There’s something about the sweet and salty combo of salted chocolate that’s just magical. And of course you can’t go wrong with cookie dough. The almond meal and arrowroot combo provides the base of the “dough” without any grains or gluten. The cashew butter adds that extra layer of creaminess to really tie it all together. You can just use more almond meal if you don’t have cashew butter, but I really like the neutral, almost cream cheese like flavor that it gives to the truffle.

Bite sized

One of the things I like about these, in addition to their chocolatey goodness of course, is that they’re in nice individual sized portions. Now I can’t say that I’ve ever stopped at just one, however this does make them easier to serve. It’s also nice for when the little guy wants a treat; one of these can go a long way for a 4 year old.

They do get a little bit melty in our house, which is unreasonably warm, so they’re stored in the fridge or freezer. If your house is cooler than 74 degrees, then feel free to keep them at room temperature. Keeping them really cold also helps them from melting all over your fingers as you’re noshing down on one. Be warned though, that too long in the freezer makes them a little hard to chew.

Make it dairy free

To keep it dairy free, use ghee instead of pastured butter. You could also use coconut oil, but ghee smells like toffee to me and gives a phenomenal, concentrated butter flavor without the milk proteins some are sensitive too. I also use this brand of chocolate chips since they’re dairy, soy and gluten free, as my other half doesn’t handle dairy well.

The post Dark Chocolate Salted Cookie Dough Truffles – Paleo appeared first on The Herbal Spoon.

We’re huge ice cream lovers at our house. Chocolate ice cream with naturally sweetened hot fudge sauce regularly makes an appearance at the table. One of my favorite flavors as a child though, was cherry vanilla ice cream. Now you can make it at home with healthy ingredients, even without an ice cream machine.

Is an ice cream machine really necessary?

For many years we didn’t have an ice cream machine, and I made do with a food processor and the freezer. Constant freezing of the food processor was hard on the plastic, and eventually it cracked under the pressure. So then I tried just freezing a batch of ice cream in a bowl and stirring every 30 minutes or so. That didn’t really work so well either, because the ice cream would turn out all icy and clumpy. Not very ice creamy, which is really the whole point of ice cream.

I eventually lucked out and found an ice cream machine at Gooodwill for next to nothing. We love that thing and use it several times a week. I foresee needing a new one soon in our near future though, and I’ll get this one, which is the newer model. The cover on ours mysteriously ended up with a large crack and a chunk of the plastic missing. Did I mention that plastic doesn’t seem to like me?

Getting the perfect scoop

If you haven’t gotten an ice cream machine yet (which I highly recommend if you love it as much as we do!), then there are a few simple tricks to getting the perfect dairy free ice cream.  I just got this new e-book from Jessica over at Delicious Obsessions and she gives all the details on how to achieve the perfect ice cream, even without a machine. As much ice cream as we make,  I’m excited to make these few tweaks for an even better dish of the stuff.

There’s a lot more than just ice cream in a bowl in this book though. The Splendid Scoop mixes favorites like creamy vanilla, with intriguing new concoctions like Strawberry Mint Watermelon Slush, Water Kefir Ice Cream Floats and Dark Chocolate Crunch. Oooh, I want that Dark Chocolate crunch one right now. You can check out The Splendid Scoop here.

Cherry vanilla ice cream

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Easter memories of stuffing my face

Easter was one of my favorite holidays when I was a kid because of the candy. I would get an Easter basket from my parents full of the sugary stuff, and I’d get yet another basket full of candy from my grandparents. We were all so obsessed with the candy, that one year my grandma had to resort to counting each jellybean after the cousins complained some family members were getting more than them.

Although I’m no longer Easter basket greedy, I wouldn’t mind having a bit of candy this year. We’re trying very hard to completely remove refined sugar from our diets though. I’ve had to get creative over the years and we now sweeten almost everything with natural sweeteners, like with these grain free jam thumbprint cookies, or this raspberry chocolate mousse with a secret superfood ingredient.

