Flourless Chocolate Almond Butter Cookies

December 16, 2013 Kate

Here is another super easy and super delicious cookie to add to your holiday baking list. These disappeared very quickly around here! This recipe can be made with any nut or seed butter of choice. Peanut butter seems to always taste the best with chocolate, but unfortunately I don't eat peanuts, so almond butter it is...and I loved them!

Flourless Chocolate Almond Butter Cookies

Makes 12-14

Ingredients

1 cup almond butter*
1/2 cup cocoa/cacao powder
3/4 -1 cup granulated sweetener (I used 1 cup of Swerve to make them sugar free)
1 egg
1 tbsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder (corn and gluten free baking powder)
1/4 heaping tsp sea salt (omit if jar is already salted)

Instructions

Place all ingredients in a food processor or stand up mixer and combine
Use a cookie scoop or roll the dough into balls and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet
Press down the dough with hand or use a fork to flatten the cookies (the baking powder keeps the cookies from spreading, but also makes them crispier than baking soda)
Bake at 350 for 7-10 minutes. The cookies will look undercooked, but that’s the way you want them to look! They will set up perfectly once they have cooled.
Remove from the oven and let sit for a few minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.
Store in an airtight container, I prefer glass jars for storage.

Quick notes

*I used fresh grind almond butter that you grind yourself at natural grocery stores. It does not have any added oils, salt or sweeteners. If you are using jarred almond butter or other nut butters, I’d use closer to 3/4 cup. Jarred butters are thinner and may make these spread more.

If you are an Amazon shopper, would you be so kind to use my affiliate link to make your purchases. It is at no cost to you, it does provide a tiny kickback to Kate’s Healthy Cupboard. This allows me to continue making and testing recipes for free. Thanks so much!!

*I have recently switched all of my skincare and makeup to a company that is free of 1,500 chemicals!! I am so particular about what goes into my body, I need to be just as picky as to what goes on my body! Your skin is your largest organ and absorbs chemicals into the bloodstream faster than the gut does! I am vain when it comes to my skin and was so thrilled to find products that are anti-aging and work!!! Check out BeautyCounter for more info!! You will love it!!

Kate's Healthy Cupboard - Gluten Free Recipes

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

December 6, 2013 Kate

I'm going to keep this short and sweet..these are flourless and delicious! I used almond butter to create this recipe and it works well will apples and cinnamon! Nut butters work great to hold baked goods together and give them structure. You can use this recipe as a template and change out the nut butter, fruit and spice. I think chocolate chips with almond butter would be mmmmmm....but what isn't yummy when you combine nuts and chocolate!!

I drizzled a caramel sauce over the top, but that is optional. I am still trying to create a caramel recipe that is low in sugar, but Swerve doesn't work well in this application. I used my experiment on these muffins, but suggest using a recipe that we know works. I suggest Elana's Pantry Dairy Free Caramel Sauce or this one from Smitten Kitchen that includes butter, but I would use full fat coconut milk in place of heavy cream and coconut sugar. I think butter is what gives caramel sauce that caramel taste...in my honest opinion.

Recipe: Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Ingredients

1 cup almond butter
1/4 cup granulated sweetener (Swerve for no sugar option)
2 tbsp arrowroot powder
2 pastured eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp or more cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp sea salt
1 heaping cup apples, peeled and diced (1 apple)
Caramel sauce*

Instructions

Peel and dice the apples. Toss with a couple sprinkles of cinnamon, set aside in a large mixing bowl
Place all of the remaining ingredients in a food processor and combine
Pour the batter over the apples and combine well.
Spoon the batter into a lined muffin tin. You should get 6 large muffins or 8 regular sized muffins
Bake at 350 for 25-27 minutes
Remove from the oven and let them sit for a few minutes. Drizzle with caramel sauce.

Variations

*See above for caramel sauce recipe links.

Cinnamon Apple Granola

November 27, 2012 Kate

I have been sitting on this recipe for quite some time. It is one of my favorite granola recipes, but I get hesitant to share my recipes that I use a dehydrator. I know only a few of you have one and this can certainly be done in the oven, but the dehydrator always tastes best.

