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More than 125 simple and sweet recipes for Paleo-friendly desserts
Following a Paleo Diet doesn't mean you have to give up your favorite desserts and treats. Paleo Desserts For Dummies offers up more than 125 tasty and delectable dessert recipes that you can enjoy while staying true to the Paleo lifestyle. From chocolate cake and blueberry muffins to maple-walnut ice cream and cookie dough Oreo cookies—there's something to please every palate in this collection of Paleo-friendly desserts.
The Paleo diet is one of the hottest diet and healthy-eating approaches around, as more and more people discover an appealing and sustainable alternative to the restrictive diets that can lead to burnout and failed weight loss efforts. Using natural foods to achieve great health and a perfect physique, the Paleo diet can lower the risk of
cardiovascular disease, blood pressure, and markers of inflammation, as well as help promote weight loss and optimal health. Plus, it has become a lifesaver for the millions of Americans with celiac disease who benefit from eating natural and gluten-free foods.
- Provides recipes that are all made with nourishing, whole foods with no added refined sugars, gluten, grains, or soy
- Includes Paleo recipes for holiday treats, like chocolate pumpkin pie, Halloween ghost truffles, and a fudgy peppermint bark
- Gives you access to a handful of additional Paleo dessert recipes on dummies.com
- Helps you discover the healthy alternatives to sugar and chemical-laden junk food
With the satisfying recipes in Paleo Desserts For Dummies, you'll soon discover how sweet it is to give in to primal cravings!
Unlike fad diets, Paleo is a lifestyle based on eating wholefoods and avoiding modern, processed, and refined foods. The diet is far from boring and repetitive; it focuses on eating a wide variety of meats, seafood, vegetables, fruits, healthy fats, nuts, and seeds, as well as nutrient-dense traditional foods such as organ meats, bone broths, and fermented foods.
About The Author
Adriana Harlan is the author of the award-winning blog Living Healthy with Chocolate (livinghealthywithchocolate.com), where she shares new recipes and tips for healthy living weekly. Her recipes have been featured in a number of Paleo and gluten-free magazines and blogs around the globe.
Articles From The Book
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Paleo Diet Recipes
Articles
Who doesn't love chocolate? For a Paleo-approved chocolate treat, try this recipe for 84 percent dark chocolate sweetened with honey. You'll find no artificial sweeteners or chemicals, and best of all, this Paleo recipe is easy to make and doesn't sacrifice taste.
Preparation time: 30 minutes, plus cooling
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Yield: 9 servings
2-1/2 tablespoons cacao butter
3-1/2 tablespoons raw cacao powder
1 tablespoon raw honey
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Melt the cacao butter in a bowl over simmering water (double boiler) until it reaches 122 degrees F.
Paleo Diet Recipes
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One of the greatest pleasures of life is enjoying the foods you love, including yummy muffins. This recipe for Paleo apple cinnamon muffins keeps you on a healthy track by removing the bad stuff and replacing it with nutrient-rich ingredients.
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Yield: 5 servings
1-1/2 cups blanched almond flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 room temperature egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 to 2 tablespoons raw honey
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a muffin tin with baking cups.
Paleo Diet Recipes
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Baking breads with avocados adds healthy fats as well as a wonderful texture, like in this Paleo-approved avocado chocolate bread recipe. And because the flavor of avocados is so mild, you don't taste it all!
Use Hass avocados to make this recipe because they aren't bitter like other types of avocados, which may give a bitter aftertaste to this bread.
Paleo Diet Recipes
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Who doesn't love a piece of soft, warm, freshly baked dessert bread? Luckily, you can make this Paleo-approved chocolate zucchini bread recipe, which swaps out traditional flour with almond flour and uses Paleo-friendly raw honey for sweetness.
To ensure the bread turns out light and fluffy and doesn't sink in the middle, make sure to use blanched almond flour that has been ground very finely.
Paleo Diet Recipes
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Try this simple Paleo recipe for a decadent chocolate cake. It's light, fluffy, moist, chocolaty, and not overly sweet. The middle layer is even made out of a creamy, dairy-free chocolate ganache, so you don't feel like you're following any kind of special diet.
