Crispy Paleo Pumpkin Seed and Almond Honey Cookies (Dairy free and egg free too)

Sometimes you just want to throw some ingredients in the food processor and make some cookies.  Minimal measuring, minimal ingredients, minimal bowls to clean.  Minimal.  It would be nice if life could be more minimal sometimes wouldn't it?  Well, with these cookies, you can start.

I've had a bag of salted pumpkin seeds in the pantry for awhile.  I snacked on them for a week or so and then got tired of them.  I'm more of a cashew kind of girl to be honest.   So into the food processor they went.  I've seen cookies made before with sunflower seeds, so why not pumpkin seeds? 

They came out great.  Thin and crispy, salty and sweet, the perfect snack or treat.

Try them!  Pumpkin seeds are much cheaper than nuts, and quite nutritive.

Crispy Paleo Pumpkin Seed and Almond Honey Cookies (Dairy and Egg Free)
1 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup sliced and blanched almonds
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
3 1/2 tbsp raw honey
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
3 1/2 tbsp walnut or coconut oil

Process your pumpkin seeds and almonds until you have a fine flour.  While the motor is running, pour in your honey, oil, vanilla, and pinch of salt.  Once the "dough" starts to form a ball, it's ready to be spooned onto a parchment lined cookie sheet.  This will take a minute or two, perhaps longer, depending on the speed of your machine. 

Use a tbsp to form little balls, and flatten well with your fingertips.  These cookies will not spread, so flatten them out pretty good.  Bake at 350 for about 5 minutes, until the edges brown.  These will cook super fast!  Watch them carefully!

I am baking more with honey, since I don't eat baked goods anyways, may as well spare S and MKG all my sugar free concoctions and just feed them, whole, real foods, like molasses and raw honey, and dates.  I am quite sure you could sub dates for the honey in this recipe, 5 should do it.  Did you know that per tbsp, molasses has about 60 calories, and is a great source of potassium, B6, and magnesium?  It also has 15 grams of carbs, which may make a not so great choice for diabetics, but if you don't have any problems with sugar, this is certainly a better choice.

Were I to make these for myself, I would probably opt for about 20-30 drops of NuNaturals Alcohol Free Liquid Stevia, a wonderful, non-bitter, non-aftertaste giving sweetener that I just adore.  It has such a clean flavor. 

Hope you're all having a pleasant week.  Believe it or not, it got into the mid 70's here in KC yesterday, breaking all kinds of records.  I spent the day inside the office so don't have any fun outdoorsy stories to tell, but the weather sure is nutty right now.  I love spring as much as the next guy, but I can't say it isn't a little disconcerting. 

XoXoGFG

Merry Christmas! How 'bout a quick and easy last-minute cookie?

 It's probably a little late for another cookie recipe.  But just in case you need to throw something together in two seconds to take with you today, this is the cookie for you.  Honestly, you could eat these for breakfast if you wanted.

This is a nutbutter cookie with not much else to it, and they are faintly sweet, with most of the sweetness coming from the dried fruit.  They are quite crumbly, but have a wonderful crispness to them that only a nutbutter cookie can have.  I am calling them generically a nutbutter cookie because I had three different jars of nutbutter that were all almost empty, which combined gave me one cup of nutbutter.  Combine different kinds, like almond, sun, and cashew, or hazelnut, almond, and walnut, whatever!!

Dried Fruit Nutbutter Cookies (dairy free, gluten/grain free, no added sugars)
1 cup of nutbutter (mix it up!!)
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
45-50 drops of NuNaturals Alcohol Free Liquid Stevia
1/3 cup chopped dried apple
1/3 cup raisins, cranberries, or other dried fruit

Mix your egg and stevia and vanilla extract in a small bowl.  In a separate bowl, mix up your nutbutter. If it's cold, microwave it for a minute.  Mix your nutbutter and egg mixture, and then add in your dried fruit.  Incorporate well.  Form into balls and place on parchment lined baking sheet.  Flatten cookies with your fingertips and bake at 350 for about 12 minutes.  They'll seem undercooked but after cooling for an hour or two they will have firmed up.  This made 17 toddler sized cookies.

Enjoy, and Merry Christmas to all the grain-free groupies out there!  May your day be full of love, laughter, family, and joy.  Xoxo!

(Not) Sugar Cookies, Gluten, Grain Free

Looking for a recipe for chewy, crumbly, buttery grain free sugar cookies?  These are it!  Better yet, you can roll the dough out and use cookie cutters to create fun shapes.  You can see I did not, but after a some time in the fridge you can be rolling in no time!

(Not) Sugar Cookies (makes 20 small cookies)
1 cup almond flour
1 cup chestnut flour (or just use another cup of almond flour.  Hazelnut or pecan flour will also work)
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup melted butter
1/3 cup preferred liquid sweetener
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp maple extract, lemon extract,  or almond extract (optional)

Combine your melted butter, extracts, and liquid sweetener.  In a separate bowl, mix your flours, baking soda, and salt.  Add wet to dry and incorporate, then refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes to an hour.  You can roll into a log for easy uniform slicing or just leave as is in the bowl if you'll be rolling it out.  Bake at 350 until golden brown.  15-25 depending on your oven.  An easy frosting recipe I just discovered is to simply mix raw honey, vanilla extract, and butter or coconut oil together.

Enjoy!

Double Peanut Chocolate Chip Bacon Cookies, & a Sugar Detox Update

We just had a whirlwind week.  Full of happy, sad, strange, funny, experiences.  My 92-year-old grandfather passed away last week, and we traveled to Chicago where my family lives to take part in the funeral, shiva, and Friday night Shabbat services that he dutifully attended every single week for the past, I don't know, 50 years or so.  Of course everything was sad, I hadn't truly said goodbye, the last time I saw him was in July, but it was also a relief, to know he was at peace and no longer suffering.  We were surrounded by family and loved ones, and were able to grieve in comfortable surroundings.  The trip wasn't all grieving and tears though, we had some fun along the way, and I would like to think we were honoring his memory (and my grandmother's too) by the good times we shared with our family.  We were able to spend lots of quality time with family from California, I was lucky enough to be able to go to a floral appointment for my cousin's upcoming wedding, we tried on flower girl dresses for S and got to visit a few of our favorite haunts.  All in all, an exhausting trip, but worth every minute.

