Vegan Maple Nut Chocolate Oat Clusters

How’s your Saturday goin’ so far?  I think Saturday is a perfect day to bake.  It sure made this casa smell wonderful!

Before I get to the baked goodies, I just wanted to say thanks for the major shoutouts and props you all gave me on my Raw Cuke Wraps from yesterday.  I thought my food looked really purr-tey, glad you thought the same.  I would love to cook for a raw dinner party, anyone wanna come to AZ and have one with me?

As promised at the end of my last post where I told you I broke down and turned on my oven for 12 minutes…Gasp, what kind of raw foodie am I, anyway?  A flexible one who just rolls with recipes that speak to me, raw or not!

So I decided to make Heather’s Maple Nut Oaties.  I was drawn to the fact that they’re vegan, gluten, dairy, and soy free. 

My Vegan Maple Nut Chocolate Oat Clusters are adapted from Heather’s original recipe.

Pre-heat oven to 325°. Combine all ingredients and refrigerate for at least one hour.  (I didn’t do the fridge for an hour part).

 

Scoop cookie dough by TBSP (Heather said: I actually use a melon ball scooper) onto parchment lined or greased cookie sheet.  (I tried this but they were a little crumbly so I sorta half melon balled and half finger molded into the cute mountain shapes)

Pre-baking closeups

 

Bake 10-12 minutes. (I did 12 mins because they were very raw at 10 minutes).  Let cool for a minute or so, and then I just pick them up and form into balls before placing on the cooling rack.

 

After Baking

And then I wrapped a few up for Scott’s lunches.  Check out that chocolate melty action….

The Verdict?  Really awesome!   Sweet, tasty, and if you want a dessert that doesn’t feel extremely gluttonous, (see my Raw Vegan Chocolate Brownies if you want to feel gluttonous…just because they’re raw, doesn’t make ’em any less rich and decadent!) then the Maple Nut & Choco Oats are a rockin’ good choice!

The only issue I had with the oaties was during preparation.  My mixture was not sticking together very well.  I didn’t want to add more nut butter or more liquid sweetener (maple syrup or agave) because I didn’t want to mess around with the ingredients because in baking, this matters. 

Therefore, getting them neatly onto the cookie sheet was a little tricky but since being baked and cooling, they seem totally stuck together and munchable!  I think next time I make them I will use more nut butter and more agave/maple syrup as I eyeball while preparing them.  Til then, thanks HEABs for posting your delish recipe!!!

Lest you think I just live on sweet goodies, I did munch down some Raw Cuke Wraps on a bed of greens and spiralized Zuke Noods, garnished with tomatoes, red & yellow pepps, and carrots and glazed with an ACV (apple cider vingear) 2 Tbsp + 2 Tbsp Agave + 2 Tbsp OJ little dressing.  

Before I did yoga today, I had to clean my grubby mat.  I was lucky enough to receive a bottle of Wicked Witch Hazel Mat Cleansing Spray from the Bolder Mat Company.  What I loved about this product other than it being all natural and 100% vegan, is the wonderful aroma goin’ on.  Stinky, sweaty feet standing on ya mat and then rolling up the sweaty mat and stuffing it in a bag carrier isn’t exactly gonna make things smell nice, but the witch hazel and peppermint essential oils clean and refresh and smell so good.  Two thumbs up on for this spray!

Yoga today is a lift…you had better work it out peeps after stuffin’ your face with oaties!  I’d call it a variation on astavakrasana.  Traditional astavakrasana is leg to the side, but I was mixin’ it up with my leg out front.  There’s that tweakin’ again.

Tip of the Day:  Do what you love and try not to worry about the uncertainties and the potential what if’s.  Follow your passion, follow your dreams, and trust that the Universe will take care of you and give you what you need, when you need it.

What have you had serious doubts or reservations about and then things turned out okay?

:)
Averie

Stay tuned for the next kitchen appliance adventure….