Category Archives: Dessert

Hasty Pudding

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My daughter Ava and I have been reading Little House in the Big Woods and Little House on the Prairie. She LOVES the books, her first real “big girl chapter books” and loves hearing about the stories from that time that seems so long ago. We talk about the Ingalls family, and the Spartan living compared to our life today.  “Can we give Laura some of my toys?” asked Ava. Melt my heart!

In one of the chapters, Ma made Hasty Pudding. There are a bunch of recipes online and I’m sure there are many variations, but in the book they described it as a cornmeal porridge with some maple syrup and butter. So that’s what we made! Super fun kid experience to watch and learn and super yummy! 🙂

hasty pudding blog (2) hasty pudding blog (1)

Ingredients

  • Cornmeal
  • Water
  • Butter
  • Maple syrup

Directions

  • Corn meal package should have instructions for quantities and cook times. I usually make a larger batch, about 1 cup cornmeal + half a large pot of water. I realize that’s not very helpful, but it’s one of those things you’ll need to check based on how finely ground your cornmeal is.
  • You can adjust water to make it thicker or thinner
  • Serve with butter and some maple syrup
  • Enjoy! 🙂

dit-elle-Esther

Pomegranate

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Pomegranates.. what a sweet and juicy and beautiful fruit. Each seed is like a small sparkling ruby. Pomegranates are supposed to be a super food (remember the pomegranate juice craze?), but we think they are just delicious as is and love adding them to all sorts of recipes when the fruit is available.. usually winter season. I add the seeds to drinks (see my New Years Pomegranate Champagne Cocktail here), salads, yogurt, as garnish to oatmeal or cereal for the kids, in fruit salad, or just.. plain!

When I was in Barcelona a few months ago, a restaurant I visited one day served pomegranate seeds in a small oval bowl for dessert. I also learned from a friend that in Persia they sprinkle a little salt on the seeds before eating.. sound a little odd? Try it! Delicious!

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dit-elle-Esther

4 Ingredient Healthy Banana Maple Sunbutter Mini Muffins!

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Every once in a while, I stumble upon a food blogger than not only makes me want to make every single recipe they post, but also…makes me die laughing!

One of those would be Arman, from The Big Man’s World.

I finally dove in on his Healthy 4 Ingredient Chunky Banana Bread, but subbed out the almond butter for Sun Butter (I have a bit of a nut intolerance and with most schools being nut free now, it’s all we eat + YUM!)

I made them into mini muffins instead of a loaf, because…portion control 😉  He is totally right.  The texture is gooey deliciousness!!  I mean, is there ever an adjective that makes you want to dive into a dessert other than “gooey”???!!  No. 🙂Blog 4 Ingredient Paleo Banana Maple SunButter Mini Muffins-1 Blog 4 Ingredient Paleo Banana Maple SunButter Mini Muffins-2 Blog 4 Ingredient Paleo Banana Maple SunButter Mini Muffins-3What you need… (made 19 mini muffins)

  • 3 cups overripe banana, mashed roughly
  • 1/2 cup coconut flour, sifted
  • 1/2 cup smooth Sun Butter (can sub for any nut butter, if you’d like)
  • 1/2 cup pure maple syrup

What to do…

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease mini muffin tins
  • In a large mixing bowl mash bananas til they are smooth with a few chunks.
  • Add in sifted coconut flour, sun butter, and maple syrup.  If spills occur, guess on how much more to add 😉  Blog 4 Ingredient Paleo Banana Maple SunButter Mini Muffins-6 Blog 4 Ingredient Paleo Banana Maple SunButter Mini Muffins-7 Blog 4 Ingredient Paleo Banana Maple SunButter Mini Muffins-8
  • Lick the measuring cup…oh, wait 🙂  BUT…the great thing about only 4 ingredients (with no eggs!) is that you totally CAN lick the spoon and measuring cup worry free!  Although, let’s be real.  In my day, I made cookie dough with eggs and ate so much dough while making them, that I didn’t even want the cookies. 😉 I turned out just fine, but…whatever.  Play it safe, no?Blog 4 Ingredient Paleo Banana Maple SunButter Mini Muffins-4 Blog 4 Ingredient Paleo Banana Maple SunButter Mini Muffins-5
  • Spoon out about 1/4 cup into each mini tin.  Or, if you want to make regular muffins, until they look like this.  They don’t rise much.Blog 4 Ingredient Paleo Banana Maple SunButter Mini Muffins-9
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden on top. Remove from oven and allow to sit until completely cool. Blog 4 Ingredient Paleo Banana Maple SunButter Mini Muffins-10Enjoy!dit-elle-Lauren

 

Apple, Whipped Cream and Cinnamon Almond Parfait

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This is a traditional Norwegian dish called “Tilslorte Brudepiker”. The literal translation is “veiled bridesmaids”. Sound lovely? It is! It is a beautiful dessert but surprisingly simple.. layers of apple sauce, cream and toasted almond meal with sugar and cinnamon. It’s one of those dishes you remember forever..