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 2 hours, 50 minutes
Yield: 10 servings
Chocolate Ganache (see recipe below; prepare in advance)
Chocolate Frosting (see recipe below)
3 cups blanched almond flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
3/4 cup raw cacao powder
1/2 cup organic coconut palm sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1 cup full-fat coconut milk
3 large room temperature eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons raw honey
Shaved Paleo-friendly dark chocolate for garnish (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Paleo Diet Recipes
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This recipe for chocolate coconut bark is the perfect treat for when you're craving something chocolatey or sweet. Remember, just because you're living Paleo doesn't mean you have to sacrifice sweets.
Preparation time: 10 minutes, plus freezing time
Yield: 12 servings
1 cup coconut oil, melted
2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon raw honey
1 cup Paleo-friendly chocolate chips or homemade chocolate
In a large bowl, mix the coconut oil, vanilla, and honey, then mix in the shredded coconut.
Paleo Diet Recipes
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When you follow a Paleo lifestyle, you can commemorate special events with sweets, too. Try this recipe for coconut chocolate cake to take to a party or special occasion — no one will notice the difference in taste your Paleo cake!
Preparation time: 30 minutes, plus chilling time
Cooking time: 17 min
Yield: 10 servings
Coconut Layer (see recipe below)
Chocolate Glaze (see recipe below)
1-1/2 cups blanched almond flour
1/2 cup raw cacao powder
1/2 cup organic coconut palm sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 room temperature eggs
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/3 cup full-fat coconut milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Paleo Diet Recipes
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Try this delicious Paleo-friendly coconut pie with blueberries recipe for when a special occasion arises. No one will notice the difference in taste (or presentation) between your Paleo pie and traditional ones made with traditional ingredients.
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Yield: 9 servings
Coconut Filling (see recipe below)
1/2 cup raw almonds
1/2 cup raw pecans
1/2 cup Medjool dates (about 6 large dates), pitted
1 cup fresh blueberries
Chop the almonds and pecans separately in a food processor and place them in a large bowl.
Paleo Diet Recipes
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Just because you're living Paleo doesn't mean you can't enjoy a rich, fudgy brownie. The following recipe helps satisfy your cravings for brownies without the guilt (and without all the sugar and other heavily processed ingredients in traditional desserts).
Credit: Courtesy of Adriana Harlan
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15–20 minutes
Yield: 12 servings
1/2 cup raw cacao powder
1/2 cup flaxseed meal
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons raw honey
1 tablespoon sunflower seed butter
1/4 cup Paleo-friendly chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Paleo Diet Recipes
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Living the Paleo lifestyle means you feed your cells with nutrient-dense whole foods while still satisfying your sweet tooth. This recipe for lemon brownies with coconut lemon glaze will taste as good as — if not better than — traditional desserts, which are made with heavily processed ingredients and are full of empty calories.
Paleo Diet Recipes
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Preparing Paleo desserts for the Thanksgiving spread, like this recipe for no-bake triple chocolate pumpkin pie, is a perfect way to help balance out the table and show your loved ones all the creative ways they can incorporate healthy foods into the holiday feast.
Preparation time: 20 minutes, plus chilling time
Yield: 15 servings
Chocolate Pumpkin Filling (see recipe below)
1-1/2 cups raw pecans
1 cup Medjool dates (about 10–12 large dates), pitted
4 tablespoons raw cacao powder
1/4 cup Paleo-friendly chocolate chips, melted
Grease a 9-inch removable-bottom tart pan with coconut oil and place a piece of parchment paper on the bottom of the pan.
Paleo Diet Recipes
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When adapting traditional recipes made with wheat- and grain-based flours to use flours that fit the Paleo diet, you may wonder where to start. The following sections examine two of the most commonly used Paleo flours, almond flour and coconut flour. (Note: "Wheat flour" refers to all wheat-based flours, including all-purpose or "white" flour.
