Paleo Vanilla Bean Mexican Wedding Cookies

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Two desserts in one week! You can forgive me, right? It is Friday after all, and I'm sure we could all go for a cookie. 

I adore this recipe. The cookies aren't very sweet, but they melt away in your mouth. Is it weird that eating these cookies reminds me of butter pecan ice cream? I guess you'll have to try them to find out! Even though these aren't a frozen treat, there's something in their flavor that screams butter pecan (Maybe it's the pecans. Or the coconut oil. ...Or just a guess, both!).

You're probably going to want to double this recipe. I often opt for small-batches of desserts but trust me--you're going to be sad when these are gone. A single batch of eight cookies doesn't survive much longer than a day around here. Maybe less than that, but you'll give me the benefit of the doubt, right? Besides, these little bombs of delicious are juuuuust healthy enough that eating them with every single meal doesn't actually feel that guilty. Contrary to what one might guess about cookies, these are not packed with sugar. Like many of my dessert recipes, they're only subtly sweet. With only 1 tablespoon of honey, the true joy is in the melt-away factor. 

Since going Paleo, traditionally sweet cookies actually make me cringe a little bit. One bite over whelms my mouth with glucose and makes my teeth hurt. I find that I am just as happy--maybe more happy- with cookies like these! 

Speaking of too sweet, Mexican Wedding Cookies are known for their coating of white powdered sugar. It's pretty, making each cookie look like a little snowball. Personally I didn't want to dip my cookies in sugar, but if you are determined to make a classic Mexican Wedding Cookie without using white sugar, you can dip them in powdered coconut sugar instead. To make powdered coconut sugar, place 1 cup regular coconut palm sugar in a high powdered blender. Make sure the blender is very dry before getting started--a small amount of water will cause clumping. Turn the blender to medium-high and scrape the sides occasionally (if your blender came with a tamper or a twister-lid, use that at this time). After several minutes you should have powdered coconut sugar! 

Alternatively, just sprinkle each cookie with a touch of extra vanilla bean. I thought it turned out quite pretty! 

Paleo Mexican Wedding Cookies

Paleo, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Vegan   |       

Paleo Mexican Wedding Cookies melt away in your mouth— perfect for enjoying with a cup of tea or coffee!

Serves: 8   |    Total Time:


Ingredients:

  • 1 cup almond flour
  • 2 tablespoons arrowroot flour
  • 1/16 teaspoon salt
  • 1/16 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/6 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons coconut oil or butter
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1/4 scant cup toasted pecan pieces
  • Optional: additional ground vanilla bean for sprinkling

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the pecans out on a baking sheet, and toast for 5-10 minutes, until golden and fragrant. Set aside to cool.
  2. In a medium mixing bowl, cream together the coconut oil, honey and vanilla until smooth (use an electric mixer or a fork).
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the almond flour, arrowroot flour, salt, and baking soda until fully incorporated.
  4. Use a fork or an electric mixer to add the dry mixture to the coconut oil mixture, working until a course crumb forms. Incorporate the pecans. Dough should be sticky enough to press into balls.
  5. Using your hands, form the dough into evenly sized balls, about 1 to 1 1/2 inch in diameter. I made about 8. Place 1 inch apart on a baking sheet, lined with parchment paper or a baking mat. Bake for 14-18 minutes, until golden brown on the edges. Remove from oven and allow to cool 10 minutes.
  6. Optional: Sprinkle with additional ground vanilla bean.

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Caitlin S

Paleo Blackout Chocolate Cake

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It's true... I finished grad school yesterday! I’m officially a Master (not the Jedi kind, just the regular kind).

The number one question I’ve be getting over the last few months is “What are you going to do now?” which makes me feel like I should yell, “I’M GOING TO DISNEY LAND!” but that’s not at all what I’m going to do so I have refrained so far.  

I don't really know what to shout, so instead I'll just go on expressing my emotions through food. This is how graduation feels right now:  

Yup, as sweet as cake. Blackout Chocolate Cake, to be exact. 

It's pretty rare that I'll commit to making a cake. Even though the decadence is worth the effort, it's just not practical for a household of two. We end up eating cake twice a day, every day, until it's gone (Yup, breakfast of champions...). On this occasion, I went for it anyways, because it felt monumental. Since I'm not have a graduation party, I had to live it up somehow.  