The recipe usually calls for toasted breadcrumbs or cookie crumbs but as mentioned I used almond meal, a little sugar and cinnamon, and it was perfect! Using different shaped glasses (flutes, punch, or even a large glass serving bowl), you can have a lot of fun with the presentation. Enjoy!

norwegian apple trifle blog (4) norwegian apple trifle blog (3) norwegian apple trifle blog (2) norwegian apple trifle blog (1)

Ingredients

  • Apple sauce, unsweetened)
  • Cream (you can whip it yourself with some vanilla and sugar or just get a can of whipping cream like I do for super short cut!)
  • 1/2 cup almond meal
  • 1 Tbsp butter
  • 1 Tbsp sugar
  • 1-tsps cinnamon

Directions

  • In a skillet melt butter on low and add almond meal and sugar and cinnamon, stir constantly and do not let burn or get too toasty! You just want slightly toasted almond meal and to melt and crystalize the sugar a bit so that you get a crunchy topping.
  • In clear glasses (for individual servings) or in a large glass bowl (for group serving) layer applesauce, whipped cream, and almond mixture two or three times.. ending with a topping of the almond mixture.
  • Serve immediately.
  • Enjoy!

dit-elle-Esther

Marzipan Cookies

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Marzipan Cookies are awesome because they are slightly less rich than pure marzipan, use only three ingredients, and are chewy and delicious!

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Ingredients

  • 1 1/3 – 1 1/2 cups almond meal
  • 2/3 cup powdered sugar
  • 3 egg whites
  • whole raw almonds (optional)

Directions

  • In food processor mix almond meal and sugar
  • Add egg whites until a stiff dough forms
  • Remove from food processor and knead with a little almond meal as needed so that a workable dough forms
  • Shape 1″ diameter balls and press down on cookie sheet with an almond in the middle if desired
  • Bake at 350 for ~12 minutes or until edges just start to turn golden
  • These store very well in an airtight container in freezer for a few weeks!

dit-elle-Esther

Marzipan Chocolate Miniature Sandwiches

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I grew up making marzipan, but just last year discovered the secret ingredient to marzipan perfection.. rose water! See the recipe here. This year I made tiny Marzipan “sandwiches” for a holiday party. You roll a bit of marzipan into a ball and press two discs of chocolate to make the sandwich. I found dark chocolate ‘discs’ at the local gourmet foods grocery store, but chocolate coins could work well too! Because the marzipan is quite sweet, the less sweet dark chocolate is a nice complement!

I made these for Christmas, but marzipan is popular year round in Scandinavia and Germany (especially again around Easter).

marzipan chocolate sandwich blog (4) marzipan chocolate sandwich blog (3) marzipan chocolate sandwich blog (2) marzipan chocolate sandwich blog (1)

Ingredients

  • One batch of Marzipan (you can also find this pre-made at some grocery stores.. look for almond paste if not marzipan)
  • Chocolate ‘discs’ (dark chocolate, should be around 1″ in diameter)

Directions

  • Roll a bit of marzipan into a ball (the size of a large marble) and press two discs of chocolate to make the sandwich.
  • Store in an air tight container and refrigerated for a week or more, or frozen for a month or so!

Super Mom Tip: Marzipan has the consistency of play dough and is a lot of fun for (older) kids to roll into various shapes and cut out with small cookie cutters, or decorate with chocolate chips!

Enjoy!

dit-elle-Esther

Gingersnap Cookies // Paleo, Nut Free

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Happy NEW YEAR!!!

Truth be told, I made these last week.  I’m not going to lie.  I almost said &*^% it to the cookies for Santa this year (BAD MOMMY!!!), but…someone kept me honest.  AND…I’m always on the hunt for a healthier version of a cookie that I love.  Honestly, I set out to make Gingerbread men…decorated and all.  AND THEN…life happened.  So, honestly, we are lucky these cookies happened at all!  Our entire family is a sucker for gingersnaps, so I thought this might be the perfect thing to try.

