Desserts Archives - Page 2 of 5 -

Rainbow Frozen Fruit Cake

on August 29, 2016June 29, 2021 By Kelley 1 Comment

These mini Rainbow Frozen Fruit Cakes are simply stunning! In addition to being beautiful, they are made with 100% fruit and nothing else, making them a healthy and nutritious dessert.

Summer is winding down, but here in California, it is still hot, hot, hot!

Summer is my favorite season, and always has been. Maybe it’s because I associate summer with vacations at the beach, summer camp, and no school. I still get the end-of-summer blues even though I haven’t been back to school in quite a few years (ok, it has been WELL over a decade). haha.

When I think of summers past there are so many memories that come to mind, and being a food fanatic, many of them do involve something you can eat! Ice cream, Carvel ice cream cake, push pops and fruit popsicles are my favorite sweet and cool treats. What are yours?

The ice cream truck was another marvelous highlight of summer. The small white truck would rumble down our street playing the “ice cream jingle” and all the kids would come running, smiling from ear to ear. I remember standing in line and contemplating which frozen novelty I should get- perhaps a Drumstick? or the Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Bar? Froz Fruit Bar with the whole strawberry chunks hidden inside? There were just too many to choose from, but you could never go wrong!

Froz Fruit bars were definitely one of my all time favorites! Does anyone remember those delicious pops? Strawberry, pineapple, and watermelon were some of my top choices in Froz Fruit flavors. Yum!

In honor of my undying love for Froz Fuit bars I have created these sweet and super cute 100% fruit mini cakes. If you have problems deciding on a flavor, no worries, because now you can have them all at once! Pick your favorite fruits and layer them to your liking.

They are made with 100% pure fruit, with no added sugar, so they are super healthy. I prefer to use frozen fruit, as opposed to fresh, as it tends to be sweeter and creates a more concentrated, less watery, frozen fruit cake.

I made these mini Frozen Fruit Cakes in ramekins for the perfect personal-sized cake, but you are welcome to make a large cake in a spring form pan if you wish!

And if you have leftover fruit, be sure to make some Frozen FRUIT ICE with the extras! Pour seltzer over this colorful and flavorful ice to make a healthy and fruity soda.

Happy Summer 🙂

Rainbow Frozen Fruit Cake

These mini Rainbow Frozen Fruit Cakes are simply stunning! In addition to being beautiful, they are made with 100% fruit and nothing else, making them a healthy and nutritious dessert.

1 bag of frozen strawberries
1 bag of frozen mango
1 bag of frozen pineapple
4-5 kiwis (couldn’t find them frozen)
1 bag of frozen blueberries

Allow your frozen fruit to thaw fully (or microwave it for a few seconds until thawed).
Grease 4 ramekins with a bit of coconut oil (or something similar) to make the cakes easier to remove.
Peel the kiwis and cut them into chunks.
Next blend each fruit separately in the blender, and place into separate bowls. Add a bit of coconut water if needed to blend,(but I did not need any) to get a smooth fruit puree.
If you want fruit chunks, set aside a few whole pieces of each fruit, and cut up into small chunks.
Layer each fruit puree in the ramekin to create a rainbow.
Freeze for 2+ hours or until fully set.
When you want to serve them dip the glass ramekin into a bowl of hot water for a few seconds to loosen the frozen fruit cake, and use a butter knife to gentle dislodge the cake.
Serve and enjoy!

3 Ingredient Chocolate & Banana Cream Ice Cream Cake

on August 2, 2016June 29, 2021 By Kelley

This rich and creamy Chocolate and Banana Cream Ice Cream Cake is made in the blender with only 3 simple ingredients! No way? Yes way! You can whip this up in no time. It looks super fancy, and best of all it’s healthy! (dairy-free, paleo, vegan, gluten and grain-free)

My little (almost) one year old loves ice cream! He must of inherited my ice cream gene 🙂 haha. Now that he is eating solids it’s fun to see him try new textures and flavors. He is game to try just about anything, but if he decides he doesn’t like it, his mouth opens, and whatever was in there immediately gets projected and lands on either me, or the floor. Well, this never happens with ice cream. He is always eager for the next bite and grabs for the spoon with all his mite.

