Paleo Gingerbread Sticks

Yum!  Yum!  Yum!  These are the most amazing little cookie sticks I have ever eaten.  I made these for my family as a Christmas treat and everyone wanted extra to take home with them.  These little guys are perfectly crunchy-chewy with warm ginger-cinnamon flavors and a hint of extra crunch from the raw sugar sprinkled on top.  Making paleo gingerbread has been a challenge (I have had many failed attempts) but I assure you this recipe, if followed exactly, is the ultimate paleo gingerbread cookie.  Two pieces of advice:  make sure you boil the molasses as it does something to caramelize the flavors in the cookie and make sure you refrigerate the dough for at least an hour so that it's very cold and hard (this makes it easier to roll out and keeps it from getting sticky).  If you are having a hard time working with the dough, use about a teaspoon or two of rice flour and dust it on the parchment paper or over the ball of dough before pressing it out.  This will make it a bit easier to work with.  Enjoy!  Enjoy!  Enjoy!

The perfect holiday treat!

Ingredients:
1/2c molasses
1/4c pure maple syrup
3tbs hydrogenated palm shortening (try Spectrum Organic brand)
1tbs full fat coconut milk
3c almond flour
1/2tsp ground cinnamon
1/2tsp ground ginger
1/2tsp ground cloves
1/2tsp salt
1/2tsp baking soda
2-3tbs natural turbinado sugar
1-2tsp white or brown rice flour (optional)

Directions:
1. In a small saucepan, heat molasses, pure maple syrup and palm shortening until boiling.  Remove from heat and stir in coconut milk.
2. In a large bowl, mix almond flour, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves, salt and baking soda.  Pour in the hot molasses mixture.  Stir well.
3. Place bowl of dough in the refrigerator until very cold and hard, about an hour or two. (If  you don't chill it properly, the dough will be too sticky to work with and you will have a big mess on your hands.  I know this from experience)
4. When the dough is about chilled, preheat your oven to 350F.  Take out the dough.  Place a large piece of parchment paper on a cutting board.  Sprinkle with brown or white rice flour if desired (this makes it a little easier to work with but isn't completely necessary).  Place the dough on the parchment sheet.  If the dough seems sticky, add another tsp of rice flour sprinkled over the top of the dough.  Add another parchment sheet on top.  With a rolling pin, roll out the dough until it's about 1/4" thick (try to roll it into a rectangle the best you can.  Cut the edges and save them for later in the fridge).  You want the dough and parchment sheet to fit on a baking sheet.
5. Using a pizza cutter (or sharp knife if you don't have one), cut the rectangle into thin strips.  Don't worry if they aren't all exactly the same (if you want to be more exact, you could use a ruler with a pizza cutter to make sure they are perfectly straight).  Then slide the rectangle and parchment onto a baking sheet.  Sprinkle with a few tablespoons of turbinado natural cane sugar.
6. Bake for about 10-13 minutes, or until the edges are brown the the middle seems to be firming up.  Immediately remove from oven and slide the parchment sheet onto a cutting board.  Working very quickly, before the cookies cool and harden, use a clean pizza cutter to retrace the cuts of strips of gingerbread.  When cool enough to handle, gently break them into sticks.
7. Reduce the oven heat to 200F.  Place gingerbread sticks back on a parchment lined baking sheet, sprinkle with a bit more turbinado sugar if desired, and bake for another 5-10 minutes.  Remove from heat and cool completely (this second baking makes them a bit more crunchy so they will stand up in a cup.  If you want yours softer you do not need to put them back in the oven).  Remove and cool completely before serving.  You can store these at room temp for about a week (if they last that long).

