Gluten Free Macadamia White Chocolate Cookies

These GLUTEN FREE MACADAMIA WHITE CHOCOLATE COOKIES are irresistible and delicious. After the photo shoot, we had a few, and then some more. The taste lingered in our mouths and we finally had to wash it down with lemonade and some sugarless coffee. That’s how amazing these cookies are! These cookies, in fact, are my friend Daniela’s favorite, and even though she didn’t request them gluten free, I couldn’t resist the challenge (I can actually taste them if gluten free!).

My friend Daniela was moving this week and she found herself in a sea of boxes with her brand new closets unfinished. In fact, there were many other unfinished items at her new dwellings – including a missing stove top and a kitchen sink. Her plan is to have morning smoothies and salad takeout for the next five days…and now cookies. Yay!

These cookies have all the nice crunch of the macadamia nuts and the white chocolate chips, but they are soft and chewy as they never truly flattened while they were baking. They looked kind of funny at first, but once we bit into them, we loved them all the same. The major TRICK here is to mix the nuts and the chocolate chips in 1 teaspoon of cornstarch right before they get folded into the cookie dough. You can also use powdered sugar if you have that handy. This way, the chocolate is “protected”and it doesn’t melt, and the nuts hold their weight atop, never falling (and burning) to the bottom of the cookie.

Happy move, Dani!

Don’t miss the beat with this super easy Macadamia White Chocolate Cookies that are gluten free and delicious.

Recipe type: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Serves: 22

Save Trees: Print the Recipe Here

Ingredients:

• 3.5 oz of raw macadamia nuts (slightly chopped)
• 1 cup and 2 tbs of all purpose gluten free flour
• 1.5 tsp of xantham gum
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 75gr of white sugar
• 82gr of coconut palm sugar
• 4 tbs of unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 large egg at room temperature
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• 2 oz of white chocolate chips
• 1 tsp of cornstarch

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven at 325 degrees. In the bowl of a mixer, cream the butter and slowly add both sugars. In a large bowl, mix well the gluten free all purpose flour, the xantham gum, the salt, and the baking soda. Add half of the dry ingredients mix into the butter and sugar mix, beating at a low to medium speed. Then, add the egg, and slowly again finish adding all your dry ingredients. The dough will be thick and sticky.
2. In another bowl, mix the macadamia nuts with the white chocolate chips, and add the corn starch. Mix well. The cornstarch will help the chocolate and the nuts not to drop to the bottom of the cookie, once in the oven. When you are ready, fold these into the cookie dough batter, and mix well with a rubber spatula.
3. The dough needs to rest in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.
4. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, and make tiny balls (around 1 inch) with the cookie dough (wet your hands if it’s still too sticky!). Make sure you don’t crowd them on the sheet.
5. Once in the oven, the cookies will be done in 10-15 minutes. You can remove them once a light golden color appears. Let them rest on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes, and then move them onto a cooling rack.

What is your secret baking tip when making cookies?

Gluten Free Paleo Chocolate Glazed Donuts

Gluten free chocolate glazed donuts that are also delicious and happen to be Paleo, too? Hello. Yes. I’ve been craving something sweet and indulgent to have with my Nespresso macchiato during weekend afternoons, and donuts came to mind. Could there be a donut out there made with no grains, no gluten and also able to satisfy my “bad treat” cravings? Maybe. I think these hit the spot!

These donuts are not fried, but baked. Plus, for all of us health nuts and enthusiasts out there, the main ingredient is almond flour (a friendly nut!)- not even a pinch of rice, potato, or tapioca. So it’s 100% paleo, and I’m okay with that! (And fewer ingredients make me VERY happy.)

Ingredients:

For the donuts (makes around 8 in a medium-size donut pan)

• 2½ cups almond flour (I’m liking Honeyville)
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 6 tbsp maple syrup
• ¼ cup coconut oil
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 3 large eggs at room temperature

For the chocolate glaze:

• 1/4 melted coconut oil
• 2 oz vegan chocolate chips
• 1 tsp Stevia
• Sprinkles are not paleo! (But I couldn’t help myself for the pictures. Oops.)