Yikes- being away from home AND at a funeral/shiva is NOT the place for someone doing a detox.  My parents didn't have much time before we arrived to get supplies for my GFG family and once we got there, it was go go go.  I won't lie, being away from home, without all my GFG gear and food items, surrounded by tons and tons of crap food was rough.  So how did I do?  Ok.  I had one major fail- a diet coke friday night.  I was super stressed out, it had been a long tough week, I was struggling. Am I going to cry about it?  No.  It happens.  Given the other slip-ups I could have had, I say, no big deal.  Other than that, the sugar detox is going pretty well.  I really like not fixating on what treats I am going to bake/consume.  The hardest part is actually beverages.  I would pretty often have sweetened beverages (no sugar of course) and that has been a bummer to do without.  But desserts, snacks, and treats are surprisingly easy to give up I am finding.  Especially if there is plenty of yummy protein lying around.  And speaking of yummy protein- we were able to sneak in a quick visit to my FAVORITE deli in the entire world, where a plethora of amazing protein choices abound.  If you are ever in the Skokie area, stop in to Kaufmans, you will not be disappointed!  Duh, bypass the pastries/bagels and head straight to the meat/fish.  Have you ever smoked whitefish?  It is a delicacy beyond description.  I can pound through a half pound of fish in a couple minutes.  And the lox?  It makes the junk we eat here in Kansas downright embarrassing.  Ahhh!!  So good!  And don't get me started on the "new pickles" or "half sours" as they're called.  They are still bright green and have a strong cucumber taste, rather than just vinegar and garlic like regular pickles.

So, we're home now.  What was the first thing I did?  Whip up a batch of cookies for my little angel, who spent most of the week treat-less due to a less than stellar selection of gluten-free goodies.

Double Peanut Chocolate Chip Bacon Cookies- Gluten, Grain, Sugar Free
3/4 cup peanut flour
pinch of salt
2 tbsp organic peanut butter (just peanuts!)
2 tbsp butter, melted
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
5 tbsp preferred SF liquid sweetener
1/4 cup SF chocolate chips, homemade or otherwise
2 pieces of cooked bacon, chopped

This was a great recipe because I seriously threw everything in a bowl at once and mixed it up, well, except for the chocolate chips and bacon which I added at the end.  I chose this time to omit baking powder, as I knew they wouldn't spread much regardless.  This made 12 good sized cookies, which I baked at 350 until the bottoms were just starting to turn golden.  I wanted them underdone so they'd still have a little under baked taste, but the outside is crispy.  And no, I am not eating one!

It's hard to believe we have one full week ahead and then Thanksgiving week will be upon us!  What recipes will you be making?  Anything new you'll be trying?  I'd love to hear!

XoXoGFG

Spicy Cinnamon Roll Cookies- Lower Carb Recipe

A few months back I posted this recipe, for reaalllly yummy pecan cinnamon roll cookies.  They were sooooo yummy.  But, a bit too carby for me these days unfortunately.  So, back to the drawing board.  These new and improved cinnamon roll cookies have the same yummy smell and taste as a cinnamon roll, with none of the guilt (or mess/time in the kitchen) and would be great with coffee.  It makes four hefty sized cookies, and they are super low carb.  So diabetic folks out there, don't you worry!

Grain-Free, Sugar-Free Spicy Cinnamon Roll Cookies

1/2 cup almond flour
2 tbsp coconut flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
2 tbsp oil
1/4 cup preferred liquid sweetener
2 tsp vanilla

Mix your dry ingredients, and in a separate bowl, mix your wet.  Add wet to dry and form into balls.  Bake at 325 until golden brown.  Like I said, these get better after a day or two.  But you can't beat this recipe in terms of carbs and ease of preparation that's for sure!  As usual, I suggest baking on a silicone or parchment lined baking sheet.  Of course you could add pecans or another nut to this, or even top with some coconut cream icing.

What else is new chez GFG?  Well one of our favorite weekends of the year, KU Homecoming, was last weekend.  We had a blast enjoying the homecoming parade friday night, and even better was our trip to THE BEST PLACE ON EARTH, The Burger Stand at The Casbah in downtown Lawrence.  OMG.  Get yoself to The Burger Stand immediately if you are anywhere in the midwest region.  You will not be disappointed.  Want some delicious, local, 100% grassfed organic burgers?  With like, totally original combinations like avocado and habanero cactus jam, or brie, barbecue sauce, and bacon?  Or a to die for falafel burger?  This place is crazy.  They have duck fat fries people.  'Nuff said.  Here is a piccy of my amazing protein style kobe burger on a beet salad.

S thoroughly enjoyed herself and has been talking about "big floats" all week. 

Lastly, a no-recipe recipe for green bean salad. Pictured here. 
Throw green beans, grape tomatoes, blanched sliced almonds, chopped red onion, mayo, dijon, salt and pepper together, and you've got an awesome side dish, best served cold.

Adios gfg's!

Cashew Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies with Sea Salt

Cashew Butter.  The best f*cking thing known to man.  I may never bake a cookie with anything else.  So delicious, such a buttery, but mild flavor, so smooth, no weird almond-skin taste going on, subtly sweet.  I could go on and on.  It's crazy good stuff.  Dangerous to have in the house if you ask me.

Every blogger out there and their mama has an almond butter cookie recipe.  Don't get me wrong, I like a good almond butter cookie.  But they just have this distinct flavor that bugs me and after a couple bites I am just totally meh about the whole thing, and then I've used up all that good almond butter that could otherwise have been used on celery sticks or GF toast for S.  But cashew butter?  YUMMMM.  I wonder if they made almond butter with blanched almonds if I'd like it better.  Probably.  Those darn skins are just so icky!  And filled with phytic acid as well I might add.