Gift Idea:  Take a handful of sticks and tie them with a ribbon or twine for holiday gift-treats

Paleo Gingerbread Cookies

One thing I truly miss since going paleo over a year ago is gingerbread.  I love the flavors of sweet molasses with cinnamon and cloves.  After several failed attempts at making gingerbread cookies, I finally found a recipe that works.  Perfectly.  They are crunchy on the edges but still chewy on the inside which, to me, is the ultimate challenge of making a paleo gingerbread cookie.  This recipe is not entirely my own, as I adapted it from the book Make it Paleo by Bill Staley and Hayley Mason.  It is a difficult recipe to master so I have 2 very important tips for you:  make sure you bring the molasses to a full boil and make sure you refrigerate the dough before rolling it out.  That's it.  Enjoy!

Yes, I made airplanes and hearts.  Use whatever cookie cutter suits your fancy.

Ingredients:
1/2c molasses
1/4c pure maple syrup
3tbs palm shortening
1tbs full fat coconut milk
3c almond flour
1/2tsp cinnamon
1/2tsp ginger
1/2tsp cloves
1/2tsp salt
1/2tsp baking soda

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 350F.
2. In a saucepan, bring molasses to a full boil.  Stir in maple syrup, palm oil, and coconut milk.  Remove from heat.
3. In a bowl, combine dry ingredients.  Pour wet ingredients in to combine.  Stir well.  refrigerate dough about 30 minutes.
4. Roll out dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper until about 1/4" thick.  Place rolled out dough in the freezer for 10 minutes (this helps keep the cookie cutters from sticking).
5. Cut batter with cookie cutters.
6. Bake cookies in the center of a preheated oven for 10 minutes on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Let cool, enjoy.

Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies

Nothing is more satisfying than a homemade chocolate chip cookie.  You may or may not have noticed that I have a few chocolate chip cookie recipes on my blog, but this one is probably the easiest and fastest one that I have come up with.  With only a few all natural ingredients, you are about 15 minutes away from a big batch of healthy cookies.  Almond flour is the main ingredient here, which you can find at Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, the Commissary, many retail grocers, or you can make your own by grinding almonds into a fine powder in a food processor.  Grain and refined sugar free desserts are just as delicious as the real thing.  Try them and enjoy guilt free!

Crunchy on the outside, soft in the center.  Yum!

Ingredients (makes 9 large cookies):
3c almond flour
1/2c butter, softened
1/2c honey
2 large eggs
1tsp baking soda
1tsp salt
1tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2c chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli 60% cocoa chips)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375F.  In a large bowl, beat butter and honey.  Add in eggs, almond flour, baking soda, salt and vanilla.  Mix well.  Stir in chocolate chips.
2. Line a baking sheet with nonstick foil (genius invention by the way).  Add a golfball size scoop of batter to the pan.  Repeat with the remaining batter.  I pushed mine down a little bit so they weren't completely round.
3. Bake in the center of a preheated oven for 10 minutes.  They are done when they are golden brown (like them crispy like me... cook them a bit more... like them soft... cook them a bit less).
4. Serve warm or at room temp.  Enjoy!
Note:  Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Noatmeal Raisin Cookies

This is a paleo friendly dessert recipe adapted from the book "Make it Paleo" by Bill Staley & Hayley Mason.  I altered the original recipe because I didn't have all the ingredients handy and I like to add my own twist to recipes to suite my tastes.  For this one, I left out the pumpkin seeds, added more coconut and sunflower seeds, and used a different type of paleo friendly oil.  They really do taste very similar to oatmeal raisin cookies without the gluten (or the guilt!).  Enjoy!

A sweet toasted flavor on the outside with a soft chewy center.  A wonderful treat!

Ingredients:
2c almond meal
1/2c flaxseed meal
1c unsweetened shredded coconut
1c roasted salted sunflower seeds
1tbs cinnamon
1tsp baking soda
2 large eggs, preferably omega-3 enriched
1/2c pure maple syrup
1tsp vanilla extract
1/2c organic non-hydrogenated shortening (Look for Spectrum brand made w palm oil)
1c raisins

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 325F.  In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients.  In another glass bowl, melt oil and them mix with eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla extract.
2. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry.  Stir well.  Last, stir in your raisins.
3. On a nonstick foil lined baking sheet, drop the cookies by tablespoon-size balls.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Let cool and serve.