A healthy version that also tastes great

Fortunately I came up with a way to completely skip the refined sugar from these chocolate peanut butter eggs. Yep, even the chocolaty goodness covering the outside uses a natural sweetener. The chocolate is a play off of my favorite healthy candy bars recipe and is full of healthy fats, antioxidants and minerals.

Typically the peanut butter filling is thickened with powdered sugar, but this version uses the secret power of coconut flour instead. Since coconut flour is super high in fiber, it really absorbs moisture without adding an overpowering coconut flavor.

I’ve shaped these into eggs since it’s Easter time, but feel free to make a Christmas tree version for the Holidays, or heart shaped for Valentine’s day. You don’t have to wait for a holiday to whip a batch up though, they’re that good.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Eggs

Ingredients

Peanut butter filling

• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup and 2 Tbsps coconut flour
• 1/4 cup raw honey

Chocolate coating

• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup cocoa butter wafers
• 1/4 cup unrefined coconut oil
• 1/4 cup raw honey
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Using a mixer combine all of the filling ingredients together until thoroughly mixed. Let the mixture thicken for 10-15 minutes, then give it a good mix again. It should come together and form a cookie dough like consistency.
2. Meanwhile, on the stove melt the cocoa butter and coconut oil together over the lowest heat possible while stirring constantly.
3. Turn off the heat and whisk in the cocoa powder and raw honey.
4. Pinch off pieces of the filling/dough that are slightly smaller than golf ball size and roll into a ball with your palms. Place the balls on a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet and flatten with fingers. Use your fingers to shape the top of the ball into a tapered, egg-like shape.
5. Freeze the tray of peanut butter eggs for about 7 minutes, or until very firm.
6. Dip the frozen peanut butter eggs into the chocolate coating, and then place them back onto the lined baking sheet. I just used my fingers and set the egg into the chocolate mixture, flipped it over and then let a bit of the excess drip off before setting it on the tray. I then used my finger to gently cover the area where my finger had left a mark in the top of the chocolate coating.
7. Let the coating firm up for a few minutes, then enjoy eating your chocolate peanut butter eggs!

Do you have any favorite Easter traditions? Looking to start some new ones? Let us know in the comments below!

Linked at: DIY Crush Party

The post Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Eggs – Naturally Sweetened, Gluten and Dairy Free appeared first on The Herbal Spoon.

Don’t let me into your house if you have biscotti laying around or I won’t leave until I’ve eaten it all. A little extreme? Maybe, but I have very fond memories of biscotti being dunked in some coffee or herbal tea. Lately though I’ve switched my biscotti devotion over to this gluten and dairy free chocolate almond biscotti.

This cookie is rich and nutty with that satisfying dunking shape. It tastes divine with a superfood vanilla latte or some authentic Indian spiced chai. You can even give it a hearty herbal coffee bath with these caffeine free and superbly delicious herbal coffee recipes.

I have a hard time creating good gluten free chewy cookies, but with biscotti, that doesn’t matter. Since these are designed to be hard, they naturally soak up whatever you dunk them into like a porous little sponge.

I made these for Christmas gifts since you don’t really have to worry about them getting stale so fast. And since they’re firm, they’re great for mailing to family and friends, just be sure to wrap them well!

I really love using my silpat liner here since nothing sticks to it, even burnt sugar. It’s also washable and reusable, unlike parchment paper, so it’s more economical and an eco-friendly choice. You can read more about the safety of silpat liners here or see which one I have here.

Caveman Cookie Exchange

These are the cookies that I sent out to some blogger peeps as sort of a “secret santa” caveman cookie exchange. So a shout out goes to the Paleo Cavewoman for her double chocolate peppermint cookies. My son has been eating them like crazy! You can find all of her awesome recipes here.