This is the perfect flavor for this time a year and can be enjoyed plain or with milk! The added protein powder makes this the perfect high fat and moderate protein breakfast!!! You may also like to try my other grain free granola recipes, Almond Nut Joy, Banana Nut and Pumpkin Spice.

Maybe a dehydrator should be on your holiday wish list!!! The Nesco that I have is very reasonably priced.

Cinnamon Apple Granola

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups raw nuts, chopped (I used almonds and walnuts)
1 apple, diced
1/3 cup almond flour
1/4 cup vanilla protein powder* (I used Jay Robb’s Vanilla Egg White Protein)
2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp lucuma powder, optional
1/2 cup apple sauce
1/4 cup honey
2 tbsp almond butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
couple dashes of sea salt

Instructions

Combine the chopped nuts, apple pieces, protein powder, almond flour, lucuma, cinnamon and salt in a bowl and mix well
In a separate bowl, combine the apple sauce, almond butter, honey and vanilla
Combine the two bowls and stir until all the dry ingredients are coated
Place on dehydrator sheets in clumps and dehydrate at 145 for 2 hours, then turn down to 115 until desired crunch is obtained. I left it in there for 24 hrs.
For oven method, place on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake at 175-200 until desired crunch is obtained. Stir every so often to cook evenly

Quick notes

*Substitute the protein powder for an additional 1/4 cup almond flour.

I used Nature’s Hollow Xylitol Honey for a lower sugar option.

For those of you that try this in the oven, let us all know how it turned out!

Grain Free Chocolate Drop Cookies - No Bake

November 5, 2012 Kate

Some thing came up in conversation with my mom that reminded us of these cookies I used to make as a kid. Remember the chocolate oatmeal and peanut butter cookies you'd just drop on a cookie sheet and a short time later they were ready to eat without ever stepping foot in the oven? I sure do! I dug around for the recipe and realized about half the ingredients aren't allowed in my body. I thought about how I could change this recipe, I needed something with structure to replace the oats and nuts weren't exciting me. The recipe sat on the counter for a couple days and then got put away.

A few weeks ago I was in the mood for fudge or something of that consistency. I got on Pinterest and looked at my Dessert Inspiration Board, (a board full of dessert ideas that I want to try to healthify) which is the board with the most pins, go figure!!! I had pinned, not once, but twice this picture of these no-bake chocolate drop cookies. It was almost the exact same recipe as the one I just spoke of! Into the kitchen I went...and out I came 5 lbs heavier...at least I felt like that! Needless to say, I loved these and have made them a couple more times since.

These have become my go to sweet treat, they have replaced my daily serving of one of my dairy free ice creams up until now. These are delicious and full of healthy fats from butter (optional), coconut oil and almonds. I make mine with a natural sugar alternative, Swerve (erythritol), so they are sugar free as well! I love using Swerve in my recipes!!! It is basically fermented glucose so the sugars have been removed. For those of you that eat fermented foods, such as kraut, kombucha, etc, same concept in terms of the sugar being removed. Erythritol also naturally occurs in many fruits and vegetables like melons, grapes, asparagus as well as fermented foods. It does not affect blood glucose levels and will not upset your stomach. I love it and use it for all of my recipes that call for granulated sugar (I use palm sugar here and there to get a brown sugar, caramel taste at times). Swerve now has a confectioners sugar (powdered sugar) that I am going to try for some holiday baking. I have used Wholesome Sweeteners erythritol in the past and its great, but I think this is better! The Whole Foods at Southglenn, for you locals, sells it, but the best price is on the Swerve website. If you buy 3 packages, you save on the product and get free shipping! Stick around for some more news on Swerve, I just found out they are offering another deal for holiday baking, buy 2 packages of Confectioner (powdered) Swerve get on e free!!!!!! This is a great deal and can also be found at their website the month of November or simply click here!!!

