black fig + honey oat muffins

 

so p.f. candle co. is launching a new scent on the last day of the month called "black fig" & asked if i would create a recipe for their blog to help bring the scent alive (in an edible way). being a huge fan of their candles myself, of course i said yes! plus it meant i got to be one of the first people to burn the new black fig candle & it smells so good. aside from my obsession with pumpkin scented candles, i am drawn to very earthy & woodsy scents. i dislike anything summer, beach or flower scented. probably because my two favourite seasons are fall & winter, so i want my house to smell like those seasons year round.

the obvious was to create a recipe using fresh black figs! these black fig + honey oat muffins turned out so good, that i decided i am going to share it with you guys as well! i have only made oatmeal muffins one other time on the blog WAY back in the day which were my maple oat muffins. these muffins are so moist thanks to the generous amount of yogurt & quite the healthy way to start the day! i know muffins are usually just mini cake that we pretend are a breakfast food, but for real! i used organic yogurt, raw sugar & honey to be the natural sweeteners as well as the fresh figs. you could even substitute half of the flour for a whole wheat flour if white flour isn't your jam (this month). if you have trouble locating fresh figs at this time of year, you can use dried figs or honestly any fruit that you think would taste good in a muffin! blueberries, strawberries, banana & so on.

xo

ingredients

  • 1 cup full fat organic honey yogurt
  • 1/3 cup canola oil
  • 1/2 cup raw sugar
  • 1/4 cup raw honey
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 cup fresh or dried figs, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped (optional)

directions

  • preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  • in a large mixing bowl with a wooden spoon stir together yogurt, oil, sugar, honey, vanilla & egg until well combined.
  • sift in the flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, sea salt & cloves. Stir until batter just comes together.
  • fold in figs & walnuts if desired. evenly distributed amongst a greased twelve tin muffin/cupcake pan.
  • bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the tops just begin to golden brown.

chocolate cashew trail mix

 

because the entertaining season never truly ends after the holidays, i am teaming up with ghirardelli this month to create the perfect snack foods to serve if you are hosting a party or get together! between game day, the awards + everything in between there are plenty of opportunities to invite your friends over this winter season & put together the ultimate snack table! if you are anything like me, chocolate has to be included in everything. for this snack recipe i incorporated Ghirardelli's various chocolate covered products into a fun trail mix. i basically incorporated all my favourite munchies into one bowl of pure deliciousness. trail mix is easy to mix up, serve & even easier to devour! the first time i put a bowl of this out, it was gone within the hour. i love seeing what ingredients people pick out as a favourite. i am totally that person who sneaks all the chocolate covered pieces first! i used cashews as the base & used raw cashews, Ghirardelli's sea salt dark chocolate cashews & Ghirardelli's sea salt milk chocolate cashews. ALL the cashews! the result is a wholesome, high quality snack that you can take or serve just about anywhere. it works as a perfect grab & go snack as well to tuck into lunches. what do you mix into your trail mixes?!

ingredients

  • 1 4.8 oz package of Ghirardelli milk chocolate sea salt cashew
  • 1 4.8 oz package of Ghirardelli dark chocolate sea salt cashew
  • 2 cups banana chips
  • 1 cup dried cranberries
  • 1 cup salted large cashews
  • 1 cup coconut chips or shredded coconut
  • 2 cups mini pretzels

directions

  • in a large mixing bowl add milk chocolate sea salt cashews, dark chocolate sea salt cashews, banana chips, dried cranberries, cashews, coconut chips & pretzels.
  • toss until combined & serve in desired serving bowl.
  • can be stored up to two weeks.

green tea + blueberry granola bars

 

for the longest time i have been wanting to make my own granola bars! i don't know why it has taken me THIS long. i have made my own granola countless times (like this honey berry granola or this almond, coconut & white chocolate), so why not make them into a bar? you can save a fortune by making your own because those pre-packaged ones come with only half a dozen to a box & they are filled with ingredients that probably shouldn't be in a granola bar. now this is technically my second time making them because i tested out a batch of simple granola bars first with no fun flavours or ingredients. for the blog, i knew i wanted to make not your average granola bar recipe & because you know how much i love mixing matcha with white chocolate it seemed like the perfect opportunity to put those flavour combinations together once again! here i used the only matcha i will ever use, which is aiya's cooking grade matcha powder. it is specially blended for food & beverages to help provide a vibrant colour, nutrition & a lasting aroma when combined with other ingredients. this recipe is wholesome & healthy for all those getting back to clean eating this month. okay, i know i put white chocolate but you can subtitute that for a healthier dark chocolate or leave it out all together! i just figured all the good cancels out the touch of bad:)

p.s. these bars taste amazing crumbled over some vanilla yogurt!

ingredients

  • 3 cups rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup raw honey
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil (can substitute canola oil, melted coconut oil or melted unsalted butter)
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon aiya's matcha powder (i use the cooking grade matcha powder blend)
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 1 pinch of cinnamon
  • 3/4 cups almonds (roughly chopped or slivered)
  • 1/2 cup organic white chocolate, roughly chopped
  • 1 cup fresh blueberries (can substitue 1/2 cup dried blueberries)

directions

  • preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • in a large mixing bowl toss oats with honey, oil, vanilla, matcha powder, salt & cinnamon until well coated.
  • stir in almonds, white chocolate & fresh blueberries.
  • line a 9-inch square baking dish with parchment paper & press oat mixture firmly into dish.
  • bake for 30-40 minutes, until the oats have turned a slight golden brown.
  • let cool completely before slicing into bars.