Chocolate Hazelnut Spread aka Healthy Nutella

I am finally getting over 2 1/2 weeks of the “crud” going around, and the lingering cold has really put a dent in my cooking. Besides soups and on-the-go meals from our local health food store, I haven’t been inventive in many meals. However, this chocolate hazelnut spread pulled me out of the slump…it’s creamy, chocolately goodness and rich, nutty flavor made my taste buds sing and I knew I was on the track to recovery.

Oh, the healing powers of chocolate! But please, if you think that’s a bunch of bologna, I’d rather you keep it to yourself so I can keep on indulging

I’m quite comfortable with making homemade nut butters (ie. nut butter madness post), yet it’s been a while since I posted a new flavor combination. I also realized I’ve never posted a chocolate nut butter….what???? It’s about time!

Hazelnuts + chocolate are a lovely combination…does Nutella ring a bell? I try and stay away from those processed ingredients and partially hydrogenated oils in actual Nutella, so why not whip up a batch of my own? Plus…homemade always tastes better. I won’t say it tastes exactly the same as Nutella but why would it when you are using real and healthy ingredients?

One word — deliciousness!

Chocolate Hazelnut Spread aka “Healthy Nutella”
Gluten-free, Vegan, Refined Sugar-Free, Grain-free, Dairy-Free 

Ingredients 

2 1/2 cups raw hazelnuts
2 Tbsp coconut oil (or other neutral oil)
1/3 cup coconut milk (I used the canned variety)
5 Tbsp cup unsweetened cacao or cocoa powder
1/4 cup coconut sugar (or other granulated sweetener)
2-3 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp pure stevia extract (or could increase the granulated sugar by 2-3 Tbsp)
a rounded 1/4 tsp sea salt or to taste

Directions 

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Add hazelnuts to a large baking sheet and roast for 10-12 minutes until lightly browned and some skins have loosened around the hazelnut.
3. Place the roasted nuts in the center of a damp kitchen towel (use an older towel or dark colored one). Bundle it up and rub the nuts for a couple minutes to loosen the skins. Pick out the “skinless” nuts and place into the bowl of a food processor. Repeat until most of the skins have come off and add the remaining nuts to the processor (it’s ok if there are stubborn ones that are difficult to remove).
4. Process the hazelnuts for 5-6 minutes or until you achieve a creamy nut butter. You may need to stop and scrape the sides of the bowl every couples minutes or so to help it along.
5. Add the oil and process for a minute or so until smooth.
6. Add the remaining ingredients and process again until fully incorporated and really smooth, this took me another 5 minutes. Taste the spread and adjust salt and sweeteners to taste if desired.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups of nut butter. Store in jars or containers in the fridge.
Enjoy with a large spoon, spread on toast or use in your favorite recipes. “Nutella” Ice Cream (Dairy-free) coming soon!

5-Minute Cheesecake Mousse

After making my Apple Pie Cheesecake Smoothie as well as my no-bake Peanut Butter Cheesecake, this easy recipe can be whipped up for a quick dessert, breakfast or snack. Plus, the flavor combinations are endless – add your favorite fruits, nuts, spices, citrus, juices, chocolate, coconut etc to make it your own – this stuff is yummy!

If you find yourself dessert-less when your sweet tooth hits and you’re short on time, this cheesecake mousse is a great way to go. It’s creamy and rich-tasting but doesn’t sit heavy in your tummy AND it will keep you full from the high-protein ingredients — bonus!

