Category: Desserts
Organic Farm Tour & Blueberry Banana Smoothie Recipe
| May 10, 2014 |
I was SO excited when Fairfield Farms invited me to take a tour of their organic blueberry farm. I’ve never been on a commercial farm before and honestly, I didn’t really know what to expect.
Fairfield Farms is in Pauma Valley, San Diego County CA. I drove with Tanaya from Tanaya’s Table, and driving there seriously felt like we were lost. We got off the freeway and it looked like there was nothing there. But as we kept driving, there were fruit stands and little mom & pop cafes … then we found the farm.
It was absolutely beautiful! We got to the gate and I was just in awe. Maybe other farms have beautiful gates, but I’d never seen anything like this other than movies. So for me, it was a little surreal.
What was even more exciting was Fairfield Farms has previously never been open to the public. We were invited the week before they officially open the gates to the public to launch their U-Pick weekend events. (More info on how you can visit to pick your own organic blueberries after the recipe.)
Meet Harrison (in the middle), our tour guide and blueberry expert for the day. He is also one of the family members that owns the farm. Yes – Fairfield Farms is not only organic, but also family owned! (I made him take a selfie, haha. #shameless)
It was really interesting learning about organic farming and what it’s like to work on a family farm with your parents and siblings. I asked if he ate a lot of blueberries and he said there are literally more blueberries than can ever be eaten. I guess that makes sense when they’re producing just over a million pounds of blueberries a season.
The packaging factory was definitely not what I expected. I guess when I think of any food that has a label, I think big, sterile, overwhelming warehouse, but this was nothing like that. Sure they label their berries and you can find them at major grocers on the west coast like Whole Foods and Sprouts, but it was very family friendly and Harrison knew everyone by name.
In the packaging warehouse, first the berries are measured by weight. They’re tracked by who picked them and where they were picked. And when they go through the sorting machine (which makes sure all the berries that get packaged are ripe and beautifully blue). At the end of this machine, they are packaged and the Fairfield Farms label finishes it off like a bow and stored in the biggest fridge I’ve ever been in.
Picking the berries was a lot of fun! I will definitely be going back with my mom and sister and making a day out of it. The views are spectacular and you can’t beat fresh blueberries right off the bush. They were so juicy and sweet! And the neat thing I learned was that the blueberries you buy in the store are actually a variety of blueberry types. This is why sometimes some look larger than others. It was so much fun tasting the different varieties as we picked. You can tell the different varieties by the bush. Some bushes leaves were greener while others had a yellow hue or rougher leaf. The difference in taste was very slight. I mostly noticed that ones on the first two rows (my favorite rows) were big and luscious and much sweeter than the other berries down the row. But of course, taste also has to do with when you pick them and those first two rows Harrison said he made sure no one touched so when Tanaya and I arrived, they’d be full of juicy fruit.
Want the insider secret to keeping your berries fresh?
I asked Harrison for the insider tip… He said the most common mistake people make is washing the berries and then putting them back in the fridge so they are ready to eat. But blueberries are very prone to mold when introduced to moisture. Only wash the berries you plan to eat or cook immediately. If you wash more than you need by accident, make sure they are completely dry before putting them back in the fridge. They can literally grow mold within hours of being exposed to moisture if you put them back in the fridge wet!
Blueberry Banana Smoothie
Macros: 1.5g Fat, 72.5g Carbs, 4g Protein
- 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 2-3 ice cubes
- 2 frozen bananas
- 1 large handful of fresh blueberries (or 3/4 cup)
Directions
Add all the ingredients into a blender and blend on high until all the ingredients are well pureed. If you have a lower speed blender, you might not be able to fully liquify the blueberry skins but that’s ok. It will just look a little different but the taste will be the same.
Thanks you Fairfield Farms for inviting me to tour the farms and pick some berries to take home. If you want to visit the farm in Pauma Valley to pick organic blueberries, join them Thursday thru Sunday from 8am-6pm. The season ends June 1 so get out there before all the blueberries are gone!
