Grain-Free Salted Maple Pecan Pie Bars

I gotta say-- as cliche as it may sound, I never thought I'd turn out quite so much like my parents. If you had offered me a slice of pecan pie 10 years ago, I probably would've passed it up, and left more for my dad, who loves the stuff. Nowadays, I jump on the opportunity to make pecan pie, and am happy to eat it all myself. 

The first bite still makes me think of my dad, but then I'm overwhelmed by Oh my gosh, soooo gooood thoughts, and I just keep on munching. 

My mom, on the other hand was more about pumpkin pie. She would spend the week leading up to Thanksgiving pouring over copies of Living and other foodie magazines, earmarking her favorites pumpkin pie recipes (along with stuffing recipes, biscuit recipes, etc). When the big day finally came, she'd make all of the classics, with funny twists and tasteful turns. Nonsense, right? I would never spend weeks searching for every odd version of pecan pie and then finally settle on making something completely different... 😉

And if you were to ask how I decided to make Salted Maple Pecan Pie Bars instead of regular pecan pie, I'd probably open my mouth to explain. In a voice just like my mom's, I'd say something like "Oh, you know, I just was experimenting," because that's the type of thing I heard her say my whole life. 

But sometimes, experiments pay off: these gooey puppies are caramelly, nutty, and crunchy. They're sticky, but no too sweet. They don't need whipped cream/whipped coconut cream/ice cream just to cut the sweetness, but... we all know that whipped cream isn't really optional when it comes to pie.

Grain-Free Salted Maple Pecan Pie Bars

Paleo, Primal, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free    |   Caitlin Sherwood    

A thick shortbread-like crust topped with a gooey layer of maple butter filling and toasted pecans. Finished with flake sea salt.

Serves: 12   |    Total Time: 1.5 - 2 hours

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Ingredients:

• 1 recipe Paleo Pie Crust dough (unbaked)
• 1 1/2 cup pecans
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 teaspoons arrowroot powder
• 1 teaspoon cold water
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons coconut milk
• 1/8 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon fleur de sel, for sprinkling

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Make the pie crust dough according to instructions. Then, press the dough into the bottom of a 9x9 pan, working the dough so that the crust goes about 1/4 inch up the side of the pan (this creates a reservoir for the filling). The bottom of the crust will be around 1/2 centimeter thick. Bake for 8-10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in syrup, and cook until mixture is bubbling, about 1 minute. Let cool slightly, 5-6 minutes. In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the arrowroot powder and water. Whisk in milk, eggs, vanilla, and salt. Slowly add warm butter mixture, whisking constantly, until smooth. Pour filling into pie shell, then arrange pecans evenly on top
3. Bake until pie is puffed and set along edges, 20-25 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack before serving.

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:  

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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.  

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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!

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Paleo Blackout Chocolate Cake

Paleo, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free    |   Caitlin Sherwood    

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: 90 Minutes

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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.

Cake recipe inspired by Double Chocolate Cupcakes from the Urban Poser. 

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Paleo Double Chocolate Pistachio Biscotti

If you haven't noticed, I'm a complete chocoholic. Lots of people say they're chocoholics, but what they mean is that they really like chocolate and get a hankering for chocolate cake every now and then. They don't know what it means to have a Pinterest board dedicated to logging the types of chocolate you've tried.

Last night over dinner I admitted to having visited two chocolate museums and a chocolate factory. I didn't realize that was such a shocking figure--doesn't everyone re-organize their schedule once learning that they're within an hours drive of a chocolate museum? And who hasn’t read four books about the history of chocolate?

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I also chose not to disclose these figures with my classmates last semester, when I got to do a case study on Chocolates El Rey, a premium brand of chocolate out of Venezuela. When I was able to list the retail prices of several El Rey competitors off the top of my head during my class presentation, I admitted to being a chocoholic. My classmates chuckled, but only because they didn't realize how true it actually was. 

If you understand how a real chocoholic's mind works, you probably understand why I had to make these Double Chocolate Pistachio Biscotti almost immediately after making these Paleo Gingerbread Biscotti. It goes something like this: These are crazy good. Just one thing... I'll fill the batter with cocoa and stuff them with chocolate chips! And then I'll really be in love. Sure enough, taking my biscotti recipe and converting it into a chocolate lover's dream really was a genius move. 

Note: These biscotti are not as hard as a traditional biscotti. They retain a little bit more softness, due to the almond flour and the chocolate chunks. I prefer it that way, they still dip into tea and coffee beautifully, but don’t hurt your teeth!

Paleo Double Chocolate Pistachio Biscotti

Published January 12, 2014 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 12   |    Active Time: 1 hour

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Ingredients:

2 cups almond flour

1/4 cup arrowroot powder or tapioca starch

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/3 cup coconut flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup honey

2 eggs

1/3 cup chocolate chunks or chips, plus 2 tablespoons for drizzle on top

1/3 cup shelled unsalted pistachios

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together almond flour, coconut flour, arrowroot powder, salt, baking soda and cocoa.
2. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and honey. Fold the wet mixture into the dry. You may need to use a spatula to really work the dough together (or your hands!). Fold in the chocolate chips and pistachios.
3. Shape the dough into a rectangle (about 1 inch tall, 3 inches wide, and 10 inches long) and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or a sil-pat. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes.
4. Use a serrated knife to carefully cut the rectangle into strips, 1/2 to 1-inch thick, forming the biscotti. Lay each strip back on the cookie sheet cut side up. Reduce oven to 300°F and bake for 20-30 more minutes, until the cookies begin to turn crisp.
5. Remove from oven, and allow to cool completely.
6. Optional: Melt remaining 2 tablespoons chocolate chips, and drizzle over each cookie for decoration.