Directions:

Ready? This is my favorite part. Pour all ingredients in your blender, and mix them well, until the batter looks airy.

Pre-heat the oven at 350 degrees, then grease a donut pan. Pour the batter almost (but not really) to the rim, being careful not to cover the opening for the whole. Then hit the pan down against the countertop to release any air bubbles and make sure the donuts rise evenly and beautifully.

Once you have the donuts baking, prepare the glaze. Put the chocolate chips in a microwaveable-safe dish, add the coconut oil and the Stevia, and microwave for 2 minutes at 40% power. Once done, remove from the microwave and give it a good stir.

The donuts will bake for 10-12 minutes depending on your oven. After you are done, remove from the oven, and let them cool for five minutes before placing them on a cooling rack. Once the donuts are completely cold to the touch, glaze them and wait around 10 minutes for the glaze to set.

For this recipe, I used (click on the images to find out more information and consumer reviews on Amazon.com):

Print the Recipe: Healthy Almond Bites Gluten Free, Vegan, Paleo

Ingredients:

Makes around 22 bites.

• 12 pitted dates (soak them in warm water 30 minutes before getting started)
• 1/2 cup raw almonds
• 1/3 cup tahini
• a pinch of sea salt to taste
• 1.5 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon of coconut nectar (you can replace with maple syrup)
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds

Directions:

In a food processor, chopped the almonds (they should look gritty, but not pasty or too fine). Add the rest of the ingredients (minus the sesame seeds), and mix well.

With a tablespoon, carefully lift some of the sticky mixture, and make a ball with the palms of your hands, then roll into the 1/4 cup of sesame seeds until totally coated. Set aside.

Nutritional Info: For 1 serving. Calories 55; Total Fat 3.9g, Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 5mg; Total Carb 5.2g; Dietary Fiber 1.1g; Sugars 3.2g; Protein 1.5g.

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Almond Healthy Bites Gluten Free, Vegan and Paleo

It’s Monday! Pack extra energy today with these amazing ALMOND HEALTHY BITES. Do I love them just because they are non-bake, easy to make, gluten free, vegan, and also Paleo? Oh no, not just because of THAT. I love them because they are delicious with a salty and sweet satisfying combination – and at only 55 CALORIES a pop. What are you waiting for?

This recipe calls for tahini, which you can easily find at the peanut butter and honey section of Whole Foods. Did you know tahini is actually made of sesame seeds? I didn’t! As I also didn’t know the following cool health benefits of tahini.

5 Really Cool Health Benefits of Tahini

1. It’s rich in minerals such as phosphorus, lecithin, magnesium, potassium and iron.
2. Packed with calcium, vitamin E and vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5 and B15.
3. Helps to maintain healthy skin and muscle tone.
4. It has 20% complete protein, making it a higher protein source than most nuts.
5. It’s easy for your body to digest because of its high alkaline mineral content, which is great for assisting in weight loss.

Ta-dah. These ALMOND HEALTHY BITES are not only tasty, but packed with good stuff. And who doesn’t want good stuff on a Monday?

Save trees: Print the recipe and see the nutritional info.

Ingredients:

Makes around 22 bites.

• 12 pitted dates (soak them in warm water 30 minutes before getting started)
• 1/2 cup raw almonds
• 1/3 cup tahini
• a pinch of sea salt to taste
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/2 teaspoon raw coconut nectar (you can replace with maple syrup)
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds

Directions:

In a food processor, chopped the almonds (they should look gritty, but not pasty or too fine). Add the rest of the ingredients (minus the sesame seeds), and mix well.

With a tablespoon, carefully lift some of the sticky mixture, and make a ball with the palms of your hands, then roll into the 1/4 cup of sesame seeds until totally coated. Set aside.

