Holy heck, it’s been quite the week. On Sunday, my husband brought home a little chihuahua puppy and it’s been craziness ever since. After Witter passed away in September, I knew in my heart that I could never have another cat. She was my baby and, if I’m being honest, I still cry about her all the time. She was my best little gal. We decided that a small dog would best suit our lifestyles and started searching for one. As luck (fate) would have it, Kenny’s aunt was looking for someone travelling from Toronto to St. John’s to transport a puppy for a friend of hers. It just so happened that Kenny would be in Toronto on business and long story short, we decided to get a puppy too!
Meet Olive! She’s a long haired chihuahua with a heart of gold. She’s a teeny tiny, fits in the palm of your hand bundle of happiness that enjoys snuggling and peeing on the floor. Dog parenting is much different that cat mom’ing, that’s for sure. I’ve never had a dog so I’ve been busy doing some reading about training and socializing a wee pup. Potty training is going well (so far) and I’m mostly just concerned about making sure she’s well adjusted to her new life. If you see me around the city I’ll, more of than not, have a teensy puppy tucked under my arm, so feel free to come say hi and meet our newest addition!
As promised, here’s another recipe for the holidays. Gluten-free, vegan and the most decadent, it’s the perfect cookie bar to add to your baking list. The base of this bar is a gingerbread blondie which can be made on its own and enjoyed. It refrigerates very well so you could make these a few days in advance and keep them stored for when you have visitors (or sneaking one at midnight…)
Hope your Saturday is great! I’m heading to a craft fair, a holiday fitness class and getting the house decorated for the holidays today. I love this time of year!
Sincerely,
Les
Ingredients:
for the base:
dry:
- 1/2 cup oat flour (blend oats to fine powder)
- 2 T coconut flour
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 1/4 t salt
- 1/4 t baking soda
- 2 T arrowroot starch
- 2 t gingerbread spice
wet:
- 2 T fancy molasses
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1 T maple syrup
- 2 t vanilla
- 1/2 cup almond butter
- 1 flax egg (1 T ground flax + 3 T warm water)
- 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
for the chocolate layer:
- 1 cup vegan dark chocolate chips (I use Hu Kitchens baking gems)
- 1 T coconut oil
for the top:
- 2 cups vegan marshmallows (I use mini Dandie’s)
- extra gingerbread spice
Method:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line an 8×8 brownie pan with parchment paper.
Combine dry ingredients for gingerbread base. In another small bowl, combine wet ingredients using an electric mixer. Pour wet ingredients into dry and stir or mix until well incorporated. Pour mixture into parchment lined pan and bake 18-22 mins (or until toothpick poked through centre comes out clean). Remove from heat and allow to cool.
In a microwave safe dish, melt chocolate chips and coconut oil in 30 second increments, stirring often until completely melted. Pour chocolate layer over gingerbread base. Place in the refrigerator and cool and harden completely.
Set oven to broil (top rack) and sprinkle marshmallows on top of the chocolate layer covering the entire surface of the pan. Sprinkle with additional gingerbread spice. Broil marshmallows until browned and melted slightly into chocolate. Keep a close eye on the bars because this should only take 1/2 mins to broil. Once cooled, cut your bars and enjoy!
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