Cranberry chocolate Biscotti  (ADVANCED PLAN)

Recipe by Kimberly Roberto (Maximized Living)

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups almond flour
• 1/2 cup xylitol
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2  cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup cocao nibs
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 F.   Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  In a large bowl, combine the oil, eggs and vanilla. With a hand mixer, beat for 2-3 minutes.  In a separate bowl, mix the almond flour, xylitol, salt and baking soda.  Stir the wet mixer into the dry mixture until well combined.  Fold in the cranberries, cocao nibs and almonds.  Take chunks of the dough and roll them into logs about 1 inch round and 6 inches long.  Place onto baking pan and bake for about 18 minutes until browned around the edges.  Let the logs cool, then slice the logs into 1/2 inch pieces using a sharp serrated knife.  The dough should be a little pliable, so if it crumbles a bit when you cut it, play with if a little to mold the slices back together.  Lay the slices on their sides and rebake in the oven for another 15 minutes.

This should make close to the required 72 pieces.  You may have to make another 1/2  recipe for the exchange.

 

Peppermint Meringues (ADVANCED PLAN)

Ingredients:

• 4 egg whites at room temperature
• 1 cup xylitol pulverized with a coffee grinder to make “icing sugar”
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
• green food dye from the health store (enough to dye egg whites to a mint green)

Instructions:

1. Using an electric mixer, beat eggs whites until still peaks form.  Add the xylitol, vinegar and green food colouring and mix until the egg whites are thick and shiny.
2. Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag and pipe out circles, (similar to  chocolate buds) an inch apart onto a parchment lined pan.  Bake at 200 F. for 2 hours.  Turn off the stove and leave in the oven for one more hour.  Make sure the meringues are dry to the touch.
3. Melt 2-3 squares of unsweetened baker’s chocolate.  Sweetened with stevia to taste.  Dip the bottom of the meringues in the chocolate, then place upside down on the parchment lined pans so the chocolate hardens.  Let cool completely before placing in tins.

Makes about 50 cookies.

 

Chocolate Cherry Bombs (ADVANCED PLAN)

Ingredients:

• 3 cups almond flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4  cup cocoa powder
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2  cup xylitol
• 1/2  cup melted coconut oil
• Dried cherries
• Unsweetened shredded coconut to decorate the cookies

Instructions:

1. Combine the almond flour, baking powder, sea salt and cocoa powder.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, vanilla, and xylitol using an electric mixer. Slowly add the dry ingredients until well blended, then add the coconut oil.
3. Form the dough into 1 inch balls and slightly flatten onto parchment-lined baking pans.  Stick a cherry in the middle of each cookie, then sprinkle with the coconut.  You may have to press the coconut lightly into the dough.

Bake at 350 F for 20 – 25 minutes.  Makes 40 – 45 cookies.

Christmas Granola Bites

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup pecans, toasted and finely chopped
• 1&1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1&1/4 cup brown rice crisp cereal
• 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 cup brown rice syrup
• 1/4 cup almond butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

Combine the first seven ingredients in a large bowl and stir.  In another bowl, combine the almond butter, rice syrup and the vanilla extract.  Stir until smooth. Add the almond mixture to the dry ingredients and combine well.

Line a 9 inch square pan with parchment paper, then spoon the mixture into the pan. Press the granola firmly into the pan.  (I used a small rolling pin.)  Refrigerate until the bars harden.  Cut into 1 inch squares. (Makes around 24 – 30 bites)

Exotic Sugar Plums (Core Menu)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups slivered almonds, lightly toasted
• 1/4 cup xylitol icing sugar (use a coffee grinder to make icing sugar with xylitol)
• 2/3 cup chopped apricots
• 2/3 cup chopped prunes
• 2/3 cup chopped dates
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds, ground
• 1/4 teaspoon anise seeds, ground
• 1/4 teaspoon cardamom seeds, ground
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
• 2/3 cup xylitol

Instructions:

1. Stir together the honey, fennel, anise, cardamom and cinnamon.
2. In a food processor, combine the almonds, “icing sugar”, apricots, prunes, and dates. Blend well, then, place the mixture into a bowl.  Add the spiced money and mix well.  Roll the mixture into 1 inch balls, then roll each ball in the xylitol.
3. Recipe makes about 60 sugar plums.  Sugar plums would be a nice accompaniment to a cheese tray.

 

Peanut Butter and Jam Bars (CORE PLAN) Makes 25 – 30 Balls

Ingredients:

• ½ cup dried cherries
• 1/2 cup dried dates
• 1 cup peanuts (unsalted and dry roasted)
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter

Instructions:

Place peanuts in a food processor and pulse the peanuts into small pieces. Do not make them into flour – you still want texture.) Remove the chopped peanuts and set aside.  Place the dates and cherries in a food processor and blend until it becomes a paste.  (If you need to, add a tablespoon or two of water.)