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Mousse (see variation below)

Use your favorite fruit as the main flavor in this mousse, or combine a few like strawberry-mango for a tropical treat! I even listed a chocolate-peanut butter combo below if you aren’t in a fruity mood

5-Minute Cheesecake Mousse
Gluten-free, Grain-free, High-Protein, Vegetarian, Nut-free, Sugar-free

Basic Ingredients 

3/4 cup cottage cheese
1/4 cup frozen or fresh berries* or fruit of choice  (could try 2 Tbsp all-fruit preserves too but you may want to eliminate the sweetener)
1/4 – 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp honey, coconut nectar or agave OR 1 packet of stevia or to taste (Feel free to adjust sweetness to your liking, will depend on your fruit and ingredients)
optional add-ins: lemon zest, orange zest, lime zest, ground cinnamon, ginger, cocoa/cacao powder

Garnish ideas, optional 
Fresh fruit
Chopped nuts or seeds
Shredded or flaked coconut
Cacao nibs, chocolate shavings or chocolate chips
Citrus zest
Granola or cereal
Chia seeds

Directions 

1. Add all ingredients to the bowl of a small food processor or high-powered blender. Process or blend until smooth, about 60-90 seconds. Garnish (if desired) and serve immediately or pour into a serving dish and chill for 30-60 minutes, then garnish and enjoy!

*To make a chocolate-peanut butter version, substitution 1 Tbsp cocoa or cacao powder and 2 Tbsp peanut flour OR 1 Tbsp peanut butter for the berries/fruit. If you are allergic to peanuts, use almond butter or sunflower seed butter.

Some of my favorite combinations:
1. Chocolate covered strawberry mousse (pictured) – use strawberries as the fruit, garnish with dark chocolate chunks and fresh raspberries or strawberries
2. Tropical Dream – use mango chunks as the fruit, add a drizzle of orange juice when blending (1-2 Tbsp), garnish with shredded coconut and fresh pineapple (or more mango chunks)
3. Blueberry-Lemon Crunch- use blueberries as the fruit, add a bit of fresh lemon zest (1/2 tsp), garnish with almond granola, sliced almonds and fresh blueberries

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Squares (SRC)

Oh me, oh my. These squares are quite heavenly. I made a double batch – one for myself and one for a fellow gluten-free employee for her birthday. I blame it on my sweet tooth but I couldn’t bear only having one test square for myself

These indulgent bars were a result of an adaptation from this month’s Secret Recipe Club assignment! I was given Flying on Jess Fuel for the month of October and had a blast getting acquainted with this spunky newlywed (best wishes!) and all her delicious food and adventures.

With so many recipes for me to choose from, I turned to an employee for a little assistance on what to make this month. I asked what her favorite dessert was and she said cheesecake. I then looked up to see if miss Jess had anything cheesecake related on her blog and look what I found…M&M Cheesecake Squares!

As usual, I changed a few things and lightened things up a bit, I can’t help it While I know a “birthday treat” is a once a year occasion, I was also trying to show said employee how I adapt non-gluten free recipes to fit my dietary needs so here goes.

For the crust/crumble, I substituted my own gluten-free flour blend for the regular flour, erythritol for the brown sugar, added a bit of stevia, used real butter for the margarine and used almonds for the walnuts. Jess mentioned that she loved the filling and recommended doubling it so that’s what I did! I doubled the cream cheese filling using the 1/3 less fat version and used sucanat and stevia for the sweetener. Instead of M&M’s, I substituted dark chocolate chips…while I could’ve purchased Sunspire Dark Chocolate SunDrops for a healthier M&M, I already had chocolate chips on hand so I used those in it’s place!

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Squares (adapted from Flying on Jess Fuel)

For Crust and Crumble
1/3 cup butter, ghee (or Earth Balance or coconut oil for dairy free) room temperature
1/4 cup erythritol (or 1/3 cup granulated sweetener of choice and omit stevia)
1/16 tsp pure stevia powder (or to taste)
1/2 cup almonds, pulsed in a food processor (any nut will do)
1 cup gluten free flour blend (I used 1/3 cup tapioca, 1/3 cup almond meal, 1/3 cup gluten-free oat flour)

For Filling
2 (8 oz) packages 1/3 less fat cream cheese, room temperature (use dairy-free if needed)
1/3 cup sucanat or other granulated sweetener
1/8th tsp pure stevia (or to taste or add a few more Tbsp of sweetener)
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 eggs

