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Healthy Homemade Circus Animal Cookies (paleo, nut free)

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One of my favorite things is recreating store bought treats I used to love as a child but with a healthier twist. Like these fig newtons (both in cookie and bar form), graham crackers, Lofthouse-like sugar cookie bars, and even healthy-ish marshmallows! There are few things that bring me back to my childhood more than Mother’s Circus Animal Cookies. (On this same level would be Cinnamon Pop Tarts, Gushers, and Honey Bunches of Oats cereal – in case you were wondering.) There was something so exciting about opening a bag of the adorably shaped circus animals covered in bright pink and white coating and adorned with ample festive rainbow sprinkles. Even now, just describing them, I am filled with a joy that only nostalgia can elicit. And these Healthy Homemade Circus Animal Cookies are sure to bring as big a smile to your face. They are just as fun to eat, incredibly delicious, and better-for-you!

My Healthy Homemade Circus Animals cookies taste super similar to the originals! They are sweet, crisp, and buttery little cookies cut into fun circus animal shapes, coated with a super simple (vegan) white chocolate coating, and adorned with fun sprinkles. While there are a few steps to creating these fun cookies, they are actually simple enough to make and definitely worth it! Plus, I suspect, these would be a fun baking project to make with kids! The dough comes together in a breeze – it’s made with only 8 ingredients and in one bowl. (In fact, the whole recipe is made with only 10 ingredients!) Once the dough is whipped up, it’s wrapped up in parchment paper, and placed in the freezer for 15-20 for an express chilling. Then it’s swiftly rolled out, placed back in the freezer for just 10 minutes to firm up while the oven heats, then cut into shapes and baked! While the cookies cool, the frosting is made by simply melting vegan white chocolate chips and a little coconut oil. The cookies get dipped into the coating, topped with fun sprinkles, and that’s it! Once the coating sets, they are ready to enjoy! I found this cute set of circus animal cookie cutters on Amazon that really reminded me of the original shapes, but feel free to cut your cookies into any shape you like!

While I loved the original Circus Animals, there was always a funny aftertaste and odd coating that would linger after the fact, likely due to the plethora of science-derived ingredients. Here’s a list of the original ingredients:

My version of these cookies is made without any weird stuff – no refined oils, sugars, preservatives or artificial food colorings! And, because they are made with simple real ingredients they taste even better than the original! They are paleo-friendly meaning they have no gluten, grain, or lactose. Plus, they are nut-free! Here’s a quick look at the ingredients:

Ghee – I don’t often bake with ghee because it’s a bit pricey and prefer using avocado or coconut oil. But, for these cookies, to achieve a good dough that would easily roll out, hold it’s shape when baked, and give the cookies that crisp but buttery texture a more solid fat was necessary. Enter ghee. Ghee is a clarified butter so it does not contain casein or lactose which means people who normally cannot tolerate dairy (like me) can typically enjoy ghee. You can easily substitute the ghee for real butter or a vegan butter substitute.

Coconut Sugar – My favorite granular sweetener for healthier baking and keeping treats refined sugar free. I use and love Nutiva’s organic coconut sugar and found this to be the best pricing for excellent quality coconut sugar. The coconut sugar gives these cookies a delicious depth of flavor from the inherent caramel notes and a wonderful texture.

Cassava Flour & Tapioca Flour – This combination of unrefined flours is the most similar to white flour I’ve found all while being gluten and grain free! I use and love Otto’s Cassava Flour, which I have found to be cheapest on Amazon. And use Bob’s Red Mill for the tapioca flour.

Vanilla – This is the ingredient that provides most of the flavor to these cookies, so I recommend using a good quality vanilla. My favorite vanilla is by Frontier Co-op, but it’s a bit spendy, and I go through a fair amount of it, so I most often buy the Whole Food’s 365 Brand organic vanilla which is also pretty good!

Vegan White Chocolate Chips – The coating of these cookies is made from simply melting vegan white chocolate chips with a little coconut oil. I used these vegan White Baking Chips by Pascha but any vegan or traditional white chocolate chips or bar chopped into chunks will do.

Sprinkles – Of course these need sprinkles! The original cookies are topped with rainbow nonpareils (the little tiny ball sprinkles) and these Rainbow Pop! sprinkles by Supernatural are the perfect naturally dyed option. Unfortunately they are currently sold out on Amazon, so my next suggestion would be their Starfetti blend.

