10 YEARS!!! Can someone please tell me how it’s been a decade since I wrote my very first blog post? We’re celebrating today with this incredible vegan dessert and a weeklong OSG Recipe App sale for charity (deets below).
When I started my blog on October 31, 2008, Eric and I were newly married and living in Toronto while I was working full-time as a researcher and wrapping up my Master’s degree. Life was pretty chaotic, and completing my degree was starting to wear me down (at one point I thought I was just going to cut my losses, throw in the towel, and move on!). This blog was the most amazing creative outlet during a time when my life was lacking the kind of creativity that I absolutely craved. It allowed me to explore a side of myself that I hadn’t since I was a kid (like my love for photography, baking, creative writing/journaling, and just being a goof). My blog’s first tagline was “Food. Fitness. Fashion. Fun.” Pretty epic, right? Lol. I’m grateful to Eric for encouraging me to “find a hobby” after years of exhausting myself with school and work. He still jokes that my “hobby” turned into my career, so I need to find a new hobby now. (Fine, I’ll start my own animal farm! YOU WIN!)
I find writing therapeutic in soooo many ways. In the early days, I didn’t have more than a handful of readers, and I found it quite easy to talk about my struggles online. I was like no one is going to read this anyway! It was an online journal of sorts, and I wrote about my history with disordered eating and how I was finally getting myself on a path to recovery. I shared the challenges I faced finding a career that I was truly passionate about (and, eventually, how I relinquished my need to people-please by completely changing my career path). I had the most supportive response from those first early blog readers (as well as my friends and family), so I kept writing with my heart on my sleeve.
After coming in the top 3 of the food blogging challenge Project Food Blog, an editor from a major publishing house emailed me saying she loved my work and was wondering if I’d like to write a cookbook. Pretty sure I fainted! It was the email that changed everything and solidified the fact that I was on the right path after doubting myself and my decision to change careers for so long.
So here we are 1 blog, 3 moves, 2 cookbooks, 2 kids, and 1 recipe app later…including countless late nights, self-doubt, and (ongoing) indecision for good measure! It sure has been a wild ride! I’m still learning and dreaming of new goals every day (all while not having the slightest clue how to get there!). Above all, I’m really proud of the fact that I’ve stayed true to myself and the values I have for this hobby-turned-business. The best part is that I’ve been lucky to meet so many of you amazing people online and in person, and I still can’t quite believe how freakin’ genuine, cool, and supportive everyone has been! It’s so crazy to think that some of my best friendships have been made through this blog. Forever grateful. Thank you from the bottom of my veggie-lovin’ heart for making this such a fun journey. And cheers to the next 10 years! Any guesses as to what adventures they’ll bring for you or me?
To celebrate OSG’s 10-year anniversary, we’re having a big OSG Recipe App sale this week with 100% of the proceeds being donated to Mothers Against Drunk Driving Canada. Right now our app is just 99 cents, so if you’ve been thinking about downloading it, this week is a great time to do so while supporting a fantastic cause that’s near and dear to my heart! You can find our recipe app on both the iTunes and Google Play stores. Thank you so much for all of your amazing support and for helping us give back to our community.
I had so much fun celebrating Canada’s food writers at the Taste Canada Awards Gala last night! We were nominated in the Food Blogs Health and Special Diet category, and I was so honoured to take home Gold! All I could think about was how grateful I am to have this recognition, especially so close to OSG’s 10-year milestone. Plus, Adriana and Arlo have been calling all of my food “YUCKY” lately, so now I can show them the award and explain that they’ve been outvoted, lol.
Last but not least, we’re having a little party to celebrate 10 years and this new dessert is on the menu. I hope you’ll enjoy every bite as much as we have! With Halloween tomorrow, I can’t think of a better time to indulge in some creamy, dreamy, chocolaty PB goodness.