Refrigerate for up to 4 hours for best taste and consistency (I do eat all the food processor bowl goodness and it’s great, but nothing tastes like the actually bite right out of the refrigerator).They are great to pack for lunch or when you are out and around. And now one of my new favorite treats!

Check out Mind Body Green for more information on tahini and health. 

More on tahini:

• Elana’s Pantry Sesame Cookies
• Make your own tahini
• Kale Salad with Tahini Dressing

For this recipe, I used (click on the images to find out more information and consumer reviews on Amazon.com):

Vegan Tom Kah Thai Coconut Soup

I know we are in the middle of summer, but there’s something really evil going around the office this week: sore throats! About to face yet another tropical storm with a bunch of sick people, I turned to master nutritionist and perhaps the woman with the BEST vegan and gluten free recipes out there: Kimberly Snyder. She devised this amazing and super tasty thai coconut soup, which not only shows some TLC to your ill loved ones, but is also packed with beauty foods!

The recipe and many other great ones are featured in her new book: The Beauty Detox Foods and I am yet to make something we didn’t like. Some of our favorites include the Gorilla Taco Wraps, the Raw Coconut Macaroons and of course, her #1 beauty secret: the GSS or Glowing Green Smoothie.

The main ingredient for the Tom Kah Thai Coconut Soup is coconut milk, which is one of my favorites dairy replacers.

Did you know that…?

• Coconut milk is packed with vitamins C, E, B1, B3, B4 and B6, as well as iron, selenium, magnesium and phosphorus, and antioxidants
• Also rich in lauric acid, coconut milk may aid in riding the body of viruses, bacteria and other illnesses, reduce cholesterol, ad lower heart disease and stroke risks

Some of my new recipes with coconut milk and other coconut products include:

• Skinny Vegan Buttercream Frosting
• Buckwheat and Coconut Nectar Pancakes
• Wet Coconut Truffles

Have you tried any of these?

Ingredients: 

Recipe inspired by Kimberly Snyder. Serves 4.

•  1 cup of coconut milk
• 3/4 cups of almond milk (original)
• 3 tbs green curry paste
• 3 cups of vegetable broth
• 2 tbs tamari
• 1 cup thin sliced mushrooms
• 3 cups chopped broccoli
• 1 tsp. stevia or sugar
• 4 tbs lime juice
• Fresh cilantro as a garnish

Directions:

In a large pot, mix the coconut and almond milk, the green curry paste and the tamari. When it starts to boil, reduce the heat to low and cover to simmer for 5 minutes. Add the broccoli and the mushrooms. Cover again and cook for 10 minutes.

Turn off the stove and add the rest of the ingredients, stirring well. Serve and top with cilantro and a sliced lime.

What I used to make this recipe:

Print the Recipe: Gluten Free Cookie Dough Cake

Ingredients:

2 8” round vanilla GLUTEN FREE cakes (I made mine using CRAVE BAKERY’S vanilla cupcake recipe. Other alternatives? GLUTINO’s Old Fashioned Cake Mix)

Filling

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoons all-purpose GF flour
• 1/2 cup condensed milk hack (click here for recipe)
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extrack
• 1/8 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

Frosting

Adapted from Magnolia: Recipes from the World Famous Bakery and Allysa Torey’s Home Kitchen

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 6-8 cups confectioner’s sugar
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

GF Chocolate chip cookies (I made them from scratch too. Here’s the recipe)

Directions

I assume you have your vanilla cakes ready to go. I made them the night before as I didn’t want to be in the kitchen for more than 1 hour at a time!

Start with the filling. Cream in high speed the butter and the sugar with a mixer. About 2 minutes. Add the GF flour, the condensed milk hack, and vanilla. Mix in medium until well blended. Fold in the chocolate chips. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Next, tackle the frosting. In a mixing bowl, combine the butter and half the sugar, a drop of milk and the vanilla. Beat on medium to high speed until creamy (around 3 minutes). Gradually add more sugar, a little bit more of the milk, and so forth. Until you get the right consistency. As we will use 3/4 of the frosting unpiped, I recommend keeping it slightly on the creamy side.

