“Oatmeal Creme” Pies (grain-free!)
Oh how I wish I could claim this recipe as my own. These are just delightful (and dangerous)! I made a double-batch last night…and I’m afraid they aren’t going to last the rest of today! This recipe comes to us from The Urban Poser. Go check out her blog and fabulous photos of these cookies! The base of this cookie recipe is very similar to my Almond Butter Dark Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. I will note the few minor changes I made to the recipe, but the original recipe is fabulous the way it is! Enjoy these and try not to eat too many!
“Oatmeal Creme” Pies (grain-free, egg-free, dairy-free and no refined sugars!)
Cookie Ingredients:
Cookie Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix all the cookie ingredients together in a large bowl. Allow to set a few minutes so that the chia will bind the batter.
3. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Drop spoonfuls of dough unto the the paper. (I made mine small…so I could make LOTS of oatmeal cream pies…you can also make them big and have giant ones.)
4. Bake cookies in preheated oven for 8-12 minutes (or until lightly browned on top).
5. Remove cookies from oven and press down gently with a small piece of parchment paper to flatten (be careful not to push too hard to break the cookies).
6. Cool completely.
Marshmallow Creme* Ingredients:
1 cup water (split in half)
1 cup raw honey (I made one batch with 2/3 cup honey and another batch with 1/2 cup honey–both worked well for me!)
1 Tbsp. gelatin (I did 1 packet of gelatin which is a bit less than 1 Tbsp.)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
pinch of salt
*NOTE: This makes a lot of marshmallow cream–I made a double batch of cookies last night with a single batch of marshmallow creme only using 1/2 cup honey and had a lot leftover. I just poured the extra into a parchment paper-lined pan and plan on cutting it up into marshmallows to make Rocky Road Brownies.
Marshmallow Creme Directions:
1. Put 1/2 cup water and gelatin in a large bowl. Set aside.
2. Put the other 1/2 cup water, honey, vanilla and salt in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat.
3. When the mixture begins to boil, insert a candy thermometer.
4. Continue to boil until mixture reaches 240 degrees (which is soft-ball stage).
5. Remove mixture from stove and slowly pour into bowl with gelatin. Mix on high with wire whisk attachment on a stand mixer. (I used a hand mixer with a whisk attachment and it worked great.)
6. Mix until the mixture becomes thick like marshmallow creme. (This could take up to 10 minutes.)
7. Spread creme on bottom-side of a cookie as thick as you like. Top it off with another cookie to make a “sandwich”. DEVOUR AND ENJOY!
I made these last night and the picture was taken this morning. I found they are just as good the next day! You can read Urban Poser’s notes and her original recipe here. Thank you, for this great recipe!
This was shared at Allergy Free Wednesdays, Pennywise Platter and Fight Back Fridays!
Where I Buy Ingredients…and Information on Coconut Oil
I have often received emails with questions on where I buy my ingredients. Hopefully this post will help answer those questions. I love sales, especially the clearance racks and watch for food items to go on sale. I don’t like to spend a lot of money on things. When we switched to Paleo, it almost killed me to pay $8.00 for a pound of coconut flour and some exorbitant amount for a small jar of coconut oil. I absolutely refused to even try almond flour as it was well over $10 a pound. And then there is raw honey–which is another not-so-cheap ingredient in unrefined baking. It was clear I was going to have to do something different than buying all these things at the health food store.
To begin with, we belong to a co-op called Azure Standard. I am not positive, but I think that they deliver all over the country. There are requirements for how much is ordered in the group (around $500) and individually you need to spend $50 or more in order for them to send the shipment. They sell a lot of items in bulk and their prices are typically fantastic. These are some of the things I order from Azure Standard and the approximate price I pay (but prices change all the time).
Azure Standard Products
-Bob’s Red Mill Almond Flour ($22.00 for a 5 pound bag = $4.40/lb.)
-Coconut Secret Coconut Flour ($24.00 for a 5 pound bag =$4.80/lb.)
-Organic, Unsweetened Shredded Coconut ($15.00 for a 5 pound bag = $3.00/lb.)
