Amy

We began by looking at freshly picked coffee beans (they’re actually bright red, like cranberries!), saw the appearance of the beans once those colorful skins were removed, and walked through their facility that separates the “regular” coffee beans from the “peaberry” ones (the latter are round and somewhat larger, so eating 7 peaberry beans is supposedly the caffeine equivalent of one cup of coffee!). They process and roast a few hundred pounds of their own beans right there from their Mountain Thunder farm, but they also process and roast thousands of additional pounds of beans from other smaller farms on the Big Island. We actually saw the Place of Refuge highlighted on the Hawaii TV channel one evening while relaxing before bed in our hotel room, and something immediately drew me to the Tiki-like wooden statues prominently featured in the program. When Mom drove me from the airport to the hotel, she excitedly pointed out the sign for the Lava Lava Beach Club, just one driveway prior to our hotel’s parking lot.

I’ve felt a little sense of dread nearly every time I walk into the kitchen to start testing a new recipe. … It just means you’re taking a break—maybe to grab a glass of water, maybe to take a nap, maybe to head off on a vacation— I’m slipping a bookmark into Amy’s Healthy Baking, pausing to rest my eyes and my brain, taking some time to savor the other things my life wants to offer instead of frantically rushing through work every day. If you’re terrified your whole life will shatter like a wine glass dropped on the kitchen floor if you pause and take a break for one month, one week, one day, one moment…

In addition to that irresistible nutty flavor, the homemade creamy peanut butter replaces the butter or oil in these healthy one-bowl flourless chocolate chip cookie bars. By using cashew milk (or almond milk!), these healthy one-bowl flourless chocolate chip peanut butter cookie bars are dairy free, egg free, and vegan! When you use both pure maple syrup and liquid stevia, your healthy one-bowl flourless chocolate chip peanut butter cookie bars are perfectly sweet, soft, and chewy. Clumps of baking soda lead to uneven baking, but if you sprinkle it over the flour and stir both of them into your mixing bowl at the same time, your healthy flourless chocolate chip peanut butter cookie bars should bake evenly and beautifully!

Besides, you’re actually adding more cocoa powder than flour, and that really helps make these healthy one-bowl dark chocolate cupcakes taste exceptionally rich, decadent, and chocolaty! Tip: If you can’t find or don’t want to use instant pudding mix in your frosting, then check the Notes section of this healthy one-bowl chocolate cupcakes recipe for an alternative frosting! Then you’ll use a bit more unsweetened cocoa powder to really boost the chocolate flavor in your Greek yogurt frosting, along with more liquid stevia to sweeten it. Healthy Cinnamon Apple Cupcakes ♡ Healthy Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting ♡ Healthy Funfetti Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting ♡ Healthy Small Batch Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting ♡ …and the rest of Amy’s healthy cupcake recipes!