It’s finally warming up around here and my ice cream maker is running non stop!!! I absolutely love making homemade ice cream, it’s my go to sweet treat! I actually use my Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker throughout the winter and love how easy it is to use.
I have been on a serious cinnamon kick!! I have really good cinnamon that I use often in treats I don’t mention on here…like sprinkling it on shredded coconut to enjoy. Cinnamon is a spice you definitely want to include in your diet, it is full of benefits. It is a great blood sugar stabilizer and source of anti-oxidants. There are many different types of cinnamon out there and you probably thought taste was the only difference…well think again and check out what kind of cinnamon you are buying. Both Ceylon and Cassia have health benefits, but if you are consuming quite a bit of it, you might want to consider buying Ceylon cinnamon!
Ceylon and cassia cinnamon are the most common commercially produced cinnamon varieties. Ceylon cinnamon is often called “true” cinnamon and comes primarily from Sri Lanka. Cassia is also called Saigon or Chinese cinnamon after the country that commonly produces this spice. Both varieties of cinnamon have similar health benefits and nutritional content. However, since cassia contains a higher level of coumarin, which may cause liver damage in high quantities, some health officials recommend Ceylon cinnamon as a healthier alternative.
Time for the recipe already!! I made this ice cream dairy free, but added melted grass-fed butter. You can omit the butter to make it dairy free, but the butter does add some extra yumminess! I actually clarify my butter to remove the milk solids so I can still get all of the benefits of butter! This just might be my favorite ice cream recipe yet. My mom said it would be good over a sopapilla…guess I better work on a grain free sopapilla recipe!
Recipe: Cinnamon Ice Cream
Ingredients
2 cans full fat coconut milk
2 egg yolks*
1/4-1/2 cup sweetener (I used Swerve for no sugar option)
2 tbsp grass-fed butter, melted (optional, but highly recommended, it makes this recipe!)
2-3 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp sea salt
Instructions
Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth
Pour mixture into Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker and follow the directions for the machine. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, this can be poured into a bread pan, cover and freeze (it just wont have that churned texture). The bread pan makes it easy to use an ice cream scoop to serve.
Once ice cream is frozen, remove from the maker or the freezer and serve. If you used Swerve, it will harden the ice cream so you may need to let it sit out for a few minutes.
Quick notes
*I use farm fresh pastured eggs from Tropical Traditions so eating them raw is safe. If you don’t feel comfortable doing that, read the directions for my pumpkin ice cream for an alternative option of “cooking’ the yolks. Make sure to refrigerate the mixture before pouring it into the ice cream maker since it will be warm.
I have quite a few dairy free ice cream recipes on my site that you are sure to love!!!
If you are a coconut person, these bite size treats are the perfect remedy for your sweet tooth. Most macaroon recipes are made with egg whites and can have a bit of a spongy or eggy texture that I can do without. I decided to try a different binding agent and make these egg-less.
The secret ingredient, gelatin! Gelatin can act like a binder (since it gels) in gluten free products and I plan to experiment with this more. I use Great Lakes Gelatin that is sourced from grass-fed cows (Now Foods is also a great brand of gelatin). An added bonus is all of the health benefits gelatin provides, this is a big component of bone broth. Not only is it great for skin, hair and nails, but it is great for your gut and joints. I actually add a spoonful of this to my cup of broth everyday! It is flavorless and you will never know it’s in these cookies!
Recipe: Vanilla Macaroons
Ingredients
2 cups unsweetened coconut
1/4 cup virgin coconut oil, melted
2 tbsp full fat coconut milk cream (cream at top of refrigerated can)
1/4 – 1/2 cup granulated sweetener*
3/4 tsp gelatin
1/4 tsp vanilla beans (1-2 beans)
1/8 tsp sea salt
Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until a dough forms
With a small cookie scoop, form macaroons and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. You could also roll into balls and slightly press them down on cookie sheet
Bake at 350 for about 8 minutes or until very slightly brown
Let cookies cool to set up, they will fall apart when warm
These can be stored at room temperature or for a harder cookie, store in the refrigerator
Quick notes
*I used Swerve (erythritol) for a low sugar option along with 2 tsp coconut palm sugar. I have not tried this with a liquid sweetener. You would need to reduce the amount to 1/4 cup or less and it may make the dough too runny. If that happens, just add more coconut until the dough is thick enough to form.