Now, you are ready for the most fun part: assembly. Get your cake plate ready. Set one of the first cakes. Spoon in and frost with the buttercream filling (use 1/3 of it). Set aside. Get the cookie dough filling out of the refrigerator and create tiny cookie dough balls. Very tiny ones. Set on top of the frosting until you cover it completely. Set aside.Get the second cake. Turn it upside down on another plate. Spread a thin layer of frosting. Flip and sandwich in the cookie dough balls in between the two frosted sides of the cake. Press lightly. Save some frosting for decoration (fill a piping bag). The rest, drop it onto the cake, and spread evenly to cover the whole cake.

Pipe the remainder frosting to decorate. I crumbled home-made chocolate chip cookies for the sides, and dropped a lot of chocolate chips in the center.

Refrigerate for a couple of hours.

Eat!

 

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Paleo Gluten Free Chocolate Banana Pancakes

Paleo Banana Pancakes is one of my favorite posts here. The recipe has all the goodness of a sweet and indulgent breakfast packed in into just half a banana and one egg per serving. And 9 grams of protein per serving.

PLUS, the pancakes are gluten free and paleo…and could be almost vegan if you dare replace the single lonely egg for Egg Replacer (on my bucket list).

This little chocolaty variation is the new and improved way to make them. I just got a purple immersion blender and is my new best friend. Batter to batter, you can’t even tell if this one is gluten free or paleo or “normal.”

Save some trees: Print the recipe here and check out the nutritional info.

Ingredients:

For 1 serving. This was inspired by the Paleo Banana Pancakesrecipe.

• 1/2 ripe banana
• 1 egg
• 1.5 tsp raw cacao powder
• 1 tsp coconut palm sugar, or stevia
• 1 tsp coconut flour
• 5 vegan chocolate chips
• 1 pinch of Kosher salt

Directions:

With everything in one single container (minus the salt), use an immersion blender until frothy. If you don’t have an immersion blender, grab a fork, mash the banana, and then beat the rest of the ingredients (skip the chocolate chips).

In a medium pan at medium to low heat, cook SMALL silver dollar pancakes (small is key as these are a little bit tougher to flip versus other ones). Watch them like a hawk – they can burn in extra 3 seconds. Start with the heat at low and build from there. Around 2 minutes for the first side and 20 seconds for the other side.

Serve with maple syrup, coconut nectar, skinny coconut cream frosting, or solo. Add the pinch of Kosher salt at the very end…it really does the trick!

Print the Recipe: Chocolate Paleo Banana Pancakes

Ingredients:

For 1 serving. This was inspired by the Paleo Banana Pancakes recipe.

• 1/2 ripe banana
• 1 egg
• 1.5 tsp raw cacao powder
• 1 tsp coconut palm sugar, or stevia
• 1 tsp coconut flour
• 5 vegan chocolate chips
• A pinch of Kosher salt to taste

Directions:

With everything in one single container (minus the Kosher salt), use an immersion blender until frothy. If you don’t have an immersion blender, grab a fork, mash the banana, and then beat the rest of the ingredients (skip the chocolate chips).

In a medium pan at medium to low heat, cook SMALL silver dollar pancakes (small is key as these are a little bit tougher to flip versus other ones). Watch them like a hawk – they can burn in extra 3 seconds. Start with the heat at low and build from there. Around 2 minutes for the first side and 20 seconds for the other side.

Serve with maple syrup, or raw coconut nectar, and a pinch of Kosher salt. (That last thing does the trick!)

Nutritional Info: For 1 serving. Calories 259; Total Fat 9.3g, Cholesterol 164mg; Sodium 77mg; Total Carb 36.2g; Dietary Fiber 6.5g; Sugars 17.5g; Protein 9g.