Paleo Diet Recipes
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Sugar plays an important role in baking. Without it, desserts would not only taste bland but also lack volume, tenderness, texture, and color. Perhaps the most amazing (and scary) property of sugar is the fact that it enhances the flavor of bakery goodies. Sugar is addictive, and most sugars consumed today come from genetically modified crops or from sugar beets and corn and are consumed in their refined form.
Paleo Diet Recipes
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You can use a number of alternatives for replacing binding properties of gluten in Paleo baking. Binders are what hold baked goods together and provide products like cakes, breads, pancakes, and batter-based baked goods with tender crumbs and a light and airy texture. In the absence of gluten, most Paleo baked goods made with nut or coconut flours depend on eggs to have the proper hold and texture.
Paleo Diet Recipes
Articles
Unlike fad diets, Paleo is a lifestyle based on eating wholefoods and avoiding modern, processed, and refined foods. The diet is far from boring and repetitive; it focuses on eating a wide variety of meats, seafood, vegetables, fruits, healthy fats, nuts, and seeds, as well as nutrient-dense traditional foods such as organ meats, bone broths, and fermented foods.
Paleo Diet Recipes
Articles
Dairy is typically an essential ingredient for making ice cream because of its fat content, but it's also a somewhat controversial ingredient in Paleo circles. Thankfully, the following ice cream recipes are dairy-free. How is that possible? Simply replace heavy cream with coconut milk, which is also very high in fat and helps make the ice cream creamy.
Paleo Diet Recipes
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These easy-to-fix and healthful muffins are a great way to start the day. Bananas, nuts, and honey will fill you up and give you energy to take on the morning.
Credit: ©Photo courtesy of Adriana Harlan
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 22 minutes
Yield: 12 muffins
2 cups blanched almond flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
1 egg, room temperature
4 tablespoons avocado oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoon raw honey
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup coconut flakes (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a muffin tin with baking cups.
Paleo Diet Recipes
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This recipe for almond cookies with chocolate avocado fudge frosting delivers delicious taste while following Paleo nutritional guidelines. While you may no longer crave sweet foods as much when living Paleo, having a healthy cookie now and then can be quite enjoyable.
Preparation time: 30 minutes, plus chilling time
Cooking time: 17 minutes
Yield: 22 servings
Chocolate Avocado Fudge Frosting (see recipe below)
1-1/2 cups blanched almond flour
3 tablespoons organic coconut palm sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
2-1/2 tablespoons full-fat coconut milk
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 room temperature egg
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Paleo Diet Recipes
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For those hot summer days, cool off with this Paleo-friendly recipe for blueberry vanilla yogurt popsicles. Dairy free and simple to make, this frozen treat fits into a Paleo lifestyle and lets you indulge your natural craving for treats.
Preparation time: 20 minutes, plus freezing time
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
One 13.
Paleo Diet Recipes
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Using healthful and wholesome ingredients, like in this chocolate hazelnut tart with strawberries recipe, you can enjoy sweets when following a Paleo lifestyle. Remember, Paleo isn't like other diet programs that leave you feeling like the only person at the party who can't enjoy a dessert.
Credit: Courtesy of Adriana Harlan
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
Homemade Chocolate Hazelnut Spread (see recipe below)
1/2 cup Medjool dates (about 6 large dates), pitted
1/2 cup blanched almond flour
1/3 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
Process the dates in a food processor until they form a creamy paste.
Paleo Diet Recipes
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This Paleo recipe for chocolate pinwheel cookies is perfect for Christmas, Hanukkah, or any festive lunch or dinner party. Making sweet treats the Paleo way will help you stay away from unhealthy dessert choices while also sharing with others how to have delicious, healthy, and nourishing sweets.
Preparation time: 1 hour, plus freezing time
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Yield: 20 servings
1/4 cup Paleo-friendly chocolate chips
2 cups blanched almond flour
2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons pastured butter, softened
2 large room temperature egg yolks
3 tablespoons raw honey
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons raw cacao powder
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Paleo Diet Recipes
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You'll be surprised to discover how good this recipe for banana muffins tastes when made the Paleo way with coconut flour and sweetened with a little raw honey. You don't even need any special equipment or a lot of time to make this recipe. A mixing bowl, a rubber spatula, a muffin pan, and about 15 minutes of your day are all that it requires.