Salted Peanut Butter Crunch Torte
Yield
12 small or 9 medium servings
Prep time
Cook time
Chill time
2 hours
Total time
While dreaming up a recipe to celebrate Oh She Glows’ 10-year anniversary, I immediately thought of one of my all-time favourite flavour combos: salted peanut butter and chocolate! Hubba hubba. This salted peanut butter torte (of pure sweet heaven) is easy to throw together and only takes a couple hours to freeze. Its creative presentation will impress the heck out of your guests, and that irresistible sweet-salty flavour and creamy, crunchy texture will blow your taste buds away! I’ve also tested this torte with 3 different fillings: peanut butter, almond butter, and a nut-free sunflower seed butter version! And guess what? They’re all so delicious we couldn’t pick a favourite! See my Tips for how to make the sunflower seed and almond butter versions.
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1/2 cup (78 g) almonds
- 1 cup (100 g) gluten-free rolled oats
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) coconut oil, melted
- 3 tablespoons (45 mL) pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons (30 mL) smooth natural peanut butter
For the filling:
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) coconut oil
- 1/3 cup (80 mL) coconut cream*
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) pure maple syrup
- 3/4 cup (185 g) smooth natural peanut butter
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For topping (optional, but recommended):
- Coconut Whipped Cream**
- 1/2 cup (95 g) non-dairy chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon (5 mL) coconut oil, melted***
- 1/2 cup (80 g) chopped toasted walnuts and large-flake coconut****
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Lightly grease an 8x8-inch square pan with coconut oil (including up the sides, too). Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the width of the pan with a bit of overhang so it’s easy to lift out.
- For the crust: Add the almonds, oats, and salt to a food processor and process until the mixture resembles a coarse flour, about 30 seconds.
- Melt the 1/4 cup coconut oil in a medium pot (you’ll be using the same medium pot for the filling) over low heat. Add the melted oil, maple syrup, and peanut butter to the processor and process until the mixture comes together in a heavy dough, 10 to 15 seconds. The dough should look like a wet cookie dough. If you find it a bit dry, add a teaspoon or two of water and process again until a wet dough forms.
- Spoon the dough into the prepared pan and crumble it evenly all over the base. Lightly wet your fingers and press the dough into the base firmly and evenly. Level the edges with your fingertips. Poke the base with a fork about 12 times to allow air to escape while baking.
- Bake the crust for 9 to 11 minutes, until it looks pale and a bit puffy. The crust might look underbaked when you remove it, but this is what we want to avoid drying it out.
- Meanwhile, make the filling: In the same medium pot (no need to clean it!), melt the coconut oil and coconut cream over low heat. Now add the maple syrup, peanut butter, salt, and vanilla and whisk until smooth.
- Spoon the filling onto the crust (there’s no need to cool the crust first) and carefully transfer the dish to a level surface in your freezer. Chill until solid, about 2 hours. If I’m not serving the torte right away, I’ll cover the pan with tinfoil after a couple hours of freezing. While it chills, prepare the Coconut Whipped Cream and gather the toppings so they’re ready to go.
- Once frozen, remove from the freezer and let it sit on the counter for 10 minutes. Slide a knife around the edges to loosen the slab. Using the parchment paper, lift the slab out and place it on a serving platter. Slice into slices of your desired width. Now add the toppings: I add a large dollop of Coconut Whipped Cream on each and then top it with lots of drizzled melted chocolate, walnuts, and large-flake coconut. A pinch of coarse sea salt is nice too. If you have leftover melted chocolate, serve it on the side in a small dish so you can spoon some more chocolate over top while eating (trust me on this one!). Serve immediately—the combo of cold filling and warm melted chocolate is just dreamy! But the chilled leftovers (with hardened chocolate) are totally irresistible too.
- Storage tips: The filling softens a great deal at room temperature, so it's best not to leave leftovers on the counter for longer than half an hour. Return it to the fridge or freezer for best results. Cover leftover slices and store in the fridge for up to 1 week, or you can freeze the slices for 4 to 6 weeks. I like to wrap frozen slices in tinfoil and then place them all into a freezer-safe zip bag.
Tip:
* Chill your can of full-fat coconut milk for at least 12 hours before you begin this recipe so that the cream on top is solid. After making the torte, you’ll have some leftover coconut cream in the can which can be used to make Coconut Whipped Cream for the topping!