This summer my family has made a number of ice cream outings to beat the hot summer heat, and because my lo loves ice cream so much. I personally avoid eating a lot of dairy, but ice cream is an occasional treat I often can’t say no to. Plus, living in a new area, means you have an obligation do some exploring and figure out all the best ice cream places in town, right!?

Well, my family has found some pretty great ice cream joint around here!

Carmela’s is simply amazing. Their shop is simple, elegant and delicate. All organic, their ice creams are made in house with special care and attention. They have unique seasonal flavors, two of my fav’s being lavender honey and brown sugar vanilla bean- yum!

Equally as tasty, but at the other end of the ice cream treat spectrum is After Hours. This cool and hip ice cream parlor is located in a historic old-fashioned gas station. You go up to the window to order your “milky buns.” Oh, you don’t know what a milk bun is? That’s ok. I didn’t either. Basically you get to pick your ice cream flavor and topping and it gets sanwhiched beween two hot and sticky soft glazed donuts. It’s ridiculous. Ridiculously, crazy good! Is your mouth watering yet?

With all this ice cream eating going on I was feeling a bit guilty and sluggish thanks to extra sugar load, and I knew I had to clean up my act, so I made this: Banana Chocolate Cream Ice Cream Cake, and it’s delicious and SUPER HEALTHY. I can have a slice or two, and it’s guilt free. Best of all my little one loves it too!

This ice cream cake is super easy to make and contains only 3 simple ingredients: Coconut milk, chocolate chips (dairy free), and bananas- that’s it! Make sure to use a high speed blender (like a Vitamix) to blend the coconut milk and bananas on high. This will aerate the “ice cream” and keep it smooth and creamy as it freezes!

3 Ingredient Banana Chocolate Cream Ice Cream Cake

3 ripe bananas
2 cans coconut cream can of full fat coconut milk. I would recommend using 2 cans of coconut milk to replace 1 can of coconut cream) (you can find this at Trader Joes OR use only the cream from a (chilled)
1 cup chocolate chips (I used dairy-free Enjoy Life brand)

Combine 1 can of coconut cream and 3 bananas in a high speed blender and blend on high for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is frothy and smooth.
On the stovetop heat the contents of the other can of coconut cream in a small saucepan.
Add the chocolate chips into the saucepan, and mix vigorously until you get a smooth chocolate sauce, then remove from heat and let cool.
Meanwhile grease a 6″ round cake pan (a spring-form pan would be best for easiest removal!) with coconut oil.
Pour in 1/2 cup of the banana mixture, then 1/4 cup of the chocolate mixture, then 1/2 cup of the banana mixture, then 1/2 cup of the chocolate mixture, then another 1/2 cup of the banana mixture, followed by 1/4 cup of chocolate mixture, and finally add the reaming banana mixture to top it off. (If you want absolutely perfect layers freeze each layer for 10 minutes before adding the next.)
Set aside the left over chocolate mixture. You can store it in the fridge and reheat later.
Freeze the cake for 2+ hours.
When you are ready to serve the cake fill a large bowl with hot water.
Remove the cake from the freezer and dip the bottom and sides of the pan into the hot water for a few seconds. Then, if the ice cream cake isn’t free, glide a butter knife around the edges to dislodge it, and place it on a serving plate.
If its melting too quickly, place it back into the freezer to set, and heat the left over chocolate sauce over low-medium heat.
Pour the remaining chocolate sauce over top of the ice cream cake.
You can dunk a knife it hot water to aid in cutting the cake, and it may be easier to let it thaw 5-10 minutes if it’s too frozen to cut.
Enjoy!

Dark Chocolate Coconut Cream Cups

on July 19, 2016August 13, 2021 By Kelley

These creamy, rich, and chocolatey Coconut Cream Cups are the ultimate decandent (and secretly healthy!!) treat. Pop one of these into your mouth and the rich chocolate melts away to reveal silky, smooth, snowy, and sweet coconut cream. They are easy-peasy to make, and be sure to make extra, for they won’t last long!

Oh, chocolate. My true love.

Ode to chocolate:

Creamy, smooth and sweet.

Your rich flavor makes my heart skip a beat.

Sends tingles down from my head to my feet.

You make it so hard not to eat!

I mean, what is it about chocolate that makes it SO GOOD, and SO ADDICTIVE!? Really!? It really should come with a warning label that reads something like this: “If you are eating this for the first time, be warned, that you may never be the same again and find yourself craving chocolate for the rest of your life.” lol.