Ok, enough rambling.  Make these cookies.  The ingredients are so darn simple.  And go buy some cashew butter.  Not into cashews?  Try pecan butter.  But branch out of the standard peanut and almond variety and you'll see what you've been missing!

Paleo Cashew Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies with Sea Salt
1 cup cashew butter
1  egg
1/3 cup liquid sweetener (I used SF sweetener but feel free to use honey, maple syrup, coconut nectar, etc)
2/3 cup chocolate chips
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
sea salt for sprinkling

Mix all your ingredients in a bowl.  Easy peasy.  Spoon onto parchment lined baking sheet and sprinkle with sea salt, (DO NOT SKIP THE SEA SALT PEEPS!) and bake at 350 until the bottoms are beginning to turn golden.  Don't ask me how long this takes because my oven is from Mars.  A normal oven, probably 15 minutes.  This made 16 cookies.  I wish it was twice that.  They are so good!

Happy eating GFGs!

Awesome Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I wanted to make a basic chocolate chip cookie, with some extra squash for good measure, but not necessarily the pumpkin flavors.  These turned out really good, you wouldn't even know there was pumpkin in them except for the slightly orangey color.  I will say, although this is a great recipe if you have an egg allergy or are doing AI protocol, they are quite crumbly without egg or some kind of egg replacer.  If I made these again I'd probably throw in two eggs (or maybe just the yolks) and reduce the butter to a third of a cup.  The chocolate chip recipe takes about three seconds and you can keep what you don't use in the freezer for another time!

Based on Frisky Lemon's recipe here.

Grain, Gluten, Sugar, and Egg Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup liquid sweetener
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup sugar free chocolate chips, recipe below

Combine coconut flour, baking powder, and salt and mix well with a fork to get out any lumps.  In a separate bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, melted butter, sweetener, and extract.  Pour wet into dry and mix well.  Add your SF chocolate chips and spoon onto parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 350 until the tops are starting to turn golden.  This made 14 very generously sized cookies.

Sugar Free Chocolate Chips
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup liquified coconut oil
3 packets stevia (i used pure via)
1 tsp instant decaf coffee

Mix everything together well and pour into a flat plastic tupperware container, and freeze.  These taste great baked in things, but I probably wouldn't eat them all by themselves (which is probably a good thing right?) because the stevia after taste is definitely noticeable.  There are many other recipes out there for SF homemade chocolate, calling for powdered erythritol, xylitol, etc, but I didn't want to mess with them.  These are just fine for what I needed them for, and are a thousand times cheaper than buying the sugar alcohol sweetened Hershey's at the grocery store.  Be advised, they do not have stabilizers in them like regular chocolate chips and will melt and spread in baked goods, rather than staying in chip form.  If that bothers you, there are other recipes using cocoa butter which will probably work much better for you.

Chocolate Almond Butter

This is a great alternative to chocolate hazelnut butter, in case you want something different, or just have lots of almonds on hand.  Also, you don't need to go through the extra step of roasting your hazelnuts and skinning them (UGH) so try this recipe out rather than buying the sugar laden junk at the store.

Chocolate Almond Butter
1 cup raw almonds
3 tbsp cocoa powder (i like it suuuuper chocolatey!)
3 packets stevia (I used pure via)
2 tbsp coconut oil
pinch of salt

In a food processor, process your almonds until it starts to become buttery, as opposed to flour-y.  This will take a few minutes, and likely you'll have to scrape down the sides periodically.  Once it starts to resemble a butter, turn off the processor and add in your cocoa, salt and sweetener, and turn it back on.  Then, drizzle in your coconut oil with the machine whirring just until everything is incorporated.  Taste and adjust according to taste.  You may want it a tad more sweet, or a bit "runnier."

This is a great condiment to have on hand, and also makes the base of some pretty delish chocolate almond cookies!  All you do is add an egg, and some granular sweetener, and you've got a cookie batter!

Enjoy!

Grain-Free, Sugar-Free, Dairy-Free Peanut Butter Cookies

Do you remember eating those giant, sugary peanut butter cookies with the cute fork marks on them as a kid?  Yum!  If you miss those, try this super easy recipe for peanut butter cookies, or use sun butter or almond butter if PB is a problem.

Gluten/Grain-Free, Sugar-Free, Dairy-Free Peanut Butter Cookies
1 cup natural organic creamy peanut butter (mine is salted)
2/3 cup erythritol (preferably powdered for baking to reduce the cooling sensation)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix everything together well.  Form into little 1 inch balls and place on parchment lined cookie sheet.  Use a fork to form the dough into cookies, as they won't spread much or at all.  Bake at 350 for 12 minutes or so or until they are JUST starting to brown a bit.  They won't seem cooked but once they cool they will be crunchy and crumbly.  You don't want to burn these guys so take them out sooner rather than later!!  Xoxo GFG

Paleo "Oatmeal" Cookies

Hey GF peeps.  Remember oatmeal cookies?  Those chewy, amazing, spicy, raisin-filled circles of awesomeness?  I've made a paleo approximation before here, but these are fourteen-thousand times better.  And don't require a bunch of annoying ingredients either.  And they taste much better.  Score!  They are basically this recipe, adapted.  Super easy.  Only dirties one bowl.  You'll need to make your paleo condensed milk first- which I do by simmering a can of light coconut milk with 1/2 cup of your preferred liquid sweetener- honey, maple syrup, sugar free simple syrup, etc.  This is not hard people.  Simmer it while you're doing other stuff in the kitchen.

Paleo "Oatmeal" Cookies
1 cup almond flour
1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1 can light coconut milk+1/2 cup liquid sweetener- condensed on the stovetop until thick
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt

Mix your flour, coconut, spices, and salt together, then dump in your condensed milk, it's ok if it's still hot/warm.  Then mix in your walnuts and raisins.  Using a tbsp scoop, place onto parchment lined baking sheet, flattening them with the palm of your hand.  These will not spread so get them nice and flat.  Bake at 350 until the edges are nice and dark and the tops are starting to brown.  They are crisp on the edges and chewy on the inside.  Just like the perfect oatmeal cookie should be.  These are truly a GFG slam dunk.  So easy to make, just a few ingredients, and totally paleo.  An indulgence to be sure, but a good one! 