Healthy Grainless Gingerbread Cookies

I love gingerbread during the holidays so for this dessert I recreated one of my favorite treats using all natural, grain and gluten free ingredients.  These snappy cookies are dairy and refined sugar free as well!  A trick to making these taste crunchy and satisfying is making sure that the dough is pressed down firmly prior to baking.  You can do that by rolling them with a rolling pin or by pressing firmly with your fingers or a spatula.  Otherwise they tend to fall apart (take it from me!).  If you love the flavor of gingerbread, this recipe is for you!

Make yourself some crunchy gingerbread cookies guilt free this holiday season

Ingredients:
1/2c organic non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening (I use Spectrum brand)
1/4c agave or honey
1tsp baking powder
1tsp ground ginger
1/2tsp baking soda
1/2tsp cinnamon
1/2tsp cloves
1/2c molasses
1 large egg
1tbs apple cider vinegar
2c almond flour
1/2c hazelnut flour (can substitute more almond flour if you don't have it)
1/2c coconut flour

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F.  Beat shortening with a hand mixer for 30 seconds until light and fluffy.  Add agave, powder, ginger, soda, cinnamon and cloves and beat until smooth.  Add molasses, egg, vinegar and continue to beat.  Beat in all flours until combined.  Refrigerate your dough for an hour or until hard.
2. You can either roll it out with a greased rolling pin or you can drop the cookies by tablespoonful on a nonstick foil lined cookie sheet and press them down into an 1/8" flat cookie shape.  Make sure you press these down! 
3. Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes or until deep brown and done.  If they look like they are rising, press them down with a spatula in the oven.  Let cool and serve.

Ridiculous Bacon Cookies

Yes, I admit, these cookies are outrageous.  They are basically grain-free chocolate chip cookies with little pieces of candied bacon.  Ridiculous?  Yes.  Delicious?  Absolutely.  Don't judge until you try them!  I'm not going to sit here and tell you these are the healthiest thing in the world, but I can say that they don't have a hint of gluten, grain, or added refined sugars (except what's in the chocolate).  What a fancy and unexpected treat!

Rich gooey chocolate chips with bits of candied bacon:  yum!

Ingredients (Makes 3 dozen cookies):
6-8 slices nitrate free bacon (even more if you're adventurous)
1/4c maple syrup or amber agave nectar
3c almond flour
1tsp baking soda
1tsp salt
2 large eggs
1/2c amber agave nectar
2tsp vanilla extract
1/2c butter, melted
1 1/2c semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 350F.  Line a baking sheet with nonstick foil.  Spread your bacon slices across the pan in a single layer and coat each, top and bottom, with the maple syrup.  Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.  Remove and let cool then crumble or cut bacon into small pieces.
2. Turn the oven up to 375F.  Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl and the wet ingredients in another bowl.  Pour the wet into the dry and make sure it's mixed thoroughly (I used a hand mixer).  Stir in your chocolate chips and bacon pieces.
3. Place cookie dough on a baking sheet lined with nonstick foil in rounded tablespoons.  Bake for 7-10 minutes (check to make sure they are golden brown but not dark brown!).  Remove, let cool a few minutes, and enjoy!

Paleo Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies

Okay okay, desserts are not technically included in the Paleo philosophy but you all KNOW how crazy I am about my sweets.  These delicious melt-in-your-mouth-cake-like cookies are gluten free, grain free, and refined sugar free.  As far as I'm concerned, they're pretty darn healthy.  I used organic butter (healthy if you believe in Paleo nutrition and aren't casein sensitive).  Bottom line:  these are great and much healthier than your gluten and trans fat filled store bought cookies.  Anthony requests that I make these cookies at least twice per week.  Obviously, they are a hit!  Enjoy!

