In Goodies Against The Grain: January 2015

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Grain-Free Banana Crunch Cakes


These cakes are basically a dream come true. Being super easy to make, incredibly yummy, and made with very healthy ingredients, it’s no wonder these are my new favorite treats! Which is a big compliment to them, considering treats are my favorite things on earth (sorry, family!).

Tonight I was craving banana bread. But not just plain ‘ole banana bread; it had to have more depth, more parts to it. Enter… Banana Crunch Cakes!
The little cakes took me a very short amount of time to make, and-oh! the ramekins.
Best. Christmas. Present. Ever.
My ramekins have the capacity of one cup, but I suppose any size ramekin would work for this recipe, just keeping in mind that the baking times may differ depending on the depth of the dish.

Feel free to change up some of the flavors, adding either vanilla, almond, or coffee extracts if you feel adventurous, and tell me how it went in the comments below.
I hope you enjoy these paleo, grain-free, dairy-free cakes, which are sure to warm up your entire house and heart! And taste scrumptious in your mouth.

Makes three medium-size individual cakes.

Ingredients:

2 eggs, at room temperature
2 Tbs coconut oil, melted, plus more for greasing
2 very ripe bananas, chopped
1 Tbs maple syrup or honey*
3 Tbs coconut flour
¼ cup blanched almond flour
½ tsp baking soda
¾-1 tsp espresso, finely ground**

For the crunch:
1/3 cup banana chips, coarsely chopped
¼ cup walnuts, chopped

Directions:

1.     Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and oil three medium-size ramekins (the kind with a 1 cup capacity).
2.     Mix the eggs, coconut oil, bananas and maple syrup (if using it) in a large mixing bowl and mash the bananas using the back of a large spoon or a fork.
3.     Once the mixture is smooth, stir in the coconut and almond flours, baking soda, and espresso (if using it).
4.     Spoon the mixture into the three ramekins, then sprinkle the crunch on top.
5.     Bake the cakes for 23-25 minutes, then let cool for 5-10 minutes (for your tongue’s sake) and serve!

*The maple syrup (or honey) is completely optional; if your bananas are really sweet, you may not need it.

**The espresso is optional, but adds a great depth to the cakes. If you want a stronger coffee flavor, feel free to use up to 1½ tsp espresso.


Monday, January 12, 2015

Nut-Free Orange Cookies with a Chocolate-Orange Filling



Happy New Year! I hope all of you had awesome holidays, and ate lots of desserts! If you didn’t eat tons of sweets over the holidays, or did but are craving more, I have the perfect treat for you. A treat that is nut-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, grain-free, and refined sugar-free! Wowza, that’s a lot of “free”s. Do you know what’s not on that “free” list? Delicious. Or orange-y. Or rich. Or satisfyingly sweet. The list goes on, and on!
These cookies are really scrumptious. To the point where I had to physically fight my brother off the plate of them so that there would be some left to photograph the next day!

The true joy of these cookies is that they take a very short amount of time to make, and the result is fantastic! Just know that once they’re in the oven, the coconut oil will start to melt, and the cookies will spread a ton. This is completely normal, so don’t freak out, just make sure to place the scoops of dough far apart on the baking sheet so they don’t meld together.

Lastly, the combination of the mild orange-vanilla flavor of the cookies and the rich, deep flavor of the chocolate-orange filling is simply stunning. These are very addictive, with the chocolate filling, or not. But the filling just makes them insane!

Makes 18 cookies or 9 sandwich cookies.

Ingredients:

For the cookies:
½ cup + 2 Tbs raw honey
½ cup coconut oil, slightly softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs, at room temperature
¾ cup tapioca flour or arrowroot flour (tapioca is cheaper)
1 pinch sea salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 Tbs fresh orange zest (the zest of 1 large orange)

For the filling:
3/4 cup (122 grams) dark chocolate, at least 70-85% cacao content
3 Tbs coconut oil
1 Tbs raw honey (optional)
2 tsp fresh orange zest

Directions:


1.     Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2.     In a large bowl, using an electric mixer (or stand mixer), whisk together the honey and coconut oil
until smooth and fluffy.
3.     Whisk in the vanilla and eggs.
4.     Mix in all the dry ingredients until smooth, then stir in the orange zest.
5.     Using a cookie dough scooper, (or a heaping tablespoon, though the cookies would end up smaller) scoop the dough into balls spaced about 2½ inches apart on the parchment-lined sheet.
6.     Bake the cookies on the middle rack of the oven for 15 minutes. Note that the will spread A LOT in the oven. That’s how they’re supposed to be.
7.     Leave the cookies on the parchment paper, and transfer to a cooling rack. Then repeat steps 5-7 with the rest of the dough.
8.     Let the cookies cool fully while you make the filling.
9.     Place the chocolate, coconut oil, and honey (if you’re using it) in a double boiler over high heat or a small saucepan over medium heat.
10. Once the chocolate has melted, place the mixture in the fridge to cool, for 20-30 minutes.
11. Scoop the cooled (and firm) chocolate mixture into a mixing bowl, then add the orange zest and whisk with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy.
12. Spoon a bit of the chocolate filling on top of one cookie and gently spread it around. Place another cookie on top. Note: If the filling is too hard to spread, you can use your fingertips to rub it onto the cookie. It will spread easier because the coconut oil will start to melt at the touch of your finger.
13. Repeat this with the rest of the cookies, and enjoy!