Beet Powder – To achieve the pink color without any artificial dyes, I add a small amount of beet powder to the vanilla coating. This is optional and really just for appearance. The beet powder does not give any flavor to the cookies. Feel free to make your coating all pink or just keep it all plain white!

These cookies are such a fun and delicious treat that you can feel good about eating. Which, if you ask me, is just the best kind of win-win situation. I feel safe in saying that once you make these, your inner child will thank you (and your responsible adult self too).

paleo friendly (gluten/grain/lactose free), nut free, refined sugar free

If you make this recipe, please leave a review or rating down below. And I’d LOVE to see your creation! Please tag me on Instagram @freshlydafna and use #freshlydafna.

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Healthy Homemade Circus Animal Cookies

Frosted Animal Cookies that are just as delicious as the store bought version but made with simple, real ingredients! A crisp, buttery cookie coated in a simple vegan white chocolate and topped with naturally dyed sprinkles.

paleo-friendly (gluten, grain, lactose free), refined sugar free, nut free

Course Dessert, Snack
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

  • 1 cup cassava flour (148 grams)
  • 1/2 cup tapioca flour (60 grams)
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder (3 grams)
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt (2 grams)

Topping Ingredients

  • 2 cups vegan white chocolate chips (298 grams) sub for traditional white chocolate or other alternative white chocolate bar chopped into chunks
  • 2 tsp coconut oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • dye-free sprinkles
  • 3/8 - 1/2 tsp beet root powder optional

Instructions

  1. Make sure there is space in your freezer to accommodate a rectangular piece of rolled out dough.

  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or a large bowl if mixing by hand, beat together the wet ingredients until thick and creamy.

  3. Add in the dry ingredients and stir until just fully incorporated.

  4. Form the dough into a ball and place on a piece of parchment paper and wrap tightly. Place in the freezer to firm for 15-20 minutes or in fridge for two hours.

  5. After the dough has chilled, remove from freezer/fridge, place the dough between two large pieces of parchment paper, sprinkle the dough with a bit more tapioca flour, and roll out into a rectangular 1/2 inch thick. If the dough has been left to chill for longer, it may need to warm up a little on the counter for 2-3 minutes before it's malleable to roll out.

  6. Once the dough has been rolled out, place in the freezer for 10 minutes to firm again. This helps with the next phase of cutting the cookies. Use a large cutting board or baking sheet to help transfer the dough to and from the freezer.

  7. While the rolled out dough chills, heat the oven to 360 degrees (yes, 360) and prepare a baking sheet by lining with a silpat or parchment paper.

  8. Once the dough has chilled use the cookie cutters to cut out the cookie shapes and arrange on the baking sheet. Leaving about 1/2 inch between cookies. Once all the dough has been cut, reform the dough into a ball, roll out again, and if necessary, place back in the freezer to firm again before stamping out the cookies. Repeat until all the dough has been used.

  9. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown all over and slightly puffed.

  10. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet and prepare the white chocolate coating.

  11. Melt the white chocolate and coconut oil over a double boiler or in the microwave in a medium bowl using short 10-15 second bursts. Once the chips have melted, add the vanilla and stir until smooth and shiny. Let cool slightly.

  12. Coat the cookies by placing in the white chocolate mixture, turn cookie over until it's fully covered, lift out with a fork and tap the side of the bowl gently to allow excess coating to drip off, place on parchment lined baking sheet and top with sprinkles. Repeat until all cookies are coated.

  13. Optional: If you want to make half (or the whole) batch pink either: split the coating into two bowls after it's melted and add the beet root powder to one bowl. Start with 3/8 tsp of beet root powder and add additional 1/8 tsp until it becomes your desired color. The amount used with depend on your preference and the type of beet root you use as colors can range widely between brands. OR keep all the coating in one bowl, coat half the cookies, then add the beet root powder to remaining coating to save cleaning an additional bowl.

  14. Once the coating has set, cookies are ready to enjoy! Vegan white chocolate has a lower melting point so I highly recommend storing these cookies in the fridge or freezer!