-Thai Organic Coconut Milk (canned) ($27.50 for 12 – 14 oz. cans = $2.29/can)
-Coconut Secret Raw, Organic Coconut Aminos (I use this as a soy sauce substitute) ($4.50 for 8 oz.)
-Earth Circle Organics Raw Cacao Powder (raw cacao is much more beneficial to you than cocoa) ($12.00/lb.)
-Cashews, Raw, Small Pieces (in most of my cooking I chop them up so this works for me) ($20 for a 5 pound bag = $4.00/lb.)
-Cashews, Raw, Whole ($40.00 for a 5 pound bag = $8.00/lb.)
-Sunflower Seeds, Raw, Organic ($10 for a 5 pound bag = $2.00/lb.)
I also buy a lot of things at Costco. If you have one of those close to you, you might be surprised how much they carry that you can eat. There is a yearly membership fee like Sam’s Club, but we find for our family it is definitely worth it. Costco product selection varies from store to store, so no guarantees your store will carry these things.
Costco Products
-Almonds (unsalted, unroasted) ($10 for a 3 pound bag = $3.33/lb.)
-Sunmaid Organic Raisins ($8.00 for 2 pounds = $4.00/lb.)
-Walnuts (unsalted, unroasted) ($15.00 for 5 pounds = $3.00/lb.)
-Organic Fuji Apples (price changes depending on the season but is usually around $1.50/lb.)
-Organic Baby Spinach (couple bucks for a big, 1 pound container)
-Bananas (price varies, but cheaper than our grocery stores)
-Vanilla (16 ounces for appr. $6.00)
-Maranatha Roasted Almond Butter, Smooth (26 ounce jar for appr. $6.00)
-Butter (currently $8.00 for 4 pounds = $2.00/lb. — pastured, organic butter would be much better for you though)
-Eggs (currently $8.00 for 5 dozen = $1.60/dozen — again, farm fresh organic would be better for you)
-Kirkland Maple Syrup (pure, Grade A) (32 ounces for appr. $14.00)
Coconut Oil Info
Most of the ingredients I buy come from one of the two places mentioned above. Coconut oil, however, has been an interesting research project and trial. I first started with a small jar that was really expensive from our local grocery store. Then, I went in with a few other ladies on a 5 gallon bucket from some company that we split (but was inconvenient for the lady who received it to try and divide it evenly). Then, I ordered 1 gallon from a company that Azure Standard sells. It didn’t have a lot of information on it, but said it was raw, cold-pressed and organic so I thought it must be good. At this time I started to learn about what to look for in a coconut oil. This [lengthy] article on coconut oil by Dr. Mercola states the things you should look for when choosing a coconut oil. In a nutshell, these are the things to look for:
1. USDA Certified
2. Unrefined
3. No chemicals added
4. Unbleached
5. Undeodorized
6. Not hydrogenated
7. Not GMO (genetically modified) or hybrid coconuts
8. Made from FRESH coconuts, not dried coconuts (used in cheap coconut oils)
9. Not processed with heat
Mercola’s website sells a good brand for $65.45 a gallon (currently the sale price), Tropical Traditions also has a good coconut oil for $65.00 a gallon (currently, through March 15th), and then there is the brand that I use: Nutiva–which is currently selling their organic, extra-virgin coconut oil at $59.99 a gallon (this also is on sale). Since I ordered my first gallon of Organic, Extra-Virgin Nutiva Coconut Oil, the price has increased slightly, but the “one-gallon price” has always been on sale. That is not to say that it will always be on sale, but I liked that it wasn’t just a “one-week deal” or anything.
Nutiva also offers FREE shipping on orders over $30.00, so if you like to buy in bulk like me, that just tops off the cake! I became an affiliate of their company soon afterwards because I love their coconut oil and love their prices! Their coconut oil meets Dr. Mercola’s standards and their price is even cheaper than Azure Standard sells Nutiva Coconut Oil for (surprisingly!) So, if you do decide to order from Nutiva, I’d love it if you wanted to go through my link. I do get a small compensation from Nutiva if you do decide to order through my link.