Paleo Diet Recipes
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Try this quick, delicious recipe for cookie dough bites for the Paleo, health-conscious chocolate lover in you. Made with healthy fats and protein, and sweetened only slightly with raw honey, this Paleo recipe helps satisfy your cravings for sweets.
Preparation time: 10 minutes, plus freezing time
Yield: 12 servings
3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1-1/2 tablespoons full-fat coconut milk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons raw honey
3/4 cup blanched almond flour
3 tablespoons Paleo-friendly chocolate chips, plus more for garnish (about 3 to 4 tablespoons)
Whisk together the coconut oil, coconut milk, vanilla, and honey.
Paleo Diet Recipes
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This recipe for dark chocolate orange bonbons is a delicious chocolate treat for those following a Paleo lifestyle. Made with healthy fats and protein, this recipe tastes amazing and doesn't require you to own a candy factory.
Raw cacao powder isn't the same as natural cocoa or Dutch-processed cocoa powder. Raw cacao powder contains the highest amounts of beneficial antioxidants and minerals by far, and it tastes much better and less bitter.
Paleo Diet Recipes
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Paleo isn't a restrictive diet, and satisfying your craving for dessert bars without the guilt is possible. With this double chocolate espresso bar recipe, your taste buds will become more refined, such that a little honey here and there is often all you'll need to satisfy that sweet tooth.
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Yield: 12 servings
Chocolate Crust (see recipe below)
One 13.
Paleo Diet Recipes
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This recipe for Paleo-friendly frozen blueberry breakfast bars is just the right kind of fruit bar to satisfy your sweet tooth. It's light and not overly sweet to fit into a Paleo lifestyle.
Preparation time: 20 minutes, plus freezing time
Cooking time: 15–20 minutes
Yield: 10 servings
Blueberry Topping (see recipe below)
1/2 cup almonds
1 cup pecans
1/2 cup macadamia nuts
1/2 cup coconut flour
2 teaspoons arrowroot powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
2 tablespoons full-fat coconut milk
2 tablespoons raw honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Blueberries for garnish
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line an 8-x-8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, making sure the paper covers all four sides of the pan.
Paleo Diet Recipes
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Whip up some delicious Paleo-style homemade chocolate hazelnut spread with this recipe. Use it to complement other treats or simply spread on a piece of Paleo Sandwich Bread.
Credit: Courtesy of Adriana Harlan
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Yield: 1 cup (11 servings)
3-1/2 tablespoons Paleo-friendly 100% dark, unsweetened chocolate
1 cup hazelnut butter
1 tablespoon raw cacao powder
2-1/2 tablespoons raw honey, or to taste
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
6 tablespoons almond milk
Melt the dark chocolate in a bowl over simmering water (double boiler).
Paleo Diet Recipes
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Living Paleo doesn't mean you can't enjoy a rich, chocolatey brownie. This recipe for no-bake fresh mint dark chocolate brownies uses healthful, Paleo-approved ingredients instead of heavily processed ingredients that can help satisfy your cravings for brownies without the guilt. (And, depending on the season, can help you use up some of that fresh mint from your garden!
Paleo Diet Recipes
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This smooth, sweet, creamy Paleo pudding recipe is just what you need to satisfy that sweet tooth. And it is gluten-free as well as grain-free and dairy-free. This is the perfect summertime dessert or healthful anytime snack.
Credit: ©Photo courtesy of Adriana Harlan
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
1 ripe avocado (such as a Hass avocado)
1/4 cup raw cacao powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons chia seeds
3/4 cup water
Pinch of salt
Sweetener of choice to taste (such as 1/3 cup coconut sugar and 1 tablespoon raw honey)
Fruit of choice for garnish
Blend the avocado, cacao powder, vanilla, cinnamon, chia seeds, water, and salt in a blender or food processor until everything is combined and smooth.
