Blueberry Crisp (Paleo)

I decided to mix things up this weekend by bringing a paleo dessert to a friend's house instead of my usual baked goods.  It was the perfect treat after a nice barbecue dinner.  To make it completely paleo, I suggest a nice scoop of almond ice cream or coconut milk ice cream on top.  We went 50% paleo and enjoyed it with some sugar free vanilla ice cream.

Blueberry Crisp (Paleo)
Adapted from Paleo Desserts: 125 Delicious
6-8 servings

Ingredients:
11 oz container of fresh or frozen blueberries
zest of 1 lemon
1 cup of almond meal
1/2 cup of finely chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)
1/2 cup of unsweetened shredded coconut
1 tsp of cinnamon
1/8 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of vanilla
2 tablespoons of honey
1 tablespoon of coconut oil, melted

Directions:
Step 1: Grease a 8x8 baking dish with coconut oil.  Toss blueberries with the lemon zest.

Step 2: In a medium bowl, stir together the  dry ingredients - almond meal, nuts, shredded coconut, cinnamon and salt.

Step 3: Stir in the vanilla extract, honey, and melted coconut oil.  Add more or less coconut oil based on how dry or wet the mixture looks.

Step 4: Sprinkle the wet mixture on top of the blueberries.  Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350F or until bubbly and golden brown on top.

Serve warm or cold.  Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Double Chocolate Banana Cake Cookies (Paleo)

After researching a quick and easy paleo friendly tart for Mother's Day, I became curious on what other paleo desserts I could find out there.  Being on a paleo diet lifestyle doesn't mean you would have to say good bye to baked goods.  There are quite a few paleo friendly substitutions - almond meal and shredded coconut can be substituted for flour; bananas and applesauces can be substituted for oils; coconut oil can be substituted for butter; almond milk and coconut milk can be substituted for dairy, and honey and agave can be substituted for sugars.

I found this blog, Multiply Delicious, through I Am Baker which features a lot of amazing paleo friendly recipes; including desserts.  Because I had all of the required ingredients on hand, this was easy to whip together.  It had the perfect cake cookie texture for those missing it. Because it was made mostly of bananas, I found it acceptable to eat for breakfast.

Double Chocolate Banana Cake Cookies (Paleo)
from Multiply Delicious
Makes 10-12 cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup mashed bananas, (about 2 bananas)
2 tablespoon almond butter
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups almond flour
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat.

Using a food processor, puree the banana.  Add almond butter, cocoa powder, vanilla, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; continue to pulse until well combined.  Add the almond flour and continue to pulse until everything is incorporated.

Remove the blade and stir in the chocolate chips by hand.

Using a cookie scoop, scoop the batter on to the prepared baking sheet.

Bake cookies for 12-15 minutes or until the cookie looks dry.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Peach Tart - Coconut Almond Crust (Paleo)

It was Mother's Day weekend and we all know around here that celebrations require dessert.  With just a week through my 30-day Paleo challenge, I didn't want to have to restart after a sugar binge; so, after some Internet research, I came across this coconut almond crust which would work perfectly with some fresh fruit piled on top and a dollop of almond milk ice cream.

To keep it paleo friendly, I tossed the sliced peaches with nothing more than a few tablespoons of honey and a couple dashes of cinnamon.



The crust was absolutely my favorite part of the dessert.  I imagine that it would be delicious as a bar cookie as well.

Coconut Almond Crust (Paleo)
from Eat The Cookie
Makes 1 8 or 9-inch tart crust

Ingredients:

1/4 cup coconut oil

3 tbsp honey

1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1 cup almond meal

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp almond extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F.
In a medium bowl, combine the shredded coconut and almond meal.

Melt coconut oil with honey over low heat, whisking well to combine. Stir in extracts and remove from heat.

Pour the warm liquid over the dry ingredients; stir together until well combined.

Press into a 8″ or 9″ tart pan.
Bake for 8-10 minutes or until evenly browned.
Cool completely on a wire rack before filling.  Serve immediately upon filling as fruit juices will make the crust soggy.