Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Bars

Hello lovelies! I’ve been MIA lately. Life has gotten in the way but I certainly have NOT forgotten about you

I have a fun little treat to share with you today! This recipe morphed from a magic cookie bar into what I am calling a chocolate covered strawberry bar – sounds fancy, and tastes divine…and that’s a winning combo, right?

Most everything I am baking these days seems to involve chocolate and be in bar form, I must really be into the square shape this summer…I will have to analyze what that means later (haha). No matter what shape these are, they are heavenly, decadent and deeeeelicious! The base is a crumbly shortbread and the topping is dark chocolate with a gooey strawberry filling…and it’s all topped off with one of my favorite ingredients — coconut

You can always substitute your favorite fruit preserve to change the flavor but strawberry is what I had on hand and it worked beautifully. The shredded coconut on top can be omitted, but I find it adds nice visual appeal and helps absorbs a bit of the preserves below. If you do choose to omit the coconut, consider adding 1 to 2 more ounces of chopped chocolate for good measure and coverage

Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Bars (Vegan) 

Ingredients

For crust:
1 1/4 cups almond flour
4 Tbsp coconut palm sugar, powdered (or any granulated sugar)
1/8 tsp sea salt
4 Tbsp coconut oil, melted (butter or ghee can be subbed)
splash of pure vanilla extract

For Topping:
2/3 cup fruit-sweetened strawberry preserves
2 ounces of your favorite dark chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease or line with parchment paper a 8×8 pan or large loaf pan (this is what I used) and set aside.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients (flour through salt). Stir in coconut oil and vanilla until mixture comes holds together when pressed. If not coming together, add a touch more of oil (will depend on what flours are used, I used flours from Nuts.com).
3. Press mixture evenly into prepared pan and bake for 10 minutes until golden brown.
4. Remove from oven and let cool for 1-2 minutes. While crust is still warm, spread preserves over crust then sprinkle with chopped chocolate and coconut.
5. Let cool for 15 minute and then refrigerate until hardened, about 1 hour. Cut into bars and enjoy!

Summer Lovin’ Fresh Berry Tart

Fresh juicy berries scream summer. Raspberries, blueberries, blackberries – I love them all! I also love spotting a huge container of blueberries at Costco for $5.99…that makes me happy

I made this tart for Fourth of July. You can see I was going for the red, white and blue theme. Better late than never, right? While it’s a little late for the holiday, it is still a worthy summer dessert and a delicious addition to a BBQ or get together.

I came across a photo of Fresh Blackberry Tart over at The LowCarbist and couldn’t wait to make my own version! The crust is grain-free and the fruity filling is no-bake, dairy-free, simple and fresh. Yummmmm. Summer berry tart, yes please!

The burst of fresh raspberries and blueberries complemented the nutty almond crust well, which is crumbly like a graham cracker version but with the added bonus of staying-power from protein and good fats  To top it off (no pun intended, ha), this tart would be extra scrumptious with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt…just saying

Care to join me for a slice?

Summer Lovin’ Fresh Berry Tart

Ingredients

For Crust:

1 1/2 cups almond flour (or meal)
3 Tbsp coconut flour
3-4 Tbsp powdered sweetener (palm sugar, xylitol, sucanat, etc)
pinch of pure stevia to taste
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of sea salt
4 Tbsp coconut oil, butter or Earth Balance, melted

For Berry Filling:
20 oz fresh blueberries
1/3 cup palm sugar, sucanat, xylitol or other granulated sweetener (or more for sweeter filling, depends on ripeness of berries and your taste)
1/8 tsp pure stevia or to taste
1/8 tsp sea salt
6 Tbsp almond milk (or other non-dairy milk or water)
3 tsp lemon juice (lime juice might be good too)
1 tbsp unflavored gelatin powder
1 1/2 Tbsp lemon zest (lime might be good too)
1/2 cup fresh raspberries

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Prepare crust: In a mixing bowl, combine almond flour/meal, coconut flour,sweetener, stevia and salt and stir to combine. Stir in vanilla and coconut oil until mixture starts to hold together when pressed between your fingers. Add more coconut oil if necessary.
3.. Press into a 9-inch pie pan, covering the sides and the bottom evenly. Bake for 10 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool.
4. Prepare filling: Wash the berries. Place half of the blueberries in a medium sauce pan on medium heat with milk/water, lemon juice, sweetener, stevia and salt. Let simmer for 5 or so minutes, until berries start to turn red and juice darkens.
5. Add gelatin while stirring mixture and continue stirring until powder is completely dissolved. Add zest, remaining blueberries, 1/2 cup raspberries and stir to coat evenly with juice, then pour into pie crust.
Tip: To avoid clumps, add gelatin a small amount at a time, stirring in each addition in fully before proceeding.
6. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours, or until berries set and pie is cool throughout. Slice and enjoy!

Note: I made a 6 inch tart (pictured) and had leftover filling, so I adjusted the recipe for a standard 9-inch tart pan since that’s what most people have on hand.

I’d love to try this with agar agar for a vegetarian/vegan version…I’ll have to work on that!

Grain-Free Fudge Brownies

Yikes! It seems as if I’ve been away for SO long! With summer fast approaching, our yogurt business is ramping up, my family has been in town for a visit and I haven’t had much time in the kitchen this week. I did have time for chocolate though…I MADE time for brownies.