Fairfield Farms
14224 Old Cole Grade Rd
Pauma Valley, CA 92061
Blueberries are $5 a pint and they accept cash and all major credit cards.
Follow Fairfield Farms:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/fairfieldfruit
Twitter: @fairfieldfruit
Strawberry Cake Batter Protein Shake
| February 11, 2014 |
Lately I have been craving cake batter. Maybe it’s my lack of baking cupcakes … I usually bake cupcakes at least once a month so I guess I’m used to spoon-licking and have been missing it. I actually impulsively bought a cake batter protein powder.
But I’m impatient. So this morning I made my own cake batter shake.
I actually got my package in the mail later today and tried the protein powder I purchased for dessert and I like my Strawberry Cake Batter Protein Shake recipe better.
Strawberry Cupcake Batter Protein Shake
Macros: 4g Fat, 6g Carbs, 26g Protein
- 1 cup ice (or about 8 ice cubes)
- 1 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 6 medium-sized strawberries
- 1/4 tsp butter extract
- 2 tsp stevia
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
- Optional: whipped cream & sprinkles
Directions
Blend all the ingredients together. Pour into your favorite jar, mug, cup, or tumbler. This recipe should fill a venti size cup. If you don’t want to add the protein powder, add 1 tsp vanilla extract.
Optional: Top it off with whipped cream and sprinkles.
Note: Macros were calculated with a 25g protein scoop and without whipped cream and sprinkles.
{Gluten-Free} Soft Lemon Snowballs
| December 11, 2013 |
It’s that time of year again – The Food Blogger Cookie Swap, hosted by my friend Julie from The Little Kitchen and Lindsay from Love & Olive Oil! It’s only my second year participating but definitely a holiday treat to look forward to.
All food bloggers are invited. Basically, after registering with your donation to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer, you get the names of 3 food bloggers that you will be sending cookies to, and 3 food bloggers have your name. So just after Thanksgiving, before Christmas, you start getting cookies in the mail. Who doesn’t love getting packages?
Last year OXO was the sole sponsor and I got a cute “Be a good cookie” spatula in the mail. This year, OXO returned as a sponsor along side Gold Medal Flour, Dixie Crystals, and Grandma’s Molasses. Julie and Lindsay were able to raise $13,778.40 for Cookies for Kids’ Cancer this year thanks to these sponsors and all of the bloggers that registered to bake! Congrats guys!
I always try my best to make a healthy or skinny cookies that everyone would love. No one wants a “diet” cookie. This recipe definitely took some testing. I failed a few attempts at first but I finally got the recipe just right AND it’s super easy to make. You don’t even need a fancy stand mixer or anything! (Although I do like to take advantage of any chance I get to pull out my KitchenAid.)
These are not your traditional snowballs. Firstly, they are soft. The almond flour gives the cookies a moist and soft texture. I started with coconut flour but the cookies were horrible, so don’t try subbing the flours unless you plan to modify other aspects of the recipe too. Secondly, these are lemon.
… what kind of Disney fan would I be if I didn’t throw in a Disney gif right here?
Diet tip!
Between this cookie swap, my family’s annual cookie party, and other holiday parties I am around A LOT of cookies during December. One of the best ways I found to curb my cookie nomming is planning. Before a party, I tell myself how many cookies I will allow myself to eat and I usually pick a number between 0 – 4 depending on my fitness level that day and how well I had been following my diet that whole week. When you bring cookies home with you, pre-package your cookies into snack baggies with 2 in each bag. That way it’s easier to take them for lunch and limit how many you eat versus keeping them all in one cookie tin and allowing yourself to munch on them late at night.
{Gluten-Free} Soft Lemon Snowballs
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1 large egg white (beaten)
- 1 tsp lemon extract
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- powdered sugar to coat the cookies in
Mix all the ingredients together, excluding the powdered sugar, using a spoon or spatula. The “dough” should be the texture of grits or thick oatmeal.