Cricket and I love to make healthy treats, so we can indulge in the good stuff, without all the guilt. Although Cricket can’t eat chocolate, because she is a dog, I always make her some thing special when I’m making a treat for myself. So today I made her some bacon jerky while I made these easy chocolate coconut cups all for myself! Oooh- maybe I should have made chocolate covered bacon cups?? Maybe next time….

So many flavors go great with chocolate. The best ones I can think of are peanut butter, almond butter (see my Chocolate Almond Butter Cups), and coconut! I always loved Mounds candy bars when I was a little girl, and now I can recreate that amazing flavor combination without having to leave my kitchen. Even better, the ingredients used to make THESE Coconut Cream Cups are healthy, all-natural, and good for you! Hip-hip Hoorah!

Chocolate Coconut Cream Cups

1 1/4 cups dark chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life brand
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut butter

Melt the chocolate chips plus 1 tablespoon of coconut oil in a saucepan over low heat.
Grease the mini muffin tin with a little bit of coconut oil.
Pour a teaspoon of melted chocolate into each compartment. Chill in the fridge or freezer for 10 minutes.
Melt the coconut butter, maple syrup, and 1 tablespoon coconut oil in a saucepan over low heat.
Once melted mix in the shredded coconut, and remove from heat.
Spoon a heaping teaspoon of coconut cream mixture into each compartment (on top of the chilled chocolate layer).
Spoon the remaining chocolate on top of the coconut cream layer and chill in the fridge until set, about 1/2 hour in the fridge or 10-15 minutes in the freezer.
Carefully pop the cups out of the tray using a fork or butter knife.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Covered Banana Pops

on July 6, 2016August 13, 2021 By Kelley

Looking for a cool and chocolatey treat to cool down your sweet tooth this summer? Well, look no further! These frozen banana pops are smothered in peanut butter and chocolate 'magic' sauce. They are easy and fun to make (get the kids involved!), and best yet they are secretly healthy!

Looking for a cool and chocolatey treat to cool down your sweet tooth this summer? Well, look no further! These frozen banana pops are smothered in peanut butter and chocolate ‘magic’ sauce. They are easy and fun to make (get the kids involved!), and best yet they are secretly healthy!

Cricket and I have been logging a lot of miles lately. She loves to run every morning and by 7 am she is waiting by the door next to her leash. In fact, Cricket knows her daily schedule better than I do, and if I am late she is sure to let me know about it… lol. Breakfast is at 6:30 sharp (even on Sundays) and everyday she not-so-patiently stands by her metal bowl and paws at it to make loud dinging noises so the whole house can hear. After breakfast we get dressed, lace up the sneakers, pop the baby in the stroller and off we go! She usually pulls me most of the way, unless she gets hint of a good smell, and then she’ll stop and use her beagle nose to check it out :). Looking for a cool and chocolatey treat to cool down your sweet tooth this summer? Well, look no further! These frozen banana pops are smothered in peanut butter and chocolate 'magic' sauce. They are easy and fun to make (get the kids involved!), and best yet they are secretly healthy!

Now that Cricket is 11 years young, she still isn’t showing any signs of her age, with the exception of some grey hairs. She still is fast and spry, can out run me on her worst day, and would still have energy at the end of the day to do it all again! I hope I feel and look as good as she does when I am her age! She definitely has good genes, which helps, but I also know that a healthy diet and exercise also help to keep her youthful and in great shape. Often I feed her better than I feed myself. Her only junk food is the occasional In-and-Out burger patty, which she adores! I, on the other hand, have a weakness for treats, especially ice cream and chocolate!

With all the running we have been doing my need for sweets has hit an all time high so I needed to find a healthy, but still really indulgent, alternative.

Enter- Chocolate and PB smothered Banana Pops! They have the perfect combinations of rich dark chocolate and creamy peanut butter (you could also use almond butter), and the frozen banana pop is creamy and sweet, reminiscent of ice cream. They look good, right!?