Pecan Cinnamon Roll Cookies

MKG is a cinnamon roll lover.  I have been wanting to make some GFG approved cinnamon rolls for a long time, but never have.  Still haven't!  But these are close enough, and wayyyyyy less work.  They were inspired by this recipe from Real Sustenance.  They have a cookbook coming out with tons of 100% allergen free recipes, and I would love to get my hands on it.  But for now- these cookies are a great alternative to those ooey gooey sugar/corn syrup/gluten bombs from your favorite bakery.

Pecan Cinnamon Roll Cookies- Grain, Egg, and Sugar-Free
5 tbsp almond flour
2 tbsp coconut flour
1/4 cup chestnut flour
2 tbsp xylitol
2 tbsp erythritol
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cinnamon
3 tbsp milk
2 tbsp maple syrup or sugar-free maple syrup
2 tbsp oil (I used melted coconut)
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Combine your flours, baking powder, salt, and granular sugars and use a fork to stir well, taking care to get out any lumps.  If you'd prefer to use all almond flour, go ahead, but the texture will be different as chestnut flour is much finer, and coconut flour is much more absorbent.  Also, if xylitol and/or erythritol aren't your thing- use whatever granular sweetener you're comfortable with.  In a separate bowl, mix your oil, vanilla extract, maple syrup or SF maple syrup, and milk.  Stir wet into dry and then add your chopped pecans.  Form a dough and make sure pecans are well distributed.  This makes 4 huge huge huge cookies, like palm-sized.  Feel free to make 'em smaller if you like.  They will not spread though, so squish them out into your desired shape.  They are sort of reminiscent of those pecan sandies from when you were a kid.  I baked these for about 25 minutes at 325.  You'll notice in the pic that these are very dark brown.  At first, when I took them out of the oven, I was terrified they were burnt.  But they weren't, in fact they were still super soft in the middle, and remained that way even hours later.  I'm thinking it was the xylitol and erythritol that turned it such a dark brown, or the syrup.  I can't be sure.  But suffice it to say, these are really delish, and even better with a little frosting and cinnamon on top.  This is a decadent treat, not cakey or spongey or any other weird texture.  I think the ratio of chestnut:almond:coconut flour was spot on and will probably bake with them in that ratio often.  I just love it when experimentation yields a good result, or even a great result like these!  I'm truly shocked every time it happens.

Have a fabulous, wonderful, happy, healthy, and yummy holiday weekend.  XoXoGFG

Best Grain-Free, Sugar-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies Yet!

This is a great Mothers Day recipe because it's super simple and you can make it with the kids/grandkids.  Thanks so much to Paleo Parents for posting the jumping off point for this recipe.  Here is the original- so if you can do actual sugar, give it a try.  I found that making a few adjustments worked better for me, but try whichever version you like!  Don't want to mess with the "vegan sweetened condensed milk" and would rather use the regular stuff?  Be my guest.  I think at this point it's safe to say that grain-free and gluten-free are really becoming much more mainstream, whereas sugar-free, not so much.  But, at the very least, it does seem like people are using unrefined sugars more, turbinado, date/coconut sugar, palm sugar, honey, maple syrup, etc.  So, sugar-free or not, this is a dope, easy peasy recipe.  And even better the day after!

Best SF/GF Chocolate Chip Cookies (not kidding, these are amazing)
1 1/4 cup almond flour
1 1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1 can light coconut milk
1/4 cup preferred liquid sweetener (i used SF vanilla syrup, but use what you like- SF or regular maple syrup, honey, date paste, coconut nectar, etc)
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/4-1/2 tsp kosher salt (i like my treats a little salty!)
1/3 cup sugar free chocolate chips (these don't bother us- they contain sugar alcohols that don't bother our tummies, but if sugar isn't a problem for you, or sugar alcohols disagree with you- use whatever you like best!)

Pour your light coconut milk into a pot and add your sweetener.  Simmer until it's reduced and thickened considerably, to a consistency that you could drizzle.  This takes awhile and it will reduce down a LOT.  That's ok!  In a bowl, mix your almond flour, salt, and shredded coconut.  Mix in your condensed coconut milk and and your vanilla.  Combine to form a dough, then add in your chocolate chips.  Don't have SF choc chips?  Use dried cherries, chopped walnuts, dried pineapple, raisins, apricots, whatever!  I formed mine into little 1 inch balls and then flattened with the palm of my hand.  I got 19 small cookies out of this batch.  These will not spread at all so flatten them out so they cook evenly.  I always bake on parchment, but would love a few silpats!  They do seem pretty crumbly, but don't worry, they'll hold together great after baking, and even better after a day or so.  Have fun with these, and happy happy happy Mothers Day to all the mommies out there, step-moms, moms to be, grandmas, wannabe moms, and the wonderful dads that make it all possible.  XoXoGFG 

Sugar-Free Macaroons

Another shiteous pic of something really super yum.  Sorry, I have not reached that level in food bloggingdom where I start to care about pics and do photo shoots and all that.  But rest assured, these are really freaking good.

There are a zillion macaroon recipes on the interwebs right now, some use honey, some use agave, maple syrup even, but none that I could find using SF sweeteners.  Until now!

This recipe worked awesome using a combo of xylitol and erythritol.  I did melt some SF choc chips for a few of them just for kicks.  SF chocolate chips are easy to find, hershey's makes them, but they are made with sugar alcohols which bother some people.

Really easy guys.  I made these using Let's Do Organic Coconut Flakes rather than shredded, which is great and they turned out really good, but take a bit longer to cook through I think.  I have also finally come to the realization that my oven is wayyyyyyyyyyy cooler (temp wise) than most.  I am almost scared to test it out and find out for myself.  But I really should, because my baked goods tend to take a lot longer to cook than they should.  Which is why I am always saying- bake until the knife comes out clean or until browned or whatever.  I don't even pay attention to the time anymore when I'm baking- something that should take 20 min takes 45.

