Low Carb Samoas

These cookies are a must! Our friend, Abby, first suggested this recipe and I was a bit skeptical. It's not that I doubt her talent because she's a wonderful cook, but I have a very soft spot for these decadent treats. In fact, I'm glad they're only sold in January because it helps me get excited when they're around and then {almost} forget them when they're not around. You can try these low carb cookies as the recipe is laid out with erithrytol or substitute coconut sugar or maple syrup for a paleo version.
(yields approximately 26 cookies)

Ingredients:
Cookie:

• 1 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup erithrytol
• 2 cups almond flour
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 1/2 tbsp coconut flour

“Caramel”:

• 1/2 cup nikki’s cookie butter
• 4 tbsp canned coconut cream
• 1/2 cup cashew butter
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

Chocolate drizzle:

• 1 cup nikki’s chocolate fudge
• 3 tbsp cocoa powder 

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees
2. Mix coconut oil, vanilla, and erithrytol until combined 
3. Add in coconut flour and almond flour, stir until combined
4. Cover counter top or baking sheet with parchment paper, then remove dough and roll/or flatten with hands until about 1 inch thick
5. Use the top of a glass to cut circles in the dough then use a smaller circle (such as the lid of vanilla extract) to cut out the center
6. Carefully use a spatula to pick up each cookie, remove center circle and place them on a separate baking sheet with parchment paper
7. Place remaining dough back into the bowl and continue this process until dough is gone
8. Bake cookies for about 12 minutes or until edges start to brown
9. Once cooled, place in the freezer for at least 5 minutes to set
10. For the caramel layer, make sure all ingredients are room temperature then combine
11. Dip each cookie in the caramel layer on both sides, then repeat with the shredded coconut, then place back on the parchment paper
12. Once all cookies are dipped, freeze again for at least 5 minutes
13. Take 1 cup of Nikki’s chocolate fudge coconut butter microwave or heat on stovetop and mix in 3 tbsp of cocoa powder
14. Dip bottom half of cookie in chocolate mixture
15. Take the extra chocolate and drizzle on the top of the cookies
16. Freeze for 10 more minutes to set

Recipe and pictures by Abby of @abbyskitchen on Instagram.

Berry Galette

Strawberry season is my favorite! I love snacking on them fresh and incorporating them into salads and sweets! They have a burst of flavor that makes them wonderful in many recipes, but I especially like them in this berry galette. Mixed with some fresh blueberries, this is a wonderful twist on a berry pie! 

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup almond flour
• 1 cup + 2 tbsp tapioca flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp maple/coconut sugar
• 3.5 tbsp Nikkis Vanilla Cake Batter Coconut Butter (slightly cold but solid)
• 3 tbsp grass-fed butter, cold
• 1 egg
• 1-2 tbsp cold water
• 1 - 2 cups chopped berries
• lemon juice
• honey or maple syrup

Preparation:

1. In a food processor, combine the almond flour, tapioca, salt, sugar, coconut butter, and butter. Pulse until it resembles sand/crumbs. Add the egg, pulse to combine. Pulse in 1 tbsp of water at a time until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the food processor. 
2. Remove dough and place on a sheet of plastic wrap. Knead in remaining 2 tbsp tapioca flour. Divide into two even portions. Wrap with plastic wrap and flatten to a disk. Let the dough chill in the fridge for at least an hour. 
3. Toss together the berries, lemon juice and honey/maple syrup to taste. Set aside
4. Preheat oven to 400F. Remove dough from plastic wrap and flour surface with a little tapioca flour. Dough will soften pretty quickly, so work fast to roll out dough. Roll dough out to about 3/8" thick (thinner the better, dough will crisp up better).
5. Add the berries in the center of the dough and fold up the edges. Brush sides of egg wash (optional) and sprinkle with a little granulated maple/coconut sugar. Bake for 20 minutes at 400F or until edges have become slightly golden and berries are soft and juicy. 

Recipe and pictures by Denise of @denimelon on Instagram.

Chocolate Coconut Butter Stuffed Dates

We love making these dates for gatherings and over the holidays! With all the sweets and decadent foods served, it's nice to have a sweet treat that isn't filled with bad ingredients and will still please the not-so-healthy guests. Another aspect we love about this one is that you can easily make it ahead and store in the fridge- the dates hold up really well.

This recipe was created by our friend, Ashley of @fitmittenkitchen and she uses our  Cashew Cookie Butter, although the recipe works really well with our Vanilla Cake Batter too or Dark Chocolate Fudge for an extra chocolatey treat! 

Ingredients:

12 large medjool dates

Nikki's Cashew Cookie Coconut Butter (about 3-4 TBS total)

1/4 cup dairy-free chocolate chips + 1 tsp coconut oil, melted

Notes: store these treats in airtight container in fridge, up to 2 weeks. Double recipe to bring as a healthy treat to a dinner party :-)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Dip

Okay, truthfully, that was a really long title, but all of those words just HAD to be in there. We made this dip for a Halloween party with gluten free graham crackers and apple slices and it was great, but it could be great for any gathering or potluck! Our friends loved it and people were happy to indulge in a dip that was Paleo friendly* and still felt like  a dessert! It had a nice mousse-like texture which paired great with the crunchiness of the apples and graham crackers. *I should add, this is paleo friendly and NOT strict paleo since it has cream cheese.

Ingredients:

1/4 Cup Pumpkin Spiced Donut Coconut Butter

8 oz package of full fat cream cheese

1/4 Cup Maple Syrup

6 oz mini chocolate chips (We like Enjoy Life)

Directions:

Mix softened cream cheese and warmed coconut butter in a medium sized bowl with beaters or a mixer until well blended.

Add maple syrup and mix well until texture is like a mousse.

Fold in chocolate chips.

Serve with apple slices and/or graham crackers and enjoy right away or refrigerate for later!

Pumpkin Cookie Dough Balls

For Halloween every year we search through Pinterest for some crazy/scary treats that we can make to bring to parties. Most of the time, it involves lots of sugary stuff and our Paleo/Gluten free lifestyle goes out the window. This year we decided to keep it clean and create something fun that we could happily enjoy and not feel guilty afterwards. The great thing about these cookie dough bites is that they're very easy and quick to make and you can enjoy them as an after school snack or bring them as a sweet to parties or potlucks!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup Pumpkin Spiced Donut coconut butter
• 1/3 Cup Almond butter
• Up to 1/4 Cup Almond flour
• 1/4 Cup Maple Syrup
• 1/2 Cup Dark Chocolate Chips or Cacao Nibs (or you can use a mix of both!) 

Preparation:

1. In a medium sized bowl mix coconut butter and almond butter until well combined. 
2. Add maple syrup and mix well. 
3. As you mix slowly, add almond flour little by little until you have a 'play dough' texture. Depending on the consistency of the almond butter and coconut butter that could be a couple of tbs or it could be up to 1/4 Cup. 
4. Fold in Chocolate chips.
5. On a baking sheet with a parchment sheet place scoops of 'cookie dough'. If you have a small cookie scoop this step is really fast, but you can also roll them up into little balls and place them on the parchment sheet. 

Refrigerate for later or enjoy right away!