Enjoy and indulge with no guilt!! 🙂

Chocolate Peanut Butter Covered Banana Pops

3 bananas
1/3 cup chocolcate chips (I used Enjoy Life brand)
1/3 cup peanut butter (or almond butter for paleo)
2-4 tablespoons coconut oil
6 popsicle sticks or straws
optional: 1/4 cup shredded coconut

Cut your bananas in half and insert your popsicle stick into the cut end.
Place the banana pops on a parchment-lines cookie sheet and place them in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.
After the pops are chilled, heat the 1/3 cup of peanut butter and 1 tablespoon of coconut oil over low-medium heat until melted and combined. If the peanut butter dip is too thick add an additional tablespoon of coconut oil.
Take the pops out of the freezer and deep each one into the peanut butter dip.
Place them back onto the parchment-lined cookie sheet and pop them back into the freezer for a few minutes.
Meanwhile, melt the 1/3 cup chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon of coconut oil over low-medium heat until melted and smooth. Add an additional tablespoon of coconut oil if needed to make the chocolate dip thinner.
Remove the peanut butter covered pops from the freezer and dip each one into the chocolate and place back onto the cookie sheet.
Sprinkle with shredded coconut if you’d like.
Freeze for another 10 minutes, or until set, or until you want to eat them!

Chocolate Chip Cookie “Energy” Cups

on June 20, 2016August 13, 2021 By Kelley 1 Comment

These soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies are my favorite go to sweet treat when I need a pick-me-up. They are SECRETLY HEALTHY and filled with energy boosting ingredients! But shhh, don’t tell! Feed them to the fam, and nobody will suspect. In fact, they will demand some more! These babies have NO butter, NO flour, NO processed sugar, and NO eggs. Take one bite and go to cookie Heaven, then have another because you can!

You guys aren’t sick of cookie recipes yet are you? I mean who doesn’t LOVE chocolate chip cookies? Right, I thought so. NO ONE. haha.

So this week I set out to make a cookie that called for coconut oil as opposed to butter or palm shortening. I am in love with the health benefits of coconut oil. (Read more about those awesome benefits HERE!!) Did you know coconut oil can help curb your appetite and boost your metabolism? And it provides a nice dose of healthy energy in the form of medium-chain triglycerides.

The other main ingredient in these super moist and melty cookies is almonds. Everybody knows how good almonds are for your healthy. They are full of healthy fats and protein, making them a first rate energy source.

So together almonds and coconut oil are a healthy energy match made in heaven, and they also happen to make a spectacular cookie!

I promise you are going to love these, so I recommend you make a double batch!

Chocolate Chip Cookie “Energy” Cups

1 cup almond flour (I recommend Wellbee’s)
2 tablespoons tapioca starch
1 tablespoon coconut sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea or Himalayan salt
3 tablespoons coconut oil (melted)
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips (Enjoy Life brand)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a bowl combine and mix all the dry ingredients.
Add the wet ingredients and mix to form a dough
Add the chocolate chips and mix.
Scoop about 1 tablespoon of dough into each mini muffin/cupcake tin compartment and press the dough down to compact it. (you also can use a regular muffin tin, but use 2 tablespoons of dough.)
Bake at 350 degrees F for 6-7 minutes.
Remove, let cool, then enjoy. (remove them from the tin by carefully dislodging them with a knife.)

Red, White, and Blue Berry Popsicles

on June 17, 2016August 13, 2021 By Kelley

These berry-ful popsicles are sweet, flavorful, and will help keep you hydrated this summer. Made with only 3 simple ingredients, they are easy-peasy and fool-proof. Everyone will be loving these at your 4th of July celebration!

Fourth of July is right around the corner, and I am shocked it’s already here! Why is it that once summer begins, it seems to rapidly speed up time, and the warm and sunny months fly by like a blur? Sometimes I just want to pause. Slow things down. Relish in the moment. In the sunny summer breeze. Are you with me?

The reason summer flies by may be because summer is my favorite season, and recollections of the summers of my youth are filled with fun and exciting memories. I used to look forward to sleep away camp, and I got to bring my horse, Missy, along! Not many kids can say that, right!? Another highlight were our family vacations to LBI. We would hang out beachside all day taking in some rays, go for long leisurely bike rides around the island, and go to an ice cream shop where you got served a whole song-a-long performance while you enjoyed your chocolate fudge sunday. Those were the times. Pure joy found in the simple things.