Just a little more on coconut oil…when I mentioned before that I had bought a brand of coconut oil that was raw, cold-pressed and organic…it was, but I found out after calling the company that it came from dried copra instead of fresh coconuts. The next coconut oil I ordered was Nutiva. When I received it, I could actually smell a difference between the two. The Nutiva brand smelled fresher to me! (Granted, I do have a super-strong nose…and it is even more sensitive being pregnant…)
Raw Honey
It is very beneficial to your health if you can find local, raw honey. I have heard that it helps with allergies other things if you can buy locally. This may take some research for you to find. If you do find a good supplier though, it is well-worth it. Raw honey can range anywhere from $2.00 a pound (the cheapest I’ve ever seen it) up to $5.00 a pound (and probably higher)! I buy honey in one gallon containers to save money.
Grass-Fed Beef
Grass-Fed Beef is a great thing to find locally. We found someone who raises his beef grass-fed and doesn’t use hormones or antibiotics on them. It is basically organic without being “certified” which costs farmers an arm and a leg to do so. If you can afford to buy 1/2 beef, that is probably going to be your best price. We split a half-beef between 3 families…and I don’t think it will last our family too long…
Other Products
I buy produce when it is on sale at our grocery store or at Costco. Our Costco carries a lot of organic produce which is fantastic! And I actually buy sweet potatoes and yams )non-organic) at Wal-Mart…they are almost half of the price of our grocery stores. I buy Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate Chips at Wal-Mart as well.
Hopefully this information has been helpful to you. If you don’t have a Costco or something similar nearby that you can buy in bulk from, check around to see what is close to you. I’ve heard that “Whole Foods” is a great store to buy organic products, but we do not have one here. Let me know if you have further questions or suggestions to other places that you buy your ingredients!
No-Bake Cookies (Paleo)
No-bake cookies are a quick and easy dessert usually consisting of oatmeal and refined sugar. This recipe uses coconut as the “main” ingredient and uses honey instead of granulated sugar. The cookies don’t set-up quite as fast as traditional no-bakes, but are still a tasty treat!
N0-Bake Cookies
Ingredients:
1/3 cup honey (you can probably reduce the amount of honey even more)
1 1/2 Tbsp. cocoa
1/3 cup coconut oil or butter
1/3 cup almond butter
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups dried, unsweetened coconut
Directions:
1. Put honey, cocoa, and coconut oil (or butter) in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
2. Bring mixture to a boil. Boil for 1 minute and immediately remove from heat.
3. Stir in the almond butter and vanilla until it is incorporated.
4. Stir in coconut.
5. Scoop by spoonfuls unto wax paper or parchment paper and put in the fridge until hardened and set.
*Store at room temperature or the fridge. I prefer the texture of the cookies out of the fridge.
Almond Butter Cookie Cups
Finally! A recipe I am going to put in the “Christmas Goodies” category! So…these are bit time-consuming, as so many things are with paleo if you are going to try to avoid refined sugars and such–but, we voted the end result was worth it! They are messy as the chocolate doesn’t seem to harden up like typical “candy”, but still tasty. Basically, I’ve combined my Almond Butter Dark Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe with the Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cups recipe, made a few minor changes and this is the end result.
Almond Butter Cookie Cups
Ingredients:
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp. honey
2 tsp. coconut oil
2/3 cup almond butter
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. arrowroot
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup almond butter
1/3 cup honey
1 egg
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 Tbsp. flaxseed meal
2/3 cup unsweetened coconut
Directions:
*Disclaimer: I have two different sized “mini-muffin pans”. I used the smaller of the two for the candy cups and the bigger of the two for the cookies so the cups would fit in them…I have not figured out a good way to do this if you don’t have two different sized pans…sorry.
1. Line [smaller] mini-muffin pan with 24 mini-muffin paper liners.
2. Melt unsweetened chocolate, honey and coconut oil in a double-boiler over low heat.
3. Using a spoon or pastry brush, coat bottom (and sides if you can) of paper liners with melted chocolate. Place pan in fridge.