Recipe Notes

Special Tools (affiliate links): Circus Animal Cookie Cutters, Silpat, Rolling Pin

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Easy Paleo Roll Out Cookies (nut free)

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A simple and delicious healthier sugar cookie. These easy paleo-friendly roll out cookies are paleo-friendly (gluten free, grain free, and dairy free), refined sugar free, and nut free! Use your favorite cookie cutter for a festive cookie! 

I love making cookies, but I almost exclusively go for the simple scoop and bake variety. I have never been too skillful with a rolling pin or have the dexterity to pipe frosting into any semblance of a line or recognizable shape. But when I get an idea for something I usually will not stop until I have convinced myself that I have done my best to make that idea come to fruition. With Memorial Day approaching and BBQ plans set, I had this picture in my mind of a vanilla Paleo cupcake with naturally sweetened frosting topped with a sugar cookie star . And so I set out to create a Paleo Roll Out Cookie recipe.

After several attempts this, in my humble opinion, is the perfect Easy Paleo Roll Out Cookie. The dough is simple to create, coming together very easily in just one bowl! Doesn’t require a ton of different ingredients (only 8 ingredients without the frosting) and is also nut free! It does require at least an hour of chilling, but once you knock this out, it rolls out so easily and you can re-roll the extras as many times as required because there’s no gluten to get stiff and chalky from overworking.

Once baked the cookies have slight crisp edges and a soft chewy center that is very very reminiscent of the classic sugar cookies. The frosting is only 3 ingredients (without food coloring, I used a natural one from Amazon that I was very impressed with) and once thoroughly mixed was fairy easy to pipe even for a cookie art novice like myself.

 paleo, gluten free, grain free, lactose free, naturally sweetened, nut free

5 from 1 vote
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Easy Paleo Roll Out Cookies

These roll out cookies won't have you  missing the classic gluten and processed ingredient laden sugar cookies. This Paleo version is naturally sweetened, gluten and grain free with a dough that's easy to make (in just one bowl!) and even easier to roll out and bake into fun shapes. 

 paleo, gluten free, grain free, lactose free, naturally sweetened, nut free

Ingredients

Cookie Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup ghee* room temperate
  • 1/3 cup blonde coconut nectar**
  • 1 egg
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup coconut flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/8 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/3 cup tapioca flour

Frosting Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup coconut oil, softened not melted
  • 1-2 tbsp coconut nectar or maple syrup
  • 3 tbsp tapioca flour

Instructions

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the ghee, coconut nectar, egg, and vanilla together until well combined. About 1 minute. 

  2. Then add the coconut flour, baking powder, and kosher salt and stir together on low speed until everything is well incorporated. 

  3. Then add the tapioca flour and mix again on low until a soft dough is formed, ensuring not to overmix. 

  4. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and let chill in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight if making ahead. 

  5. Preheat oven to 325 .  Once dough has chilled, roll the dough out between two sheets of parchment paper. The dough should be about 3/8 inches thick. If the dough has become too soft/warm place the rolled out dough on a baking sheet and pop it in the freezer for about 15 minutes to refirm. Then use a cookie cutter to make your desired shapes.

  6. Bake on a baking sheet with silpat or sheet of parchment paper for 11-12 minutes or until the edges just start to turn brown. 

  7. You can re-roll the excess cookie dough as many times as required. After punching out the shapes I re-rolled the dough between the parchment papers and placed it back in the freezer between shifts of baking. 

  8. Make the frosting by combining all the ingredients together. Add food coloring if using and pipe or smear onto cookies. I kept the frosted cookies in the fridge. I am fairly certain that this could get a touch runny if left over in warm temperatures.

Recipe Notes

*If you don't have ghee or prefer to make this dairy free you can replace the ghee with coconut oil. If you're using coconut oil, make sure it is softened but not completely melted. 

** Feel free to use another liquid sweetener of your choosing. I tried this recipe with honey and found the honey flavor to be way too overwhelming and overshadowing the vanilla. Amber coconut nectar should also work but I have a feeling it will turn the cookie a bit darker but will still taste just as good. 