So- back to the macaroonies.  Do you like them?  They seem to be quite divisive.  You love 'em or you hate 'em.  Coconut is the culprit.  How do you not love coconut.  I could eat it all day.

If you like them, try this recipe.  Don't be afraid of erythritol either.  I use it all the time.  It is not like splenda or equal or some god awful chemical

Sugar-Free Macaroons
10 ounces unsweetened coconut flakes
6 egg whites (i was using large eggs, not extra large)
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
3/4 cup granular sweetener (in my case, 1/2 cup erythritol and 1/4 cup xylitol)

Combine ingredients in a large sauce pan and cook until coconut loses that raw bite to it, stirring regularly, then refrigerate for an hour or so.  I have this awesome 2 ounce coffee scoop that works great as a cookie scoop, so thats how mine were shaped into these perfect little mounds.  Bake at 325 until golden and cooked through- probably 20 min.  Have a convection oven?  Even better.  This made I think 24 cookies.

Gluten/Grain-Free, Sugar-Free Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies

I've made a similar cookie before- these.  But this time they are so very much better.  I am calling them chocolate hazelnut cookies, but that doesn't mean they are nutella cookies- because they most definitely aren't.  They just use ground hazelnuts rather than almonds for the base.  Best of all, you use raw hazelnuts, skin on, no toasting!  If you like the taste of toasted hazelnuts, by all means, go ahead!  But I much prefer them raw.

Gluten/Grain-Free, Sugar-Free Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies
1 cup hazelnuts
1 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder
6-8 pitted dates
3/4 cup sugar-free chocolate chips (mine are hershey's but you can make your own by melting baking chocolate with some coconut oil and your sweetener of choice)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp coconut oil

In your cuisi, ninja, vita, etc, process your nuts, cocoa powder, salt, soda, and dates until you get a sticky, crumbly mixture.  Melt your chocolate chips with your coconut oil and vanilla extract and combine with your crumbly mixture.  Incorporate well.  Bonus- you can absolutely eat this raw!  (But not too much- if you're using SF choc chips beware they are probably made with some sort of sugar alcohol, malitol, sorbitol, that can give you tummy problems.)

Spoon onto parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 360 for 15 minutes or so.  Check on them at 10 minutes because if these babies start to burn you won't know as they're so dark.  They'll be soft when you take them out of the oven but will firm up after a few minutes cooling.  They'll be pretty crumbly when cool but so so so good!

Sugar-Free Snickerdoodles

Kind of an oxymoron huh?  Well, it is totally possible to make an SF snickerdoodle.  I chickened out and did not use either of my new baking products, xylitol or erythritol.  I still think I'm going to give some SF lemon bars a shot today though using one or both.  A couple different websites provided the inspiration for these snickerdoodles, but in the end I really had to create this on the fly.  They turned out great and are actually quite crisp which is what I was going for!

Sugar-Free Snickerdoodles (or Cinnamon Sugar Cookies)
2 cups almond flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cream of tartar (optional)
1 egg
2 tbsp butter, softened
2 1/2 tsp cinnamon, plus more for rolling
1/4 cup sugar free vanilla flavored sweetener
2 packets of stevia, like purevia or nunaturals
2 tbsp stevia in the raw or other sweetener, for rolling

Preheat your oven to 350.  In a large mixing bowl, mix your almond flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cream of tartar if using.  I believe using cream of tartar is the difference between a cinnamon sugar cookie, and a snickerdoodle.  In a separate bowl, mix your softened butter, egg, and sugar free syrup, and packets of stevia.  You could also use plain sugar free syrup and add a tsp of vanilla.  Pour wet into dry and mix thoroughly.  On a small plate, dump some cinnamon and stevia and mix together for rolling.  Use a teaspoon to scoop out balls of dough and then roll them in the cinnamon/sugar to coat.  I pressed down the cookies with a fork as they don't spread much.  Bake for 10 minutes or so or until they start to brown on the sides.  Many websites say to freeze them and eat them straight from the freezer for a more crisp cookie.  

I love all the recipe round-ups the blogs are doing, highlighting their most popular recipes.  It's such a nice retrospective.  I wonder which recipes of mine I'd highlight for 2011.  Gosh I have absolutely no clue.  It's hard to say because even when I LOVE something I might not make it again for months and months.  Do you have any fave recipes from 2011 that have been total game-changers for you?  Do you have links for them?  I'd love to see!

I also need to think of a round food to make for breakfast for New Year's Day.  You're supposed to eat round foods for good luck, and I am one superstitious lady so you bet I'll be eating round stuff all day long!  Are you making any round foods?  Whatever you do, have a great New Year's Day, much love to all your families! XoXoGFG

CCK-Inspired Double Chocolate Almond Cookies and Walnut Apricot Biscotti

Chocolate-Covered Katie is a great resource for "healthier" dessert recipes, and they are all vegan.  Usually the recipes call for spelt or whole wheat flour and I don't normally try to GFG-adapt them, but every once in awhile she does have a grain-free recipe.  This recipe in particular looked really great because she only used dates as the sweetener.  That is a rare find! 

Before I talk about the recipe, I want to go back to the word "healthier" in quotes.  What is healthy, or healthier?  Five years ago, even two years ago, I would have had a totally different answer for you.  And who knows, a year from now, I may say something else.  I know I used to characterize healthy as primarily something that was low-fat.  Funny how now my nutrition is made up of mostly protein, and fat!  Browsing recipes on Pinterest, I'm always struck by how many people use the word "healthy" to describe something that is anything but.  Sugar-filled pastries that use veg oil instead of butter, a high-carb pasta dish with some vegetables thrown in, or something with a reduced number of eggs, etc.  I always want to comment and be like, "what makes this healthy?"  which of course would be incredibly rude, judgmental, and condescending.  But all the same, it makes me think about what my definition of healthy is.  I'm still in the process of defining it.  But what does a "healthy" diet mean to you?  Has your opinion of healthy foods changed?  Do you have foods you eat now that used to be off-limits?  I know I do.  Fat used to terrify me.  Meat used to be something I only seldom indulged in.  It's just so interesting to experience such a marked shift in food perception.  Tell me about how your perceptions have changed?  What are some food myths you used to believe that you have now "unlearned"?

