http://cleaneatingwithadirtymind.com/
Once I checked the blog out I wanted to make everything. I was searching for gluten free recipes because I have a coworker who is gluten free (and another one is nut free, and another chocolate free). I was planning to have a team meeting today (but thanks to the snow that did not happen) and I knew everyone would hate me for making them come to a meeting on Valentines day, so I wanted to find a recipe that everyone could have.
Last Sunday my friend Susan came over and we set out to make chocolate chip cookies. Just kidding! The recipe called for coconut flour and giant does not carry such a product. I came home from the grocery store and ordered some on Amazon. Plan B. Reese's swirl brownies. The recipe calls for almond butter but the nut free substitute was sunflower seed butter (also not available at Giant). I ordered some of that online too. We decided to make it with the almond butter and try it out. I was excited bc I thought this recipe would satisfy gluten free and nut free (once the sunflower seed butter came in) but it turns out my nut free coworker can't do that either. :( Oh well, we made them anyway... (My notes on the recipe are in red, the rest is from the blog)
Paleo “Reese’s” Swirl Brownies
*Makes 9 servings
*Makes 9 servings
Ingredients:
3 ounce dark chocolate bar 60% cacao or higher (I used Alter Eco) I used whatever I had in my cabinet...
1/2 cup coconut oil, liquid
3/4 cup creamy almond butter or sunflower seed butter (separated into 1/4 cup and 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup pure maple syrup, grade b My maple syrup is grade A. Not sure of the difference... guessing its a processing thing, Paleo diets are EXTREMELY unprocessed (like the next recipe calls for "grass fed butter" what??)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
3 organic cage free eggs My eggs were not cage free, too poor for that.
1/4 cup coconut palm sugar I used stevia instead, which should be ok Paleo wise bc its a plant
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips
3 ounce dark chocolate bar 60% cacao or higher (I used Alter Eco) I used whatever I had in my cabinet...
1/2 cup coconut oil, liquid
3/4 cup creamy almond butter or sunflower seed butter (separated into 1/4 cup and 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup pure maple syrup, grade b My maple syrup is grade A. Not sure of the difference... guessing its a processing thing, Paleo diets are EXTREMELY unprocessed (like the next recipe calls for "grass fed butter" what??)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
3 organic cage free eggs My eggs were not cage free, too poor for that.
1/4 cup coconut palm sugar I used stevia instead, which should be ok Paleo wise bc its a plant
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips
These are the chocolate chips I prefer, Enjoy Life. Whole Foods usually carries the mini chips, the mega chunks I found on Amazon. I got a package with 3 bags of mini chips and 3 bags of the mega chunks for 30 bucks.
Ignore the ingredients to the right of the bread maker, those are for the cookies that we didn't end up making....
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. In a medium sized metal bowl melt the dark chocolate bar using the double boiler method by placing the bowl over a pot of boiling water.
3. Once the chocolate is melted remove from heat and slowly stir in the liquid coconut oil.
4. Then stir in 1/4 cup almond butter (or sunflower seed butter for nut-free option), maple syrup, vanilla extract and eggs.
5. Now whisk in the dry ingredients, the coconut palm sugar and unsweetened cocoa powder.
6. Fold in the chocolate chips.
7. Grease an 8×8″ square glass pan liberally with coconut oil or butter and pour in the brownie batter. Then pour the remaining 1/2 cup almond butter (or sunflower seed butter for nut-free option) evenly over the top of the batter and gently slide a butter knife around to create swirls through the batter.
8. Cook for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool and enjoy!
Susan will probably back me up and say they were good. They definitely didn't taste like Godiva brownies form a box (I mean, who doesn't love those?) but I liked them. I would even choose them over Godiva yumminess because I know that they are not half bad for me. We each had one and the rest went in freezer bags. Now I have no excuse to eat crappy junk food when I need a fix (damn it!)
Cut to this week and two snow days in a row (today is day 2!!!) I promised my class I would make them cookies for Valentine's day because they filled up the warm fuzzy jar (they get to put cotton balls in a jar for doing nice things and then when its full they get a reward). Anyway... the coconut flour came in the mail on Wednesday and I wanted to try the Paleo cookies anyway. Win- win.
Paleo C4 Cookies
*Makes 24
*Makes 24
Ingredients:
2 cups cashew butter (see recipe below)
1/2 cup grass-fed butter, melted
1 organic free-range egg
1/4 cup raw honey, melted I used regular honey not raw....
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup coconut flour
2 tablespoons organic maple sugar
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 bag Guittard Extra Dark Chocolate Chips I used the enjoy life chocolate chips and chunk (1/4 cup each)
2 cups cashew butter (see recipe below)
1/2 cup grass-fed butter, melted
1 organic free-range egg
1/4 cup raw honey, melted I used regular honey not raw....