The perfect guilt-free dessert!

Ingredients:
1 + 1/2c almond flour
1/8tsp baking soda
a pinch or two of fine sea salt
5tbs melted butter, if you can find it buy organic/grass fed
3tbs amber agave nectar
2tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg, omega-3 enriched
1/2c semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli 60% Cocoa Chocolate Chips)

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 350F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, mix butter, agave, vanilla, and egg.  Stir in baking soda and salt, then almond flour.  Finally, stir in chocolate chips (makes more of a batter than a dough)
3. With a spoon, place mounds of batter on a cookie sheet (makes about 9).  Bake in the center of the oven for 10-13 minutes, or until turning golden brown on the edges.  The cookies will harden up a bit as they cool.  Serve warm.  Enjoy!

Coconut Almond Macaroons

You must love coconut as much as I do to make these little macaroons.  They are full of shredded coconut and sliced almonds, with a bit of honey to give it a nice chewy sweetness.  Not quite a cookie and not quite a candy, these treats lay somewhere between the two.  Make sure you let these little guys cool completely before digging in; they will hold together better if you do.

A chewy coconut goodie

Ingredients (makes 8 macaroons):
3.5oz shredded coconut
1/2c sliced almonds
2 large egg whites
2tbs honey
1/4tsp vanilla extract
a pinch sea salt

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 325F.  Line and grease a cookie sheet.
2. In a bowl, beat egg whites with a hand mixer until stiff.  Add honey, vanilla and salt and beat until combined.
3. In a separate bowl, combine coconut and sliced almonds.  Stir in egg white mixture.
4. Place mounded scoops onto a baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes, or until firm and golden brown.  Cool completely before serving (Note: these tend to stick to the bottom of the pan so make sure you grease it.  I had to use a metal spatula to remove the cookies.)

Healthy Honey Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are not only delicious, they are grain, artificial, and refined sugar free!  Perfect for anyone looking for a healthy dessert including my gluten-free friends and Paleo enthusiasts.  Can you tell I'm finding sneaky little ways to "cheat" on my Paleo lifestyle?  You all know I can't live without my desserts!  You can fully taste the honey throughout this nutty chewy cookie which makes it taste so natural.  There is nothing artificial about these little treats.  This recipe is perfectly satisfying and husband approved.  Enjoy.

Also, for a more cake-like cookie, try my new Almond Chocoate Chip Cookie recipe!

Warm, chewy and perfectly satisfying without the guilt!

Ingredients (makes 12 large cookies):
2 1/2c almond flour (I was out of almond flour so I took 2 1/2c raw almonds and pulsed them in a food processor until very fine and flour-like)
1/2c almond butter (I used Trader Joe's Almond Butter with Roasted Flaxseeds because I'm obsessed!)
1/4c coconut flour
1/2c semisweet or dark chocolate chips
1/2c honey
1/4c coconut oil, melted
1 egg
1/4tsp cinnamon
1tbs bourbon vanilla extract
1/2tsp finely ground sea salt
1/2tsp baking soda

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 350F.
2. In a large bowl mix almond butter, coconut oil, honey, cinnamon, vanilla, salt and baking soda.  Add in egg and mix well.  Then add in coconut flour and almond flour and mix until combined (you can use a hand held mixer if you want until it gets too thick and then use a spoon).
3. Gently stir in chocolate chips.
4. Line a baking sheet with non-stick foil.  Place an ice cream scoop size dollop of dough on a cookie sheet and press down lightly.  Repeat with the rest of the 11 cookies.  Bake in the center of the oven for about 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies are turning golden brown around the edges.  Let cool slightly before serving.  Enjoy!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies, Gluten Free

Yum, yum, and yum.  These cookies are amazing.  Serve them undercooked hot from the oven topped with ice cream (Pizookie style) or fully cooked with a glass of milk.  I also froze some of the cookie dough into balls for easy fresh baking.  Best of all, these cookies are made with whole grain gluten free flours (but shhhhh...it's our secret!).  I hope this recipe finds a way into your kitchen this fall.