** Feel free to use store-bought coconut whipped cream instead. I like “So Delicious Dairy Free CocoWhip!”
*** To a small pot over low heat, add the chocolate and oil. Stir until smooth and combined.
**** Of course you can use roasted peanuts instead. I’m not a big fan of them so I prefer to use walnuts.
Make it nut-free: In the crust, swap the almonds for sunflower seeds and in the filling swap the peanut butter for roasted sunflower seed butter. I like to add an extra tablespoon of maple syrup and a pinch of salt to this version—the filling tastes like salted caramel!
Almond butter version: Swap the peanut butter for roasted almond butter.
Don’t have an 8x8-inch square pan? You can make this in an 8x4-inch loaf pan or standard-size muffin tin (both greased with coconut oil).
Congratulations to you! We can imagine the energy you put into your blog, because we really like your receipes. They don’t just look good, but taste good.
Sylvie from Québec ??♀️
You’re so sweet, thank you Sylvie!
Congratulations! The torte looks so delicious!
Congratulations on 10 years Angela! I think I have followed you for most of them and I always look forward to your posts. Such delicious recipes. If you are looking for a “next” project, I would love to see a Canadian/vegan version of The Food Forest Feast Gatherings by Erin Gleeson. You could totally rock a cookbook like that.
That’s such a fun idea (a book on vegan entertaining!)…thanks for following along for this many years Bonnie!
happy 10th birthdat – keep on glowing :)
Congratulations, Angela! When I started transitioning from vegetarian to vegan in 2010, your blog was one of the two blogs that I learned to cook from! I fell in love with vegan cooking because of your blog, really. So thank you!
Does your app have recipes that are not on the blog or your first cookbook?
Hi Hilary, I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you :) As for the app, I think there are a few dozen recipes exclusive to the app. I hope this helps!
Congratulations Angela, your award and 10-year success is so well earned! It’s been such a pleasure to watch your blog and family grow. I attended a meet-up you hosted back in 2009 and have been cheering you on ever since! :)
Ah that was such a fun get together! It was so great to meet you. I love the coaching work you’re doing…I’ve been thinking about getting back to it actually. Would be lovely to connect sometime! hugs
Congratulations!
Your dessert looks amazing, but I was so disappointed to see that it was another one with coconut oil and coconut cream. Since those items are almost totally saturated fat, I don’t eat them or anything that I know contains them. Could you please develop recipes for desserts that do. It contain them?
Thanks.
Hi E, Thanks for your congrats! I’ve pulled together some of my vegan desserts that either don’t contain coconut products or the products can be swapped. I hope this helps and you can enjoy a treat too!
The Ultimate Flourless Brownies (Oh She Glows Every Day, p. 199)
Ultimate Flourless Brownies for Two, forgo the Magic No-Cook Caramel)
Double-layer Chocolate Fudge Cake (The Oh She Glows Cookbook, p. 249, using grapeseed oil)
Chewy Molasses Spelt Cookies (or Oh She Glows Every Day, p. 219, use the vegan butter option or try grapeseed oil)
Winter Citrus Salad (The Oh She Glows Cookbook, p. 255)
Triple Almond Energy Balls (roll with pistachio or cocoa instead of shredded coconut)
Pumpkin Oatmeal Anytime Squares
Dark Chocolate Cherry Energy Bites
{Almost} Instant Chocolate Chia Pudding
Looks delicious! Can’t wait to make it! Congrats on your 10-year anniversary! You are an inspiration! Ever since I found your cookbooks, I have completely changed the way I eat by removing beef, pork, and poultry from my diet. I always thought eating vegetarian would be boring and bland but your flavor combinations are outstanding – you are immensely talented!
Just a heads up – your print and email icons don’t seem to be working…unless it’s user error (which is possible).
Thanks, again! You are a genius!
Aww that’s such an amazing compliment! You don’t know how happy that makes me Andrea. :) Thank you!
Thanks for the heads up about the recipe print and email functions. I just checked on this post for the torte and it worked, do you mind trying it again for me please? :) Or maybe it was on another post? I’m happy to help!
Congratulations!!?? I remember in 2009 a friend of mine was telling me about this blog she was following, and I HAD to try a Green Monster. A what? It was green?! (Shudders…) At that time, the whole idea of food for nourishment and vitality was lost on my emotional-eating-self. If it wasn’t sugar-laden, I probably didn’t notice.
