Chocolate Coconut Bark

I cannot believe that I have not already posted this recipe.  I guess since I posted it on my Facebook Page, I assumed it was here too.  It is one of my FAVORITE Paleo desserts!  Huge thanks to Mark Sisson for coming up with this genius idea, and huge thanks to my friend, Sarah, for sharing it with me!

This is a chilly dessert that should be kept in the freezer.  Just don’t spend too much time with your head in the freezer with it!

Chocolate Coconut Bark

2 oz. (roughly 55 grams) dark chocolate (only 2 oz.!!  not too bad!)
1 C. coconut oil (make sure it’s extra-virgin, and unrefined… this is especially important for this recipe)
1 handful coconut flakes
1 handful slivered almonds (I actually prefer pecans)
1/2 tsp. sea salt (I found that this was wayyy too much salt… try 1/4 tsp. if you like salt.  I think the recipe is delicious without the salt.)

Fill a pot with a few inches of water, then balance a smaller pot on top, so it just hovers above the water. Bring the water to a simmer. Break the chocolate into pieces, and melt it in the top pot.

Take the melted chocolate off the heat, and stir in the coconut oil until it melts. Add the coconut flakes and almonds.

Pour batter into an 8×8 pan, lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle the sea salt on top.

Put in the freezer for 15 minutes until solid, then cut into squares. Store the Chocolate Coconut Bark in the freezer.

SO DELICIOUS!!

Food Diary: Blueberry Sorbet

I got a Vita-Mix Blender for Christmas (EEEEEEEP!).

Tonight I made my first blend… it was delicious, so I decided to share!

Blueberry Sorbet

1 C unsweetened almond milk

1 1/2 C frozen blueberries

1 tsp honey

1 frozen banana

Put all ingredients in the Vita-Mix and blend on HIGH for 30 seconds, or until 4 “mounds” form.

Note: This recipe definitely requires a high-powered blender.  A regular ol’ blender just won’t do the job.  

Food Diary: Baked Apples

We had a great FALL dessert tonight!  Baked Apples are simple and yummy, so I was excited to see this recipe in Sarah Fragoso’s Everyday Paleo.

These are stuffed with golden raisins, coconut oil, shredded coconut, chopped pecans, cinnamon, ground cloves, and nutmeg.

Aside from the fact that they make your entire house smell amazing, they are melt-in-your-mouth delicious!

Food Diary: *pinch me* Chocolate Chip Cookies!

We have been to several family events lately where the dessert tables were filled with “there’s-no way-we’re-eating-that-grain-filled, sugar-filled-junk ” items. All this Paleo determination has made me pretty hungry for some paleo-friendly DESSERT!

Tonight I decided to come home and make a late-night batch of chocolate chip cookies.  I found the recipe on one of my favorite blogs, “The Food Lover’s Primal Palate.”  I could not make these fast enough… it was just so exciting!

As I posted on Facebook, this was the first time I had made chocolate chip cookies without starting with a stick of butter and a TON of sugar. It felt a little weird, and I wondered if they could really be as delicious as I hoped.

As the smell of fresh-baked cookies filled my tiny apartment, my doubts flew out the window, and I had to fight the urge to open the oven and watch them rise.

These cookies definitely surpassed my expectations.  They are amazing, melt-in-your-mouth delicious!

Keep in mind, maple syrup and chocolate chips are not technically Paleo-approved (and certainly not Whole30-approved!), so these are definitely a cheat/treat that should not be enjoyed every day. But pure maple syrup and dark chocolate chips are a much better option than the grain-and-sugar-filled cookies I used to make.

Give these a try, and let me know if they aren’t the best cookies you’ve ever eaten.  The fact that you can eat them without a guilty conscience just makes them more amazing.

Oh yeah.