Paleo & Gluten Free Chocolate Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies

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The Holidays are here! What is your favorite way to celebrate? My friend is hosting a cookie swap in a few weeks, and these Chocolate Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies (Gluten Free & Paleo) are an oldie but goodie for any holiday party! They incorporate that lovely combination of chocolate and peppermint that everyone is sure to love! And better yet, they are sweetened with natural honey! I was lucky enough to get some Nektar Honey Crystals on my hands from Nektar Naturals! (Thank you Nektar Naturals!) I used this as a healthy sugar substitute, (as I always do), and they still were a big hit. How awesome is that?

Who can resist such cute spirals? I had a few mishaps (I decided to use coconut sugar, which is brown… guess what? brown sugar does not take color dye, whoops!). I found these awesome natural food dyes after scouring the internet, and they worked really well! I was really impressed with the coloring, I wasn’t sure if they would turn out muddy or too dull. I would have been upset if I had ended up with pink instead of red! Anyways, if you are into Chocolate Peppermint (my whole family is obsessed) you will really love these cookies! Did I mention they are also gluten free and paleo? Note: If you do use coconut sugar in this recipe, the color will not turn out! Don’t learn the hard way like I did! I recommend using Nektar Naturals honey crystals!!

And don’t forget to head on over to my instagram account for a Nektar Naturals giveaway!

*Nektar Naturals can be found in any Walmart!!

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Paleo & Gluten Free Chocolate Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies
Author: 
Recipe type: Cookie
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 24 cookies
 
Ingredients
  • 3 cups almond flour
  • ¾ cup honey crystals, stevia or truvia
  • 1 egg
  • 4 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
  • 3 tablespoons raw cacao powder
  • 1 tablespoon almond or coconut milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • green & red food coloring to liking
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, whisk flour and baking soda.
  2. In a large bowl or in an electric mixer, beat honey crystals and coconut oil until fluffy (around 3 minutes)
  3. Beat in egg and vanilla into the honey crystals and coconut oil
  4. Add flour and baking soda, reduce mixer to low or beat until just blended
  5. Divide dough in half and place in two bowls
  6. Stir in cacao and milk into one bowl, stir in peppermint into the other bowl
  7. Divide peppermint dough in half and place in separate bowls
  8. Mix the red food coloring into one peppermint dough, green into the other
  9. Divide the chocolate dough in half
  10. Shape all the dough pieces into 3 X 5 inch rectangles, set on wax paper or parchment paper and place another piece of paper on the top for easy rolling
  11. Roll out dough into 9 X 12 inch rectangles.
  12. Refrigerate rectangles in the refrigerator for at least an hour
  13. Place 2 chocolate rectangles on a floured work surface (I like using arrowroot or tapioca flour)
  14. Remove from sheets of wax paper
  15. Lightly brush the chocolate dough with water (helps with sticking)
  16. Place red dough on top of one chocolate dough, place green dough on top of the other
  17. Trim edges if the dough shapes are uneven
  18. Roll dough together (from the long side) into a log form (both green and red dough)
  19. Roll dough tightly so the log is compact
  20. Wrap dough in plastic wrap/saran wrap for at least 3 hours
  21. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  22. Remove logs from refrigerator and unwrap
  23. Cut logs into ¼ inch thick cookie slices
  24. Place 1 inch apart on greased cookie sheet or Silpat
  25. Bake 10-15 minutes, until the edges begin to brown, rotating half way through

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The Best Gluten Free ‘Sugar’ Cookies

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We recently celebrated Zoey’s first birthday - I’m not really quite sure where 1 year went! Here she is shoving her face full of birthday cupcakes at school (gluten free & dairy free, of course)!!

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One thing I also sent to school with Zoey were these awesome ‘sugar’ cookies - they really are the best gluten free ’sugar’ cookies!!!! The kids really loved them and I don’t mind giving Zoey a treat knowing it’s gluten free and as ‘healthy’ as it can possibly be, not full of anything processed. Sometimes I think I’m crazy when I make everything homemade (time consuming), but at least I know what’s in them and what she’s eating - plus these really are the best gluten free ‘sugar’ cookies.

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You would never know I’ve replaced everything bad that comes in a normal sugar cookie and replaced it with much better ingredients! I also love making sugar cookies because I love all the fun cookie cutters you can use to make them way more fun - my Mom bought me a bag of 100 different cookie cutters last year for Christmas, and I don’t think I will ever have a shortage of any cookie cutter I’m looking for!