Refrigerate the mixture for minimum 2 hours. Overnight is best.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll the dough into little balls, just under one inch in size. Place them on a non-stick baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes until the bottom of the cookies are golden.
Let them cool for a few minutes. Then roll them into the powdered sugar while the are still warm. Store in an airtight container.
Recipe makes 12-15 cookies.
**Paleo Hack: Swap out the sugar for raw honey. Add an additional 1/3 cup of almond flour and 1 1/2 cups of unsweetened coconut. When they come out of the oven, drizzle them with more honey instead of rolling them in sugar. Thanks to Nom Nom Crunch reader Tony for the recipe hack!
Check out some of the cookies I got in the mail! Click the photo to go directly to the recipe!
Thanks so much Monica (Dainty Morsels), Sunshine (Crave Local Orlando), and Amy & Laura (The Table Blog) for the amazing cookies!
Healthy Halloween Treats: Pumpkin Spice Latte Frapp
| October 7, 2013 |
When Starbucks re-releases their seasonal Pumpkin Spice Latte, who isn’t excited? At least for a foodie, it’s one of those things you look forward to every year. When you walk into the coffee shop and you see the writing on the chalkboard welcoming the Pumpkin Spice Latte back onto the menu, feeling excited, you know it’s going to be a good day.
… ok, you can see why I might struggle with my weight. Haha. Starbucks is a very bad habit of mine.
I made a skinny, healthier Pumpkin Spice Latte Frapp (because it was pushing 90 degrees in SoCal this weekend) that you can actually enjoy year-round if you wanted. Struggling with the temptation to take full advantage of Starbucks’ seasonal menu, life is a lot easier when you know you can make one at home that’s healthier and cheaper. Not to mention mine has real pumpkin – no fake syrups here!
Pumpkin Spice Latte Frappuccino
- 1 cup ice (or about 8 ice cubes)
- 1 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 cup puréed pumpkin (canned or fresh)
- 1 tsp pumpkin spice
- 1 tsp instant coffee (or one Starbucks VIA packet)
- 3 tsp stevia
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
Directions
Blend all the ingredients together. Pour into your favorite jar, mug, cup, or tumbler. This recipe should fill a venti size cup.
If you don’t want to add the protein powder, add 1 tsp vanilla extract and an additional 2 tsp of stevia.
Optional: Top it off with your whipped cream of choice. Try my Vegan Whipped Cream recipe for a 100% vegan frap (assuming you are using a vegan protein powder).
Healthy Halloween Treats: Candy Corn Fruit Cup
| October 3, 2013 |
I love Halloween. Luckily, I have actually never really been a candy fan, so binging on candy should be the least of my concerns. But I’m a social eater and I eat because it I want to feel like I am celebrating the holiday with everyone else. If everyone else is eating junk, I find it very hard not to join in. But in the privacy of my own home, I wouldn’t even touch most of that stuff.
Let’s take the iconic candy corn … did you know that with every bite, you are consuming over 1 gram of refined sugar? Sure, they market the candy as being fat free, but the spike in your insulin levels will not help your journey to weight loss. (See nutritional info here)
My best strategy: be festive the healthy way! So all month long I am posting Halloween recipes you can enjoy guilt-free. And all of them are party friendly to enjoy with your friends and family.
Candy Corn Fruit Cup
- diced pineapple
- mandarin oranges
- your whipped cream of choice
Note: depending on the size of your cups and how many you plan to make, the amount of fruit you need to buy varies. My cup (wine glass size) took 1 small can of pineapple and 2-3 fresh mandarin oranges in each. You can use canned or fresh, I used canned pineapple (make sure it’s in water or 100% juice with no added sugar) and fresh mandarin oranges. Personally I always like fresh better but sometimes you have to go with what your market has in stock.
Directions
Prepare the pineapple by either chopping into cubes (for fresh pineapple) or draining the liquid from the can (save the juice for smoothies!).
Prepare the oranges by peeling them and pulling apart each section, or by draining the liquid from the can (again, save your juice for smoothies, yum!).