Combine the peanuts and the fruit mixture.  Scoop the mixture by the tablespoon and roll into a one- inch ball.  Place in a sealed container in the fridge.  (If you want to make bars, roll the mixture between parchment paper and cut into squares.)

 

Coconut Butter Clouds (ADVANCED PLAN)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter OR coconut oil *NOTE-use coconut oil for cookie exchange
• 1/2 cup xylitol and ¼ teaspoon concentrated powder stevia **
• 4 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup sifted coconut flour
• 2 cups flaked or grated unsweetened coconut

Instructions:

1. With an electric mixer, blend the butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla.  Stir in the coconut flour.  When smooth, add the coconut flakes.
2. Drop spoon-sized mounds, approximately 1 inch rounds, onto parchment lined baking pans.  Bake at 375 F. for 18 – 20 minutes until golden brown.  Cool on wire racks.  Makes approximately  40 cookies.

** Can use 1cup xylitol in place of the xylitol and stevia combination.

Recipe from “Cooking With Coconut Flour”

 

Chocolate Walnut Crunch (Advanced:  Grain-free, Sugar Free)

(I call this a walnut crunch as it reminds me of the doughnut)

Ingredients:

• 2 & 1/2  cups walnut pieces, finely chopped
• 2 cups xylitol, pulverized into icing sugar using a coffee grinder
• a generous 1/2  cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 4 egg whites
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Place chopped walnuts on cookie sheets and toast them in the oven at 350 F. for about 10 minutes – make sure they do not burn. Remove from oven and cool.
2. In a large bowl, combine the xylitol, cocoa and salt.  Add the walnuts when they cool and blend.
3. Combine the egg whites and the vanilla, then pour over the dry mixture.  Blend with a fork or spoon until the batter is just moistened.
4. On parchment lined baking sheets, drop the batter by the teaspoon, leaving space between the cookies, as the batter will spread.  Bake the cookies at 350 F. for about 15 minutes.  Turn off the oven, open the oven door and leave the cookies sit until they are firm enough to handle.

Makes at least 96 small bite-sized cookies.

Note: If you want a less sweet, more chocolate cookie, use an extra 1/2 cup of cocoa powder and use 1/2 cup less of the xylitol.  A teaspoon of espresso coffee powder is also a tasty addition to the cookies.

 

Snickerdoodle Cookies (ADVANCED RECIPE)  Recipe fromKim Roberto – Maximized Living

Ingredients:

• ½ cup butter, room temperature
• 2/3 cup xylitol
• 1 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup garbanzo bean flour
• ¼ cup coconut flour
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 cup arrowroot powder
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

Topping:  1 teaspoon cinnamon + 2 tablespoons pulverized xylitol (use a coffee grinder to do this)

Instructions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a bowl, mix flours, cinnamon, arrowroot powder, salt, baking soda and baking powder.  In a separate bowl, cream butter with the sweetener then add vanilla and eggs.  Add flour mixture and blend well (dough will be sticky).  Shape into silver dollar sized discs and dip into topping then put on parchment lined baking sheets 2 inches apart.  Bake for about 12 minutes or until slightly browned.  Make approximately 35 – 40 cookies. NOTE: If you like your cookies crunchy leave them in a cookie tin for several days.

 

Buckwheat Shortbread (CORE PLAN)

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup buckwheat flour
• 1/2 cup brown rice flour
• 2 tbsp. buckwheat honey
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• pinch of salt

Topping: 4 oz. of dark, high quality chocolate & 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds.

Instructions:

Mix all ingredients together until you have soft dough that you shape into a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for about an hour.  Remove from fridge, roll out onto a floured surface and cut into shapes using small cookie cutters such as stars, circles etc. Bake in a 350 oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on a rack. Once fully cooled, dip half of each cookie in the melted chocolate, sprinkle with sesame seeds and cool on a piece of parchment paper until the chocolate has hardened.

(As an alternative, you could ice the cookies with a lemon glaze made from 2 cups xylitol pulverized with a coffee grinder and 3 to 4 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon.)

Recipes makes about 40 cookies.

 

Sesame Cookies (CORE RECIPE)

With mixer blend together until fluffy:

• 3/4 cup softened butter
• 3/4  cup xylitol
• when fluffy, add 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla to mixture and blend

Combine in a separate bowl :

• 1 cup brown rice flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Blend flour mixture with the butter mixture

Fold in 1 cup of toasted sesame seeds

Drop a little less than a teaspoon full onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, leaving generous spacing between the cookies.   Bake for approximately 30 minutes at 325 F.  Note:  The cookies will be soft for about a day.  Place them in a cookie tin to crunch them up.

This recipe will make around 75 cookies if the portion size is slightly smaller than a teaspoon.