The biggest dilemma (in my opinion!) is underbaking vs overbaking vs just right baking.  WHO KNOWS??!!  I’m usually a fan of underbaking.  The ooey gooey goodness is spot on as far as I’m concerned.  BUT…when you are talking Ginger SNAP…well, snap leads you towards the more crunchy aspect, no?

I cooked the two batches a little differently.  One for a little longer, and one for a little less.  I’m still on the fence about which one I liked better ha!Blog Paleo Nut Free Ginger Snap Cookies-1 Blog Paleo Nut Free Ginger Snap Cookies-2 What you need…(makes 2 dozen cookies)

  • 1 cup Sun Butter (you could use any nut butter if you have no dietary restrictions)
  • 3 Tablespoons Pure Molasses
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger root
  • 3/4 cup coconut sugar
  • ¼ cup coconut flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground pumpkin spice (originally called for all spice)
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • A pinch of freshly ground pepper (sounded weird to me, but I went with it ha!)

 

What to do…

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  I wouldn’t skip this as they really are pretty gooey and sticky.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or by hand, beat together the sun butter, molasses, eggs and freshly grated ginger until smooth.  It’s STICKY, as an fyi, so hand mixers won’t work as well because they just get really stuck in all the blades…I actually tried, and then switched over.  Not a deal breaker, just a warning 🙂
  • Into a medium bowl, sift together coconut sugar, coconut flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, pumpkin spice, salt and pepper.
  • Slowly add the sugar and spice mixture to the almond butter mixture while mixing on low until just combined.
  • Drop the dough by the rounded Tablespoons about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.Blog Paleo Nut Free Ginger Snap Cookies-3
  • Bake for about 10-12 minutes of you want a softer cookie go on the 10 side, crisper on the 12 side.
  • Cool 2 minutes on the baking sheets out of the oven then transfer the parchment paper with the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.Blog Paleo Nut Free Ginger Snap Cookies-4Maya deciding exactly which one she wanted 😉 Blog Paleo Nut Free Ginger Snap Cookies-5 Blog Paleo Nut Free Ginger Snap Cookies-6

Adapted from Gourmand In The Kitchen- Thank you!

dit-elle-Lauren

Popcorn Ball Snowmen!

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Blog DIY Paleo Healthy Popcorn Ball Snowman-1I posted last week how to make these Healthy Popcorn Balls.

To be honest, I always had these envisioned in the back of my mind.  Weird?  Yes, but that’s me!

This was one of those times that I actually thought of an idea, and it ended up turning out pretty close to what I envisioned!!  Because obviously…that doesn’t always happen-proof here. 😉Blog DIY Paleo Healthy Popcorn Ball Snowman-2What you need…

  • Healthy Popcorn Balls
  • Pretzel Sticks
  • Chocolate Chips
  • Baby Carrots (cut into tiny slivers)
  • Seaweed (you could also use fruit leather!)

What to do…

  • Tightly pack 3 balls in varying sizes.  Stick all the various body parts in, and then pray he doesn’t fall over or fall apart hahaha.  Truth be told, mine kept falling over, and eventually fell apart.  Maya didn’t care!  She thought it was super cool and fun…so I’m still counting it as a WIN!!

Enjoy!dit-elle-Lauren

Healthy Popcorn Balls

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I’ll admit.  I didn’t think anything could replace ooey gooey sticky sugary marshmallows for popcorn balls, BUT….these are so dang good!  No refined sugar, yet naturally sweetened with Raw Honey-YUM!!  Oh, and 3 ingredients for the WIN!!Blog Paleo Healthy Popcorn Balls-5 Blog Paleo Healthy Popcorn Balls-6 Blog Paleo Healthy Popcorn Balls-7What you need… (made 15 balls)

  • 10 Cups of Popcorn (ok, so I cheated and used Skinny Pop)  Yes, I could have easily popped my own, and it’s SO unlike me to pay more for something I can do myself.  This is the exception.  I eat it everyday, and being able to just pour some into my bowl in 15 seconds?  WORTH EVERY PENNY!  And, it only has 3 ingredients too, so… :))  Oh, and 10 cups is a rough guestimate when you have a toddler reaching in and eating as we went… 😉
  • 1/4 Coconut Oil
  • 1/2 Raw Honey