With all your cups out and ready, fill each cup with pineapple until it fills 1/3 of the cup. Next, layer the mandarin oranges until the cups are 2/3 full. Top it off with your whipped cream of choice.
I used ReddiWip Fat Free whipped cream in the photo because I love the way it looks, but if you’re going to keep the cups out for a buffet style party, the cream starts to melt. You can also try my Vegan Coconut Whipped Cream recipe but it also needs to stay chilled, but it should last longer sitting out than ReddiWip does. Fat Free Cool Whip is also a great option and probably keeps its shape longest of the ones mentioned when left in room temperature.
Strike of genius! If you can afford the calories, top it off with some all natural ice cream!
Avocado Chocolate Banana Pudding
| September 16, 2013 |
So this recipe I actually created as one of the first recipes for my blog, but I came across the issue of not having a high speed blender OR a food processor. If you aren’t sure if you have a high speed blender versus a regular blender, generally the question to ask yourself is, “does my blender work as well or better than a food processor.” Ok, well that may not be the official question to ask yourself but I sure asked myself that one.
The first time I tried making this I put the avocado and banana in a blender with the almond milk, thinking that it might blend like I was making a smoothie and I would add all the other ingredients after. FAIL! There was not enough liquid so it barely blended and there were still chunks of avocado and banana. I ended up pouring it into a bowl and trying to mash it by hand and then I whisked the ingredients together. I ended up with chunky pudding, and no one wants chunks of avocado in their pudding. It was gross. So if you get chunky pudding, you might not have a high speed blender.
But after all said and done, I am finally sharing my recipe (and it tasted good this time) because I finally got my kitchen essentials. I got a food processor as a house warming present from a friend and this Summer I bought a Vitamix at the OC Fair. So giving it another whirl, my recipe really was good once the chunks were no longer in the equation. Enjoy 🙂
PS – I promise you that you can’t taste the avocado. It’s my secret ingredient … it adds the creaminess to the pudding without any dairy products.
Avocado Banana Chocolate Pudding
- 1 ripe avocado (pitted & peeled)
- 1 overripe banana
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup raw honey
- 1/4 cup almond milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
Directions
Combine all ingredients in a high speed blender or food processor. Store in an airtight container in the fridge if you can’t eat it all in one sitting. It should serve two for a snack or one for a full meal. Feel free to garnish with an extra banana cut into slices (to get a similar look to my photos).
If you are like me and add protein powder to everything: Reduce the honey to 2 tbsp and hold the cocoa powder. Add a scoop of chocolate protein powder to the blender or food processor. Then add raw cocoa to taste. You probably wouldn’t be adding any more than a few tablespoons max. Most flavored protein powders will have enough chocolate to flavor your pudding. Also, they usually have added sweeteners which is where the decrease in honey comes in. Of course if it’s not sweet enough for you, you can add more honey.
As for using the raw honey – You don’t have to use raw, I just prefer raw because it’s less processed. Easy 1:1 conversion for raw versus regular honey if you don’t have raw. Although I suggest you try raw honey at some point. It tastes amazing!!!
Look how beautiful the pudding looks in my Vitamix … it’s a swirl!!!
Saying Hello to the Bunnies
| August 21, 2013 |
This week, I was a guest blogger on Rabbit Food For My Bunny Teeth.
Now if you haven’t checked out Catherine’s blog, you really should. Catherine is both a friend and sorority sister of mine and all her recipes are to die for. They are super easy to make and follow the Rabbit Food Pyramid, which consists of produce, whole grains, protein and plant-based fat. The bunny diet!
Wanna know a little fact? I actually started NomNomCrunch on her couch. Haha.
When I was brainstorming what to blog about, I always think first, “what have I personally been eating or wanting to try lately?”
I’m going to tell you a little secret: I never really liked oats.
As I mentioned in my last blog post, I just started working out with a new trainer. I wanted a meal plan to follow because lately I have just been all over the place eating caloric and fatty foods left and right. When I got my meal plan, oats were listed on there every single day!