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The Best Gluten Free ‘Sugar' Cookies
Author: 
Recipe type: Cookie
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 38-48 cookies
 
Ingredients
  • 1.5 cups Gluten Free Enjoy Life All Purpose Flour
  • ½ cup coconut oil, melted
  • ¼ cup coconut sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp baking powder
Instructions
  1. Mix coconut oil & coconut sugar together
  2. *beating in a mixer will make it much easier, but not necessary
  3. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and beat until blended
  4. Add the flour and baking powder until completely combined.
  5. Remove from the bowl and roll into a ball.
  6. Place the ball of dough on a plate or in a ball (covered by plastic wrap or a dish towel) for 30-45 minutes.
  7. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
  8. Remove dough from refrigerator and use extra gluten free all purpose flour to sprinkle on your countertop (I like putting some on my rolling pin too).
  9. Roll the dough out to the desired thickness (around ¼ inch seems to work the best)
  10. * I did mine in small sections, I just found this easier
  11. Cut the dough with your cutters and place onto your silpat or greased baking sheet
  12. *you’ll get 38-48 cookies depending on how big your cookie cutters are
  13. Bake for 8-10 minutes until the cookies are faintly golden brown on the edges.
  14. Allow to cool before eating! (I like this wire rack the best)

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Chocolate Coconut Tartlets

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here are not many things I love much more than the chocolate & coconut pairing! I was recently gifted the new Enjoy Life Baking Mixes!! They are SO easy to use - add water & oil (I like coconut oil best) & they taste SO good! Also a plus: they are incredibly versatile)! Multi purpose mix, muffin, pancake, waffle, brownie & pizza mixes?!! They did not disappoint! Even my husband loves everything I’ve made! (Note: All enjoy life products are free of the top 8 allergens: wheat/gluten, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, egg, soy, fish and shellfish free!. Products are also made without casein, potato, sesame and sulfites.

I’m sharing with you today one of the new recipes I tested out with the multi purpose flour, these wonderful chocolate coconut tartlets!! I added it as the thickening agent for the creamy chocolate center in these beautiful little gems. I also used melted Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips for the filling! They are a must make for any chocolate coconut fan you have in your life. Perfect for dessert or a summer party, you can’t go wrong! I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

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Chocolate Coconut Tartlets
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 12 tartlets
 
Ingredients
for the crust
  • 1½ cups unsweetened coconut shreds
  • ¼ cup coconut sugar
  • 2 egg whites
for the filling
  • ¾ cup almond milk
  • 4 ounces enjoy life chocolate chips
  • 6 tablespoons Enjoy Life Gluten Free All Purpose Flour Mix
  • 1 egg
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • *coconut oil for greasing
  • *slivered almonds for topping, optional
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
  2. Mix crust ingredients until they form a ball of ‘dough’
  3. Divide into 12 equal balls of dough
  4. In a lightly greased mini muffin pan, place balls of dough in each muffin tin, pressing your thumb into the dough to make a hole for the filling
  5. Place in the oven to bake for 10 minutes until the edges are brown
  6. While the coconut shells are baking, measure out chocolate chips and place them in the microwave for 30 seconds. They should be slightly melty. Mix together with a fork or whisk until completely melted, (*add more time in the microwave if needed, 10 seconds at a time)
  7. Add all other ingredients to the chocolate and whisk until well combined.
  8. Allow coconut shells to cool once they are finished.
  9. Once cooled (10 minutes or so) add filling (and sprinkle with slivered almonds, optional) and bake for another 10 minutes, or until a toothpick or knife comes out clean.
  10. Allow to cool before eating

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Paleo Pineapple Coconut Bars

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*picture above is right before it went into the oven!

When I think of summer foods, my mind goes to fruit! Specifically, pineapple! Who doesn’t love this awesome fruit? So versatile, too! In a salad, as a dessert, on the grill with something savory! You can’t go wrong! These (paleo/gluten free/grain free) pineapple coconut bars are a perfect summer treat. Really easy to make, and the flavor reminds me of a pina colada! Although I made these and had all of my family do the taste testing, these would be the most marvelous ending to a summer BBQ. What do you think?

meg

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Paleo Pineapple Coconut Bars
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 12 bars
 
Ingredients
for the crust
  • ¼ cup coconut oil, melted + more for greasing
  • 1 cup almond flour
  • ¼ cup coconut sugar or honey crystals
for the filling
  • 3 cups chopped pineapple (fresh or canned)
  • 1½ cups sweetened or unsweetened coconut flakes (depending on how sweet you like it)
  • ¼ cup coconut sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tbsp almond flour
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • ¼ tsp baking powder
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Add all crust ingredients to buzz in a food processor until it forms a ball of dough
  3. Press dough evenly into the bottom of the pan
  4. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes
  5. Remove from oven and set aside
  6. Whisk together coconut sugar, almond flour, and baking powder in a bowl
  7. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until well combined
  8. Stir in coconut flakes and pineapple
  9. Spread mixture evenly over crust (add more coconut flakes for extra topping if desired)
  10. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until edges are golden.
  11. Allow to cool completely, then cut into squares (12)
  12. Best if served chilled!