If you make this recipe I'd love to see your creation! Please either post a comment or picture on this page or if you're posting on Instagram please tag @freshlydafna and use #freshlydafna

Mini Chocolate Tarts (paleo, naturally sweetened)

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The past couple of years we have celebrated Mother’s Day the same way, a small BBQ lunch at my parents house with immediate family and a few family friends. My husband would man the grill and I would be in charge of the salad and dessert. I would always make these Mini Raspberry Chocolate Tarts because they were such a hit and were so perfectly suited for the occasion. Little small cups of chocolate with a slight tang from the raspberry jelly added into the ganache and topped off a fresh raspberry. Everyone loved them. But somehow, between last year and this year I managed to lose the recipe causing my OCD to go crazy trying to find it again on the internet. I shamefully spent about 14 hours of my life feverishly trying to find that recipe, and I honestly think the recipe has been scrubbed from the internet. The bright side to this whole fiasco is that, had I managed to find the recipe, I never would have come up with this healthier and even tastier version of the original.

These Mini Chocolate Tarts have a crispy and chewy chocolate cookie crust and are filled with a luscious lavendar and rose chocolate ganache. In a collaboration with Honey Mama’s chocolates I elected to use their Lavender & Rose flavored bar to suit the occasion. Really any kind of chocolate can be used here. The Honey Mama’s bars are naturally sweetened with honey, are made with well sourced ingredients, are dairy free with no weird additives or stabilizers. Their chocolate is so good and if you get the chance to try them, I can’t recommend it enough. They seriously melt in your mouth and come in some very lovely flavor combinations. My favorite is definitely the Mayan Spice.

These mini tarts are a double dose of chocolate but with only natural ingredients and do not feel over indulgent. I topped these off with some dried rose petals and a raspberry to contrast the chocolate. You can leave these bare or sprinkle something fun on top. We love these at Mother’s Day, but really these would be wonderful for any occasion where you want to impress chocolate-loving guests and ditch the desserts with processed sugars and gluten. Don’t be daunted by the seemingly long recipe. I go into a good amount of detail on each step because there’s nothing I hate more than an ambiguous instruction. And these do take a bit of time, but it mostly just waiting for the chocolate to set.

paleo, dairy free, gluten free, grain free, naturally sweetened

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Mini Chocolate Tarts

These mini chocolate tarts are the perfect little desserts to impress your friends and family without being laden with gluten, dairy, or refined sugars. These little tarts have a crispy and chewy chocolate cookie cup and a luscious chocolate ganache. I made these with Lavendar Red Rose Honey Mama's chocolate to make them feel super sophisticated but any chocolate will do!

paleo, dairy free, gluten free, grain free, naturally sweetened

freshlydafna.com

Course Dessert
Servings 16 mini tarts

Ingredients

Crust Ingredients

  • 1/4 coconut oil melted and cooled
  • 1/3 cup coconut sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 cup cacao powder
  • 1/2 cup coconut flour
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/8 tsp sea salt

Chocolate Filling Ingredients

  • 5 oz chocolate* (I used Honey Mama's Lavender Rose Chocolate) chopped
  • 4 tbsp non-dairy milk**

Optional Toppings

  • dried rose petals
  • raspberries

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 and grease well a mini muffin tin with coconut oil. 

  2. Make the cups: Cream together the coconut oil, coconut sugar, egg, and vanilla until well combined. 

  3. In a medium bowl mix together all the dry ingredients: cacao powder, coconut flour, baking powder, and salt until thoroughly incorporated. 

  4. Add the dry ingredients into the wet and mix until just full incorporated and there are no light streaks. 

  5. Scoop out small golf sized balls of the dough and place them into the muffin tin cups. Then using your fingers press the dough into the rim side and bottom each tin so a cup forms. 

  6. Bake the cups in the center rack of the oven for 9-10 minutes. The top edges of the cups should look just slightly darker. Remove from oven and let cool down for about 5 minutes. Then gently twist out of the cups and let cool completely on the cooling rack. 

    This recipe makes about 16 mini cups, and my mini muffin tin only holds 12 cups so I made a full batch of 12, and then did another round of the remaining 4. 

  7. Make the ganache: In a double boiler, over a medium high flame place the chocolate and milk of choice to a heat-proof bowl. Mix the chocolate and milk until the chocolate just starts to melt. About 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and continue mixing. Keep stirring until all the milk has been combined with the chocolate and thick and shiny chocolate ganache forms. 

  8. At this point I like to put the chocolate mixture into a heat-proof measuring cup with a spout for easier pouring. Pour the chocolate into the little cups. If you are topping this with something heavy (like a raspberry) leave a little room from the top to avoid spillage. 