On to the recipe.  Here it is in its original form.  The post is actually a good read because the commenters get into a discussion about gluten-free as a fad or food trend.  A lot of folks on the thread start getting pretty preachy and judgy, talking about their opinions on whether it is truly a fad or not, making some assumptions and generalizations, and so on.  I am not about to chime in over there- but will say that while I do believe that gluten-free is becoming something of a more popular choice, I don't think you can call it a trend, or that I am following a trend by adopting a grain-free, and thereby gluten-free lifestyle.  There are some theories that I wholeheartedly believe to be true.  I believe that for many many people, maybe even all people, gluten is a toxin.  I believe that over time, many people will probably develop an intolerance to it, depending on how much of it you consume and what your genetic predispositions are.  I believe that the effects of your intolerance will aggregate over time and eventually it becomes systemic.  I believe that the ways it shows itself outwardly can be hard to pinpoint.  Maybe its GI issues, maybe its migraines, rashes, erratic blood sugar, and so on.  I believe that due to genetically modified crops in the US, that the amount of gluten in our grains has skyrocketed, which contributes to the huge rise in celiac disease we are seeing.  European countries that have been eating grain-filled diets for much longer than us have even higher rates of celiac disease- take a look at Italy, and Denmark, for example.  But they are theories, and they are my beliefs, not fact necessarily, and even if they were, we are all entitled to think whatever we want.  I just hope we can refrain from looking down on people who don't share the same belief system as ourselves, and that goes for all things, not just food! 

I got off on a tangent.  It just irks me when people make sweeping generalizations.  So to end on a lighter note this holiday weekend, make these.  I made them with sugar-free chocolate chips and grapeseed oil (does anyone else's coconut oil smell/taste kind of spoiled?  I think from now on I'm going to use refined coconut oil.) making them 100% sugar free.  I also decided to round out my sugar free baking with a few new ingredients, xylitol, erythritol, and some sugar-free vanilla syrup which I'll occasionally use in recipes that call for agave.  I already used it in a sugar-free, grain-free biscotti (recipe below), and some yummy protein-packed strawberry pancakes.  Recipes coming soon!  The xylitol I'm a little nervous about, but the reviews on amazon and iherb make it sound like the greatest thing since sliced (grain-free) bread!

Sugar-Free, Grain-Free, Vegan Walnut Apricot Biscotti

1 1/4 cups almond flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup sugar-free vanilla syrup, or your liquid sweetener of choice
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup (or more) chopped apricot
1 tbsp arrowroot (or 1 1/2 tbsp corn starch if it doesn't bother you, but check to make sure it's gluten free)


In your cuisi, pulse almond flour, salt, and baking soda just a few times, then add in your syrup.  Process until it forms a ball.  Depending on what liquid you use, it may be wetter or drier.  Transfer to a bowl and add in your nuts and fruit.  Form into a big ovally looking log on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 350 for 15 minutes.  Take it out and let it cool for at least 20 minutes.  Reduce heat to 300 and cut log on diagonal into strips.  Bake for another 20 minutes or so until it's browned and starting to crisp up.  Et voila!  Yummy sugar free biscotti!

No Sugar, Grain-Free Flour-Free Peanut Butter Cookies

I am having a slight sugar issue.  Everywhere I turn there are sugary treats, candy, and chocolate, and it's slowly making me crazy!  Cookies and pastries and snacks I don't have much trouble ignoring, but chocolate, that is my weak spot.  I have the hardest time turning down chocolate.  And I always find myself justifying it in some way.  I've had enough though!  I need to cut it out NOW.  It's making me feel tired, sluggish, and gross.  I really need to amp up my protein and fat intake and cut out the crap.  Well, crap to me anyways.  That leads me to my next point.  The blogosphere is swimming with posts about sugar substitutes, sugar swaps, unrefined this and refined that, maple syrup vs. honey vs. molasses vs. sorghum, you name it.  And people get into crazy heated arguments.  Stevia is a natural zero calorie sweetener!  No it's POISON!  Splenda gives you cancer and is made of Chlorine!  Agave will shut down your pancreas!  Ahhhhhhhhh!  It's really insane.  I personally used to bake with splenda and quite liked the taste, but have since moved on to stevia, which I'll admit, can taste bitter and have a strange aftertaste.  I haven't tried erythritol, not because I have some moral opposition to it, but because it really only works in wet applications and that just seems like a pain to me.  And then the other natural sweeteners, no matter their glycemic load whether its coconut sugar or date syrup, agave or honey, I just won't do.  It's still sugar, and I'm still not interested.  I felt like making something completely free of any added sugar or sugar substitutes today.  The result was a somewhat cakey cookie and very very subtly sweet, barely a hint of sweet at all actually, and if I hadn't been having so much chocolate lately I probably would have appreciated it much more. 

I don't eat bananas anymore but I still hoard them for baking.  A nice brown banana is like gold to me.  If for no other reason than I love to make banana bread as hostess gifts.  So today, while contemplating how much stevia I'd need for these PB cookies, I decided, what the hell, lets try it with just a banana.


No Sugar, Grain-Free Flour-Free Peanut Butter Banana Cookies
1 cup all natural PB preferably unsalted, or try Sunbutter if PB is a problem
1 egg
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
sprinkle of cinnamon
1 overripe banana, mashed

Combine mashed banana with egg and vanilla, then stir in PB, cinnamon, and baking soda.  Drop by the teaspoon-full onto parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 350 for 20min or until browned.  Usually these recipes call for 1 cup of sugar instead of a banana, which in turn yields a much drier, more crumbly cookie.  I would have definitely preferred a crunchy crumbly cookie but using a cup of stevia in the raw would have been disgusting and there really is nothing like real white sugar for getting that chewy but still crumbly texture.  If you want a very subtly sweet cookie and like PB and banana together this will be a really nice treat to have around.  Best of all, it's got folate, potassium, protein, and good fats.  I could give one to S with breakfast and not feel guilty about it.  Is it the best cookie ever?  No.  Will it satisfy your after-dinner snack-tooth?  Yes.  And maybe it will help me pass up a piece of sugar-laden chocolate too. 