My favorites though were the paleo samoa truffles from Kitchen Vixxen. I *may* have hid them so I could eat them all myself. You can check out Kitchen Vixxens site here.

Lastly, we got some delicious spiced cookies from Gutsy by Nature. These resembled a gingerbread cookie and really reminded me of all the Christmas flavors I can’t get enough of. You can find Gutsy by Nature here.

The post Chocolate Almond Biscotti – Gluten and Dairy Free appeared first on The Herbal Spoon.

I get mixed messages from my husband. A few weeks ago it was, “Love, we need to eat healthier. Stop buying chips.” Last night though I heard “Can you make cookies?!” Lucky for him these cookies are gluten free and naturally sweetened so they’re a much healthier option. So you CAN have your pumpkin oatmeal cream pies and eat them too.

Finally, a chewy pumpkin cookie!

With autumn finally here I couldn’t help but come up with a pumpkin recipe. I know in many places pumpkins aren’t ripe yet, but they will be soon. I used some of last year’s supply for this cookie batch.

It’s hard to come up with pumpkin anything that isn’t cakey and I really really like chewy cookies. I was inspired by this recipe that strains the pumpkin first to ensure moist, chewy cookies. Woohooo! as my son would say.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cream Pies

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup almond meal – get it here
• 1 cup regular oats – get it here
• 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp cardamom
• 1/2 tsp aluminum free baking powder – get it here
• 1/4 tsp sea salt – get it here
• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree – get it here
• 1/4 cup coconut oil – get it here
• 2 Tbsp Hazelnut oil (or more coconut oil) – get it here
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp milk (I used almond)
• 2 tsps vanilla – get it here

Supplies

• Cheesecloth bag
• Parchment paper or silpat liners
• baking sheets
• food processor
• cookie scoop

Directions

1. Using the cheesecloth, strain all of the excess water from the pumpkin. You want to end up with 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree when you’re done.
2. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.
3. Use a cookie scoop or your hands to form small balls and drop them onto a parchment or silpat lined cookie sheet. The cookie scoop really makes this so much easier!
4. Press the balls flat using floured fingers since the dough will be very sticky. I used rice flour for this.
5. Bake at 325 for about 15 minutes.
6. Let cookies cool completely before topping with filling.

White Chocolate Cream Cheese Filling

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsps cocoa butter or 15 of these wafers
• 4 oz cream cheese
• 2 Tbsps pastured butter
• 2 Tbsps maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla – get it here

Directions

1. Melt the butter and cocoa butter on the stove over low heat.
2. Add all the butter mixture and the rest of the ingredients to a bowl and use the whisk attachment on your mixer to whip the frosting. This will take a few minutes, but everything will combine to form a bright white, fluffy whipped filling.
3. Spread generously on the bottom of a pumpkin cookie and top with another.
4. You may need to let the filling sit in the fridge for 10 minutes first to firm up a little if it’s too warm.

What’s your favorite pumpkin dessert? Comment below!

Linked at: Waste Not Want Not

The post Pumpkin Oatmeal Cream Pies – with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Filling appeared first on The Herbal Spoon.

I will admit that I’m a no holes barred chocolate person. If it’s made with chocolate, I’ll eat it. Except for maybe these chocolate cricket cookies. I don’t care if they’re high in protein, I’ll pass for now thank you.

What makes chocolate so appealing?

So why do we love chocolate so much? I experienced a major decrease in my chocolate cravings once I started to supplement with this magnesium, a mineral that the majority of Americans are deficient in. Many issues can be caused by a magnesium deficiency, like body odor, brain fog and low energy (source).  It just so happens that chocolate is high in magnesium, so a strong craving signals a deficiency.

I probably don’t have to tell you that most desserts out there are loaded with unhealthy sugar, trans fat, refined flours, high fructose corn syrup, and the list goes on and on. Even organic desserts aren’t the healthiest options because they are lacking in nutrition, something that’s increasingly harder to find in our modern foods.

