Coconut Macaroons

This is one of my first recipes as a primal baker (so please excuse it's informality). Now I know and must point out the differences between using sweetened or unsweetened coconut. Besides the obvious variation in amounts of sugar, the unsweetened really seems to be extra dry. I would suggest perhaps leaving some of the yolks in with the mix to make up for that lack of moisture.

I wasn't terribly exact when whipping these up, so you'll have to excuse my use of guessed measurements.
I have made a recipe from the back of a coconut bag before, and this was a different brand. So, the recipes were a little different. One had flour, one didn't, etc....
This is roughly what I did:

Ingredients
2 bags (approx. 32 oz) of coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup of almond flour
6 egg whites
1 cup almond or coconut milk
sea salt and sweetener to taste 
dark chocolate to drizzle on top (I used baking chips, which melt faster)
slivered almonds
coconut oil for the pan

Directions
Basically, I mixed all the ingredients in a bowl. I greased the pan and set the oven for 325-350.
Since I didn't have an ice-cream scoop to make perfect little blobs, I greased up a small measuring cup (probably 1/4 cup), and used it to make 16 coconutty mounds. I baked them while continually checking and changing temps, making sure they weren't getting burnt here or there. When there was brown crispy coconut all over the tops and especially bottoms, I took them out and let them cool before adding the toppings.

Coconut Coffee Hobnobs

This is a great primal and gluten/grain free dessert. I don't feel at all guilty about eating these...


Coconut Coffee Hobnobs

Dusting powder:
4 tbs unsweetened coconut finely processed
1 tsp cocoa powder
1 tsp coconut flour
1 handful organic chocolate chips

Hobnobs:
12 large organic pitted dates
2 tbs brewed coffee
1/4 cup almond milk + 1 tbs
1 1/2 tbs coconut oil

3/4 cup whole almonds
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/4 tsp ground sea-salt
2 tsp coconut flour
1 1/2 tsp cocoa powder

1/4 cup coconut flour set aside

For the dusting powder, chop all of the ingredients in a food processor until desired consistency and mix together. Set this aside.
For the hobnobs you need to mix wet ingredients and dry ingredients, then combine the two.
Blend the dates, coffee, almond milk and coconut oil in a food processor until it is smooth and buttery. Separately put the almonds (you can use another kind of nut, or several kinds), salt, coconut flour and cocoa powder in the processor to create the nut meal. After these two blends are mixed together, slowly add up to 1/4 cup of coconut flour until the mixture has the consistency of sticky pizza dough. Once it can be rolled into a ball a little bigger than an inch in size, drop it into your dusting mix and cover it completely.
Place all of the finished treats on a sheet and chill in the fridge until you just can't resist the temptation to eat one!
The recipe makes 12-15 hobnobs.

Eggnog (dairy and sugar-free)

I don't know about you, but I am obsessed with eggnog (sans the alcohol). Every year I get super excited for the season. I usually go through a half-gallon in a week on my own, and that is with a mix of half eggnog - half milk in my glass. It is dessert for me. But because it is primal, that means I can have it any time of day, in a latte or by itself. The fact that I now can drink a ton of it and not gain weight is unbelievable to me.
This recipe is dairy AND sugar free because my husband and I are staying away from dairy (even though that is the best way to have it).

Ingredients

6 pastured eggs

1 tsp organic vanilla extract

1 tbs xylitol + some stevia extract (to taste)

1/8 tsp freshly grated organic nutmeg 

1 can of organic coconut milk/cream (for dairy version, use 1 pint of heavy cream + 2 cups milk if you prefer it not so thick) 

Directions

In the bullet or a blender whip the eggs, sweetener, vanilla extract and nutmeg. When the eggs look thoroughly mixed add the coconut milk (or cow's milk) and continue to whip. Chill and serve with a little nutmeg as a garnish.

Chocolate cookies

These are very rich and very simple.  I would definitely recommend adding walnuts and/or chocolate chips to make them truly decadent.  I didn't have any at the moment (part of the problem of not having the pantry fully stocked).