  9. Let the chocolate set (it will get thicker) at room temperature. This will really depend on the temperature of your kitchen at the time. For me it was a bit warm and took about an hour until I could add the topping. 

  10. Let it set completely for a few hours. If you are serving these the same day you can keep these at room temperature. Otherwise, you can store these in the fridge, just ensure that the chocolate has completely cooled to avoid cracks from forming from a temperature shock.

Recipe Notes

*I used Honey Mama's Lavender Rose Chocolate and they came out wonderfully. You could use any kind of chocolate or flavored chocolate. Honey Mama's also makes a Ginger Cardamom bar that I suspect would be terrific in this recipe.

** Non-dairy milk: I have made this with almond milk and coconut milk. We preferred the almond milk, it was more balanced. But feel free to use whatever you like without effecting the flavor of the ganache filling. 

If you make this recipe I'd love to see your creation! Please either post a comment or picture on this page or if you're posting on Instagram please tag @freshlydafna and use #freshlydafna

Disclaimer: I received some Honey Mama’s chocolates for free to develop this recipe and for a giveaway on my Instagram account. All opinions are my own and I was not paid to write this post. 

Paleo Brownie Cookies

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No long post about life. I’m cutting down the good stuff. The good chocolate-y stuff. When I created this recipe I wanted a cookie with a brownie like texture, moist and fudgey with a deep chocolate flavor. And that’s exactly what I got in this recipe. It’s refined sugar free, using coconut sugar and I use half ghee and half coconut oil which gives it the perfect softness and delicious nuttiness reminiscent of browned butter. It’s definitely a treat, but one with no weird ingredients, not overly indulgent, and still has some health benefits!

Need I say more. I think not. So here’s the recipe.

paleo, gluten free, refined sugar free, lactose free, grain free

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Paleo Brownie Cookie

This cookie has a rich chocolate flavor with the fudgey texture of a brownie. Oh and there are chocolate chunks - which are optional but very much encouraged. 

freshlydafna.com

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup cacao powder
  • 3/4 cup coconut sugar
  • 1/4 cup ghee melted
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil melted
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup coconut flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4-1/2 cup chocolate chunks optional

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

  2. Line baking sheet with parchment paper

  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cacao powder, coconut sugar, melted ghee, and melted coconut oil together until well mixed. 

  4. With the mixer on low add in 1 egg at a time. Then add the vanilla

  5. Scrape down sides of the bowl. Then add the flour and the baking powder and mix just until no streaks are visible. 

  6. Mix in the chocolate chunks into the batter. 

  7. Using a scoop or tablespoon portion out balls onto the prepared baking sheet. Form the balls into cookie shaped discs (the cookies do not spread during baking).

  8. Baking for approximate 12 minutes or until edges look slightly darker. Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to  cool completely. 

  9. Recommended to store in the fridge or freezer.

Recipe Notes

If you make this recipe I'd love to see your creation! Please either post a comment or picture on this page or if you're posting on Instagram please tag @freshlydafna and use #freshlydafna. 

If you make this recipe I’d love to see your creation! Please either post a comment or picture on this page or if you’re posting on Instagram please tag @freshlydafna and use #freshlydafna.

(Nut) Milk & (Nut Pulp) Cookies (paleo)

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Making your own nut milk is one of the best DIY things you can do for yourself…. In my opinion of course. It’s a really quick process, takes only a bit of forethought, is cost effective AND better for you than drinking anything you could purchase at the store. Here are just some of the benefits of making your own nut/seed milk.

+You can play with flavor options
+Add in adaptogens or spices
+Saves you money
+Produces less waste!
+Adjust sweetness to you liking
+Can use the leftover nut pulp in various ways
+More fresh than anything store bought
+Is fun and easy to make
+Sprouted (soaked) nuts make it easier for your body to digest

I don’t know about you, but for me, those were enough reasons to get me started making my nut milk at home. So here’s my BASIC nut milk recipe to get you started.

Supplies:
Storage container for milk (I use this)
Nut milk bag (I use and like this one)

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Basic Nut Milk

This is a recipe for basic nut milk. It can easily be adapted to make 1/2 a batch if you don't consume that much nut milk. You can add different adaptogens or spices to make fun flavor combinations. 