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Crumbly Cranberry White Chocolate Bars

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Okay, last dessert of the season. I have been dreaming about a cranberry white chocolate bar (one of my favorite combos, check out my cranberry white chocolate scone recipe). I tried to find something but didn’t have any luck, so I knew I’d be in the kitchen trying to figure out how to make something. Holiday note from a blogger: taste test one, bring the rest to your co-workers. One of my co-workers said this was the best dessert I’ve made so far! How’s that for a compliment?! That’s how to avoid those extra holiday pounds! I’ve lost 10 pounds since Thanksgiving (with 30 more baby weight pounds to go), but I had to start somewhere. I haven’t been able to work out much, but eating a clean diet and watching macros has really helped a lot. How are you all doing with the holiday bulge?

Are any of you out there planning on going on a pretty strict diet after the holidays? Whole 30 or anything?

Well these cranberry white chocolate bars are of course paleo and gluten free, refined sugar free too. A little bit indulgent, but it’s the holidays, right? Enjoy! And Happy Holidays & Happy New Year to you and your loved ones!

P.S. Link on how to make Paleo White Chocolate Chips here
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Crumbly Cranberry White Chocolate Bars
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 12 bars
 
Ingredients
for the crumble
  • 2 cups almond flour
  • 1 cup coconut oil, melted
  • 1 cup pecans, chopped
  • ⅔ cup flax seeds
  • ½ cup coconut butter
  • ⅓ cup coconut sugar
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
for the filling
  • 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 cup cranberries (fresh work best, but you can use dried)
  • ½ cup to 1 cup paleo white chocolate (depending on how much you like)
Instructions
for the crumble mixture
  1. Preheat oven to 350°.
  2. Grease and flour a 9”x 13”x 2” baking pan.
  3. Place crumble mixture ingredients in the food processor, pulsing several times until mixture is crumbly.
  4. Remove 1 cup of mixture and mix with pecans, forming small clumps with your fingers. Refrigerate until needed.
  5. Press remaining crust mixture firmly and evenly into bottom of prepared pan.
  6. Bake 15 minutes. Then, set aside to cool slightly.
for the filling
  1. Place coconut sugar, eggs, and lemon juice in a mixing bowl.
  2. Beat until combined and smooth.
  3. Stir in cranberries and white chocolate pieces
  4. Pour filling mixture over partially cooled crust. Spread evenly.
  5. Scatter reserved crumb topping over filling.
  6. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, or until edges are brown and filling is set.
  7. Cool in pan for 20 minutes.
  8. Can be served warm or cool.

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Gluten Free Baked Zucchini Bites

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Working in a school I come across a lot of kiddos with allergies. Wheat, dairy, peanuts, you name it. Ian’s Natural Foods made a great infographic about it!
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Do any of these surprise you? I guess I’m more sensitive to all of these because of my own sensitivities. I always need to plan ahead with snacks and know where to go when I’m out to eat, or else I’m pretty much just eating a salad.

With the holidays coming up (see my awesome mini pumpkin pie scone recipe for parties, too) its easy to eat junk for just about 6 weeks! These are another healthy alternative, and just as delicious! This is a snack you can bring to a party that you will not feel guilty about! It’s also awesome with this creamy avocado dip (with optional added kick)!

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Gluten Free Baked Zucchini Bites
Author: 
Recipe type: Appetizer
 
Ingredients
for the zucchini bites
  • 2 medium zucchini, washed, peeled & sliced
  • 2 cups Ian's Gluten Free Original Panko Breadcrumbs
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 2 eggs
for the avocado dip
  • 2 avocados
  • ¼ cup of cashews, soaked for 30 minutes or more in a bowl of water
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 1 teaspoon - 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce, optional
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
  2. Mix the breadcrumbs, paprika, garlic salt and oregano in a bowl and set aside
  3. Mix the eggs with a fork in another bowl
  4. Wash, peel and slice the zucchini
  5. Dip the zucchini pieces (one at a time) into the egg and then into the breadcrumb mixture
  6. Place the breaded zucchini slices onto a Silpat or greased cookie sheet
  7. Place in the oven for 10-14 minutes, flipping between 5-7 minutes for even cooking
  8. While the zucchini is in the oven, remove cashews from water and place all avocado dip ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse until smooth
  9. Serve avocado dipping sauce with zucchini bites (while warm) and enjoy!

