I’ve learned so much between the time I started this blog (June last summer) and now.

For instance, I learned that having a blog means a lot of time and commitment. As you can see, just by looking at my archives, I started off last summer with a bang for the first two posts… and after that I kind of slacked off… until January.

So, one day in January I sat down, decided what days of the week I was going to post, and actually committed to them.

I’ve also learned a lot about baking. When I began Skinny Sweet Treats, I figured I’d only have to make a few “switches” to make something healthy. If you’ve ever checked out the first recipe I posted, Hearty & Healthy Banana Bread, this is quite apparent. I figured, “well if I switch most of the butter with applesauce, eggbeaters for the eggs, and stevia for the sugar, this bread will be about as healthy as you can get!”

If I could go back in time, lemme tell you, I would probably laugh in my own face. Because yes that’s definitely healthier (aside from the eggbeaters, which I have since learned are highly processed and not as good as you’re lead to believe), but is it the healthiest? N-O.

Above all, I’ve learned the most about gluten free baking. I make most of my recipes gluten free now, both because of the growing number of people going gluten free… and my mom, who ends up helping me eat most of these recipes and has, since I started this blog, made the switch to gluten free. When I made my first GF recipe, I was confused to why most recipes weren’t gluten free. After all, all you had to do was switch the flour with oat flour and there you have it!

Oh Havens, if you had only known. 😉

Turns out, there’s a lot more to it than I originally guessed. Such as lowering the oven temp to fully dry out the cake/muffins/etc., and adding a sticking agent (ie. chia seeds) to make up for the lack of gluten. This recipe is actually the prime example of that! When I first created it, and posted this picture on Instagram, truth be told… my coffee cake had completely collapsed!! It tasted divine, that’s for sure, but it wasn’t as light as I’d hoped it would be (collapsing made it denser than planned) and was almost a bit gummy.

So, yesterday I woke up bright an early, did about an hour or two of research, and tried again. This recipe was actually not meant to be completely GF at first, but I decided to try using only oats for the second attempt. After adding various ingredients (vinegar, baking soda, & chia seeds), subtracting a few (applesauce & wheat flour), and actually changing the pan they were to be cooked in, I gave the recipe a go.

Well, the result was better than I could have imagined! Everything from the brown sugar & cinnamon crumble, to the sweet blueberries, to the light & airy texture are satisfying. I honestly couldn’t stop at one square. Which isn’t a problem because each square is only 78 calories. Try to find that in a regular coffee cake, I dare you. This recipe was actually inspired by one of my aunt’s favorite types of coffee cakes, a Sour Cream Coffee Cake (how many times have I said “coffee cake” so far in this paragraph? ;)). So, by replacing the sour cream with greek yogurt, it retained the wonderful taste, while being ten times healthier!

All in all, I’m so glad I started this recipe blog. And I’m so incredibly grateful to all of you who follow it, enjoy it, and try out my recipes. I never could have believed I’d learn this much about baking, “blogging”, and food in general! It’s been a wonderful experience and I look forward to posting more wonderful recipes to enjoy with you in the future.

And with that, go enjoy this delicious & of course, guilt free Blueberry Coffee Cake!

Blueberry Coffee Cake

• 1 1/4 c old fashioned oats
• 1/2 tsp chia seeds
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 c melted coconut oil
• 1 1/4 c stevia
• 1 egg
• 1 tbs white vinegar
• 1/2 c fat free greek yogurt
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 c fresh blueberries (or frozen, thawed, and drained)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbs brown sugar
• 2 tbs oat flour (or 2 1/2 tbs oats blended until the consistency of flour is reached)
• 2 tsp coconut oil

Grease and a 8″x8″ glass pan and preheat oven to 325°F. In a blender or food processor, process oats and chia seeds until they’ve reached the consistency of flour. Sift oat flour, baking soda, and baking powder into a small bowl. In a larger bowl, cream stevia and coconut oil until crumbly. Add egg and continue to mix until fully combined. Stir in greek yogurt, vinegar, vanilla, and dry ingredients. Once combined, fold in blueberries. Pour the batter into the greased pan & level with a spatula. In a small bowl, combine cinnamon, oat flour, coconut oil, and brown sugar. Bake for 55-60 minutes. Turn off the oven and open the door, then allow the pan to cool slightly for five minutes before removing. Cool completely (at least one hour) before cutting into. Enjoy!

Nutrition Information (from myfitnesspal.com)

Calories: 78

Fat: 5g

Carbs: 7g

Protein: 2g

(Yields 16 servings)