Paleo Chocolate Cake with AlmondsChocolate has always been an antidote to so many things – a long day, a bad mood or even terrible weather. And what better than a paleo chocolate cake that is spread with chocolate fudge on top and then decorated with sliced almonds?

servings

ingredientsFor the cake:

1 cup of almond flour½ cup of raw cacao powder½ cup of unsweetened shredded coconut3/4 cup of tapioca starch2 teaspoons of gluten-free baking powderPinch of salt1/3 cup of raw honey½ cup of melted coconut oil4 eggs

For the chocolate fudge & almond topping:

1 cup of chocolate chopped into small pieces½ cup of melted coconut oil½ cup of sliced almonds

1 cake difficulty MEDIUM

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 deg. Fahrenheit (180 deg. Celsius)

2. Grease and line a large round cake pan with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, sift almond flour, raw cacao powder, shredded coconut, tapioca starch, baking powder and salt together and mix well. In another bowl, mix raw honey with melted coconut oil and eggs.

3. Pour wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir well until you get a homogeneous batter. Pour batter into prepared cake pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow cake to cook for at least 10 minutes before removing it from the pan. While cake is cooling, pour hot melted coconut oil over chocolate chunks and mix well until chocolate is melted and has incorporated with the coconut oil to form the chocolate fudge. It will be very liquid but start to harden as it cools.

4. When fudge has solidified a little, spread it evenly over the top of the cake.

5. Decorate with sliced almonds, slice and serve!

directions

Paleo Banana Chia Seed PuddingBanana pudding will always be a favorite comfort food for most people. Today, we’re going to make banana pudding with a healthier twist – one that is naturally sweetened by the bananas themselves and that does not involve cooking at all!

servings

ingredients5 tablespoons of chia seeds2 cups of water2 large ripe bananas, sliced1 cup of almond milk½ teaspoons ground cinnamon½ cup sliced bananas, for toppingWalnuts, for toppingChia seeds, for topping

3 difficulty EASY

1. Place chia seeds and water in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake well to get chia seeds and water thoroughly mixed together. Set aside for the next 30 to 40 minutes, shaking every once in a while to break up any lumps. A gel will start to form.

2. In your food processor or blender, process sliced bananas and almond milk until you get a thick but smooth mixture.

3. Mix chia gel with banana-milk mixture and ground cinnamon and divide equally into three bowls.

3. Chill for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator before serving .

4. Top banana chia seed puddings with freshly sliced bananas, walnuts and chia seeds, and serve!

directions

Paleo Banana BreadBanana bread has always been one of my favorite quick breads. The natural sweetness of bananas in the form of bread is simply delicious, and today, we’re going to be making my favorite paleo banana bread.

servings

ingredients3 large bananas, sliced4 eggs4 tablespoons of melted coconut oil1 teaspoon of vanilla extract1 cup of almond flour¾ cup of tapioca starch2 teaspoons of gluten-free baking powderPinch of salt1 teaspoons of ground cinnamon

1 loaf difficulty EASY

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 deg. Fahrenheit (180 deg. Celsius).

2. Grease and line a loaf pan with parchment paper.

3. In your food processor or blender, process sliced bananas, eggs, melted coconut oil and vanilla extract until you get a thick but smooth mixture.

4. In a large mixing bowl, sift almond flour, tapioca starch, baking powder, salt and ground cinnamon and mix well.

5. Pour the processed banana mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix well until you get a homogeneous batter.

6. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake in the oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

7. Allow paleo banana bread to cool before removing from the pan and slicing.

directions

Paleo Chocolate Chip CookiesChocolate chip cookies have got to be one of my favorite snacks as a kid. In fact, I still love freshly baked chocolate chip cookies every once in a while. Today, we’re making a healthier version of this childhood favorite – paleo chocolate chip cookies that are lower in carbohydrates but taste equally good!

servings

ingredients1 cup of almond flour½ cup of unsweetened shredded coconut½ cup of tapioca starch2 teaspoons of gluten-free baking powderPinch of salt¼ cup of melted coconut oil1 egg1 teaspoon of vanilla extract1 cup of non-dairy dark chocolate chunks

9 difficulty EASY

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 deg. Fahrenheit (180 deg. Celsius).

2. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.

3. Combine all the ingredients except for the chocolate chunks together and mix well to form a homogeneous cookie dough.

4. Gently fold in the chocolate chunks until chunks are evenly distributed.

5. Form 9 evenly-sized balls of cookie dough (about 1 large heaping teaspoon of dough for each ball) and place them evenly-spaced on the prepared cookie sheet.