 

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Mini Pumpkin Pie Scones

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Are you still in the mood for pumpkin? I hope so! This may be the last one? I’m sorry… I just really let pumpkin season get the best of me. My in laws were recently here and my brother in law, Ryan, is an excellent baker. We made a batch of some pumpkin english muffins… they weren’t pumpkin-y enough for me (and we burned ‘em, oops)! Still working on that recipe…

Anyways, these are delicious, my mom helped, of course. They are great because they are just enough for a snack and not so over indulgent you feel bad about just eating one. more. thing. at the holidays… (it is that season). These are great for holiday parties, too (and maybe people won’t feel so bad if you tell them that they aren’t sugar laden)!

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Mini Pumpkin Pie Scones
Author: 
Recipe type: Paleo/Gluten Free
Cuisine: Scone
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 8 scones
 
Ingredients
  • ½ cup pumpkin puree
  • ½ cup coconut flour
  • ½ cup arrowroot powder or tapioca starch
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
  • 1½ tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
  2. Mix all ingredients into a bowl
  3. Make dough into a ball
  4. Place dough on a baking sheet (grease the pan with coconut oil or use a silpat)
  5. Press down on the ball of dough until it is in a flat pancake shape
  6. Divide the dough evenly into eight triangles
  7. Separate the scones slightly
  8. Place in the oven for 14-17 minutes or until edges brown
  9. Enjoy
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1 scone Calories: 118 Fat: 5g Carbohydrates: 19g Sugar: 6g Sodium: 102mg Fiber: 5g Protein: 2g

 

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Chocolate Coconut Cupcakes

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Sorry I’ve been so MIA - I’ve been on vacation here at the Cape since school has been out (after an amazing baby shower given to me by my family). I’ve actually made a couple of really good coconut milk based ice creams, so I think I’ll post those soon. Here is a quick update on my pregnancy - if you care to know, I’m now 36 weeks pregnant. 4 weeks to go! I cannot believe the baby will be here soon. I don’t know if I’m ready (are we really ever)?!!


This week while everyone was down at the cape house, my family wanted salted caramel cupcakes. I’ve definitely not been so great with being gluten free since I’ve been pregnant, but I do the best I can when I can. So I went out and got the ingredients to try to make my own. Because I used coconut flour for the cupcakes, they ended up tasting more chocolate/coconut than salted caramel, but I did make homemade caramel sauce to mix with the frosting. It’s not very hard to find gluten free and/or paleo cupcake mix anymore, but most of the boxes are full of junk (i.e. lots of sugar).

I had previously made a great cupcake base from my St. Patrick’s Day Cupcakes. I used this base, and then made my own homemade frosting (in 2 parts). The actual cupcake is gluten free and paleo! They are really delicious, although not salted caramel… I’ll be working on that (stay tuned).

 

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Chocolate Coconut Cupcakes

Ingredients

  • for the cupcakes:
  • 1/2 cup coconut flour
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 cup non dairy yogurt (I used so delicious, greek yogurt)
  • 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
  • 1/4 cup raw honey, softened
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • for the frosting:
  • 1/2 cup enjoy life chocolate chips
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 tablespoon almond butter
  • for the caramel drizzle:
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup coconut sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil

Instructions

  1. for the cupcakes:
  2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  3. Place all cupcake ingredients in a food processor or blender and buzz until smooth
  4. Line cupcake pan with cupcake liners or grease with coconut oil
  5. Distribute batter equally among each cupcake liner
  6. Place in oven for 20 minutes (or until a cake tester/knife comes out clean)
  7. for the frosting
  8. melt chocolate chips for 30 seconds in the microwave (keep trying another 30 seconds or so until they are softened enough to be mixed in with the other ingredients)
  9. mix all ingredients in a bowl until well combined
  10. once caramel drizzle is done, mix half into the frosting and place in refrigerator until the frosting becomes thick
  11. frost cupcakes generously
  12. for the caramel drizzle
  13. mix all ingredients in a bowl until well combined
  14. drizzle over cupcakes once frosted
http://veggiestaples.com/chocolate-coconut-cupcakes/