3/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line 2 loaf pans OR one 8×8 pan with parchment paper or grease well and set aside.
2. With an electric mixer, beat the butter/ghee/Earth Balance and erythritol until light and fluffy. Add the stevia, almonds, and flour and mix until crumbly.
3. Reserve 1/2 cup of the crumb mixture and set aside. Divide the remaining crust mixture and press into the bottom of the prepared loaf pans OR into the bottom of the one 8″ square pan. Bake for 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, combine the cream cheese, sugar, stevia and vanilla, and using an electric mixer again, mix at medium speed until well blended. (I didn’t even bother cleaning the mixer in between the two steps).
5. Add the eggs and continue mixing until combined.
6. Layer 1/2 of the chocolate chips over the crust. Top with the cream cheese mixture and spread evenly.
7. Top with remaining chocolate chips and sprinkle with reserved crust/crumble.
8. Bake for an additional 25-27 minutes until set. Let cool completely before cutting and serving.

Butternut Whoopie Pies with Goat Cream Cheese Filling

The leaves are turning bright yellow and orange in Montana, the air is crisp and it’s set to snow tomorrow. It’s about time my pumpkin and winter squash recipes start appearing!

And so the goat cheese craving continues…yet this time in sweet form You are welcome? Don’t be scared! These butternut whoopie pies have a slightly tangy but deliciously sweet and creamy filling to compliment the autumnal spiced cake-like cookies.

This recipe was adapted from King Arthurs’ pumpkin whoopie pies to make them gluten free. I cut the recipe in half since it was a “test recipe”, and I sure wish I hadn’t. These were delicious! I used up the last bit of King Arthur’s gluten free multi-purpose mix with this recipe, but I think that any all-purpose gluten free mix can be substituted.

A few other tweaks I made were eliminating the cloves since I didn’t have any on hand, reducing the sugar a bit while adding in some stevia, using butternut squash puree for the pumpkin (it’s my favorite of the winter squashes) and subbing honey for the molasses. Yummm.

A “baby” whoopie pie! Oh how I love mini foods  

I’ll be making a FULL batch again soon, and I’ll definitely be using this goat cream cheese filling as a frosting…I could eat that on all toast, cookies, cake or even apple slices I thought it was plenty sweet but feel free to tweak the sweetener based on your preference.

Butternut Whoopie Pies with Goat Cheese Filling (adapted from King Arthur)

Ingredients

For the cookie

1/4 cup butter  or ghee (use Earth Balance for dairy-free), room temperature
1/4 cup grapeseed oil (or other neutral tasting oil)
2/3 cup coconut palm sugar (or other granulated sweetener)
1 Tbsp honey (or molasses)
1/8 tsp pure stevia (or 3-4 more Tbsp sugar)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 large egg
3/4 cup butternut squash puree (or other winter squash puree or pumpkin)
1 1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp King Arthur’s Gluten-Free Multi-Purpose mix
3/4 tsp xanthan gum

For the filling
3 ounces of cream cheese (I used 1/3 less fat version)
2 ounces of mild chevre (goat cheese), at room temperature
1 tbsp butter, ghee or Earth Balance, room temperature
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 Tbsp honey, maple syrup or agave (or more to taste for sweeter filling)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat mat and set aside.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine butter, oil, coconut sugar, honey, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.
3. Add in butternut puree and eggs and whisk until combined.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour and the xanthan gum. Add to the wet ingredients until combined.
5. Scoop the thick batter onto prepared cookie sheet (size will depend on how big you want your pies to be). Bake smaller cookies for 12-13 minutes and larger one for 16-17 or until lightly golden around edges and slightly firm to touch while still soft. Remove from oven and let cool completely while you prepare filling.
6. Use a beater or a mixer, beat cream cheese, chevre and butter until light and creamy. Add in vanilla and sweetener to taste.
7. To assemble, spread filling on bottom of one cookie and place another cookie on top to create a sandwich. Repeat with remaining cookies and filling. Enjoy!

Makes about one dozen 2 inch whoopie pies or 6-7 (4-inch) pies