Nut milk will last about 3-4 days in the fridge. 

freshlydafna.com

Ingredients

  • 1 cup nut of choice raw
  • 3 1/2 cup filtered water
  • 1 dash pink sea salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Optional Add-in Suggestions

  • 1 tsp cinammon
  • 2-3 dates
  • 1 tsp maca
  • few drops stevia
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • dash cardamom
  • 1 tbsp cacao powder

Instructions

  1. In a bowl with filtered water, soak nuts in fridge overnight

  2. Remove bowl of nuts from fridge, strain soaking water and rinse the nuts

  3. Place nuts in Vitamix or blender, with 3 1/2 cups filtered water and any additional flavorings you want. 

    FOR BASIC UNSWEETENED NUT MILK USE:
    1 tsp vanilla
    dash of sea salt

    Blend on high for 2 minutes

  4. Pour the blended nuts and water into your nut milk bag and close the top ties. Over a bowl/large measuring cup (at least 4 cups) start to milk the nut mixture. I like to twist the bag and then slide my hand down from top to bottom of the twisted area and pressing down on the area with the milk. 

  5. Once all the milk has been pressed out of the bag, pour into milk jug or other container and store in fridge. Will keep for about 3-4 days. 

  6. Remove leftover nut pulp from nut milk bag and use in my Nut Pulp Energy Balls OR Nut Pulp Cookie Recipe!

Now that you’ve made your own nut milk, you might be wondering. Hey I’ve got this nut pulp leftover, is there anything I can do with it. WHY YES! There are several things you can do with that nut pulp! You can make almond flour by spreading thinly on a baking sheet and baking on 325 until it is very dry, then pulse in the blender/food processor. I have seen people make crackers from nut pulp but I have yet to try this. You can make my Nut Pulp Energy Balls or this cookie recipe right here. These cookies are actually pretty good for you with a high fiber content, good healthy fats, sprouted nuts from the nut milk, and super low in sugar!

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Nut Pulp Chocolate Chip Ghee Cookies

gluten free, grain free, low carb, paleo, no refined sugar

These cookies are made from nut pulp leftover from homemade almond nut milk. In this recipe I use the leftover from my basic nut milk (almond, sea salt, vanilla, and a few drops stevia). The result is a delicious cookie with a delightfully chewy texture. I love to store these in the freezer!

freshlydafna.com

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup ghee
  • 3 tbsp dark maple syrup organic
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 cup coconut flour
  • 2/3 cup leftover nut pulp
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 and line baking sheet with parchment paper

  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or by hand) mix together the ghee and the maple syrup

  3. Add in the egg and vanilla and mix until well incorporated

  4. Then add in all the dry ingredients and the nut pulp. Mix until a dough forms

  5. Add in chocolate chips/chunks

  6. Form into flat cookie sized discs and place onto prepared baking sheet

  7. Bake at 350 for about 15-18 minutes or until slightly browned. 

  8. Remove from oven and let cool a few minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely

Recipe Notes

I use the entire amount of leftover nut pulp from my regular recipe of nut milk. I usually make almond milk because it's the most cost efficient and get about 2/3 cups of pulp leftover from 1 cup of nuts used to make the milk. 

These cookies freeze very well!

If you make this recipe I'd love to see your creation! Please either post a comment or picture on this page or if you're posting on Instagram please tag @freshlydafna and use #freshlydafna

Strawberry Lemon Jam Bars (paleo & vegan)

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My guy has a thing for jams and jellies. Ever since I discovered his special fondness for preserved fruit spreads I’ve found it so endearing and even comical.  To me, it’s such an odd thing to love.  But then again I’m a sucker for the simple things too. I could probably eat plain steamed brussel sprouts every day and never get sick of them. But, I get special enjoyment sneaking up on him with his head in the fridge and teaspoon in hand as he dips into the jam/jelly jars. So this creation is for him. My jam lover.

These bars have a sprouted (!) almond crust, which makes it easier to digest and more nutritious, is the perfect complement to the strawberry lemon jam topping that tastes like solidified pink lemonade. I made the crust with ghee because I think it adds a wonderful flavor to the crust that plays against the tart fruitiness of the jam. But this can easily be subbed for coconut oil if you want to make it vegan or dairy free (although ghee is still lactose free) and the outcome will still be just as tasty.