This mousse recipe however is not only free of the bad stuff, but it boasts a nutritionally dense ingredient list. My 3 year old LOVES eating it, and I actually feel good about letting him chow down on some (within reason of course). It’s still high in natural sugars, so I don’t let him eat his body weight in it or anything.

Healthy fat keeps you thin

The popularity of avocados has skyrocketed in the past few years and for good reason. They’re full of healthy, satiating fats that improve skin and help regulate hormones. They contain roughly 37% of your daily dietary fiber intake. They’re also really high in potassium, magnesium, the B vitamins, vitamin C and vitamin K. (source)

Coconut milk is high in medium chain fatty acids, or MCFA, that actually help you shed pounds and stay in shape. As a bonus, just 1 can contains about ½ your needed iron, 1/3 of your magnesium, copper and phosporous and all of your daily manganese among other minerals. (source)

Why raw is better

Raw cacao powder is naturally less processed than regular cocoa powder. Since the beans aren’t heated, more of the nutrition remains intact. It’s also high in necessary minerals like magnesium, calcium, potassium and seleium. (source)

This recipe uses raw honey, which is good for everything from treating burns and infections to sweetening up superfood vanilla latte’s. My favorite caramel recipe is also made with honey instead of refined sugar. You can read about the other amazing healing and nutritional benefits of raw honey here. (source)

Raspberry Chocolate Mousse

So now that you know why this recipe is so good for you (or maybe you’ve just scrolled down to the recipe because you simply want the chocolate deliciousness right now), here’s the recipe. I’ve found that this tastes good a few hours after it’s chilled, but it tastes absolutely amazing after 1 ½ to 2 days. This lets the flavors really meld together for a smooth and flavorful dessert. Affiliate links below.

Raspberry chocolate mousse ingredients

• 1 very ripe avocado
• 1/3 cup cacao powder – get it here
• 1 can full fat coconut milk – get it here
• 1 and ½ tsp vanilla extract – get it here
• 3 Tbsps raw honey – get it here
• Pinch of unrefined sea salt – get it here
• ½ cup raspberries (strawberries can be substituted

Raspberry chocolate mousse directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.
2. Pour into individual serving cups or small mason jars.
3. Refrigerate at least 3 hours, but preferrably 36 hours before serving.
4. Top with a generous layer of berries. Yields about 2.5 cups.

Shared at: Mama Moments, Let’s Get Real

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I absolutely love spinach. I like it in a salad with strawberries and poppy seed dressing, stirred into alfredo pasta or even sautéed with a bit of vinegar and honey. My toddler, not so much. Little green leaves are not appealing to him! I’ve found a way to make breakfast fun and healthy with these nutrient dense green eggs and ham.

What is appealing to him right now is the Cat in The Hat. He’s been watching it on PBS and we’ve been reading it on his potty while he potty trains. He didn’t used to sit still for books, but I’ve found that if he has a stuffed animal of one of the book’s characters, or even a TV show to connect it to, he’s much more engaged. I try to limit TV time, but  Cat in the Hat series   is one of the few shows I’m ok with.

Green Eggs and Ham

I make “green eggs” for breakfast and my little one loves the color. And I love that they’re full of veggies … he just doesn’t know it. The book “Green Eggs and Ham,” makes eating these eggs even more fun for kids.

We like to top the eggs with salsa and cheese, but these are good even without it. And I promise, they don’t taste like spinach! Recipes usually add milk to eggs when they’re scrambled, but there’s enough liquid here with the spinach.

This recipe  works best with a high speed blender, since it will really liquefy the spinach and you won’t be left with any green spinach flecks. I have a refurbished Vitamix that I really like, use every day and it cost  about half of a new one.  A regular blender or even a ninja blender won’t get it as smooth, but it will get the job done and you’ll have yummy green eggs that the kiddos will love!

Share this recipe with someone who could use a fun and healthy breakfast by using the share buttons below!

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