snack Archives | Cashews & Quinoa

Vegan Eggnog Bites

Published on December 19, 2019December 19, 2019 by ErinLeave a comment

Made from only 8 simple and wholesome ingredients, these Vegan Eggnog Bites (AKA Lumps of Coal) are the perfect personal-sized snack to lighten up your holiday season.

Pile of vegan eggnog bites on a white plate with white lights and a white cup of eggnog in the background.

If you’re looking for a festive snack or dessert that doesn’t require many ingredients or very much time and effort look no further than these vegan eggnog bites. They’re soft and smooth on the inside and, with an optional chocolate coating, crunchy and rich on the outside. Full of wholesome ingredients like chickpeas and cashews they are perfect for small hands. Or, with the optional addition of rum or bourbon, they’re perfect for adults as well.

Why you’ll love them

Incase you didn’t read the above paragraph, or perhaps you just need to hear it again to be convinced, here’s why you should make a batch of vegan eggnog bites:

Wholesome
Simple
Chocolate-y
Creamy
Smooth
Festive
Make-ahead
Kid-friendly version

Eggnog Bites

Desserts really don’t get much simpler than dumping a few simple ingredients into a food processor and letting the machine do the work for you. Even better, make this dessert ahead of your time for your holiday party without anyone knowing the difference.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine drained and rinsed chickpeas, cashew butter, maple syrup, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and vegan eggnog. You can also add rum or bourbon instead of eggnog if you are preparing this as an adult dessert. Once all the ingredients are safely inside your food processor, process them until they come together into a thick, sticky, hummus-like consistency.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using two spoons or a large cookie scoop, scoop out balls about 2-3 tablespoons in size. It’s ok if they’re not perfectly smooth, remember, they’re meant to look like lumps of coal.

Once all the eggnog dough has been scooped, rolled, and placed on the lined baking sheet, put them in the freezer for about 15 minutes until firm. While you’re waiting, begin making the chocolate coating.

Pile of vegan eggnog bites on a white plate with white lights and two white cups of eggnog in the background.

Chocolate Coating

To make the chocolate coating, begin with a microwaveable bowl and place chopped chocolate (or chocolate chips) inside along with 1 tablespoon full of vegan eggnog. Microwave the chocolate for 15-20 seconds. Remove the bowl and stir. Return the bowl the microwave and heat for another 15-20 seconds. Continue to heat and stir the chocolate until it’s completely melted watching closely to prevent burning.

Once the chocolate is melted and the eggnog dough is hardened dip the bites into the melted chocolate. Coat evenly and thoroughly then place back on the parchment paper. Once all the bites are covered place them back in the freezer for an additional 15-20 minutes or until hardened.

You can either store the bites in the freezer until 10 minutes before serving or put them in the refrigerator if you’ll be serving them soon. They’re also great at room temperature, but make sure you watch them so they don’t melt in your cozy warm home.

Enjoy friends!

Pile of vegan eggnog bites on a white plate beside a cup of eggnog, cinnamon sticks, and a copy of A Christmas Carol.

Ingredient Health Benefits

Chocolate-magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc, copper, potassium, manganese; vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, C, E; pantothenic acid; phenolic phytochemicals; flavonoids; caffeine; theobromine (antioxidant)

Cinnamon-manganese, iron, calcium, and fiber

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Print Recipe

Vegan Eggnog Bites

Prep Time10 mins

Freeze Time30 mins

Total Time40 mins

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: Holiday, Vegan

Keyword: almond nog, eggnog, energy bites, holiday baking, kid-friendly, quick, simple, vegan, vegan eggnog

Author: Erin

Ingredients

Eggnog Filling

1, 15oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
⅓ cup cashew butter
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
1 tbsp vegan eggnog (or rum or bourbon) optional

Dark Chocolate Coating

4 oz vegan dark chocolate
1 tbsp vegan eggnog

Instructions

Vegan Eggnog Bites

In the bowl of a food processor combine all the vegan eggnog bite ingredients. Process until well combined, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Scoop out 2 tbsp worth of dough and smooth into a ball. Place on the prepared cookie sheet. Continue until all the dough is used making about 12 eggnog bites.
Place in the freezer for 15-20 minutes to harden.