Chocolate Cookies
2 cups almond flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1 tsp arrowroot, tapioca or a similar starch
1/2 tsp baking powder (grain-free)
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/4 cup xylitol
1/8 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp stevia extract
3 eggs
2 tbs strong brewed coffee
3 tbs lard, coconut oil or butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbs almond butter 
1/2 cup whipped coconut milk


Directions
As always, combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl (except shredded coconut) and whisk until everything is evenly blended.  When I say whipped coconut milk, I am referring to what we did for the coffee-creamer recipe. That is, taking an entire can of coconut milk/cream and whipping it so that the solid and liquid are combined.  When done in the bullet or another whipping device, this creates a very thick and frothy cream.  Take 1/2 cup of this and whip it further with the 3 eggs and other wet ingredients. After all of the wet ingredients are combined, I add the shredded coconut and blend because it is extremely dry and I am trying to compensate.  Combine the wet with the dry mix and you have cookie-dough.
Bake at 375 degrees on a greased baking sheet or silpat until they don't jiggle (about 10 minutes).  Err on the underdone side, otherwise they might dry out. The recipe yields about 18 good-sized cookies.
Again, feel free to add any nuts or extras.  That can only make them more delicious!

Carrot Cake (grain-free)

I love this recipe!  We are literally fighting over bites of this cake as it rapidly disappears and we even eat it for breakfast.  This recipe was originally made using dates as the majority of the sweetener, however dates have too much sugar for my weight-loss plan.  If you don't mind the sugar, just substitute the xylitol with about 10 or more large pitted dates that you have ground into a paste (and taste the final mix for desired sweetness).  It is equally if not more amazing this way.  


Carrot Cake
1 1/2 cups almond flour
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
3 tbs xylitol
1/2 tsp stevia
1 tsp arrowroot powder
1 tsp baking powder (Grain-Free)
1/4 tsp sea salt
3 eggs
1/2 cup coconut milk/cream
2 tbs brewed coffee
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 tbs lard/butter/coconut oil
2 cups peeled carrots chopped in a food processor
regular sized bag of pecans


*I have changed the amount of liquid to a lesser amount. Because I live in high-altitude, extra liquid is needed to keep my baking moist but this is not necessary at sea-level.


Directions
Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl with a whisk. (This is something I always do to ensure the flours and other ingredients are broken up and evenly mixed.)  Whip the wet ingredients together, except for the carrots, in a blender or bullet and then combine with the dry mix.  Lastly, add the processed carrots.  This can be poured into well greased cake rounds, cupcake molds or a brownie or loaf pan and baked at 400 degrees for 45 minutes or until it passes the toothpick test. Let it cool significantly before frosting and serving, otherwise it does not set up to a cake-like consistency. 
The pictures here are of a 3 layer cake with frosting in between the layers and poured on top (I think I doubled the recipe).  The final touch is toasting the pecans on a sheet in the oven until you can smell them, then crushing them and sprinkling liberally on top.


Frosting
1 can of previously refrigerated full fat coconut milk/cream (the thicker-the better)
a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg
1 tbs brewed coffee
sweetener of your choice: xylitol, stevia, etc... (or about 8 pitted dates processed into a paste)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Whip the ingredients together in a bullet, food processor, blender or with your muscles and a whisk, sweetening to taste.

Coconut coffee creamer

The hardest part of making the transition to a primal diet is cutting out dairy. I still eat cheese but I am trying to cut dairy out entirely.  So, now I need to find a substitute for milk/cream in my coffee.  I drink a ton of coffee and I have tried many times using almond milk, hazelnut milk and coconut creamer.  Unfortunately, nothing sticks.  I just can't get the right creaminess with nut milk and though the coconut creamer at the store is very close to half'n'half, it has sugar in it and still has too strong of a coconut taste.
Well, I may have finally figured it out.  It is very simple but it gets the job done without added sugar or an overly strong coconut flavor.  I use about 3 spoonfuls to get the color above.