Paleo Diet Recipes
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When you have a yummy Paleo pie crust, you can fill it with everything from fresh fruit to ice cream to puddings. This cookie-like crust gives you countless options for creating fantastic desserts.
Credit: ©Photo courtesy of Adriana Harlan
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Yield: 12 servings
4 tablespoons room temperature butter, ghee or palm shortening
1/3 cup raw coconut palm sugar
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 egg, separated
1-1/2 cups almond flour
1 teaspoon arrowroot powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Paleo Diet Recipes
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If your idea of dessert is more along the lines of a regular piece of toast with some nut butter or jam, try this Paleo-friendly recipe for sandwich bread. (Of course, you can also use it for mealtime sandwiches.)
Transitioning to Paleo is very difficult for some people because they're so used to eating bread.
Paleo Diet Recipes
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Imagine . . . no sugar but sweet and yummy. This jam is perfect for Paleo bread, cakes, or as an ice cream topping. And, it's super simple to make.
Credit: ©Photo courtesy of Adriana Harlan
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Yield: 1 1/4 cup
1 cup strawberries, fresh or frozen (thawed)
1/2 cup mango, fresh or frozen (thawed)
2 large Medjool dates, pitted
1-1/2 tablespoons chia seeds
2 tablespoons water
Mix together the chia seeds and water and let it soak for 15 minutes.
Paleo Diet Recipes
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Cacao's health benefits are one of the reasons Paleo advocates love a chocolate treat, like this recipe for raspberry-filled homemade chocolates. Raw cacao beans are high antioxidants; minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, and manganese, and healthy fats. Having sweets while living Paleo is easy with recipes like this that are simple to make and taste amazing.
Paleo Diet Recipes
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Baking Paleo cupcakes is super easy and delicious. Try this recipe for red velvet cupcakes with coconut whipped cream frosting the next time you want to enjoy a Paleo-friendly sweet treat.
Preparation time: 20 minutes, plus overnight
Cooking time: 30–35 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Coconut Whipped Cream Frosting (see recipe below)
1-1/4 cups blanched almond flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons raw cacao powder
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
7 tablespoons full-fat coconut milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons raw honey
1 egg
1/4 cup finely grated peeled beets (use the fine holes in the grater)
1/4 cup Paleo-friendly chocolate chips
6 fresh cherries, pitted
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a muffin tin with 6 baking cups.
Paleo Diet Recipes
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Remember Whoopie Pies from your childhood? Well you don’t have to give them up when you shift to a Paleo lifestyle. These treats are perfect for Halloween and Thanksgiving. They're also perfect for every other day of the year, too!
Credit: ©Photo courtesy of Adriana Harlan
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Yield: 11 cookies
Cookies
1 cup blanched almond flour
1/4 cup raw cacao powder
4 teaspoons coconut flour
3 tablespoons coconut palm sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons + 1-1/2 teaspoons coconut oil, melted
1/3 cup coconut milk, full fat
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon raw honey
1/4 cup chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350°F, and line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Paleo Diet Recipes
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Make living Paleo easier and more enjoyable with this recipe for soft and chewy butter cookies. Depriving yourself cold-turkey of foods your body is used to eating doesn't work well in most cases. You'll find that having a Paleo-friendly cookie now and then is quite a treat and very satisfying.
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Yield: 10 servings
4 tablespoons room temperature pastured butter
2 tablespoons organic coconut palm sugar
2 egg whites
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup blanched almond flour
70-percent dark chocolate, chopped (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Paleo Diet Recipes
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Coconut flour and almond flour are two of the most commonly used flours in Paleo and grain-free baking. Both these flours produce soft and tender baked goods, and each has its own unique delicious taste.
Baking with coconut or almond flour is very easy and both are great substitutes for wheat and refined white flours.
Paleo Diet Recipes
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When eating Paleo, modern processed and refined foods such as grains, soy, industrial seed oils, artificial or refined sugar and sweeteners, and pasteurized dairy products should be avoided. This handy guide helps you make good, conscious decisions when choosing ingredients for your meals. Paleo offers so many healthy and incredibly tasty choices!