After all, chocolate + baking = important. Agreed?

I can’t resist a good brownie and these were no exception. Coconut flour goodies have been hit or miss with me, but I was really pleased with the result of these chocolately squares. I don’t think the photos do them any justice though, they were much more fudgy-tasting and fudgy-looking in person, that might have something to do with refrigerating them overnight and the raw cacao powder used. Either way, these are scrumptious!

Grain-Free Fudge Brownies

Ingredients
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup cacao powder, cocoa or carob powder or a combo (I used raw cacao which resulted in a lighter color)
1/3 cup coconut/palm sugar or 1/4 cup honey/agave for denser, fudgy brownie
2 Tbsp chia meal or flaxseed meal
1/8 tsp pure stevia extract (or 3 more Tbsp of sweetener)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 eggs
3 Tbsp coconut oil (or butter/ghee), liquified/melted
2 Tbsp unsweetened applesauce (or more oil/butter for a richer brownie)
2 Tbsp nut butter (or more oil/butter for nut free), melted
1/2 cup non-dairy milk (I used coconut milk)
3-4 Tbsp chocolate chunks or chips
1/3 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped (if desired – omit for nut free)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a loaf pan for thicker brownier or a 8×8 baking dish for thinner brownies and set aside.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients (flour through salt). In a separate small bowl, stir together wet ingredients (eggs through milk).
3. Add wet ingredients to the dry and stir until moistened. Stir in the chocolate and nuts, if using.
4. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking dish. If desired, sprinkle additional nuts/chocolate on top. Bake for 16-20 minutes until cooked through. Let cool in pan for atleast 15 minutes prior to cutting.

These were tasty from the pan but I enjoyed them chilled overnight from the fridge…I may or may not have had these for breakfast once or twice

Bite-Size Peanut Butter Layer Cups (No-Bake, Grain-Free)

Happy Friday! Here’s a sweet treat to kick off the weekend

I’ve been a little lazy lately with turning on my oven. I have a toaster oven and a typical stove + oven but these warmer Spring days have me craving chilled dishes and fuss-free snacks and desserts.

Plus, dessert isn’t an option for me. I LOVE SWEETS. I eat dessert every night in some form or fashion which gives me the extra push to health-ify my treats so I can enjoy them without the guilt.

These cute little cups fit the bill. 

I’ve professed my love for nut butters over and over again and here’s another tribute to my all-time favorite food. These grain-free peanut butter cups are little bites of heaven…the perfect ending to my day (or anytime you need a little sweet pick-me-up)!

Bite-Size Peanut Butter Layer Cups (No-Bake)

Ingredients

Crust Layer:
3 Tbsp coconut flour
3 Tbsp peanut flour* (OR almond flour or almond meal)
1 Tbsp flaxseed meal
2 tsp coconut oil, melted
1 Tbsp honey, agave,coconut nectar or maple syrup (do not use honey if vegan)

Peanut Butter Filling Layer:
7 Tbsp unsweetened, all natural creamy or crunchy peanut butter*
dash of pure vanilla extract
2-3 tsp honey (agave, coconut nectar or maple syrup could be subbed) + a pinch of stevia if you wanter a sweeter filling
2 Tbsp peanut flour or almond flour (or more if needed to hold together, depends on how runny your nut butter is)
pinch of sea salt

Chocolate Layer:
2 Tbsp raw cacoa powder, cocoa powder or carob powder
2 Tbsp peanut butter (I used all natural, unsalted crunchy but creamy works too)
2 tsp coconut oil, melted
1 tsp honey, agave, coconut nectar or maple syrup (add a pinch of stevia if you want a sweeter topping)
pinch of sea salt (omit if using salted nut butter)

For garnish, optional
unsalted or salted peanut halves

Directions

1. For crust: Combine all ingredients in a small mixing bowl until well incorporated and mixture sticks together. (I used a fork).

Divide evenly into 11-12 mini silicone cupcakes molds and press evenly to create firm mini crusts. If you do not have a silicone pan, line a mini muffin tin with plastic wrap for easy removal. Set pan aside while you create the filling.

2. For the peanut butter filling:  In the small mixing bowl (you don’t have to rinse the bowl out), add all of the ingredients and stir to combine. If the mixture isn’t holding together and is too runny, add more peanut/coconut flour a little at a time (this will depending on the consistency of your nut butter, I used a fairly thick peanut butter).

Divide evenly onto the crusts and press firmly to form a flat layer, repeat with remaining cups. Freeze the cups for a few minutes while you prepare the chocolate topping (optional but helps harden the topping more quickly).

3. For the chocolate topping: In a small bowl, stir all ingredients together until smooth and uniform. Spoon on top of the filling and garnish with peanut halves if desired. Refrigerate the cups until chocolate layer is hardened and enjoy!

Makes about 12 mini cups (can be doubled or tripled). Store in the refrigerator.

*If you looking for a nut-free option, substitute sunflower seed butter for the peanut butter, and use pulsed sunflower seeds to make a seed meal (or buckwheat flour or even finely shredded coconut) for the peanut flour. You may need to increase the sweetener slightly unless you are using sweetened sunflower seed butter; I find sunflower seed butter to be a bit more bitter than other nut butters but it’s completely up to you!

PS. Get ready! I am dedicating next week to pizza, another one of my all-time favorite foods…
Have an awesome weekend