Coconut coffee creamer
1 can organic coconut milk/cream (never light)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
sweeten with stevia extract to taste


Empty the entire can of coconut milk/cream into a blender or bullet and whip it all together with your vanilla and stevia extract.  Store in a container (in the fridge) that you can spoon the creamer out of; otherwise it will solidify in a pourable container and you will not be able to pour it out.

Resources: Almond Flour

One of our readers has directed us to his source for almond flour: Nuts Online
It looks like they have blanched, unblanched and organic almond flour in a variety of bulk sizes for a much better price than offered at your local health-food store.
They also have chia seed, shredded coconut, dried fruit and every kind of nut and nut flour you could dream of.  I can see it now.... cashew flour cookies, or better yet- pistachio!
This is definitely a great one-stop pantry stocker.

German Chocolate Frosting

I have always loved german chocolate cake frosting and it is surprising that it only just came to me that it could be a great primal recipe. This is an amazingly moist topping for the chocolate microwave cake, or you could just eat it with a spoon...

German Chocolate Frosting

6 oz bag of pecans, toasted

2 1/2 cups shredded coconut (unsweetened, of course)

2 tbs brewed coffee

3 tbs homemade lard or grass-fed organic butter

1/2 cup xylitol

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 can coconut milk/cream (full fat)

Brown the butter/lard in a sauce pan as best you can- we are just going for a little color here. Add the coffee, xylitol and vanilla extract very slowly with the butter/lard off the heat and whisk until it is all completely dissolved. In my coconut milk cans, the thick cream separates from the thinner liquid. Mix the thick half into the heated sauce until it is also completely blended.
Put the pecans on a baking sheet in the oven heated to about 375 or so. They will be done in about 7-10 minutes. The toasting process just brings out the oils and flavor in the nuts and makes them more brittle, but they don't really have to change color or crisp up. When the are done, use a food-processor to chop them until there are no large chunks.

In a mixing bowl combine the pecans and the shredded coconut. Pour the caramel-like concoction into the mixing bowl and stir everything until you have a sticky mess. That is your frosting! Tastes great on a warm micro-cake!

Chocolate Micro-Cake (Grain-Free)

It is a micro-cake because it is made in the microwave, but also because the mix can be made in bulk and portioned out to make individual servings. It is very often that I finish my dinner and decide that I need a little something sweet without wanting to take a great deal of time to make a fancy dessert. This is how this cake came about. The greatest part about it is that I can customize one for my fiancé by not using dairy, but still put buttermilk in my own.

Micro-cake Mix

2 cups almond flour

1 2/3 cups organic coconut flour

1 cup organic cocoa powder

1 cup xylitol

2 tbs baking powder (grain free)

1 tsp finely ground coffee

1 tsp pure stevia extract (pure stevia!  Not diluted versions of stevia - it makes a difference)

1 tsp sea salt

Individual Serving

-Melt 2 tbs of oil* in a microwave safe bowl or large mug

-Add 1 tsp of vanilla extract

-Add 1 egg

-Add 4 tbs of milk, buttermilk (my favorite), almond/coconut milk, brewed coffee or liquid of your choice

-Whisk all ingredients with 1/2 cup of the cake mix

-Place in microwave on power level 8 for a minute and a half, or until it sets

*I use a combo of lard and coconut oil, but you can use butter if you prefer

Some easy variations of this cake:

-Add a pinch of cinnamon and fresh ground nutmeg

-Use 1 tbs of a nut butter instead of 1 tbs of the oil

-Add organic, soy free chocolate chips

-Mix in your favorite berry

-A little splash of your favorite liqueur (keep in mind all liqueurs have sugar in them).

Simple Chocolate/Coconut Frosting

1 can of previously refrigerated full fat coconut milk/cream (the thicker-the better)

1 tbs cocoa powder

sweetener of choice: xylitol, stevia, etc...

1 tsp vanilla extract

Whip ingredients together in a bullet, food processor, blender or with your muscles and a whisk, sweetening to taste.

This must be reasonably cold to hold its thickness... but probably won't last that long. It can also be stored for a week's worth of micro-cakes.