Note: My trainer DID ask me if there was anything I didn’t like, but I told her I liked everything… I knew there would probably be oats on there, and honestly I really just wanted to learn to like them.
So it came to me. Catherine has an awesome Fluffy Oats Recipe that I could add my little extra touches and make it something I like. So after many mornings gone awry, I finally figured out a few recipes that make me LOVE my oats.
Head over to Rabbit Food For My Bunny Teeth
to check out my oat recipes (or scroll below)!
I’m going to tell you a little secret: I never liked oats.
Recently I started working out with a new trainer and she asked me if I liked oats because that’s what she was planning for my daily breakfast. I told her, “of course I like oats!” But the truth is, I only WANT to like oats. I never actually made it to the point of actually liking them yet…. until I got creative. I have a sweet tooth so you’ll notice I added stevia in EVERYTHING!
For my oat customization recipes, use Catherine’s Fluffy Oats Recipe as the base.
Fluffy Oats
Serves 1
1/4 cup whole rolled oats
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup water
1 egg white (1 egg white = 2 tbs if you’re using it from a carton)
Whisk the egg until it gets a little fluffy/foamy. Combine with oats, water, and almond milk in a saucepan and bring heat to medium. Whisk the mixture until it starts to simmer. Raise the heat to high and continue whisking for a couple of minutes until it starts to thicken. Reduce heat back to medium and whisk until most of the liquid is soaked. Transfer to a bowl and enjoy with toppings!
Note: Be sure to whisk the egg before combining with other ingredients!
Now for the customizing…
Berry Bliss
When you are combining the oats, water and almond milk together:
+ 2 tsp of vanilla extract
+ 2 tsp of stevia
Top it off with a berry reduction:
Put a handful of mixed berries into a food processor or blender. (I used raspberries and strawberries.) Then pour into a sauce pan, add 1 tsp of stevia and bring your stove to high heat, slowly stirring the mixture consistently. When the sauce begins to bubble and the color darkens, reduce to medium heat and continue to stir to prevent burning. After about 2-3 minutes, it’s ready to pour onto your oats. The sauce will be the consistency of olive oil.
PB&J
When you are combining the oats, water and almond milk together:
+ 3 tsp of PB2 or another powdered peanut butter alternative
+ 2 tsp of stevia
Top it off with a spoonful of your fav jam or jelly. I used a natural huckleberry jam I got from while on vacation in Yellowstone. Just keep in mind when adding your jam/jelly, many of them have added sugars so you don’t want to go crazy with it.
Choconut
When you are combining the oats, water and almond milk together:
+ 1 tbs of unsweetened coco powder
+ 3 tsp of stevia
SWAP the water for coconut water
Top it off with some coconut shreds and almonds.
Apple Pie
When you are combining the oats, water and almond milk together:
+ 1 tsp cinnamon
+1 tsp vanilla extract
+ 3 tsp of stevia
Top it off with caramelized apples:
Heat up 1/2 tsp of coconut oil and 1 tsp of honey in a small skillet on high heat. Once the oil and honey are warm, add half of an apple to the skillet, chopped or sliced. Any type of apple will do. Traditionally apple pie is made with McIntosh apples (according to Eating Well), but I just like to use whatever is on hand. I used HoneyCrisp. With a wooden spoon, stir the apples around until they are completely coated in the oil and honey. Continue to stir until the apple begins to soften and turns to a golden brown. Then pour onto your oats.
Note: Because this recipe has real sugar (honey) in the mix, it will burn a lot easier than the berry recipe. Keep an eye on your apples and keep stirring. Burned honey on your pan can mean death to your pan.
Easy {Vegan} Coconut Whipped Cream
| August 1, 2013 |
I read a while back that if you put a can of coconut milk in the fridge, the liquid and cream separate – making it super easy to make whipped cream. So I figured I’d give it a go…nailed it! Haha.
It was really easy. I did some research and found that depending on the brand and how much fat is in the coconut, some cans will have different results than others after being in the fridge. — more on that below.