So to celebrate summer, the 4th, and all things simple I came up with some pretty delicious, refreshing, and healthy popsicles. They are perfect for kids and adults alike! They only have 3 simple ingredients so you can spend virtually NO TIME making them, and spend more time enjoying your summer, popsicle-in-hand to cool you down:) Enjoy!

Red, White and Blue Berry Popsicles

Healthy and delicious berry popsicles made with only 3 ingredients!

1/3 cup frozen strawberries (allow them to thaw slightly to cut into quarters)
1/3 cup frozen blueberries
1 1/2 cup coconut water (more of less depending of the size of your popsicle molds)
1/3 cup shredded coconut (optional)
you’ll need a popsicle mold or 6 waxed dixie cups and popsicle sticks (or straws/ chopsticks, etc)

Place a few strawberry pieces into each popsicle mold.
Pour coconut water into each popsicle mold and fill 1/2 way (over the strawberry segments).
Place popsicles into the freezer for about 1 hour.
Remove the popsicles form the freezer.
Add a few blueberries to each mold.
Top off with coconut water until each mold is just about filled.
Insert popsicle mold handle or popsicle stick.
Place popsicles back into the freezer for 2-3 hours.
When you are ready to serve them just remove from freezer, dip in shredded coconut (optional) and serve!

Cookie Dough Shots

on May 20, 2016August 13, 2021 By Kelley 2 Comments

These Cookie Dough Shots are secretly healthy but taste like creamy and rich cookie dough flavored frosting! They are ridiculously easy to make, and too cute 🙂 A special combination of ingredients are used to create an exceptional cookie dough flavor, complete with mini dark chocolate chips. They make a great pick me up, providing energy with healthy fats and protein (optional)! {Grain-free, Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Paleo, Vegan, Pegan}

It’s no secret this gal loves cookies, especially chocolate chip cookies! And what’s better than chocolate chip cookies? Did I hear you say the cookie dough? Yes! I agree completely. Cookie dough is my ultimate weakness, what’s yours?

If you love cookie dough, you are going to LOVE these creamy Cookie Dough Shots. And best of all they are HEALTHY! Yes, you can let out a cheer- Yeah!
They are packed with healthy fat from coconut milk and you can even give them a dose of protein with your favorite vanilla or unflavored protein powder. Now you not only have an indulgent snack, you have a pre or post-workout energy boost and it tastes like cookie dough! The sweetness and cookie dough flavor comes from the combination of maple syrup, coconut sugar and vanilla. The coconut sugar is the perfect healthy substitution for brown sugar, which gives traditional cookie dough that sweet and rich flavor.

I have a hard time keeping these little shots around in my house. I made a batch and within the hour they are gone! And this time it wasn’t Cricket. Haha. Hubby? Busted!

So take 5 minutes today and whip these babies up. You will not be disappointed!

Cookie Dough Shots

2 cans coconut cream (Use only the cream from 2 cans of chilled coconut milk, discard or save coconut water for another use)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon coconut sugar
1 scoop of unflavored collagen peptides or your favorite vanilla or unflavored protein powder) ** If your protein powder is sweetened then reduce the amount of maple syrup and coconut sugar according to your sweet tooth! (I use Vital Proteins)
3 tablespoons mini chocolate chips chocolate chips (or chop up regular-sized, I use Enjoy Life)

Combine the maple syrup and brown sugar in a small bowl and mix. It will form a wet sandy paste. Let that sit a few minutes so the sugar partially dissolves.
Combine the coconut cream, vanilla, maple syrup/coconut sugar mixture, and protein or collagen in a bowl and whip well using a hand blender.
Next add the chocolate chip and fold them in using a rubber spatula.
You can use a pipping bag to fill small plastic shot glasses with the frosting for a cute presentation or just eat it straight outta the bowl with a spoon!

Peanut Butter Speckled Eggs with Coconut Nests

on March 23, 2016August 13, 2021 By Kelley

Easter is almost here, but do not fear, you can make your own {healthy} candy this year! These Peanut Butter Speckled Eggs are cute and delicious and they even come with their own edible coconut nest. Everyone can partake in Easter candy indulging because they are gluten and grain-free, dairy-free, paleo, vegan, and refined sugar-free.
Easter is just around the corner which means Spring is officially here! Can I getta cheer?? I love Spring. It’s the return of warm weather, chirping birds, long walks outdoors, minus the freezing your toochie off part, and Easter.