4. Combine 2/3 cup almond butter, 1/4 tsp. salt, 2 Tbsp. honey, 2 Tbsp. arrowroot and 1 tsp. vanilla in a small bowl.
5. Once chocolate has hardened, spoon almond butter mixture over the bottom of each cup.
6. Top with more of the melted chocolate. Place pan back in fridge to harden. Once hardened, remove cups from pan and remove papers from candies. Place candies in fridge or freezer until cookies are ready.
7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
8. Combine last section of ingredients and mix well. Scoop dough evenly among 24 greased [larger mini-muffin pan] cups.
9. Bake in preheated oven for 7-9 minutes or until edges are starting to brown.
10. Remove pan from oven and immediately press one chocolate almond butter cup into each cookie (press down). Let cool completely in pan, remove from pan and enjoy!
*Notes: The chocolate doesn’t seem to harden up like a typical candy. If you use my other recipe for Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cups using dark chocolate chips, it should harden up more in the fridge. I was trying to figure out a way to make a chocolate that didn’t contain soy lecithin and refined sugar…hence the unsweetened chocolate. Let me know which way you try and if you like it!
Raisin Nut Crunch Cereal
Finally! A cereal-substitute we like that reminds us of cereal!! The recipe I based this one off of is from Civilized Caveman and is found here. Thanks for the great recipe, Civilized Caveman!
Raisin Nut Crunch Cereal
Ingredients:
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
2 Tbsp. squash seeds (or more pumpkin seeds)
1/2 cup almond meal (I used dried almond pulp from making almond milk)
1 1/3 cup coconut
1 cup almonds, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3 Tbsp. coconut oil
1/4 cup raw honey
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup raisins (added after cereal is baked)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Combine all dry ingredients (except raisins).
3. Warm coconut oil and honey slightly so they are easily incorporated. Pour oil, honey and vanilla over dry ingredients. Mix well
4. Spread cereal mixture over large baking pan (15 x 10 or bigger) and bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes. Take out of oven, stir mixture and bake for another 5-7 minutes.
5. Cool. Add raisins and serve with homemade coconut milk or homemade almond milk! Store in an airtight container.
Vanilla Ice Cream (with Coconut Milk)
Oh boy am I ever excited!! I was able to make ice cream the other day using my Homemade Coconut Milk!! I found great recipes on The Nourishing Gourmet website except they use canned coconut milk. I’m willing to bet the texture would be even BETTER if you did use canned coconut milk, but because of the expense, I decided to try my homemade coconut milk in a recipe. The original recipe is here.
Vanilla Ice Cream (with Coconut Milk)
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups homemade coconut milk, chilled
2-4 Tbsp. honey (depending on how sweet you like it)
1 Tbsp. vanilla
Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients together with a wire whisk or hand mixer. (It helps to put some “air” into it.)
2. Pour into ice cream maker and process according to your ice cream maker’s instructions. (I did mine on “low” for 20 minutes.)
3. Eat and enjoy or freeze in a container with a lid.
*Right out of the ice cream maker the texture was great, but did melt fairly quickly. After freezing in the freezer, it hardened up quite a bit, but we were still able to scoop it out (it wasn’t as hard as a rock).
*Serve by itself, with fruit and nuts or on top of Coconut Flour Brownies or Coconut Flour Brownies with Zucchini!
Chocolate Cream Trifle — Unrefined Style
Making a trifle has been on my “recipe to-do list” ever since I heard there were non-dairy alternatives to whipped cream and pudding. Here is my first one!
Chocolate Cream Trifle
1 recipe Coconut Flour Brownies
1 recipe Chocolate Pudding
1 recipe Coconut Whipped Cream
1 cup chopped pecans
Directions:
1. Cut cooled brownies into 1″ chunks. Put 1/3 of the brownie pieces in the bottom of a trifle bowl or serving dish.
2. Put 1/3 of the chocolate pudding on top of the brownies.
3. Put 1/3 of the whipped cream on top of the pudding.
4. Sprinkle 1/3 of the chopped nuts on the whipped cream.
5. Repeat the layers until all ingredients are used! Refrigerate a few hours before serving. Enjoy!
Coconut Whipped Cream (Dairy-Free & Refined Sugar-Free!)