These could also be done in a food dehydrator and would turn out just as yummy!!
I have to admit, I don’t think I have ever had Nutella! It is full of ingredients that I wouldn’t want in my body. I have definitely had Justin’s Nut Butter Hazelnut Spread, but it’s certainly not cheap…especially when you can finish off a jar in a couple days!!! So, I created my own version of it and used Swerve to keep the amount of sugar down.
Recipe: Chocolate Hazelnut Butter
Ingredients
2 cups hazelnuts
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips or chunks
1/2 cup granulated sweetener, powdered* (I used confectioner’s Swerve for low sugar option)
Place the hazelnuts on a cookie sheet in a single layer
Roast the nuts at 350 for 15 minutes
While nuts are roasting, using a double broiler, melt the chocolate chips, squares and oil
When nuts are done, place them between paper towels or dish towels and rub to remove skins. This takes a little bit of work, but they do not need to be perfectly clean!
Place the nuts, melted chocolate, sweetener, vanilla and sea salt in a food processor or blender and process until smooth
Place the nut butter in an airtight container. Store in the frig for a harder spread or at room temperature for a runnier spread
Quick notes
*Run sweetener of choice thru a blender or coffee grinder to powder it. If you skip this step it will make the butter gritty. I think a liquid sweetener would work fine here, but add a different flavor profile and I would start with less than 1/2 a cup.
Variations
You can use any nut or combination of nuts, but I would roast the nuts to give it more flavor.
I stored this in the frig and ate it with a spoon…and it didn’t last very long!!!
Spring is here and it’s time for refreshing and fruity desserts…don’t worry, I will still include some chocolate! Lemon Bars have been on my never ending list of goodies to try to recreate. We had a family dinner this past weekend and lemon bars were the birthday girl’s favorite dessert, so the time had come!! Let me add that she is not grain free and absolutely loved these and said they taste like the real thing. The best part is that I used Swerve, (my favorite natural sugar alternative) so they were very low sugar as well!!!
Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until combined. A mixer should work as well.
Press the dough into a greased 8×8 baking dish
Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes until slightly golden
Remove from heat and let cool quite a bit to set up.
Filling:
Heat the oven back to 350 and make sure it’s ready before you start mixing the ingredients. The baking powder will be affected if you wait to bake these.
Place all ingredients EXCEPT the baking powder in a food processor and combine. A mixer will work, but lemon zest will not be ground down and unnoticeable in bars.
Add in the baking powder and pulse one last time
Pour the filling over the crust and bake at 350 for about 25 minutes until crust is set. It shouldn’t get brown, it will feel stiff to touch.
Sift powdered sweetener over the top. This is optional and I don’t feel these need it. I used confectioner Swerve on a few bars only for photo purposes.
Store in the refrigerator until serving. I prefer these chilled!
Variations:
*Coconut oil that is softened should work fine as a substitution to the butter. I would use expellor pressed so there is no coconut tones! I love Tropical Traditions Oil!
Not a lemon person? Substitute the lemon juice and zest for lime.
Have you been wanting to try Swerve? It is making its way to Whole Foods Stores, but you can order online and use coupon code KATE10 for a 10% discount!!
Tropical Traditions is America’s source for coconut oil. Their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is hand crafted in small batches by family producers, and it is the highest quality coconut oil they offer. You can read more about how virgin coconut oil is different from other coconut oils on their website: What is Virgin Coconut Oil?