The strawberry lemon jam topping requires no pectin because of the lemon juice. And to upgrade the jammy topping I spiked it with lucuma powder, a wonderful superfood that is packed with nutrients and adds natural sweetness. Lucuma is an Inca fruit that has been used to support healthy skin and good digestion. It has also been said to be good for cardiovascular health, it balances blood sugar and blood pressure. Plus, it’s a good source of beta carotene, iron, zinc, vitamin B3, and calcuim.

These are the perfect summer strawberry infused treat if you’re looking for something fruity but still low carb and low sugar.

paleo, gluten free, grain free, vegan, low carb, dairy free

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Strawberry Lemon Jams Bars

paleo, gluten free, grain free, vegan, low carb, dairy free, soy free, low sugar

These bars have a sprouted almond crust, which makes it easier to digest and more nutritious, goes wonderfully with the strawberry lemon jam topping that tastes like solidified strawberry lemonade. Plus the topping is made with lucuma which is a wonderful superfood that adds natural sweetness!

These are the perfect summer treat if you're looking for something fruity but still low carb and low sugar. 

freshlydafna.com

Ingredients

Sprouted Almond Crust

  • 1/2 cup almonds soaked 24 hrs, rinsed then drained
  • 1/2 cup coconut flour
  • 4 tbsp ghee or melted/softened coconut oil
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 cup coconut sugar

Strawberry Lemon Topping

  • 2 cups fresh strawberries stems removed
  • 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp lemon zest
  • 2/3 cup lucuma powder
  • 1/2 cup coconut sugar

Instructions

  1. The night before soak almonds in filtered water.

  2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line an 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper with a 2 in overhang for easy removal. 

  3. Prepare the crust. Drain and thoroughly rinse almonds.

  4. In a food processor blend together all crust ingredients and pulse until an even dough forms.

  5. Turn the dough out into the prepared baking dish and press firmly and evenly into the dish.

  6. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes or until crust is firm and golden brown.

  7. In the meantime prepare the jam topping. 

  8. In a small pot and with an inversion blender, blend together the strawberries and the lemon juice. Alternatively, blend the strawberries and juice in blender and pour into a small pot.

  9. Add the remaining ingredients to the pot. 

  10. On a medium flame, bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the flame and let simmer, uncovered and mixing often, until it is smooth and thick. Probably around 10-15 minutes. The mixture should be thick enough to nicely coat a spoon when dipped. Remove from the heat

  11. Once the crust is out of the oven, pour the jam topping over the crust and let cool for about 30 minutes. 

  12. Move to the fridge to let cool completely. 

  13. Once thoroughly cool and the topping set. Gently lift the parchment paper to remove the dessert from the pan. Cut into 12-16 pieces and top with some fresh strawberry slices (optional). 

Recipe Notes

*This recipe can easily be made vegan by substituting the ghee for coconut oil. 

If you make this recipe I'd love to see your creation! Please either post a comment or picture on this page or if you're posting on Instagram please tag @freshlydafna and use #freshlydafna

If you make this recipe I’d love to see your creation! Please either post a comment or picture on this page or if you’re posting on Instagram please tag @freshlydafna and use #freshlydafna.

Chocolate Chunk Cookie Pie (paleo)

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 I have never been a cake person. I always preferred brownies, ice creams, cookies…basically any other dessert over cake. When we were younger, for our birthday, our mom used to always get us these wonderfully decorated cakes and I would get to blow out the candles but that would be the extent of it. In later years I started to request she get me an ice cream cake. Then I would proceed to eat the frosting and ice cream leaving the cake layer completely in tact. Back to now – we celebrated my birthday this year with my whole family at my parents’ house and being more aware of what foods I like to put in my body I decided to make my own healthified version of a cookie pie so I that could enjoy a special birthday dessert too!

This cookie pie has the texture of a cookie – a soft and chewy inside but a nice crisp outside, has a healthy dose of chocolate, and tastes like a browned butter cookie from the use of the ghee. I made this not too sweet but if you are used to desserts tasting a bit sweeter you can easily add more coconut sugar. I also used a 100% chocolate (this brand of chocolate is my current favorite) for the chocolate chunks to lower the sugar even more but you can use a dark or semi dark chocolate if that better suits your taste buds.

paleo, gluten free, grain free, refined sugar free

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Chocolate Chunk Cookie Pie

This cookie pie has the texture of a cookie - a soft and chewy inside but a nice crisp outside, has a healthy dose of chocolate, and tastes like a browned butter cookie from the use of the ghee. But is not over indulgent and has enough fiber and fat to be satisfying and prevent crazy sugar cravings. 