 

Fruit and Nut Bites (Core: Grain-free and refined sugar free)

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 cup almond butter
• 6 pitted medjool dates
• 3/4 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
• 1/2 cup unsweetened, organic applesauce
• 2 eggs, whisked
• 1 & 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 4 tablespoons dried cherries
• 4 tablespoons chopped walnuts
• 4 tablespoons currants

Instructions:

1. In a food processor, combine the coconut flour, almond butter and dates.  Process until the dates are well combined, (no chunks), with the other ingredients.  Add the coconut, applesauce, eggs, cinnamon, vanilla, sea salt and soda to the processor.  Pulse until a wet dough forms.  Add the remaining cherries, walnuts and currants and process until all the ingredients are combined, but there are still small pieces of the cherries, walnuts and currants in the batter.
2. Drop about 2 teaspoons of batter per cookie onto a parchment paper lined baking pan.  The cookies do not spread to shape the cookies into circles and flatten a little *you may have to wet your fingers slightly to do this.
3. Bake for approximately 12 to 15 minutes, until the edges are slightly browned.
4. Store in fridge or freezer if not eating immediately.

Makes about 36 cookies.  (Adapted from the Nourished Kitchen)

Gingerbread Gelatin Bites

Ingredients:

• 1 &1/2 cups coconut milk
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1 tablespoon molasses (optional)
• 1/4 cup xylitol
• 1/4 cup gelatin powder
• liquid stevia to taste ( I used about 10 drops at the end)

Instructions:

1. Pour the coconut milk into a pot and simmer on the stove.
2. Add the pumpkin puree, spices and xylitol. Blend well.
3. Remove from the stove and let cool a bit.
4. Add the gelatin and blend. At this point decide if the bites will taste sweet enough or if you need to add a few drops of liquid stevia.
5. Pour the mixture into a greased glass container or greased silicone candy molds. Work quickly so the liquid does not solidify.
6. Refrigerate for a few hours until set.

 

Sour Cherry Gummies:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup juice (or 1 cup juice and 1/2 cup pureed fruit) I used pure sour cheery juice
• 1 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons xylitol
• 3 tablespoons gelatin powder, (look for organic, grass fed gelatin powder available health stores or order on-line)

Instructions:

1. Place juice (or juice and pureed fruit) and lemon juice in a pot on the stove. Heat until simmering..
2. Add the xylitol and heat until blended.
3. Remove from the stove.
4. Grease a glass container or silicone candy molds with coconut oil (or oil of choice).
5. Add the gelatin and blend well. (You may have to use your hand blender again.)
6. Pour the mixture into the glass container or the candy molds.
7. Refrigerate for a few hours to set.

Note: You can use other fruits for the gummies such as raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, oranges. Be creative. Mango and lime juice could also be a great option.

You can also infuse the gummies with Vitamin C by adding ascorbic acid, (powdered form of Vitamin C), as you add the gelatin to the mixture.

 

Coconut Almond Christmas Star Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1&1/4 cups almond flour
• 1 &1/4 cups shredded coconut (unsweetened)
• 1 cup tapioca flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons coconut butter
• 4 tablespoons unsweetened apple sauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 25 drops of liquid Stevia

Instructions:

1. In a food processor, combine the almond flour, coconut, tapioca flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Process until the shredded coconut is cut into fine granules.
2. Combines the wet ingredients, (depending on the temperature, you may have to heat the coconut oil).
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and blend into a ball. Dust the dough with tapioca flour. Place the dough in an air tight container a refrigerate for about an hour.
4. Remove the dough from the fridge. The dough may be a bit sticky. Roll the dough between two sheets of was paper – dust the surface of both sides of wax paper touching the dough. Roll out the dough to approximately 1/8 – ¼ inch, then cut out stars with cookie cutters.
5. Bake at 350 F. for 10 minutes. When still warm, sprinkle with cinnamon and powdered xylitol icing sugar.

 

Vanilla Half Moons (Core Diet)

Ingredients:

• 1&1/8 cups almond flour
• 2&1/4 cups spelt flour (use brown rice flour for gluten-free)
• 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup xylitol
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 cup unsalted butter

Instructions:

1. Xylitol made into icing sugar using a coffee grinder or food processor
2. In a bowl, combine the first three ingredients and set aside.
3. With a mixer blend the butter with the xylitol, then add the egg yolks and vanilla.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and blend.  This can be done using a dough hook with your mixer or a pastry blender.  Finish off by using your hands to blend. Place the dough in in fridge for about 30 minutes to make it easier to shape the cookies.
5. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into pencil-thin ropes.  Then cut them about 2 inches long.  Shape the cut dough pieces into half moons, pinching the ends to make them thinner.
6. Bake the cookies for about 10 – 12 minutes, or until they are lightly browned.  Sprinkle the cookies with a light dusting of xylitol icing sugar when the cookies are just warm out of the oven.

Makes about 70 – 75 small bite-sized cookies