When I was young my mom used to make my sisters and I Easter Bonnets. Now, these weren’t just any Easter bonnets, no no… They were huge wide brimmed straw hats that appeared they had been swallowed by a bouquet of silk flowers. Huge. Colorful. Silk. Flowers. EVERYWHERE. Complete with pink ribbons tied in a big bow under our chins. We looked adorable until we passed the age of 5 and then adorable became un-cool and we would no longer stand for it. Looking back I admire my mom putting in so much time dressing us up. Now I know where I get it from….

You know I love to dress my beloved pup, Cricket, up for all the holidays, and sometimes I do it for no reason at all. Well, I made her the official Easter Bunny this year, with EXTRA big ears. Notice the LOOK she gives me in this pic…. “Yeah, yeah, this is ridiculous! Hurry up and take the photo mom!” Haha. She is such a good sport. I just can’t help exploit her because her cuteness is just too much to handle sometimes.

So back to Easter, I mean the candy. Easter’s all about ‘da sugar, right!? These Peanut Butter Speckled Eggs will satisfy all your Easter candy cravings and they just look so darn cute in their little coconut nests. These yummy delights are so easy to make, heck you probably have all the ingredients in your home already!
Happy Bunny Day 🙂

Peanut Butter Speckled Eggs with Coconut Nests

SPECKLED EGGS:

1/2 cup of natural peanut butter (or cashew butter or almond butter)
2 tablespoons cane sugar (coconut sugar will work too)
2-4 tablespoons of almond flour or coconut flour (if using coconut flour use less)
1/3 cup chocolate chips (Enjoy Life brand)
Optional: sprinkles

COCONUT NESTS:

3/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes (I used the large chunky flakes, but regular-sized flakes are fine)
2/3 cup coconut butter
1 1/2 tablespoons of cane sugar (can use coconut sugar but nests will not be as white in color)

To Make the Eggs:
Blend the sugar in a high speed blender for a few seconds to make a fine powder.
Mix the powdered sugar with the peanut butter.
If your peanut butter or nut butter is very sticky and wet add a tablespoon of almond flour or coconut flour so you can form an egg shape with the dough.
If you make 1 tablespoon-sized eggs you will yield 8-10 eggs.
Place them on a parchment-lined plate and then freeze them for one hour.
Melt the chocolate chips over low heat in a small saucepan.
Remove the peanut butter eggs from the freezer and use a spoon to dip them into the melted chocolate, give them a roll to coat, and place them back on the parchment-lined plate and cover with sprinkles.
Place in the fridge or freezer until you are ready to enjoy them!
To Make the Nests:
Melt the coconut butter over low heat in a small saucepan.
Blend the sugar to make a fine powder.
Combine the coconut butter with the coconut flakes and sugar and mix well.
Chill the mixture for about 10-15 minutes in the freezer to allow the coconut butter to solidify somewhat.
Place a small square of parchment paper into 4 small bowls/ramekins.
Press the chilled coconut mixture into each bowl (with the parchment paper between the coconut and the bowl). Use your fingers to firmly compress the coconut mixture into the bowl to make a nest shape.
Freeze the nests for about 1 hour, then remove them from the bowls and store in fridge or freezer until you serve them.
*Note: if you coconut mixture is not sticking together well just add more coconut butter. This is the “glue” that holds it together.

Somoa Gooey Bars

on March 18, 2016August 13, 2021 By Kelley

These Somoa Gooey Bars are loaded with extra gooey caramel, toasted coconut, and dark chocolate, layered on a crumbly shortbread. They will surely satisfy your Girl Scout cookie cravings without the guilt! They are easy to make and taste amazingly delicious, rich, and decadent! Grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, pegan and paleo!

March is Girl Scout cookie time! I remember the years when I was a Brownie, and I would make my yearly trek around the neighborhood, knocking on doors, peddling arguably the BEST cookies of all time. NO ONE turned me down, and it wasn’t because I was a little kid with a big smile. It was because no one, I mean NO ONE, can turn down those dang cookies! They are addictive, and worst of all, they make you wait ALL year long until those sweet intoxicating cookies can meet your mouth again. Cruelty!

Well I am here to save the day. I not only have a Somoa cookie remake for you, but it’s grain-free, gluten-free and paleo! Plus I pumped it up a bit, wanting to improve upon the already phenomenal cookie, and added extra gooey caramel. You can never have too much of that, right!?