low carb, lactose free, gluten free, grain free, low sugar, refined sugar free, paleo

Author sunnyside-greens.com

Ingredients

  • 6 tbsp ghee
  • 1/3 cup* coconut sugar
  • 3 eggs pasture raised if possible
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cup almond flour
  • 1/2 cup coconut flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp cinammon
  • 1/8 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate bar or chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 and using coconut oil or more ghee grease a springform pan or 8 in circular cake pan

  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or by hand) cream together the ghee coconut sugar and eggs.  Once well mixed add in the vanilla and mix again

  3. Add in the dry ingredients and mix again until all is well incorporated but being careful not to overmix

  4. Add in the chocolate chips and once more

  5. Pour the dough into your cooking vessel and with the back of a spatula pack the dough down and spread out evenly in the tin. 

  6. Baking at 350 for 17-19 minutes or until the edges are nicely golden brown. 

  7. Remove from oven and let cool for about 15 minutes. Remove from springform pan and serve!

Recipe Notes

* I used 1/3 cup coconut sugar to reduce the sugar quantity but if you are used to desserts being more sweet I would recommend you double the amount of coconut sugar to 2/3 cup. 

If you make this recipe I'd love to see your creation! Please either post a comment or picture on this page or if you're posting on Instagram please tag @freshlydafna and use #freshlydafna. 

https://freshlydafna.com/2017/07/07/chocolate-chunk-cookie-pie/

Peanut Butter Bars (gluten free & lactose free)

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I created this recipe for my best friend on her wedding day. She, and her now husband, love peanut butter. So much so that she has to hide the peanut butter from him so he doesn’t devour it before she can use it. I would definitely place these Peanut Butter Bars in the dessert category (although on that morning of her wedding this is pretty much the only thing she ate). They are perfectly sweet, chewy yet light, and taste like a peanut butter cookie disguised as a blondie. These bars were a huge hit with the wedding party and everyone there was able to enjoy them – they are gluten free, lactose free (I used ghee), soy free, and no refined sugar. These would definitely be kid friendly as well (assuming not nut allergies of course) as even my pickiest of friends enjoyed them immensely.

I melted about a half a chocolate bar in my toaster oven (because we don’t have a microwave and I wasn’t up to breaking out more dishes for a double boiler) and drizzled these bad boys with a very dark chocolate (80% cacao) which was the perfect complement to the peanut butter. I mean, peanut butter and chocolate is always a winning combination. I love to store these in the freezer – if you have any leftover these will keep for a good amount of time frozen so you can bake these and bust these out whenever a craving hits.

gluten free, lactose free, refined sugar free

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Peanut Butter Bars

These Peanut Butter Bars are perhaps the ultimate dessert. They are just sweet enough, chewy yet light, and taste like a peanut butter cookie disguised as a blondie. Drizzle with melted dark chocolate for that extra whoa factor. Peanut butter and chocolate...what's not to love. 

gluten free, lactose free, no refined sugar, soy free

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup ghee (or room temp butter)
  • 3/4 cup peanut butter natural
  • 1 cup coconut sugar
  • 3 eggs pasture raised if possible
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 1/3 cup oat flour

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degree and oil an 8x8 baking pan.

  2. In a stand mixer cream together the peanut butter, ghee, and sugar until light and fluffy.

  3. On low, beat in the eggs one at a time. 

  4. Once all eggs are added, mix in the vanilla until well incorporated

  5. Add in the salt. Then slowly mix in the oatmeal flour until just well combined being sure not to overmix. 

  6. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes until edges are lightly browned and center is fully set. You can check for doneness by piercing the center with a toothpick ensuring it comes out clean. 

  7. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan on the wire rack for about 15-20 minutes. 

  8. Once cooled, slice and enjoy those bad boys!

Recipe Notes

For a drizzle, melt some dark chocolate in the microwave or double boiler and drizzle over the top!

These bars would be perfect with some berries or a warm beverage. Or just as they are, because they are THAT good.

If you make these bars I'd love to see your creation! Please either post a comment or picture on this page or if you're posting on Instagram please tag @freshlydafna and use #freshlydafna.