Easy Homemade Twix Bars (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

The Twix of your youth reinvented in vegan, gluten-free form but with all the flavor and texture of the real deal! Gluten-free shortbread layered with date caramel and dipped in dark chocolate, these DIY candy bars require just 9 simple ingredients and…

Easy Homemade Twix Bars (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

The Twix of your youth reinvented in vegan, gluten-free form but with all the flavor and texture of the real deal! Gluten-free shortbread layered with date caramel and dipped in dark chocolate, these DIY candy bars require just 9 simple ingredients and are the perfect healthier indulgence. Let us show you how it’s done!

How to Make Twix Bars

These healthier, homemade Twix bars start with making the shortbread cookie layer.

Easy Homemade Twix Bars (Vegan, Gluten-Free) from Minimalist Baker →

Stuffed Cherry Amaretti Cookies

These soft and chewy, marzipan-like cookies are stuffed with luscious amarena cherries for a sweet surprise. Cherry and almond are a truly lovely flavor combination, which makes the dark amarena cherries the perfect filling for these soft Italian amaretti cookies. Lately I’ve been… well, languishing. As you may very well have noticed by the fact […]

The post Stuffed Cherry Amaretti Cookies first appeared on Love and Olive Oil.

These soft and chewy, marzipan-like cookies are stuffed with luscious amarena cherries for a sweet surprise.

Cherry and almond are a truly lovely flavor combination, which makes the dark amarena cherries the perfect filling for these soft Italian amaretti cookies.

Wire rack with rows of amaretti cookies, one cookie cut in half to show the amarena cherry hidden inside.

Lately I’ve been… well, languishing. As you may very well have noticed by the fact that new recipes have been less than abundant around these parts. (Can you believe there was a time I used to post 3 times a week? The past few years I thought I was easing up by doing two. But lately… well, if I can manage one a week that’s an achievement. 2 or 3  a month is becoming the new normal.)

It’s not that I am not inspired. I’ve actually got dozens of ideas for new recipes in my draft calendar, just no actual motivation to put down my latest book and make anything.

After yet another recipe failure quashed my momentum and vanquished my motivation, leaving me without anything to post for another week… I knew I needed something quick and straightforward that would work on the first try, one that didn’t need hours of prep or planning or fancy ingredients.

Scattered cookies on a white background, one cut in half to show the cherry filling.

Is it a surprise that I ended up making another variety of my favorite cookie: the amaretti (they’re also one of your favorites too, made clear by the fact that at least a few of the flavors typically hovering the top 10 at any given time). This time with a cherry stuffed inside.

Tell me though… at what point am I legally required to rename this blog Love & Amaretti? When the amaretti recipes outnumber the olive oil ones? Because at this point I’ve done flavored and swirled and stuffed. What’s next, amaretti sandwiched or thumbprinted or super-sized and layered into a cake? (Actually, I kind of love that idea.)

If keeping up with a regular posting schedule means unlimited variations of amaretti and coffee cake in lieu of brand new recipes, I’m cool with that. Whatever it takes to get me out of this funk and back into the swing of things.

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Vegan Oatmeal Cookies (GF)

The search for the BEST oatmeal cookie is over! And it just happens to be vegan and gluten-free. These chewy oatmeal cookies are studded with raisins, laced with cinnamon, and oh so perfect. Plus, just 30 minutes and simple methods required! Let us sho…

Vegan Oatmeal Cookies (GF)

The search for the BEST oatmeal cookie is over! And it just happens to be vegan and gluten-free. These chewy oatmeal cookies are studded with raisins, laced with cinnamon, and oh so perfect. Plus, just 30 minutes and simple methods required! Let us show you how it’s done.

These cookies start with a wholesome base of almond flour, rolled oats, and our DIY gluten-free flour blend.

Vegan Oatmeal Cookies (GF) from Minimalist Baker →

No-Bake Sugar Cookie Bites

While recently testing a gluten-free pie crust using almond and oat flour, we made a delicious discovery. While the crust didn’t turn out so well once baked, we couldn’t believe how much the raw dough tasted just like sugar cookie dough! And just like …

No-Bake Sugar Cookie Bites

While recently testing a gluten-free pie crust using almond and oat flour, we made a delicious discovery. While the crust didn’t turn out so well once baked, we couldn’t believe how much the raw dough tasted just like sugar cookie dough! And just like that, a recipe was born. 

These 6-ingredient, 1 bowl, 30-minute sugar cookie dough bites are perfect any time of year (and the flavor variations are endless!), and they’re especially great in the warmer months when you just can’t bear to turn on the oven.