Warm oatmeal cookies full of melted chocolate and crunchy nuts:  where's my milk?!

Ingredients:
1c sorghum flour
1/4c millet flour
1/2c tapioca flour
1tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2tsp sea salt
1tsp xanthan gum
1tsp cinnamon
3/4c Spectrum Organic Non-hydrogenated Shortening
1 1/2c light brown sugar
1 1/2tbs vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 3/4c gluten free oats
1 heaping cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1c chopped dry roasted macadamia nuts

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F.  Line a baking sheet with nonstick foil (yes, I do this with EVERYTHING!)
2. Whisk fours, powder, soda, salt, gum, and cinnamon in a bowl.

Pizookie Style

3. In a separate bowl, beat shortening, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.  Add to dry ingredients and continue to beat until well combined.

4. With a spatula or wooden spoon, mix in oats, then chocolate chips and nuts (may need to stir by hand to combine).  The dough will be thick and sticky.
5. Place mounds of dough onto the cookie sheet (I did big cookies:  think golf ball size) spread by about 3" around the sheet.
6. Bake for about 12 minutes or until golden brown and look just underdone.  Or, take them out of the oven when they are underdone (8 min) and top with vanilla ice cream to serve them pizookie style.
7. Best if eaten in 2 days (as if they will last that long!)

Flourless Chocolate Pecan Cookies

Yes, this is my first attempt at gluten free cookies.  The result was not pretty.  Literally, not pretty.  But the cookies are slightly crunchy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside with lots of melted chocolate and crunchy pecans.  They are delicious, but a bit harder to work with due to being flourless.  Make sure you put parchment paper or nonstick foil down on your cookie sheets first:  otherwise they will fall apart when you try to take them off.  Perhaps I need to work on the presentation of this dessert, but it's worth a blog post because they are so dang tasty.

As the cookies cool, they glue together and are less likely to fall apart

 Ingredients:

A bit of crunch on the outside, but all chewy and melted chocolate in the inside

2c confectioners sugar
1c packed brown sugar
3/4c dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/2tsp sea salt
1 1/2c chocolate chips
1 1/2c chopped pecans
4 large egg whites, room  temp
2tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together sugars, cocoa, and salt.  Stir in chocolate and pecans.
3. Add egg whites and vanilla and stir just until combined.
4. Drop by 1/4c about 3 inches apart on cookies sheets.  Bake until cookie tops are cracked and dry, about 20-25 minutes (rotate sheets half way through).  Let cookies cool completely. 

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Two of my husband's favorite traditional American desserts include the Chocolate Chip Cookie and the Blondie.  In this dish, I combined the two making a pan of Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars that satisfy both cravings.  I promise you will not be able to tell they are gluten free.  In fact, I had Anthony take them to work and he said his crew loved them (and were clueless to the knowledge that they did not contain wheat).  Most gluten free goodies you buy at the store are very dry which is why I now make my own.  Gluten Free baking is an art form in itself and it takes a little more thought to build a recipe:  this cookie has extra help from the coconut and brown sugar to increase its' moisture.  Freeze any leftovers in individual squares (if you have any that is).

Gooey chocolate, chewy coconut and a brown sugar cookie = cookie bar perfection!

Ingredients:
3 large eggs
1/2c Spectrum Organic Shortening (non-hydrogenated / no trans fat)

2tsp vanilla extract
1c firmly packed light brown sugar
2c Pamela's Ultimate Baking & Pancake Mix
3/4c sweetened flaked coconut (if you don't like the texture of coconut, grind in a food processor)
1c semi-sweet chocolate chips plus more for the top

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F.  Line a 10X13" pan with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, beat eggs, shortening and vanilla.  Add sugar and continue beating.  Once combined, beat in baking mix.
3. Stir in coconut and chocolate chips.  Spread the dough evenly in a baking pan using a spoon or spatula.  Top with extra chocolate chips and press them into the dough slightly.
4. Bake about 20 minutes, or until set and golden brown (do not overbake!).  Allow bars to cool on a wire rack before cutting.  Enjoy!