{Vegan} Coconut Whipped Cream
- 1 can (13.5 oz/400mL) of full fat coconut milk
- 3 tbsp confectioners sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
Place the unopened can of coconut milk in the fridge. Most cans of coconut milk, you can assume it’s full fat unless otherwise stated. Leave the can in the fridge for a minimum 48 hours. I personally left mine in there for about 2 weeks because I didn’t have time to use it for a while.
When the 48 hours have passed (or you finally found the free time two weeks later – like me), open the can. Be very careful not to shake or move the can around too much. Once you open it, you want to carefully scoop out the top layer of cream and put it into your mixing bowl.
Most cans, after refrigerating, will allow the cream and the liquid to separate. So as you scoop the cream out, notice if you see a pool of liquid at the bottom. You don’t want the liquid in your mixing bowl. If your can is like mine was, for some reason the layer of liquid was almost non-existent. The tiny half a teaspoon of liquid at the bottom was so insignificant, I just decided to put it in my mixing bowl anyways. (I wondered if this is because I left it in there for 2 weeks.) If you do have the layer of liquid at the bottom of the can, don’t throw it out. You can make ice cubes with it or throw it in the fridge to throw in a smoothie later.
Whip the coconut cream using a stand or hand mixer on medium until the cream starts to thicken. Add the vanilla. Increase the speed to a med-high setting and add the sugar one tablespoon at a time while the mixer is still going to ensure that no large clumps form and the texture is smooth. Whip until fluffy and the whipped cream is able to form small peaks.
Now it’s ready to serve… but if it started to look a little runny after mixing, put it in an airtight container and let it cool in the fridge again. Before serving, give it a quick whip using a normal hand whisk to fluff it back up.
I personally LOVE the coconut flavor. I was all excited telling everyone I made vegan whipped cream, but as my boyfriend kindly informed me – you need to tell people if it’s made with coconut. Otherwise, taking a huge bite and expecting it to taste like cool whip is a little shocking to say the least. He loved the flavor but said if you weren’t expecting it, it’s not a pleasant experience.
I love dipping my strawberries in the whipped cream. It’s a guilty little treat I could use as dessert (without feeling too guilty). It would also taste good topped on a smoothie or even plain if you really want to indulge.
You can also skip the added sugar if you want to make it a little healthier. It still tastes pretty good… it’s just less like cool whip, which is what I was going for. But it still fluffs up and has the texture of whipped cream to it if you wanted to go that route. You may need to increase the whipping speed if you choose to skip the sugar.
Because it’s heat sensitive, be sure to keep it cool. If you plan to serve it at a BBQ or something, just make sure the whipped cream stays cool. I know my kitchen gets really hot anytime I fire up the stove or oven so my whipped cream would melt pretty quickly in that heat. The easiest way to keep it cool is to find a bowl larger than the one your whipped cream is in and fill it with ice. Then put your bowl on top of the ice. Easy peasy.
Skinny Pineapple Dole Whip
| June 4, 2013 |
You all know I’m a Disney nut – and if you’re a Dole Whip fan, you know how long that line is at Disneyland. The last time I went, there was NO LINE! So, I did what any Dole Whip fan would do: run to the counter all giddy and ready for a nice cold cup of whip. But then reality set in when I realized I had just eaten, was not hungry, and should probably not eat the calories and sugar, so I backed away slowly as my impulsive self was starting to calm down.
This inspired me to make a healthier alternative to the iconic Dole Whip. One that might satisfy my craving without the guilt. My recipe may not ever be the real thing, but for a healthier alternative, I think it hits the mark. (But I still made plans to indulge in the real thing sometime soon. Can you blame a girl? – Included a pic of my iphone convo with my best friend. We are definitely planning a day with a morning run so we can spare the calories for some Dole Whip.)