6. Use your finger tips to slightly flatten the balls of cookie dough.

7. Bake in the oven for 11 to 13 minutes or until golden.

8. Allow cookies to cool slightly before removing from the cookie sheet.

9. Serve alongside a glass of cold almond milk!

directions

Paleo Almond Butter CookiesIf you already have almond butter in your pantry, making these paleo almond butter cookies will be a piece of cake! These cookies are so easy to prepare, taste so good, and are also slightly lower in carbohydrates compared to normal cookies. Here’s how you can make them!

servings

ingredients1 cup of almond flour½ cup of tapioca starch1 cup of unsalted almond butter¼ cup of honey½ cup of melted coconut oil1 teaspoon of vanilla extractSea salt, for sprinkling on top of cookies

12 difficulty EASY

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 deg. Fahrenheit (180 deg. Celsius).

2. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.

3. In a large mixing bowl, combine almond flour, tapioca starch, almond butter, honey, melted coconut oil and vanilla extract and mix well to form a homogeneous cookie dough.

4. Form about 12 evenly-sized balls of cookie dough and place them evenly-spaced on the prepared cookie sheet.

5. Press the cookie dough balls with the back of a fork to flatten them and then sprinkle them with a bit of sea salt.

6. Bake cookie dough balls in the oven for 9 to 10 minutes and let cool completely before serving.

directions

Paleo Chocolate MousseChocolate is one of my favorite foods in the world, but apart from eating chocolate as it is, I also like to eat chocolate in the form of chocolate mousse, a dessert that is at once decadent and smooth. Today, we are going with a super creamy paleo chocolate mouse that uses coconut milk and gelatin as the secret ingredients.

servings

ingredients2 cups of full fat coconut milk1 cup of chopped dark chocolate2 teaspoons of unsweetened cocoa powder1 tablespoon of unflavored gelatin1 teaspoon of vanilla extractSlice almonds, for garnish

3 difficulty MEDIUM

1. Heat coconut milk in a pot over medium heat, and once coconut milk is hot, add in chopped chocolate and cocoa powder and whisk until chocolate is melted and cocoa powder has dissolved.

2. Lower heat to medium low and slowly add in the unflavored gelatin (make sure you don’t add all the gelatin at once or it will clump) and whisk mixture very well.

3. Pour chocolate mixture into glasses or jars or ramekins and allow to cool on the counter for 15 minutes before covering with plastic wrap and then chilling in the fridge for at least 2 hours until the mousse is set.

4. Before serving, remove mousse from refrigerator, remove the plastic wrap and garnish with sliced almonds then serve.

directions

Paleo Key Lime BarsI love making no-bake desserts – first of all you don’t have to heat up the oven and there’s not baking involved, and secondly, there’s very little hands on time. Today, we’re making no-bake paleo key lime bars that are served chilled and are infused with the delicious taste of fresh lime juice and zest!

servings

ingredientsFor the crust:3 cups of walnuts3 tablespoons of raw honey3 tablespoons of melted coconut oil, cooled2 teaspoon of vanilla extractPinch of salt

For the filling:4 cups of cashews (or 2 cups of cashew butter)½ cup of water (if using cashews instead of cashew butter)6 tablespoons of melted coconut oil6 tablespoons of raw honey½ cup of fresh lime juice1 teaspoon of vanilla extractPinch of salt Lime zest, for garnish

12 difficulty HARD

1. Pulse the walnuts in your blender or food processor until you get very fine walnut flour (but don’t process too much or you will end up with walnut butter instead).

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the walnut flour, raw honey, melted coconut oil, vanilla extract and pinch of salt until you get a homogeneous mixture.

3. Press the walnut mixture into a square or rectangle pan to form a firm layer and freeze for at least 30 minutes until set (I lined my pan with parchment paper to make it easier to remove bars later). In the meantime, process cashew in your blender or food processor until you get a thick paste. If necessary, add in ¼ cup of water at a time and keep processing until mixture becomes a smooth cashew butter.

4. Mix cashew butter with melted coconut oil, raw honey, lime juice, vanilla extract and salt until you get a homogeneous filling. Pour filling mixture over the prepared crust and spread it evenly with a spatula.