You can also watch the video they produced about Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil:
Tropical Traditions also carries other varieties of affordable high quality coconut oil. Visit their website to check on current sales, to learn about the many uses of coconut oil, and to read about all the advantages of buying coconut oil online. Since the FDA does not want us to discuss the health benefits of coconut oil on a page where it is being sold or given away, here is the best website to read about the health benefits of coconut oil.
To enter to win, you must subscribe to Tropical Traditions newsletter and comment on this blog post with what you would make or do with the coconut oil if you win. They do not sell any info and this will allow you to receive email updates of all of their sales…they have a lot! I order so many things from them including their farm fresh soy free eggs, grass-fed ground beef, coconut oil, flour and cream. The winner will be randomly chosen on March 6th.
Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.
Place the cashews and coconut in a food processor and pulse until a coarse sand texture is created
Add the sweetener, vanilla beans, salt and soda and pulse until combined
Add in the oil and coconut milk and pulse again to form a dough
Using a cookie scoop or spoon, place balls of dough on a parchment cookie sheet and press down slightly on each dough ball. They will spread more in the oven
Place an additional cookie sheet under the other sheet to prevent the bottoms of the cookies from browning too much
Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes, until slightly brown
Remove from the oven and let the cookies sit on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes to set then place them on a cooling rack to get crisp
Store in an airtight container
Quick notes
*I used about 1/2 cup of Swerve and a tablespoon of coconut palm sugar to make these low in sugar.
Chocolate covered cherries may be a favorite Valentine’s treat for some of you, and if so, you will love these. You don’t have to like chocolate covered cherries to like these blondies! Blondies, what the heck is that really? Basically they are brownies without the cocoa. According to wikipedia:
A blondie (also known as a “blond[e] brownie” or “blondie bar”) is a rich, sweet dessert bar. It is made fromflour, brown sugar, butter, eggs, baking powder and vanilla and may also contain walnuts or pecans Chocolate chip blondies may contain white or dark chocolate chips. A blondie may have a taste reminiscent of butterscotch.
Blondies resemble the traditional chocolate brownie, but are based on brown sugar instead of cocoa; they are sometimes referred to as blonde brownies. They are baked in a pan in the oven similar to how traditional brownies are baked, then cut into rectangular shapes for serving.
Like brownies, blondies may include chocolate chips. They may also contain coconut, nuts, toffee, or any other chunky candy for added texture. Blondies aren’t usually frosted; the brown sugar flavor tends to be sweet enough.
Technically I think these could be called Chocolate Cherry Cookie Bars as well, but I like blondie for this recipe. Since brown sugar is an ingredient in blondies, I had to come up with an alternative. I chose to add a bit of coconut palm sugar to give it that caramel, molasses taste. Another option would be to add a bit of molasses to granulated sugar since that’s basically what brown sugar is. I used Swerve for my sweetener to keep these low sugar and added just a bit of coconut palm sugar. They turned out perfect, moist but with a crisp crackly top!
Place the softened butter/oil and sugar in a mixing bowl and cream with a hand mixer or in a stand up mixer until fluffy
Add the egg and vanilla and continue to blend
In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, soda and salt
Slowly add the flour mixture as you continue to beat until well combined
Fold in the chocolate chips and lastly, fold in the cherries
Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes until slightly brown
Let cool for 30 minutes before cutting into them (I prefer these out of the refrigerator cold)
Quick notes
*If you want to order Swerve, they have given my readers an extra 10% off your online order with code KATE10.
**It is almost impossible to find fresh cherries this time of year, so frozen is what you will use. They tend to be very dark in color and that is why this looks like a blueberry blondie. It is best to keep them frozen until you have added the chocolate chips so they do not melt and bleed into the dough.
As Wikipedia says above, any nut or candy can be used in blondie recipes. Use this as a base and add what ever nuts, fruits, chocolates you would like!