Recipe: Chocolate Drop Cookies

Ingredients

1/4 cup non-dairy milk (I used So Delicious no sugar vanilla coconut milk)
1/4 cup grassfed butter or virgin coconut oil (I used a combo of both. I prefer virgin oil over expeller pressed oil so that you get more coconut tones)
3/4-1 cup granulated sweetener (I used 1 cup of Swerve, Start with less palm sugar)
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 3/4 cup shredded coconut
3/4 cup almond butter*
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
dash of sea salt

Instructions

In a medium size sauce pan, combine the butter/oil, cocoa, sugar and milk
Bring to a boil, let boil for 1-2 minutes
Remove from heat and add in the almond butter, coconut, vanilla and salt. Stir until combined
Place spoonfuls of the mixture on parchment lined cookie sheet or plates
Place in the freezer to for 30 minutes to set
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator

Variations

*Any nut or seed butter would work here. You could also try coconut butter, but I am not sure I would do 3/4 cup, so start with less, the cookies will still turn out. The original recipe calls for peanut butter. Feel free to use it, but I would start with 1/2 cup. Almond butter isn't as pronounced as peanut butter in taste, therefore I used more of it than the original recipe called for (original called for peanut butter).

If you want to try Swerve or need to order more, use coupon code KATE10 for a 10% discount. Swerve is my favorite sugar replacement. It is the only sugar alcohol that will not cause tummy troubles and it does not raise blood glucose levels.

Pumpkin Butter Truffles

October 29, 2012 Kate

Have you tried my Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls (almond butter option), if you haven't, you really should!! There is even added protein in the recipe to make them that much better! This Pumpkin Truffle recipe is similar and perfect for a fall chocolate fix! I don't think I have ever enjoyed or made a pumpkin recipe with chocolate, but I have to say, I like these two hanging out together!!

The inside, what I am calling the pumpkin butter, was scrumptious on it's own. Feel free to skip the chocolate altogether and use it as a spread or dip. Another option, if you want to leave out the chocolate, (I think you're crazy) is to roll the balls in coconut instead of dipping them. Lots of variations here!!!

Recipe: Pumpkin Butter Truffles

Ingredients

1/2 cup pumpkin
1/2 cup almond butter
2-3 tbsp maple syrup
1/4 cup vanilla protein powder (Optional, add 1/4 cup more flour to replace. I used Jay Robb's Vanilla Egg White Protein )
1/2 cup almond flour
1 tbsp lucuma powder (optional, adds maple flavor)
3/4-1 tsp pumpkin spice
1/4 tsp cinnamon
dash or two of sea salt (omit if using salted nut butter)

Chocolate:

1/3 cup dark chocolate chip
1 tbsp cacao butter or coconut oil

Instructions

Combine the pumpkin, almond butter, syrup and oil in a bowl
In a different mixing bowl, combine the flour, protein powder, lucuma, spices and salt
Add the wet to the dry and mix well
Place the mixture in the freezer for a couple hours until it has hardened a bit and can be formed into balls
Once mixture is hard enough to handle, form inch in diameter size balls and place them on a cookie sheet or plate lined with parchment and place back in the freezer for 30 minutes
While those are in the freezer, add the chocolate chips and cacao butter/oil to a small mixing bowl that has been placed over a small pan of boiling water. This is to get the chocolate to melt without burning it. Once water is boiling, turn down to a simmer
With a spoon or a toothpick, place each ball into the chocolate and coat
Return each truffle back to the parchment paper and put back in the freezer to let the chocolate set, about 15 minutes
Store in the refrigerator or freezer

Quick notes

*Any nut or seed butter would work here. Coconut butter would be an option as well.

*I used a Xylitol Maple Syrup for less sugar, so I added a couple teaspoons of Swerve (my favorite all natural sweetener).

Variations

If you prefer to roll these in shredded coconut, once you form the balls, they should be soft enough and sticky to roll at that time. I would throw them back in the freezer to set for about 30 minutes. Store these in the refrigerator or freezer as well.