Dark chocolate coating

In a microwave safe bowl combine dark chocolate and eggnog. Microwave for 15-20 seconds and stir. Continue alternating between microwaving and stirring until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Watch chocolate carefully to prevent buring.
Remove eggnog bites from the freezer and dip into the dark chocolate coating. Place dipped bites back on the parchment paper and freeze for an additional 15-20 minutes or until the chocolate has hardened.
Remove from the freezer about 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy with a cold glass on vegan eggnog or a hot cup of coffee.

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Blender Pumpkin Muffins

Published on October 28, 2019December 30, 2019 by ErinLeave a comment

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Made entirely in the blender, these pumpkin muffins are quick, easy, and delicious. Loved my children and adults alike, they’re naturally sweetened with dates, are oil-free, and completely vegan. Line your muffin tin, grab your blender, and whip these up for a cozy fall breakfast.

A child's hand reaching or a blender pumpkin muffin in a muffin tin on paper surrounded by pumpkin seeds.

Everyone loves muffins! They’re like having cake for breakfast, right? No one can resist that moist crumb, sweet flavor, and satisfying feeling that only a warm carb can provide. I was inspired by my girls to make these amazing little breakfast cakes. I needed something easy, because even on the weekends breakfast can be a bit chaotic. But I also wanted to sneak some vegetables into the mix. Because, who doesn’t love tricking their kids this close to Halloween!

What I came up with was an amazingly moist, yet completely oil-free, muffin. They’re fluffy, slightly sweet, and 100% delicious. Oh, and of course, vegan. Ok, but you might be wondering just how I got a moist crumb without the oil. I’ll let you in on my secret (because we’re friends).

Blender pumpkin muffins in a muffin tin on paper surrounded by pumpkin seeds.

Pumpkin & Applesauce

At first glance you’re probably thinking these two have absolutely nothing in common. One is a bland vegetable and the other is a mushy fruit. That’s where you’re wrong my friend (yes, we’re still friends even though you initially thought these things). What these two have in common is much more important than their differences. They’re both mild, slightly sweet, and amazingly MOIST! That’s right! THIS is where we get the moisture. Thanks to the pumpkin puree and applesauce we don’t have to add oil to get a moist muffin.

Now, I’m not against oil. But sometimes adding oil to a baked good can give it an overly greasy flavor. Not super appealing. And I know that there are many readers out there who prefer not to consume oil simply because they’re on more of a whole food diet. So these oil-free blender pumpkin muffins are perfect for everyone in between.

Dates

Not only are these blender pumpkin muffins oil-free, but they are also sweetened with dates. Just a few things about using fresh dates

First, make sure that your fresh dates are VERY fresh. You want them super soft and moist. If they have dried out a bit, simply let them sit in boiling hot water for about 10 minutes. Once they’ve softened up, be sure to squeeze out all the excess water.
Secondly, when using dates in this recipe be sure to pulse them in the blender alone. You want to blend them until they form a paste. This will make working them into the other ingredients much easier.

Blender

This recipe is meant to be made entirely in your blender. There is no need to dirty other bowls or kitchen appliances. Isn’t that awesome?! Because, who wants to sink full of dirty dishes first thing in the morning? Not me! If, however, you do not have a blender you can definitely use a food processor. Just make sure that it’s large enough to handle the volume of the ingredients.

Add-Ins

If you would like to jazz up this recipe even more here are a few ideas to make these blender pumpkin muffins uniquely yours. Add in or top your muffins with: dried raisins, cranberries, chocolate chips, walnuts, or, like I did, pumpkin seeds.