As naughty as this cake looks, it can actually hold it's own on the nutrition front. Seriously, I can eat a slice of this on an empty stomach and not get a sugar rush. The frosting is super lush, but only requires three ingredients: coconut milk, chocolate, and a spoonful of coconut flour to help it reach the right consistency. The cake itself get's it's soft crumb from whipped eggs, coconut flour, and cocoa powder. If you skipped the cashew sprinkle on top, it would be totally nut free!

Paleo Blackout Chocolate Cake

Paleo, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free    |       

This chocolate cake is rich and dark, but not too sweet—just the way I like it!

Yields: 1 two-layer 8-inch cake   |    Total Time:


Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup coconut flour
  • 6 tablespoons cocoa
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
  • 6 tablespoons honey, melted
  • 3/4 cup coconut oil or butter, melted
  • 9 eggs

    • For the frosting:
  • 2 cups canned coconut milk (full-fat)
  • 1-1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 2 tablespoons coconut flour
  • Optional: Chopped nuts for garnish

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously grease two 8-inch cake pans.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients for the cake. Set aside.
  3. Melt the coconut oil (or butter) and honey. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes, and then beat in the eggs, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla.
  4. Fold the dry mixture into the wet mixture half at a time. Batter should be light and may have a few small clumps, but should be well incorporated.
  5. Divide the batter into two 8-inch cake pans. Place in oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle.
  6. Remove from oven, and set on a cool wrack for 15 to 20 minutes.
  7. While the cakes cool, make the frosting: heat coconut milk in a small sauce pan until it simmers. Remove from heat, and add the chocolate chips. Allow the chips to melt, and then use a whisk to mix until smooth. Cover and place in refrigerator for 20 minutes.
  8. Remove frosting mixture from fridge. Use an electric beater to beat in 1 teaspoon of coconut flour at a time, until frosting reaches desired consistency.
  9. Assemble the cake: run a knife around the rim of each cake pan and gently tap to loosen. Flip over, and remove cake from pan. Place first cake on serving plate. Spread 1/2 cup of the frosting mixture over top in an even layer. Place second cake over top. Use about 3/4 cup of the frosting to apply a thin layer over frosting over entire cake--it doesn't have to be perfect, this layer is simply for patching up holes and catching crumbs. Finally, use remaining frosting to add finishing layer around entire cake. Decorate with chopped nuts.

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Caitlin S

Paleo Banana Bread with Cacao Nibs

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Using almond flour in place of regular flour in banana bread makes for a soft, nutty, and moist loaf. One that’s satisfying, grain-free, and gluten-free, too!

A lot of bakers will tell you that in order to make bread, you need to pull out the scale. You need to measure twice, and be precise. I am not that baker. In fact, this recipe is a “base recipe” from which I’ve made many variations, including turning the slices into french toast, swapping out the cacao nibs for chocolate chips, and topping the whole thing with walnut streusel. My mom has reported replacing half of the almond flour with regular wheat flour. My point: be brave, experiment, and create.

My advice: Don't be afraid to try test things out. Sometimes, a little experiment can lead to wonderful things. Even if it doesn't work, you'll learn more about your ingredients by giving it a shot.

Alternative flours are different, and bake differently than traditional flour — some experimentation and learning comes with baking with almond flour for the first time, too!

Paleo Banana Bread with Cacao Nibs

Published April 17, 2015 by

Yields: 1 loaf   |    Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes


Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup almond flour
  • 1/2 cup coconut flour 
  • 1 tablespoon arrowroot starch  
  • 1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt 
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil or butter, softened or melted, plus more for greasing your pan
  • 4 eggs 
  • 4 very ripe bananas (if you are using bananas that are solid yellow (i.e., they do not yet have brown spots), you may wish to add 1-2 tablespoons of honey to this bread to increase it’s sweetness)
  • 1/2 cup cacao nibs

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a standard 9-inch loaf pan with coconut oil (alternatively, you can line the pan with parchment paper). 
  2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, until no clumps remain.
  3. In a separate bowl, cream together the bananas, coconut oil, and vanilla. Once they are fully combined, stir in the eggs until incorporated. 
  4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, stirring it in with a spatula or electric mixer until a consistent batter forms. It may have a few small clumps but should be mostly smooth. Fold in the cacao nibs.  
  5. Spread the batter into an even layer in the loaf pan. Optionally, sprinkle the top of the load with cacao nibs. Then, place the pan in the center of the oven. Bake for 45 - 55 minutes until golden on top, and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the loaf. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before slicing. 

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Caitlin S