I’m going to keep this short and sweet and to the point. If you haven’t tried the Chocolate Drop Cookies recipe yet, you need to! You will love them, unless you are not a coconut person and that is why I created a coconut free no bake cookie! I loooove the coconut chocolate cookies, but these are darn good as well…different good! And, no bake cookies are so easy and quick!
Recipe: Chocolate Cherry No Bake Cookies
Ingredients
3 tbsp grass-fed butter or coconut oil* (or combo)
1/8 cup vanilla dairy free milk (I prefer So Delicious no sugar vanilla coconut milk)
1/2 cup granulated sweetener** (I used Swerve for no sugar option)
3/4 cup raw almonds
1/2 – 2/3 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup almond butter
1 generous tbsp cocoa/cacao powder
Instructions
Place the almonds in a food processor and pulse until they are ground into pieces. Add the cherries and pulse again, set aside
In a saucepan, melt the butter/oil with the milk, sugar and cocoa/cacao powder. Bring to a boil for 1-2 minutes
Remove from heat and add the almond butter, nuts and cherry mixture and stir until combined
Place spoonfuls of the mixture onto a parchment lined plate or small cookie sheet
Place the cookies in the freezer for about 15 minutes to set
Store cookies in the refrigerator or freezer in an airtight container
Quick notes
*Make sure the oil is expeller pressed (Tropical Traditions sells this) or refined coconut oil so you do not have coconut tones in the cookies.
**I have not tried this with a liquid sweetener. I think it will work, but I would start with only a 1/4 cup.
Variations
These can be made with any dried fruit, nut and nut butter. I used sliced almonds to avoid skins in this recipe, but whole almonds will work.
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I tried to stay away from chocolate for awhile…it was a short while! Now it’s time for Valentine’s Day recipes and it just wouldn’t be right to not include chocolate! The good news is that these are made with cocoa powder and Swerve Sweetener (my favorite natural sweetener than contains no sugar!) and dark chocolate chips, so they are fairly low in sugar.
I debated over using cherries or strawberries in this recipe. I think both are a part of many Valentine’s celebrations with chocolate covered cherries found in most assorted chocolate boxes and chocolate dipped strawberries a favorite of many this time of year. I chose strawberries since fresh organic berries are available right now and cherries are only found frozen this time of year. I highly suggest fresh fruit for the lower moisture content. Frozen fruit lets off more moisture and will make these extra gooey. These cookies are already gooey and that’s why they are named brownie cookies. These can also be made with no fruit, but I would add an extra tablespoon of coconut milk to create more moisture. Either way, these are delicious!!!
You will see in the instructions that you melt the butter/oil and add in the cacao/cocoa powder. I learned that cocoa powder gives a better chocolate flavor to baked goods instead of using unsweetened chocolate. But…to bring out the flavor of the powder, it must be added to a warm liquid to bring out the flavor molecules. These turned out very chocolatey and maybe this is why, I only tried it this way. I certainly don’t need to make another batch to test this theory, two batches were enough to consume this week!!!
Swerve is on sale until the end of the month, you receive 40 single serve packs with your order! Use Coupon Code KATE10 for an additional 10% off!!
1/2 cup granulated sweetener (I prefer Swerve or erythritol for a sugar free option)
3 tbsp full fat coconut milk
1 tbsp vanilla
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips*
1/2 cup fresh strawberries, chopped**
Instructions
Melt the butter/oil in a saucepan. Once melted, add the cocoa/cacao powder and 1/4 cup of chocolate chips and remove from heat
Once the chocolate chips have melted, add the coconut milk, sweetener and vanilla and blend with hand mixer
Combine the almond flour, salt and soda in a mixing bowl. Pour the butter mixture into the flour mixture and stir well
Fold in the additional 1/2 cup chocolate chips and strawberries
Bake at 350 on a parchment lined cookie sheet for 11-13 minutes
Let cookies set up on the cookie sheet for at least 5 minutes or they will fall apart
Let cool on a cooling rack to continue to set up
Store in an airtight container
Quick notes
I highly recommend using Honeyville flour or these may turn out very very gooey.