How do you feel about sugar substitutes?  Do you use them?  I've read that using erythritol and stevia together is a good combo.  Have you baked with agave?  Coconut crystals, or nectar?  I'd love to hear what you guys use, what you like, what you don't like.  It seems that different brands of stevia can taste totally different too.  I've heard NuNaturals is good, and then there are those that like Truvia, and others still who say it's the devil.  People get really nutty about sugar.

Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies, Cherry Double Almond Cookies

It's really too bad that SF/GF cookies are usually so un-cookie like in appearance.  They may taste amazing and have great texture to boot- but typically you just don't get that nice round spread to them, they don't seem to flatten out, puff up, or brown like you want them to, or like you imagine a proper cookie would.  The "flours" are heavier and denser, and there is just no approximation for real sugar.  But that's ok!  Pretty they aren't, but yummy all the same.  And you don't have to feel quite so bad for eating them! 

I've baked with coconut flour quite a few times, and I make S coconut flour pancakes every Saturday, and I'm slowly figuring out how best to work with it.  It is just so stinking good for you, has tons of fiber, protein, but wayyyyyyyy less fat and calories than almond flour.  I won't lie, I've had some issues with the stuff.  It can be alternatingly mealy, cakey, eggy, or spongey.  Yuck yuck yuck and yuck.  It needs tons of liquid.  When you think you've added enough, add more.  These coconut chocolate chip cookies came out really good.  They are really more like little balls than cookies- I need to remember how little they spread and to press them down next time.  But if you want a chocolate chip cookie and don't want to use almond flour- check these out.  You'll be glad you did!

Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies (Gluten/Grain-Free)
1/4 cup coconut flour (room temp)
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, or coconut powder
1/4 cup sweetener, like stevia in the raw
2 eggs
1/4 cup oil (coconut, grapeseed, etc)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1/4 cup chocolate chips (I used 365 brand 72% dark chocolate chunks)
1/4 cup nuts (optional)

Preheat your oven to 375.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Mix your oil, eggs, sweetener, and vanilla together.  Add coconut, coconut flour, salt, and combine, then adding in chocolate chips and nuts, if using.  Don't overmix.  If your batter is looking too dry, add some (nut)milk.  Using a tbsp scoop, form balls and drop onto cookie sheet.  For a more cookie-like appearance, press them down with your palm.  They will not spread in the oven.  Bake for 20 minutes or until the tops are starting to turn golden brown.  To make this completely sugar-free, sub nuts/dried-fruit for chocolate chips, use SF chocolate chips, or create a SF chocolate ganache for dipping.  Makes about 12 small cookies.

My Cherry Double Almond Cookies were a good excuse to use up some blanched slivered almonds I'd had for awhile.  I don't really like almonds all that much and wasn't sure how to use them.  The dried cherries are nice and plump and are totally unsweetened (oh how I wish I could find unsweetened cranberries!) so these are truly SF.  MKG is in loooooooove with them!  They are very crunchy and crumbly and while a bit messy, have a great cookie texture.

Cherry Double Almond Cookies(Gluten/Grain-Free, Sugar-Free, Vegan)
1 1/4 cups almond flour
1/4 cup sweetener
1/4 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup oil
2 tbsp (nut)milk
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/3 cup dried cherries

Preheat your oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment.  In one bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.  In a separate bowl, mix oil, sweetener, and vanilla.  Add wet to dry.  At this point, you'll most likely need to add some liquid.  Try 2 tbsp of (nut)milk first and see how easily it comes together.  The mixture will be crumbly, but you want to be able to form into a ball with your hands.  Once it's reached the right consistency, add your cherries and nuts, or whatever fruit/nut combo you want!  Bake for roughly 20 minutes or until golden brown. 

If anyone has any tips for how to give your GF/SF cookies some spread, or some chew, like a regular cookie, let me know.  I've noticed even Elana's cookies don't appear to be much different than mine.  They certainly don't look like normal cookies.  I'd love to hear your GF baking tips, suggestions, and thoughts!  It's tricky isn't it?  But pretty rewarding too!

Have a great night, XoXoGFG

2-Minute Grain-Free Coconut Cookies

These cookies took all of 2 minutes to throw together, one bowl, and only a handful of ingredients.  20 minutes in the oven, and you're done.  Try them!


2-Minute Grain-Free Coconut Cookies
2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut (I used powdered, but flakes will work too)
2 tbsp oil (grapeseed, coconut, whatever)
2 eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp sea salt
25 drops vanilla creme stevia, or use 1/4 tsp vanilla and 2 stevia packets

Beat room temp eggs, then add in oil, stevia, cinnamon, and salt.  Once incorporated, add coconut in a little at a time until the mixture can be formed into balls easily.  Using 1 tbsp scoop, drop onto parchment lined baking sheet.  I sprinkled the tops of mine with extra cinnamon.  20 minutes later, you're done!  Enjoy!

Apricot Walnut Almond Flour Cookies, and, ummm, how to handle meddling loved ones?

It's a bit of a buzz kill when Yom Kippur falls on a weekend.  It's a very solemn holy-day and kind of sucks the fun out of whatever day/s it happens to fall on.  Sooooooo being on Friday night/Saturday day makes for a less than stellar weekend.  Anyhow- as usual we made the most of it and it turned out to be a lovely and productive weekend.  I got a couple gifts for some upcoming showers and we had a blast at S's little friend's 2nd Birthday Party!  The party was at My Gym which is a great place where babies/tots can run around and go absolutely berserk playing on slides, jungle gyms, swings, whatever.   We had a couple great walks outside, although at this point, and I feel crazy for saying it, I would not mind if it was a teensy bit cooler out.  It's October after all!  85 degrees still?  Really? 