These gooey, chocolatey treats are also easy to whip up, and made in bar form for convenience. There is no need for the saucer-shaped cookie with the middle cut-out…. Why do they cut out the middle of the Somoas anyway!? No middles cut out here and you can cut them as BIG as you want:)

Somoa Gooey Bars

1 cup unsweetened coconut shreds (toasted)
1 ¼ cup coconut flour (you can sub almond flour but then reduce the amount of coconut oil]
1/4 cup + coconut oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup
½ teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup coconut milk/cream (one can of full fat coconut milk, cream only, save liquid for another use)
½ cup coconut sugar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
½ cup chocolate chips (Enjoy Life brand)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a pan over medium heat, toast the coconut shreds, moving them around the pan to ensure they are evenly golden, then set aside.
Next in a bowl combine the coconut flour, salt, coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla and mix well until you can form a ball of dough with your hands. Add more coconut oil if needed. Dough will be crumbly.
Push dough into a even compact layer in a parchment lined 8″x8″ pan.
Bake for about 10 minutes or until just golden brown.
In a saucepan, over medium heat, combine the coconut cream, coconut sugar, and 2 tablespoons maple syrup. Let it come to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the caramel has thickened to a honey consistency.
Pour the caramel on top of the shortbread, then sprinkle with the toasted coconut.
Melt the chocolate chips in a saucepan over medium-low heat and drizzle it on top of the coconut and then let the bars chill for 30 minutes in the fridge, then remove and cut into bars.

Maple Almond Butter and Chocolate Cups

on March 5, 2016August 13, 2021 By Kelley 7 Comments

These tasty melt-in-your-mouth cups are for all you Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup lovers out there. The super creamy almond butter pairs perfectly with the rich dark chocolate shell making a flavor explosion that will satisfy your deepest chocolate desires. Best of all they are GOOD for YOU! Dairy-free, paleo, gluten-free and grain free. They are super easy to make with just 4 simple ingredients!

I know it’s not October, not even close, but I often find myself thinking about Halloween. I think about what costume Cricket should wear, that of course has to be compatible with mine. Like Shaggy and Scooby Doo or Bo Peep and her one black (and white) sheep. (The later actually would be a throw back to my younger years circa 6 years old when I was Bo Peep and my younger sisters served as my “flock” of sheep.lol.) Cricket often looks like a baby lamb when she’s sleeping all curled up in a ball. 🙂

If you guys have any other ideas I’d love for you to share them, please! I only have, well let’s see 9 months! Lol. So besides the costumes, what’s the next best part of Halloween? Yes, I think I heard you say “Peanut Butter Cups?” Yes! You’re right. The biggest goal of Halloween, besides finding an epic costume of you and your dog, is to hoard as many peanut butter cups as possible… and then eat every single last one.

I discovered a fantastic way to make my own almond butter cups, which upstage peanut butter cups, really! They are super simple and easy to make and they are actually good for you! The almond butter is creamy, nutty and has a hint of maple. The dark chocolate blankets the gooey middle perfectly and melts in your mouth upon contact.

There is a simple hack to get these cup-shaped chocolates…. a mini cupcake tin. It makes the perfectly sized Maple Almond Butter Cups! They pop right out and then POP them right into your mouth. Swoon!

If you love these, which I am sure you will, try these Peppermint Crunch Cups….

Maple Almond Butter and Chocolate Cups

1 1/4 cups chocolate chips (Enjoy Life brand)
2 tablespoon coconut oil plus 1 teaspoon for greasing muffin tin
3/4 cup almond butter
1 tablespoon maple syrup

Melt the chocolate chips plus 1 tablespoon of coconut oil in a saucepan over low heat.
Grease the mini muffin tin with coconut oil.
Pour a teaspoon of melted chocolate into each compartment. Chill in the fridge or freezer for 10 minutes.
Melt the almond butter, maple syrup, and 1 tablespoon coconut oil in a saucepan over low heat.
Spoon a heaping teaspoon of almond butter mixture into each compartment.
Spoon the remaining chocolate on top of the almond butter layer and chill in the fridge until set, about 1/2 hour in the fridge or 10-15 minutes in the freezer.
Carefully pop the cups out of the tray using a fork or butter knife.