The Cupcake Chronicles

Cupcake Experiment #1

After a few episodes of Cupcake Wars and some inspiration from my mother I fostered some type of internal desire to bake cupcakes from scratch.  This actually surprised me because about 6 years back I had a similar desire to make the best brownies in the world (I was a newlywed at the time and my husband's favorite dessert is brownies).  This resulted in hundreds of recipes and countless hours of baking, all which resulted in failure.  Finally, I took my deflated ego and bought his favorite boxed mix.  And he was happy.  And I've never tried to make brownies from scratch since.

To date, I have attempted to make cupcakes from scratch twice.  Both times were not complete failures but I doubt they can stand up to boxed mix either, which is embarrassing.  I am going to include my cupcake experiment chronicle, but refuse to share with you any such recipe for the mix until I perfect it.  My first attempt was too heavy of a cake, although the flavor was there.  My second attempt was a much fluffier cake, but it had little flavor and felt more like an angel food cake.  I doubt I will put in as much effort into cupcakes as I did into brownies, but I may try a few more times.  Once (if) I find the perfect recipe, I promise to come back and share it.

Cupcake Experiment #1: Chocolate Chip Vanilla Cream Cupcakes

These cakes were fun to make and would make a great birthday party treat.  They have a surprise chocolate chip cookie at the bottom of each cupcake and the frosting is delicious!  Of course, at this point I suggest you use boxed mix for the cupcake center unless you have your own secret recipe for vanilla cupcakes.

Small thin buttery cookies make a perfect cupcake topping

 Ingredients for Chocolate Chip Cookie Base:
1c + 2 tbs all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick unsalted butter, room temp
3/4c packed light brown sugar
1/4c + 2tbs granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1c semisweet chocolate chips

Directions for cookies:
1. Sift flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl. 
2. Beat butter and sugars with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. On low, beat in egg.
4. Add flour in 3 additions.  Beat in vanilla & gently mix in chocolate chips.
5. For 1 1/2" cookies to top cupcakes, drop mounds by 1/2tsp (or use a rounded 1/4tsp measuring spoon).
5. Bake at 350F until edges are darkened but centers look pale and underdone for chewy cookies (about 8 to 10 minutes).  Cook a bit longer for crispy cookies.
[Note: Only cook 1/2 of the dough.  The other 1/2 will go at the bottom of the cupcakes later]

Step 3: Surprise cookie dough at the bottom is so fun!

Directions for cupcakes:
1. Fill cupcake tin with paper liners. 
2. Preheat oven to desired temperature depending on your mix (300-350). 
3. Press 1tbs cookie dough into the bottom of the paper cupcake liners.
4. Top with 2tbs cupcake mix.
5. Follow cupcake directions and bake until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (about 18 minutes). 
6. Let cupcakes cool slightly and then remove from tin and set out to cool completely.  Meanwhile, make frosting.

All done baking and ready to cool

Directions for Vanilla Buttercream Icing:
1. Beat 2 sticks plus 2tbs room temp butter and 3/4c confectioner's sugar with a mixer on medium until pale and fluffy. 
2. Reduce speed to medium-low and gradually add an additional 2c plus 2tbs confectioner's sugar. 
3. Beat on high and add 1tbs whole milk and 1tsp vanilla extract.  Continue to beat until pale and fluffy (3-4min).  Store at room temp until ready to use (up to 2 days).

Directions to Assemble Cakes:
1. Frost cooled cakes with buttercream icing using a piping bag (I don't have one so I just cut a whole at the bottom corner of a ziploc bag, filled it with icing and used that.
2. Top with a cooled chocolate chip cookie and serve.

Finish cakes are ready to be eaten