No-Bake Sugar Cookie Bites from Minimalist Baker →

Vegan Banana Cream Pie

This showstopping vegan banana cream pie is the ultimate plant based dessert. A crunchy homemade crust is filled with creamy banana toffee filling, and topped with fresh fruit and nuts. This vegan banana cream pie is such a fun recipe to make. There ar…

This showstopping vegan banana cream pie is the ultimate plant based dessert. A crunchy homemade crust is filled with creamy banana toffee filling, and topped with fresh fruit and nuts. This vegan banana cream pie is such a fun recipe to make. There are more steps than for a typical dessert on my blog (I...

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Lemon Loaf Cake (Vegan/GF)

If you’re a lover of lemon cake like we are, this recipe is a must-try! It’s fluffy, perfectly sweet, and plenty tart thanks to lots of fresh lemon juice and zest!
I’ve been wanting to share a lemon cake recipe ever since I had a slice of lemon cake fo…

Lemon Loaf Cake (Vegan/GF)

If you’re a lover of lemon cake like we are, this recipe is a must-try! It’s fluffy, perfectly sweet, and plenty tart thanks to lots of fresh lemon juice and zest!

I’ve been wanting to share a lemon cake recipe ever since I had a slice of lemon cake for my birthday many years ago. The pillowy, lemony cake layered with buttery citrus frosting never left my mind. I wanted to create a healthier alternative to enjoy at home.

Lemon Loaf Cake (Vegan/GF) from Minimalist Baker →

Easy Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes (Gluten-Free)

What started as a quest to perfect vegan gluten-free pound cake morphed into creating the most perfect vanilla cupcake we’ve laid taste buds on. Friends, these vegan vanilla cupcakes are a must-try: 1 bowl, 10 ingredients, naturally sweetened, gluten-f…

Easy Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes (Gluten-Free)

What started as a quest to perfect vegan gluten-free pound cake morphed into creating the most perfect vanilla cupcake we’ve laid taste buds on. Friends, these vegan vanilla cupcakes are a must-try: 1 bowl, 10 ingredients, naturally sweetened, gluten-free, and grain-free. Let us show you how it’s done!

Gluten-Free Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes

These cupcakes start with mixing the wet ingredients.

Easy Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes (Gluten-Free) from Minimalist Baker →

Vegan Gluten-Free Samoas

What kind of Girl Scout cookies are your favorite? While we’re quite fond of Thin Mints and Tagalongs around here, Samoas are in the top three! What’s not to love? Buttery shortbread cookies covered in rich caramel sauce and toasted coconut, dunked and…

Vegan Gluten-Free Samoas

What kind of Girl Scout cookies are your favorite? While we’re quite fond of Thin Mints and Tagalongs around here, Samoas are in the top three! What’s not to love? Buttery shortbread cookies covered in rich caramel sauce and toasted coconut, dunked and drizzled in melted chocolate. SWOON. It’s the salty, sweet, gooey, crispy, melty cookie of our dreams. 

Our inspired version requires just 9 ingredients and tastes just like the real thing despite being entirely vegan and gluten-free!

Vegan Gluten-Free Samoas from Minimalist Baker →

Easy Peanut Butter Patties (AKA Tagalongs!)

Girl Scout cookies have a special place in my heart because I used to be a Girl Scout. Not to brag, but I did win the prize for most cookies sold in my troop one year despite suffering a sprained ankle the week prior. That’s dedication. The cookies I s…

Easy Peanut Butter Patties (AKA Tagalongs!)

Girl Scout cookies have a special place in my heart because I used to be a Girl Scout. Not to brag, but I did win the prize for most cookies sold in my troop one year despite suffering a sprained ankle the week prior. That’s dedication. The cookies I sold the most of (besides Thin Mints)? Tagalongs! If you’ve never had Tagalongs, also known as Peanut Butter Patties, you’re in for a treat!

A crisp, shortbread-style cookie is topped with creamy peanut butter and enveloped in melted chocolate.

Easy Peanut Butter Patties (AKA Tagalongs!) from Minimalist Baker →

Easy Homemade Peanut Butter Cups

Nothing satisfies a salty-sweet craving quite like the combination of peanut butter and chocolate. So we set out to make the perfect homemade peanut butter cup. What makes these perfect? We tested the recipe with dark chocolate and semisweet chocolate …

Easy Homemade Peanut Butter Cups

Nothing satisfies a salty-sweet craving quite like the combination of peanut butter and chocolate. So we set out to make the perfect homemade peanut butter cup. What makes these perfect? We tested the recipe with dark chocolate and semisweet chocolate as well as different sweeteners and found that this combo tasted the most like Reese’s peanut butter cups! 

Just 6 simple ingredients required for this delicious dessert. Let us show you how it’s done!

Easy Homemade Peanut Butter Cups from Minimalist Baker →