I not only had a Green Monster, I started to follow the blog and was hooked. Through you, Angela, I was introduced to things like Buckwheat groats, Dinosaur kale, Overnight oats (?), Banana soft serve, breakfast parfaits and the world’s best vegan burgers. Turmeric root. Ginger root. Parchment strips under gluten-free baked goods (genius!).
I bought a Vita-Mix, ditched processed food and began drinking filtered water. After I was diagnosed with multiple food allergies, I knew I had a place to turn for recipes I could actually consume that still tasted amazing and looked fantastic.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your passion, compassion and creativity. I’ve lost count to how many cookbooks I’ve gifted. I recommed the app all the time. My first cookbook of yours is stained and dog-eared and 2.0 is headed there, too! I still have my, “I like it green” t-shirt, and I know I have way more fun in the kitchen now than ever. And it shows.
Blessings on you and yours, Angela!
Hi Kathy, I’ve been trying to find the words to express how much your note means to me, but nothing seems truly worthy! I just want to thank you…I’m sitting here with tears in my eyes!! And so filled with gratitude for all of your support over the years. It really means a lot that you’d take the time out of your day to share our story and history with the blog and it makes what I do feel so meaningful. And you still have the t-shirt!!! Congrats on all the amazing changes you’ve made and cheers to the next 10.
Angela,
I’ve been following your blog around 7/10 of these fabulous years. You’ve had such an influence on the way that I cook, move, and live. You are a consistent source of inspiration for me and the first source I send friends/family to with plant based cooking questions. It’s been such a joy to have a sideline seat to your journey! Thank you for putting yourself out there and sharing your gifts with us!
Awww thank you Jenny! That’s so great you’ve been following for so long. I appreciate your support so much! Thank you for spreading the word about my recipes too.
Congratulations on your 10th Blog Anniversary — What an amazing journey this has been for you :) You’ve been an inspiration to so many but also to this Family! I’ve learned so much from you on how to prepare and eat more healthy meals. I’ve enjoyed every minute of watching you develop your many talents over the years — the dedication and hard work that at times brought self doubt and tears. However, you persevered through it all and stayed true to yourself. I couldn’t be more proud of you. Here’s to enjoying this milestone and the accolades and recognition you have achieved. I can’t wait to watch your journey continue xo
Well it’s safe to say without you this blog wouldn’t exist! ;) Thank you for being the best mom who has always encouraged and believed in me. For cooking my recipes, sending me recipes to “veganize”, and always listening when I need to vent. Your support over the years has meant the world to me! xo
Big congrats Angela! It’s funny the indirect way I found you back in 2014. My son’s cub scout buddy’s mom had a blog. Her blog referenced another blog, which in turn had you as one of their recommended links. Always dallied with eating plant-based, but the food never looked exciting and it seemed complicated to pull off. Your site proved otherwise. That got me started, and now, actually, as of a few months ago, the whole family is eating plant-based! All because of pure chance – and your creative genius and beautiful photography. You never know how your actions will impact people, but I, for one, will always be grateful to you for your influence on how my children enjoy and view food now and the good eating habits they’ll carry with them into the future.
Connie, I love reading about how you discovered my blog! Thank you so much for sharing and also for your kind words about the influence my recipes have had on your kids. It’s really the ultimate compliment, and I can relate to how important that feeling is as I try to do the same with mine each day. :) (and often don’t succeed, but I’m hopeful they’ll grow out of the picky toddler stage some day!)
Hi Angela! As a loooong time reader and absolute fan of your peanut butter and chocolate combo recipes: congratulations to your anniversary!
Looking forward to another 10 years of awesome posts and recipes! Keep the pb and choco recipes coming :)
So happy to hear that Iris! Thanks for your congrats :)
Congratulations Angela!!! I have been reading for YEARS and have always loved your authenticity, openness and of course – amazing recipes! It has been fun watching you evolve and your family grow through the years. This dessert will be a win with my hubby who pretty much only likes pb and chocolate sweets:)
Hi Suzanne, Thank you so much for your sweet note! You sure know how to make a girl feel loved :) I truly appreciate your support all these years. Hope your husband likes this if you make the dessert! It’s one of those “eyes rolling back in your head” desserts…haha!