Let me know what other combinations you guys try!

Grain Free Pumpkin Spice Granola

September 21, 2012 Kate

Happy Fall!! Tomorrow is the first day of fall so bring on the pumpkin!

I think one of the biggest concerns for people going grain free is, "what will I eat for breakfast?" We have been so trained to eat cereals, toast, pancakes and waffles with an occasional egg for breakfast, carbs and more carbs! If you are missing your morning cereal, here's the solution! This granola recipe along with my other granola recipes (Banana Nut Granola and Almond Nut Joy Granola) are the perfect high fat and moderate protein breakfast! Enjoy them with unsweetened almond or coconut milk or on top of greek yogurt, if you tolerate dairy or just plain.

If you would prefer to make soft cookies out of this recipe as opposed to crunchy granola, that is an option. I personally like the granola best for the crunch, the cookies are soft and I prefer my nuts crunchy. Dehydration is recommended but certainly not required. If you have been thinking of getting a dehydrator, the one I have is very reasonable and so worth it! I have quite a few recipes that I use it for including, beef jerky, cookies and crackers. So if you have been contemplating, get it!!!

Grain Free Pumpkin Spiced Granola

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups raw nuts, chopped (I used almonds, pecans and walnuts)
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
3/4 cup coconut chips (optional, replace with nuts or it may be too soupy)
2/3 cup almond flour
1/4 cup vanilla protein powder (optional or add more flour. I usedJay Robb’s Vanilla Egg White Protein)
1 tsp lucuma (optional)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup maple syrup, honey or coconut nectar*
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/8 cup almond butter
11/2 -2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
couple dashes of sea salt

Instructions

Combine the chopped nuts, seeds, coconut, protein powder, almond flour, lucuma and all the spices and salt in a bowl and mix well
In a separate bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, almond butter, liquid sweetener and vanilla
Combine the two bowls and stir until all the dry ingredients are coated
Place on dehydrator sheets in clumps and dehydrate at 145 for 2 hours, then turn down to 115 until desired crunch is obtained. I left it in there for 24 hrs.
For oven method, place on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake at 175-200 until desired crunch is obtained. Stir every so often to cook evenly

Quick notes

* I used Xylitol Maple Syrup which is far less sweet than regular syrup and honey. I added 1/4 cup of erythritol as well. If you want it sweeter, make sure to add a granulated sweetener, not more liquid. It will make the granola too soupy.

Variations

If you prefer a soft cookie instead of crunchy granola, spoon out the “dough” onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake at 200 for 2 hours

Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

May 14, 2012 Kate

I just read that tomorrow is National Chocolate Chip Day. So in honor of this very important day, I thought this was the perfect opportunity to post my Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe. For about a week now, there has been a bottomless jar of cookies on the counter. I made this recipe so many times and so many different ways until I got what I wanted! It's a horrible thing to have to keep taste testing cookies until you get the recipe perfected...especially cookies that have chocolate chips in them!

Here's a couple of the things I learned. I wanted a crisp but moist in the middle cookie and thought I could achieve that with the combination of butter or coconut oil combined with palm shortening. I originally tried this with eggs and decided it was too cake like and that the shortening should be sufficient to hold it together. When I tried it without the eggs, it seemed too oily and just not almond buttery enough. Throughout this process I was using a combination of granulated sugar (lakanto) and honey (I was using the Xylitol honey from Nature's Hollow) and this was adding to the problem of undercooked cookies on the inside. I finally realized the answer, get rid of the honey and use all "dry" sweeteners.

The other problem was the cookies weren't spreading at all once I increased the almond butter. This should not have been happening since I was using mostly butter and a bit of shortening. I decided to eliminate the shortening since I certainly didn't need to keep the cookies from spreading too much. There is something to baking with fats and the amount of saturated to unsaturated fats you use matters and affects the outcome. With a crispy, chewy cookie in mind, I needed to reduce some saturated fat(butter, coconut oil or shortening). The end result was well worth the wait!!