What to do…

  • Melt coconut oil and honey together in a saucepan.Blog Paleo Healthy Popcorn Balls-1
  • Drizzle over the bowl of popcorn, stirring as you go.  Then get down and dirty with your hands to make sure all the popcorn is evenly coated.Blog Paleo Healthy Popcorn Balls-2
  • Put the bowl into the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes to let it cool/solidify a little.
  • Scoop out in 1/2 scoops and really pack them into the balls.  They are still a little crumbly, and you need to reeeeeeally pack them.  I tried to let Maya help, but it really was more for her to feel included.  Hers just kept falling apart…aka…she ate as she packed. 😉Blog Paleo Healthy Popcorn Balls-3
  • Refrigerate until you eat, and enjoy!! Blog Paleo Healthy Popcorn Balls-4Check back, because I made the cutest little DIY edible craft out of these.  I honestly couldn’t believe it turned out exactly like I pictured in my head-that RARELY happens haha! 🙂

Enjoy!dit-elle-Lauren

Mini Pumpkin Cake with Maple Pumpkin Frosting and Caramel Glaze // Paleo

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This base of this cake is the same as the Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts with Maple Pumpkin Glaze that I posted the other week.  In fact.  I did the doughnuts in one pan, and then had a muffin top pan that I used to make these at the same time!  It’s a two-fer recipe-WIN!!

How perfect would this be for a smash the cake session for a 1 year old?!!  Ok, the photographer in me is coming out 😉

For a size reference.  The cake is about 4″ in diameter 🙂Blog Paleo Pumpkin Cake with Maple Pumpkin Frosting and Caramel Glaze-1 Blog Paleo Pumpkin Cake with Maple Pumpkin Frosting and Caramel Glaze-2Blog Paleo Pumpkin Cake with Maple Pumpkin Frosting and Caramel Glaze-3 Blog Paleo Pumpkin Cake with Maple Pumpkin Frosting and Caramel Glaze-4 Blog Paleo Pumpkin Cake with Maple Pumpkin Frosting and Caramel Glaze-5Ingredients

(for Cake-will make 6 doughnuts and 5 muffin tops/cake layers or 10 muffin top layers for multiple mini cakes!)

  • 5 large eggs
  • ½ cup Almond Milk (you could use cocunut milk too)
  • ½ cup Pure Maple Syrup
  • ½ cup Organic Pumpkin Puree
  • ¼ cup Coconut Oil
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 1 ¼ cup Coconut Flour
  • 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
  • 1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
  • ¼ teaspoon Sea Salt (I did 20 grinds on my grinder :))
  • ½ cup Unsweetened Applesauce

For the Frosting

  • 1/4 Cup Coconut Cream (refridgerated)
  • 1 Can Full Fat Cocunut Milk (refridgerated)
  • 1 Tablespoons Organic Pumpkin
  • 2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil
  • 1 Tablespoon Coconut Flour
  • 1/4 Cup Honey

Glaze

What to do

(For the Cake)

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and oil the insides of your muffin top pan really well. I put coconut oil on a paper towel and rubbed it around.
  • Mix all the wet ingredients until eggs are fully blended
  • Add the dry ingredients, then mix until dough is formed
  • Fill muffin top tins to the top (the dough is dense and doesn’t rise very much)
  • Bake for 20 minutes. Let them cool for about 10 minutes, then pop them out and cool on cooling rack.
  • Once cool.  Drizzle with glaze.  Best eaten right after glazing.  Or…skip the glaze and eat as is!

(For the Frosting)

  • Scoop out the hardened part of the full fat coconut milk and place in a bowl.
  • Add the rest of the ingredients.
  • Whip everything with a high speed mixer for about a minute-scraping down the sides a few times as you go.
  • Put into a pastry bag and decorate as you want!  Or slap it on with a spoon and knife and call it good 😉

Drizzle glaze and eat right away.  Or…refrigerate frosted cake, and let sit for about 20 minutes.  Then glaze and eat.  Glaze will harden after about 15 minutes.

NOTE

The frosting isn’t as flavorful as I imagined it would be, and I honestly thought it would be a flop. UNTIL…I drizzled the glaze over everything. The cake base and the glaze are so flavorful, that the frosting being not as flavorful is perfect. The creamy texture of it is a nice balance to the dense cake, and creamy decadent glaze. Blog Paleo Pumpkin Cake with Maple Pumpkin Frosting and Caramel Glaze-6Enjoy!dit-elle-Lauren