5. Return pan to chill in the freezer for at least 2 hours or until filling is set. To serve, slice into bars and garnish with lime zest.

directions

Paleo Whoopie PiesWhoopie pies are like a cross between an ice-cream sandwich and cake-like cookies. They’re the very idea of tea-time alongside a tall glass of milk. Today, we’re making paleo whoopee pies that are naturally sweetened, lower in carbohydrates but still taste so darn good!

servings

ingredientsFor the cookies:2 cups of almond flour1 cup of unsweetened shredded coconut1 ¼ cups of tapioca starch3 teaspoons of baking powder½ cup of unsweetened cocoa powder½ cup of melted coconut oil 2 eggs2 teaspoons of vanilla extract1 tablespoon of raw honey

For the filling:1 cup of coconut cream

10 difficulty MEDIUM

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 deg. Fahrenheit (180 deg. Celsius) and line a large cookie sheet with a silpat or parchment paper. Whip the coconut cream with an electric beater until stiff peaks form and allow it to chill in the refrigerator.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine almond flour, unsweetened shredded coconut, tapioca starch, baking powder, baking powder, melted coconut oil, eggs, vanilla extract and honey until you get a homogeneous cookie dough (it will be sticky but still firm enough to shape into balls).

3. Form about 20 balls of cookie dough (around 1 heaping teaspoon of dough per ball). Place half the cookie dough balls in a cookie sheet, spreading them out evenly. Use your fingers to press down on the balls.

4. Bake for 7 to 8 minutes until just cooked and bottom is slightly golden. Repeat until all the cookie dough has been used up.

5. Allow cookies to cool before filling with whipped coconut cream.

directions

Paleo Sweet Potato Pie in a JarWhen we think of comfort food, sweet potato pie often comes to mind. It’s rich, sweet and filling, and reminds us of home and the holidays. However, what if you didn’t want to make an entire sweet potato pie, but just wanted sweet potato pie for two?

servings

ingredients2 cups of walnuts2 tablespoons of raw honey2 tablespoons of melted coconut oil1 teaspoon of vanilla extractPinch of salt2 large sweet potatoes (or 4 cups of sweet potato puree)¼ cup of raw honey¼ cup of almond milk1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon1 cup of coconut creamChopped walnuts, for garnish

2 difficulty HARD

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 deg. Fahrenheit (140 deg. Celsius) and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place sweet potatoes (unpeeled) in the prepared baking dish and roast for 40 minutes until you can easily poke into the flesh with a fork.

2. While sweet potatoes are roasting, whip the coconut cream with an electric beater until stiff peaks form and allow it to chill in the refrigerator. Place the walnuts in the bowl of your blender or food processor, and pulse until you get a fine walnut flour (be careful not to over-process or you might end up with walnut butter instead!).

3. In a large mixing bowl, mix walnut flour, honey, melted coconut oil, vanilla extract and salt until you get a homogeneous mixture (this is the crust). Divide walnut mixture into two large jars and spread it evenly across the bottom of the jars and press down firmly to make the crust.

4. Once sweet potatoes have finished roasting, scrape out the flesh and use a form to mash it well to get sweet potato puree. Mix sweet potato puree with raw honey, almond milk and ground cinnamon (this is the filling).

5. Divide sweet potato mixture evenly between both jars. Finally, place whipped coconut cream on top of the sweet potato filling and top with chopped walnuts.

directions

Paleo Lemon Pound CakeEver since I started baking, pound cakes have always featured prominently in rotation. Pound cakes are so easy to bring together and most importantly, are always a welcome snack at any time of the day. I love a hint of citrus lemon in my pound cakes, so today we’re making a low-carb paleo lemon pound cake that you can eat plenty of and still feel good about!

servings

ingredients2 ½ cup of almond flour½ cup of unsweetened shredded coconut¼ cup of tapioca starch¼ teaspoon of salt3 teaspoons of baking powder4 large eggs, beaten3 tablespoons of almond milk½ cup of raw honey½ cup of coconut oil, melted¼ cup of water¾ cup of lemon juiceZest of 2 large lemons (approximately 2 tablespoons of zest)

1 loaf difficulty EASY

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 deg. Fahrenheit (180 deg. Celsius). Grease and line a large loaf pan with parchment paper, allowing the folds of the parchment paper to hand on the outside (it will make it easier for you to remove the cake later).

2. In a large bowl, combine almond flour, unsweetened shredded coconut, tapioca starch, salt and baking powder, and mix well.

3. In another bowl, whisk eggs with almond milk, honey, melted coconut oil, water and lemon juice until you get a liquid mixture.

4. Pour wet ingredients into the bowl with dry ingredients and whisk well to combine. Add in lemon zest and mix until evenly distributed and you have a homogeneous cake batter.

5. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan, and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. If needed to bake a bit more, cover top of pan with aluminum foil to prevent top of loaf from burning.

directions