tartar mixture) in a large mixing bowl and whisk them together.

Step Six: Combine all of the remaining ingredients (Peanut Butter, Bananas, Apple Cider Vinegar, Vanilla & Flax Egg) together in your food processor & process until it is evenly incorporated. This can alternatively be done by mashing the bananas in a bowl with a fork and then mixing everything together.

Step Seven: Slowly pour the Banana / Peanut Butter mixture from the food processor into the mixing bowl with the dry ingredients and stir together until everything is evenly assimilated into a uniform “dough.”

Step Eight: Fill each muffin cup evenly with batter & bake for 20-30 minutes, until the top is golden brown and / or until a toothpick can be inserted and removed cleanly.

Step Nine: Allow the bite-sized-breads to cool slightly in the pan before removing, then transfer them to a cooling rack to allow them to finish cooling completely.

Step 10: After they’ve cooled and you’re ready to serve, spread peanut butter over the top of the bites & bon appetit!

Create, eat, & enjoy!!

Perfect at the dawn of the day, as a midday munchie or for a delicious dessert!

I don’t know about you, but when I hear the word “cookie” I automatically think, “Yes please!”

You say the words “breakfast cookie” and I’m even more excited! 

If calling it a “breakfast cookie” gives me the excuse to eat it before 8am, I’m all in! 

Not only are these cookies magnificent to have in the morning for breakfast, but they also make a magical midday pick-me-up or a delightful dessert! 

They’re also vegan & gluten free!  

So what’s not to love??

Here’s what you need:

2 ½ Cups of Gluten Free Old Fashioned Oats
4 Tablespoons of melted Coconut Oil
4 Tablespoons of ground Flax seeds**
½ Cup Filtered Water**
1/3 Cup of room temperature Natural Peanut Butter
¾ Cup of Coconut Sugar
¼ Teaspoon of Sea Salt
½ Teaspoon of Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
1/3 Cup of your favorite Chocolate Chips (optional but excellent)

**I’ve made these cookies with both chia seeds and flax seeds as the “egg substitute” with success, but I favor the flax as they have a more “rustic” feel. 

Side Note: Be sure to increase the filtered water to 1 Cup if using Chia Seeds.  

Note: While this recipe will work and will be absolutely awesome if made immediately after mixing, I find that if I mix everything up and then allow it to “rest” or “hydrate” overnight, it allows the cookies to become fluffier, fuller and quite frankly, fantastic! 

Here’s what you do:

Step 1: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper & preheat your oven to 350°F.

Step 2: Mix the flax seeds and filtered water together in a small bowl, stir thoroughly, and set aside. This will create your “flax egg.” Be sure to allow it to sit for at least 10-15 minutes.

Step 3: Add two cups of the oats to a blender or food processor, reserving the ½ cup for later, and process until you create an “oat flour.” 

Step 4: Combine all of the dry ingredients (the Oat Flour, Coconut Sugar, Sea Salt, remaining ½ cup of unprocessed Oats and Baking Soda) together in a large bowl & whisk together. 

Step 5: Melt the Coconut Oil until it’s a liquid, add it to the dry ingredients in the large bowl & stir together. 

Step 6: Add the “Flax egg,” Peanut Butter and Vanilla into the large bowl and mix everything together until they are assimilated and it forms a uniform dough.

Step 7: Fold-in the chocolate chips and stir the dough until they’re evenly incorporated.

Step 8: Allow the mixture to “rest” for at least 30 minutes, but ideally 24 hours before baking.

Step 9: Scoop the dough into tablespoon-sized scoops and place them on the cookie sheet spaced evenly apart.

Step 10: Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Step 11: Allow them to cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet, and then remove them from the cookie sheet and transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.

Store up to a week in an airtight container, though i doubt they will last that long. 😉

Create, eat, & enjoy!!