I’ve tried making whipped cream from soaked cashews–not my favorite. Coconut whipped cream on the other hand, is actually really good. You need to use a can of coconut milk and it needs to be regular (not lite).
Coconut Whipped Cream
Ingredients:
1 can of coconut milk (not lite)
1 Tbsp. honey (or sweetener of choice–if desired)
1 tsp. vanilla
Directions:
1. Put can of coconut milk in fridge for a few hours or a day or two. (Do not shake the can.)
2. Do NOT shake can, but open it with can opener.
3. Scoop out top “cream” layer with a spoon into a bowl. (For me it ended up being over half of the can.) Save the liquid at the bottom of the can for something else.
4. Whip the cream until it becomes the consistency of whipped cream. (The first time I made it I actually had to add some of the watery liquid to thin it out a bit.)
5. Add honey and vanilla if using and whip to combine.
Enjoy in Chocolate Cream Trifle, on top of Chocolate Pudding or however you like it!
Homemade Coconut Milk
Here is a recipe for coconut milk using unsweetened, shredded coconut. It worked well in chocolate pudding for the trifle I made today! The original recipe is here. (Once again, Wellness Mama comes to the rescue!) I changed the amounts very slightly.
Homemade Coconut Milk
Yield: 1 3/4 cup
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups hot water
1 cup coconut
sweetener of choice
vanilla
Directions:
1. Heat up water, but do not boil.
2. Blend water and coconut in blender for a 3-4 minutes. WARNING: start with a low speed and hold the cover on tight–two out of three times I’ve made this and had hot water and coconut everywhere starting on high speed…
3. Strain milk mixture through fine mesh strainer and then through a nut bag or cheesecloth.
4. Sweeten if desired and add vanilla if using or leave it plain!
Notes:
*The milk may separate but just shake it well before using. Use within a few days (I’ve read varying ideas on how long it lasts–some say up to a week.)
*To make coconut milk for the pudding (needing 2 cups) the following recipe should work leaving you a bit of extra milk:
3 cups hot water and 1 1/3 cups coconut.
Casharoos — Seed, Fruit & Nut Bars
This recipe for “Casharoos” is inspired by Trio Bars. Costco had samples of these one day and I thought I’d give them a try–they were so tasty!! Unfortunately, they contain rice malt (grain) and evaporated cane juice so I thought I would see if I could find a recipe for them online (plus, I’m too cheap to buy them). I didn’t find a recipe for trio bars, but found a few for fruit and nut bars. I saved a few of them and then ended up creating my own recipe. They have a texture similar to a chewy granola bar. The actual trio bars contain a few more ingredients and have different dried fruits in them. We just use raisins but you could mix it up by using dried blueberries, cherries, cranberries, etc. I also try to use raw nuts and raw honey to make them more nutritious, but that is not necessary.
Casharoos
Ingredients:
1 cup raw cashews
1 cup raw almonds
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup organic raisins
1/3 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
2 Tbsp. sesame seeds
2 Tbsp. flax seeds
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup raw honey
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325F.
2. Coarsely chop cashews and almonds.
3. Mix all dry ingredients together.
4. Add honey and stir to coat.
5. Line a 9X13 pan with parchment paper.
6. Pour mixture unto pan and spread out evenly with a rubber or silicone spatula.
7. Bake at 325 for 17-22 minutes. Place pan on cooling rack and let cool for 30 minutes or more. Lift the sides of the parchment paper to take the bars out. Cut bars into desired shapes and let cool completely. Bars will be soft at first but will become a chewy granola bar texture when cooled. Enjoy!
*I use raw nuts and raw honey because they are more nutritious. You can use regular honey and nuts (roasted/salted) though you may want to cut out the salt if you are using salted nuts.
*You can grease the pan instead of using parchment paper, but it is MUCH easier to get the bars out using parchment paper.
*If you don’t have all the ingredients, substitute more of another ingredient or put in something else completely!