Congratulations! Though I’ve been reading for a long time (I think I started while you were in the middle of the Project Food Blog contest? I remember when you started your bakery and that your mom had a dream about GloBars.) I just downloaded the app and am happy to have the proceeds go towards a good cause.
That’s so funny you remember my mom’s dream!! She’s always been an intuitive one. ;) Thanks so much for downloading the app and for helping out MADD! I hope you enjoy it and thanks for reading all these years!
Dear Angela,
I was moved to read this because your blog stands out amongst so so many others. You have been my inspiration for plant-based eating for a very long time now! And I’ve cooked so many meals for my kids from your blog.
I also wanted to mention that the post where you explained that you were not labeling your kids’ diet in any way and the reactions you got for that article really stuck with me. I found it brave of you to tell the truth and since then I’ve come to the realization that I also don’t want to label my kids’ diet. One side-effect of this however has been that even though my kids eat mostly plant-based (apart from when we eat out) I consume very small amounts of animal products now (mostly in things like baked goods) Or, say, if my daughter does not finish her avocado bagel that we bought her and I take a bite even though there is some butter on it.
Have you ever gotten “contaminated” by your kids’ diet? If you know what I mean, I feel a little stupid phrasing it like that… my husband eating “everything” has never really impacted me but it’s very different with kids.
I now call myself a mostly plant-based vegetarian.
In general I wanted to thank you for inspiring me to not to restrict my kids to a label (while still feeding them a lot of plants:))
Congrats again on the 10 years of your blog, you deserve all the success!
Rachel
Hi Rachel, Thank you so much for your sweet note of congrats and support! I’m sorry for the delay in replying…it’s been taking me some time to go through them and I don’t like rushing my replies. :) I’m so glad that you’ve made so many of my recipes and your kids are enjoying them! Thanks for your support about the labeling issue too. My body actually doesn’t tolerate animal products (I’ve been super sensitive to eggs and dairy for a very long time, for example) so it hasn’t impacted the way I eat because I know I will pay for it after the fact. ;) I think everyone needs to do what works for them though and I hope you find that balance too!! Thanks again for all your support over the years…sending you and your family big hugs!
This looks so delicious! I try to avoid coconut products for ethical reasons. What can I use instead of the coconut oil and coconut cream?
Hi Irene, I’m sorry I don’t have a swap offhand but you may be able to experiment with cacao butter for the oil and cashew cream for the coconut cream.
Happy 10 Year Anniversay Angela!! When I made the transition to a vegan diet six (almost seven) years ago your blog was the first one I discovered. You truly taught me how to cook plant based foods that everyone in my family loves! Coming from a small town in rural northern Ontario I had no idea how I was going to do this, but all of your recipes showed me how easy it is, even with limited resources. Your cookbooks are always my “go to” and your recipes never disappoint! Cheers to another 10!
Thank you Megan!! I’m so honoured to be a part of your journey! Congrats on all of your incredible changes over the years
Hi Angela,
Oh my goodness, me! I have these sweet little concoctions in my freezer & reach in for several bites each day. I’m pleased to eat a dessert that is vegan,wholesome, healthy, without refined sugar, & GF! Am I dreaming?!!! I’m working diligently at reducing added sugars from my life so my energy levels can be at their best. I’m baking a GF, vegan carrot cake today & will attempt tonight to create a vegan “cream cheese” frosting without processed vegan products. I’ll be posting it on my blog by tomorrow.
Thank you for your inspiration Angela, you are a dear.
Hey Lisa, Thanks for trying them….so glad you’re enjoying the recipe! I love having a stash in my freezer too for little nibbles when I want something sweet. :)
Hi Angela,
Congratulations on your 10-year anniversary! You must be so proud looking back at how you started and what you’ve become! Your recipes are my go-to – whether it’s for a quick dinner, potluck, or special occasion. Can’t wait to try this one – I’m drooling just looking at the photos. You did an awesome job on food styling and photography for this one as well!
I look forward to trying your future recipes!
All the best from New Zealand,
Selma
Hi Selma, Awww I’m feeling the love over here! Thank you so much for your kind words! I think it’s so great that you’re reading all the way from New Zealand too. Thanks for your support!