Recipe: Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients
2 cups Honeyville Almond Flour
1/2 tsp sea salt (omit if almond butter has sea salt in it)
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp grass-fed butter (Kerrygold) or coconut oil, softened* (I used butter)
1 egg
1/2 cup almond butter*
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 -1/2 cup coconut palm sugar (I used half Swerve and half palm sugar)*
1/3 cup dark chocolate chips or chunks

Instructions
Combine the flour, salt and soda and set aside
Cream the egg, almond butter, butter or oil and sugar. Add in the vanilla and mix well
Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix well
Fold in the chocolate chips
Using a cookie scoop or your hands, place balls of dough onto a parchment lined cookie sheet
Press each dough ball down with the palm of your hand
Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until brown
Let cool and store in an air tight container
Makes about 18 cookies

Quick notes
*I prefer fresh grind almond butter. If using jarred, stir well or pour off the oil.
*Do not completely melt the butter or oil, this will create very oily cookie dough. They will be fine once they cook, but dough will seem too wet.
*You can certainly try making these with part honey, just realize they will be dough like in the middle.

Many peanut butter cookies are flourless so they really taste like peanut butter. I wasn't trying to replicate that idea with almond butter. I wanted to use the almond butter for added flavor. You probably wouldn't even know its in these since the base is almond flour. Feel free to try peanut butter instead, it may be more noticeable in this recipe and who doesn't love chocolate and peanut butter together!

Double Chocolate Gooey Brownies

February 4, 2012 David

Enough said! Let's just get right to the recipe!!

But first, I want to talk about honey, raw honey. I should specify that I use raw honey in my recipes for the health benefits it provides. Raw honey is not only an anti-bacterial, anti--viral and anti-fungal substance, but it also contains many phytonutrients. When raw honey is extensively processed and heated, the benefits of these phytonutrients are largely eliminated. Make sure to always buy raw.

When my recipes call for honey, I use raw honey unless I want to go lower on the amount of sugar in a recipe. When that's the case, I use Nature's Hollow Honey that is sweetened with Xylitol. Xylitol is a safe natural sweetener made from birch trees. Xylitol is not only safe, but it's also good for teeth and stabilizes blood sugar levels without the bad side effects of sugar and artificial substitutes.

Another benefit besides being a great sweetener, Xylitol can activate the glutathonie pathway in the body. Glutathonie is one of the bodies most powerful antioxidants. Red blood cells take up xylitol quickly and fight free radical damage.

The recipe will be delicious regardless of what honey you choose to use. I find that Nature's Hollow is not as sweet as raw honey so you may need to adjust the amount a tiny bit. As with any recipe and sweetener, I add less than what's called for and taste it before adding the full amount.

Recipe: Double Chocolate Gooey Brownies

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups roasted almond butter
1/2 cup almond flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
1 cup dark chocolate chips, divided in half (Use Enjoy Life Brand for dairy free)
1/2 cup honey
1 egg
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt

Instructions
In a double boiler or in a pan over simmering water, melt 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips with the almond butter
In a small mixing bowl, mix the almond flour, baking soda and salt and set aside
In a large bowl whisk the egg, add the melted mixture, vanilla and honey
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix well
Fold in the additional 1/2 cup chocolate chips
Pour the mixture into a greased 8x8 glass pan for thick gooey brownies or into a larger glass pan for thinner brownies
Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes for the 8x8. A larger pan will take less time

Variations
Any nut butter will work in this recipe. I used Whole Foods fresh grind almond butter. You could add chopped nuts to this if you desire, fold in with the additional chocolate chips.

I love under cooked gooey brownies and that is exactly what you get with this recipe! I have not tried using anything larger than an 8x8 pan. Please let us know if you do and if they are still as gooey!

Welcome to Kate's Healthy Cupboard! A place for healthy, grain free recipes, some low carb recipes, safe beauty and products for the home and more...

>> CONNECT WITH KATE <<

>> SUBSCRIBE <<

>> SEARCH RECIPES <<