I MADE DESSERT! Sorry, it’s just so rare these days, I feel like I have to break out the caps lock — and the strong tags. I stopped myself at italics.
My mom and I are in the early stages of Christmas baking planning. I know. It feels so early, but with my travel schedule in November, the holidays feel like they are right around the corner. My mom literally has thousands upon thousands of recipes saved in binders so the possibilities feel endless. While Christmas always feels like the cookie holiday, I think a few bars might be nice too, and these might be just the ticket.
This was my first time making the ever-popular Hello Dolly bar, but they were an easy bar I decided to throw together for a somewhat last-minute Halloween party two weekends ago. I found the recipe in one of my mom’s collections, and I have no idea where it came from. To make it somewhat healthier, I opted to swap a few ingredients. Butterscotch chips were replaced with dried cherries and regular graham crackers were replaced with gluten-free grahams. I also cut a little bit of the butter out, it just seemed a bit excessive. I also used PLENTY of diced apples, more than I think the recipe called for.
Ingredients:
2 cups gluten-free graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup butter, melted
12-oz dark chocolate, chopped (you can also use dark chocolate morsels)
2 1/2 cups dried cherries
1 cup sweetened flake coconut
2 1/2 cups peeled and finely chopped Granny Smith apples (about 1 lb)
1 1/2 coarsely chopped pecans
1 (14-oz.) can sweetened condensed milk (we used Eagle Brand® which is GF)
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Stir together graham cracker crumbs and butter, and press into a lightly greased 12-x9-inch pan (I greased with coconut oil). Layer with chocolate and the next 4 ingredients (in order of list) in prepared pan; drizzle with sweetened condensed milk.
- Bake at 350 F for 40-45 minutes or until deep golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack (about 1 hour), slice into bars.
That sweetened condensed milk is no joke. I’m not a baker, so I don’t have tons of experience with it, but it sure goes a long way. I got worried about halfway through the can that there was a typo in the recipe. It really coated everything thoroughly.
My only mistake was not cooling them completely on the rack. We were in a hurry, and I literally pulled them out of the oven as we were backing out of the driveway. As a result, they didn’t stay together as much as I would have liked, but I think people enjoyed them anyway. Lesson learned. They are nice and sweet without being too rich, which are the types of desserts I make often because Neil and his family aren’t huge fans of sweets.
My goal is to eventually achieve a Paleo variation, and I think the key lies in finding the right substitute for the graham cracker. We’ll see. And for parting entertainment, here’s a photo of Matilda enjoying a leftover apple.
Priceless!
Does pie require further explanation beyond its name? It’s the dessert you can find in some form at every season and holiday. Pie is perfect for every celebration, or non-celebration. This pie was conceived to make use of somewhat squishy price-reduced strawberries and mystery rhubarb, which I found tucked into a corner of the second grocery store I went to in search of it.
This is such a simple pie to put together, especially the crust. I think simplicity is what I love most about a clean and mostly Paleo diet. Nothing is dolled up, or over-complicated. All the ingredients feel whole, honest and close to their true form.
Ingredients:
For the crust:
2 cups almond flour
1 egg
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup ghee or organic unsalted butter
For the filling:
2 1/2 cups strawberries, rinsed and quartered
2 1/2 cups rhubarb, chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/3 cup coconut sugar
1/3 cup arrowroot powder
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a medium bowl, mix crust ingredients (by hand or mixer) until thoroughly combined with paste-like consistency. Press into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch pie plate greased with butter or ghee. Bake empty crust for 10-12 minutes. Remove when completed and reduce heat to 350 degrees.
- In a medium bowl, combine filling ingredients and combine thoroughly. Pour into pre-baked pie shell and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Increase heat to 375 degrees, and continue baking for an additional 10 minutes. Remove and allow pie to cool completely before serving. Refrigerate leftovers.
Makes 8 servings.
I feel like strawberries give us too brief a window in which to enjoy them indulgently. They are seemingly everywhere right now and I think I could absolutely eat my weight in them. With half a pie still in our refrigerator, I bought two more cartons last night while at the store. I just can’t help myself.
Cookies! If you hadn’t noticed, we’ve been in a bit of a baking drought since going Paleo. Initially it was because we chose to abstain from treats to better acclimate to being newly grain free. I also quickly found that Paleo baking had a learning curve that I didn’t have time for while finishing grad school. There were new flours I’d never heard of and substitutions we’d never experimented with. Needless to say, I was a little overwhelmed (and still am). My cabinet filled with bags of whole wheat flour are turning into smaller clusters of canning jars filled with various things I’m collecting as our budget allows—things like coconut flour and tapioca starch. I feel like I’m learning to bake all over again.
Thankfully I didn’t have to tap my newb skills too deeply for these cookies. They are completely grain free, and while this means they aren’t true oatmeal cookies, they’ve definitely fooled a few people.
Ingredients:
1 cup pitted dates, chopped into chunks
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons coconut oil
1/2 cup pecans
2-3 tablespoons honey
1 cup shredded coconut
2 cups almond meal
2 eggs
3/4 cup raisins
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Place dates, coconut, oil, spices and pecans in a food processor. Pulse until nuts and dates resemble large and loose crumbs.
- Transfer mix to a large mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix using hands.
- Form into tight hamburger-like patties and place on a greased cookie sheet
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until lightly golden.
Makes 8-10 cookies.
Fair warning, make these once and you’ll be consumed by the desire to make them often. They are super healthy as well as easy to adapt for other flavors. Last night (upon Neil’s request), I added a little vanilla and cacao nibs and made chocolate chip cookies. Next, I’d like to make snickerdoodles, because my Udi’s habit is very expensive.