Variations
*To make these dairy free, use Enjoy Life Choclate Chips or Enjoy Life Chocolate Chunks and coconut oil.
**Any fruit would work in these, but please read the text above about fresh versus frozen fruit. If you want to leave the fruit out, read the text above as well for modifications.
These may also work in an 8×8 greased pan to create brownies. The cooking time will be longer and the inside may not get cooked through. I have not tried this, but I’d be just fine eating these with a spoon if need be!!!
One last cookie recipe for the Holidays! These shortbread cookies have the perfect crunch and buttery flavor. I am learning to really like the cranberry and orange flavor pairing and it’s the perfect combo for Christmas.
Cranberries are a very low sugar fruit making them a great low carb option for cakes, cookies and muffins. I did have to add arrowroot flour t0 this recipe to get them to hold together and retain their crunch. It does add a bit of starch to this recipe, but it’s such a minimal amount! The fourth cup only adds about two carbs per cookie. I also used Swerve as the sweetener in this recipe to keep the sugar amount low, that way you can have more than one without guilt!!!
Today’s recipe is a Holiday classic! This grain free thumbprint cookie recipe comes from Leeann, the creator of the blog www.cutthewheatblogspot.com. I decided to make these today and used chocolate as the filling to make them even more decadent and because I didn’t have jelly on hand. These are delicious and so buttery! They were a huge hit around here and there aren’t many left. My batch spread out a lot more than hers, as you can see. I think I pushed down the batter too much, but that certainly doesn’t affect the taste. I used about 4 dark chocolate chips in each cookie and added the chips after they had baked for about 15 minutes and then baked an additional 5 minutes.
Enjoy Leeann’s story and her recipe below!
Amidst the trays of colorful iced angels, Russian tea cakes, gingerbread men and coconut macaroons lie my favorite cookie of all time: jam thumbprints. These tasty cookies have a buttery, tender dough that gets rolled in crunchy nuts and then topped off with fruit jam. To me, they are the quintessential Christmas cookie. I can almost still feel the slimy raw eggs on my hands as I rolled the dough in the nut mixture as a child. My mom insisted on putting the jam in, though!
When I started reducing, and eventually eliminating, wheat from my diet, I thought I’d bid my favorite cookie goodbye forever. I was willing to do just that, but on a whim, I decided to come up with a test recipe for my beloved cookie this holiday season. I’m proud to announce that with a few hours of hard work, I made myself a fantastic recipe that ‘s so close to the real thing even my husband, daughter and in-laws, all wheat and sugar consumers, couldn’t tell the difference.
These cookies are not only wheat free—they are completely grain free. If you prefer, you can refrain from rolling the cookies in nuts and simply place the jam in the middle. They’re delicious all the same!
Recipe: Grain Free Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups almond flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
3/4 cup butter, softened (or 1/2 c coconut oil for vegan)
2/3 cup granulated sweetener (I used erythritol)*
8 drops liquid Stevia
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg (for dough)
1 beaten egg (to help nuts stick to dough balls)
3/4 cup crushed walnuts or pecans (optional)
* Gluten free, sugar-free jam for topping (I used peach, strawberry and raspberry no sugar Polaner)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325 and coat cookie sheet in nonstick spray.
In large mixing bowl, cream together butter, erythritol, stevia and vanilla.
Add in the egg and lightly mix until smooth. Slowly mix in almond and coconut flour.
Ball up the dough into one tablespoon servings, and roll each ball in the beaten egg, and then cover in chopped nuts.
Place each cookie a few inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Use a greased thumb or small spoon to create indents in each cookie, then fill with approx.. ¼ – ½ tsp. of jam.
Bake at 325 for 15-20 minutes or until cookies are very slightly browned at the edges. Allow to cool and set for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Enjoy!
*I used Swerve as the sweetener in place of all other sweeteners to keep this a low sugar treat.
Win 1 quart of 