Point of the story- yes, we got tons done so I had some time to spare today during naptime to experiment with some cookies.  I had ordered a couple items from iherb, including some Vanilla Creme stevia drops and was psyched to try it out.  I'm so glad I did!

Apricot Walnut Almond Flour Cookies (Grain-Free, Vegan, Sugar-Free)
1 1/4 cups almond flour
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/3 cup apricots, chopped
1/4 cup oil (coconut, grapeseed, whatev)
1/4 cup almond milk or other nut milk
25 drops vanilla creme stevia
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350.  Combine almond flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and stir well.  Add in coconut, apricot, and walnut.  In separate bowl, combine oil, stevia drops, vinegar, and nut milk.  Add wet to dry and incorporate well.  Roll into 1 inch balls (or bigger if you like, these make teensy little cookies which I happen to prefer, but make whatever size you want!) and place on parchment lined cookie sheet.  I baked mine for 20 minutes- which I know seems crazy long for tiny cookies.  I have a theory that my convection oven, while it does cook/brown very evenly, actually takes longer than a regular oven.  So check them at 10 minutes and see what you think.  These cookies are not very sweet at all.  Tasting the batter, I was a little worried- so I rolled the dough in a mixture of Stevia in the Raw and cinnamon, they looked pretty too.  They don't really need it- but I'm aware that not everyone in the world likes their sweets unsweetened like I do.  Once again this is a good base recipe that can be adapted to whatever you have on hand- dried cherries and almonds, chocolate chips and peanuts- whatev!

We had some other yummy eats this weekend- balsamic marinated steak and some sliced avo on Friday, chicken fajita salads tonight- but honestly nothing that you'd actually need a recipe for.  Super simple, super fast, and big flavors. 

***The rest of this post is really long- and probably too personal, annoying, redundant, and self-absorbed.  So be warned!***  S is growing up so fast.  Her vocabulary is expanding so quickly, it's staggering.  She is such an opinionated, strong, outgoing and FUN little girl.  It is extraordinary watching her become a child instead of a baby.  I know this kind of talk is nauseating to anyone other than myself so I'll get to the point.  I want to do the best job I possibly can raising her.  I want to be not just a good mom, an ok mom, but an awesome mom.  And not by someone else's account- I don't care what anyone thinks or what the other moms say when I'm not around.  But I want S one day to say, or just think even, that she has a great mom.  I want to be the best mom in the world, for her.  And it starts now.  Of course it started already- but when they're newborns and little infants, it's like- feed them keep them warm and clean and for gods sake try to keep the purple crying to a minimum.  But now- it's a whole different ballgame.  She watches everything I do and wants me to watch everything she does.  She notices everything.  She remembers everything.  She is learning at light speed. 

I am still struggling with how to handle her nutrition.  Sugar is a no-brainer.  I do not give her anything with added sugars, period.  Fruit is probably her favorite thing in the world besides Elmo and that's fine with me.  No sweets or junk food or candy- nada.  Obviously this will eventually no longer be something I can control- but hopefully by then we'll have taught her that it's best to avoid sugars.  Will it work like that?  Who knows.  But I can do my best in the here and now.  What I have more trouble with is how to limit empty and nutritionally void carbs.  I just don't want her to have empty starches and refined garbage.  How do I regulate this and how do I communicate it effectively?  And once I decide, how do I explain it to the army of meddlers?  It's not like I can say, she has an allergy to crap.  I do not want her to have empty, refined, overly processed, starchy junk.  I need a more effective way to communicate this though, and I DO NOT want to have to argue with people about it.  Suggestions?  The only thing I can come up with is "I've spoken with S's doctor about her nutrition and we agreed that this is best for her.." or something like that.  I wouldn't be lying either- we did discuss it.  Saturday night- at break-the-fast dinner- I did not want her eating a bagel.  Please- do not get me started on the terribleness that is a bagel.  Besides a baked potato, I'm not sure there is a worse glucose bomb out there.  Table sugar would be better than a bagel.  Anywho- NO BAGEL for S.  Not now not ever.  Do you know what would happen if I ate a bagel?  Well- I'd probably get into a wreck from the drunken haze of high blood sugar, and then faint afterwards once my blood sugar plummeted to 45.   But MIL wanted to give her a bagel- or some blintz, etc etc.  So I said- S is not eating wheat.  I realize, to most Americans who are on the Standard American Diet (SAD) or common wisdom diet (CW, depending on what other blogs you read haha) that saying you don't eat wheat sounds ludicrous, unnecessary, and perhaps even dangerous.  But what am I going to do?  I am not going to be some grain-free evangelist trying to convert people to my line of thought.  I don't care!  Eat what you want- no judgement from me.  I am no one to judge anyone on anything.  I just don't care to to explain to people what my choices are.  It's just not what I'm into.  I'd rather keep my choices to myself (or whoever's interested!).  I don't expect anyone to care about my personal choices and I don't want to bore anyone with that kind of thing.  If they're interested- great.  If not- no big deal.  So anyways- when I said no wheat- of course I was met with a WHY?  I didn't know what to say.  Again- what is there to say?  That I believe grains are unnecessary?  That I believe we are not evolved to digest the amount of grain that the SAD suggests?  Seriously?  I'm not going to get into all that.  I don't care to- and I think in most cases, the person to whom you are speaking cares even less.  So I said- "because I said so," and was immediately annoyed, irritated, and flustered by my totally half-assed response.  Ugh.  I have GOT to do better than that.  This issue is divisive.  It's scary, and huge.  What do you do- when the some of the biggest crops in the world, the most farmed, most subsidized, and profitable commodities, are on your do-not-eat list?  Wheat-corn-soy-sugar.  How do you explain, when asked, WHY that is your choice, without getting into an argument, without having to go into lengthy detail, without coming off like a judgmental, condescending hippie? 

Whew- that was intense.  Sorry in advance for anyone I might have offended- just because this is my personal choice doesn't mean it's any better than anyone else's.  What is right for me is not going to be right for everyone else.  XoXoGFG