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup coconut flour
2 tablespoons organic maple sugar
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 bag Guittard Extra Dark Chocolate Chips I used the enjoy life chocolate chips and chunk (1/4 cup each)
Funny note about the coconut oil... Tom saw it in the cabinet and got excited because he thought it was marshmallow fluff (gross). He was disappointed when he realized it was coconut oil.
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Make cashew butter using recipe below.
2. Put the grass-fed butter in a microwave safe dish and microwave until melted, about 30-60 seconds. Watch closely to make sure it doesn’t get too hot. When most of it has melted, stir to melt any remaining butter.
3. In a medium sized bowl add the melted butter, egg, honey, and vanilla. Make sure the butter isn’t too hot so it doesn’t cook the egg. Mix the ingredients together using a whisk or hand mixer. Set aside.
4. In a separate large bowl add the cashew butter, coconut flour, maple sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Pour the melted butter mixture on top and stir the ingredients together with a whisk or spoon until completely combined. Fold in 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. Add more if desired. Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes or until dough firms up.
5. Take a handful of dough and roll into a ball about the size of a golf ball. Place on the parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat the process until you have 12 on the tray. Use your palm to slightly press and flatten the balls down into a cookie shape. They will spread some during baking.
6. Bake for 10-13 minutes or until golden brown. Repeat process with remaining dough. Let cool on the baking sheet.
7. While the cookies are cooling, melt the rest of the chocolate chips using the double boiler method by placing a metal bowl over a pot of simmering water and stirring until the chocolate is melted. Then dip the bottom of a cooled cookie in the melted chocolate, tip the bowl to get a better coating if needed. Place back on to the parchment lined baking tray. Once completed, place in the refrigerator to harden for at least 10 minutes. Enjoy!
2. Put the grass-fed butter in a microwave safe dish and microwave until melted, about 30-60 seconds. Watch closely to make sure it doesn’t get too hot. When most of it has melted, stir to melt any remaining butter.
3. In a medium sized bowl add the melted butter, egg, honey, and vanilla. Make sure the butter isn’t too hot so it doesn’t cook the egg. Mix the ingredients together using a whisk or hand mixer. Set aside.
4. In a separate large bowl add the cashew butter, coconut flour, maple sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Pour the melted butter mixture on top and stir the ingredients together with a whisk or spoon until completely combined. Fold in 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. Add more if desired. Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes or until dough firms up.
5. Take a handful of dough and roll into a ball about the size of a golf ball. Place on the parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat the process until you have 12 on the tray. Use your palm to slightly press and flatten the balls down into a cookie shape. They will spread some during baking.
6. Bake for 10-13 minutes or until golden brown. Repeat process with remaining dough. Let cool on the baking sheet.
7. While the cookies are cooling, melt the rest of the chocolate chips using the double boiler method by placing a metal bowl over a pot of simmering water and stirring until the chocolate is melted. Then dip the bottom of a cooled cookie in the melted chocolate, tip the bowl to get a better coating if needed. Place back on to the parchment lined baking tray. Once completed, place in the refrigerator to harden for at least 10 minutes. Enjoy!
Cashew Butter
Ingredients:
3 cups raw cashews
2 teaspoons coconut oil, melted
few pinches of sea salt
Ingredients:
3 cups raw cashews
2 teaspoons coconut oil, melted
few pinches of sea salt
Directions:
1. In a food processor add your cashews and puree for a few minutes or so depending on how awesome your food processor is. You will have to stop and scrape down the sides a few times. Once you start to get an almost dough like consistency, slowly add the coconut oil and then a little bit of salt and puree some more. For this recipe it doesn’t have to be as finely textured as store bought nut butter, you actually want it to be more dough like.
1. In a food processor add your cashews and puree for a few minutes or so depending on how awesome your food processor is. You will have to stop and scrape down the sides a few times. Once you start to get an almost dough like consistency, slowly add the coconut oil and then a little bit of salt and puree some more. For this recipe it doesn’t have to be as finely textured as store bought nut butter, you actually want it to be more dough like.
Man, that's a lot of cashews!!!! You definitely had to scrape a lot! Not really on the sides, but getting down by the blades. As the cashews turned to a dough like consistency they got stuck around the blades. It did actually turn out pretty dough like, but there were still some clumps so I ended up having to mix the dry ingredients into it by hand to break them up (I washed my hands first).
Well, so far so good. They certainly look like cookies! Also, the dough is the most delicious cookie dough ever. And its basically all protein (and fat...) because its mostly nuts. Seriously, yummm.
Look at that! It looks like a cookie after baking too!!!! And, they were pretty good. Like I would choose these over some processed chocolate chip cookies (maybe not Nestle, but definitely chips ahoy).
I left 10 cookies out and put the rest in the freezer. Oh yeah, and I forgot I have a kid with nut allergies so I can't even bring these into school. I made them heart shaped sugar cookies from a bag instead... sorry kids. :(
No comments:
Post a Comment