Dole Whip
- 20 oz can of sliced pineapple
- 6 oz Chobani pineapple greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup vanilla almond milk or full-fat coconut milk
- 2 tbsp agave nectar
Directions:
Drain the pineapple and put in a high speed blender or food processor. Then whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. (Alternative: if you don’t have an ice cream maker, put it in the freezer and stir every so often.) The texture of the Dole Whip will be a little airy (unless you used the freezer to make it) so you should use an ice cream scoop to serve, compressing the air out as you scoop. Also, let it soften a little by letting it sit for a few minutes. Then the consistency will be creamier like ice cream if you let it sit. Recipe makes for about 6 scoops.
**If you are willing to add the fat and calories, for a more true Dole-Whip-like recipe, swap the almond or coconut milk for heavy whipping cream. What can I say? They call it Dole Whip for a reason. It will still be healthier than the sugar loaded version from the park.
{Paleo} Coconut Macaroons
| April 29, 2013 |
I never realized how little there was to making a coconut macaroon. Seriously! There aren’t that many ingredients. So I figured the less ingredients, the easier to make a healthier version. Well … I made a Paleo version. So you should always remember: just because it’s Paleo, doesn’t make it healthy. These babies pack a whopping 3 Weight Watcher PointsPlus each cookie (assuming you make them the same size as me). On the bright side, they are clean! So for all you clean eaters out there, these are the perfect sweet treat when you need a cookie fix.
Side note: I brought these to the office to share and about 50% of my nomming coworkers are on Weight Watchers so I did the point calculations for them. No, I am not on WW.
So… regarding Paleo. (I don’t really follow that lifestyle but many recipes I make do follow the plaoe diet just because my eating lifestyle reflects what I learned from the many diets I’ve tried, one being Paleo.) Chocolate is often argued if it fits with the Paleo lifestyle. The strictest of the bunch say no to chocolate. Other Paleo enthusiasts say that if it’s 80% cocoa or more, then it’s A-Ok, so long as eating it isn’t a regular thing. So I took the liberty of following that group of people in saying my macaroon recipe is Paleo. But if you are a strict Paleo eater, then just skip the chocolate. They still taste great without it.
{Paleo} Coconut Macaroons
- 4 large egg whites
- 1/2 cup raw honey
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 5 cups unsweetened coconut
- 10 oz bag of dark chocolate (80% cocoa)
Directions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Add the eggs, vanilla, etc together and whisk. Then stir in the coconut until everything is well mixed and all the coconut is well coated. If you have any dry patches, your macaroon balls will fall apart. Once well mixed, place in the fridge for 30 minutes to let the mixture set.
Use a non-stick mat (I dream of the day I finally buy a Silpat) or parchment paper (what I used) to line your cookie sheet. Use a little coconut oil to coat the sheet so your cookies don’t stick. If you’re not following the Paleo diet, feel free to just use non-stick cooking spray. It’s so much easier! Make little balls about the size of a quarter. Be sure to press the ball tightly together. If you just roll them in you’re palms, then they will probably fall apart. Bake for 12 min or until the bottoms are dark brown and the tops are golden.
While those are in the oven. Melt your chocolate. You can do this many ways. I found the easiest way was to put the chocolate in a ziplock bag and throw that in the slow cooker with a bunch of water. I put my slow cooker on high, allowing the hot water to melt the chocolate. If you’re gonna use this method, be sure to use a real ziplock and not a fake brand. You need something heavy duty to withstand the heat of the hot water. Just be careful because the bag will be hot. This way is also great, and you can use a honey spoon/dipper to drizzle with.
After taking the macaroons out of the oven, carefully place them on a cooling rack. (I lost a few in this process because they fell apart. Oops!) When they are cooled down, take the ziplock out of the slow cooker. Cut a small hole in the corner of the bag and then use the ziplock as a pipe bag and drizzle the chocolate all over your macaroons. Put as much or as little as you want. Then put them in the fridge or freezer so the chocolate hardens.
**You can pour any extra chocolate on some parchment paper and melt into sheets. Then break apart and store in the fridge for the next time you need some.
Store them in a cool place and be careful. They are still fragile. This recipe made 3 dozen macaroons but depending on the size of your macaroons, this number will vary.