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Print the Recipe: Gluten Free Cookie Dough Waffles

Ingredients:

This recipe uses Glutino Chocolate Chip Cookie and Cake Mix. 

For 5-6 waffles – vegan and lactose free. Inspired by the amazing Minimalist Baker

(thank you for a crispy vegan waffle!)

• 1 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1 tsp white or apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup melted  Earth Balance butter spread
• 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp  maple syrup
• 1 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup potato starch
• 1/4 cup tapioca flour
• 1 Tbsp flaxseed meal
• pinch Kosher Salt
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 Tbsp sugar

Additional:

• Cookie dough from Glutino Chocolate Chip Cookie and Cake Mix (prepared as directed)
• Skinny Coconut Cream Frosting

Directions:

Get your cookie dough ready! Create a few marble-sized cookie dough balls after following the directions in the Glutino Chocolate Chip Cookie and Cake Mix. You will need around 5-6 per waffle.

In a small bowl, set the almond milk with the apple vinegar to ferment for a few minutes.

In another bowl mix the maple syrup, the vanilla essence, the sugar, and the melted butter.

In a third bowl (sorry! too many bowls today!), mix all your dry ingredients together.

Mix the fermented almond milk with the rest of the wet ingredients, and then add all the dry ingredients. Mix well.

Set your waffle iron in 4-5 setting (I like my waffles toasty!). Once the iron is hot, pour 1/2 cup of the waffle mix, and carefully place 5-6 cookie dough balls on top. Press. Let the magic happens (around 4.5 minutes).

Serve warm, with a dollop (or two) of Skinny Coconut Cream Frosting.

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Gluten Free Cookie Dough Waffles

 A few days ago, Glutino kindly sent over their Chocolate Chip Cookie and Cake Mix. (Thank you guys!). 

I pondered about this mix for a while. I knew the cookies were going to be delicious but I was also looking for a brunch recipe for my Saturday post. The dilemma!

And then it came to me – Gluten Free Cookie Dough Waffles.

In the year of the cronut (half croissant, half donut), the inside out Reese Peanut Butter cup and the hundreds of Oreo, and Almond Joy bar hacks…what was there to lose in trying to merge two of my first American food crushes (cookie dough and waffles) into one delicious and whimsical weekend brunch?

…right.

Nothing.

These were so good, that it took all of my will power to resist them as I was taking the pictures this morning.

The waffles are vegan and lactose free (on top of crispy and delicious), and depending how you prepare the Glutino Chocolate Chip and Cake Mix, you might be able to get away with a full vegan breakfast. Just let me know how it works out. The cookie dough added an extra crumbliness in certain spots of the waffle, and I found myself digging for the cookie part! This mix worked great because it was a great shortcut to an otherwise 2x work recipe. For an even faster result, you can try the cookie mix coupled with Glutino Pancake and Waffle Mix.

Save some paper: Print the recipe here.

Ingredients:

This recipe uses Glutino Chocolate Chip Cookie and Cake Mix. 

For 5-6 waffles – vegan and lactose free. Inspired by the amazing Minimalist Baker

(thank you for a crispy vegan waffle!)

• 1 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1 tsp white or apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup melted  Earth Balance butter spread
• 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp  maple syrup
• 1 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup potato starch
• 1/4 cup tapioca flour
• 1 Tbsp flaxseed meal
• pinch Kosher Salt
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 Tbsp sugar

Additional:

• Cookie dough from Glutino Chocolate Chip Cookie and Cake Mix (prepared as directed with 2 eggs or replacement, 5 tbsp of butter or replacement and 2 tsp of vanilla)
• Skinny Coconut Cream Frosting

Directions:

Get your cookie dough ready! Create a few marble-sized cookie dough balls after following the directions in the Glutino Chocolate Chip Cookie and Cake Mix. You will need around 5-6 per waffle.

In a small bowl, set the almond milk with the apple vinegar to ferment for a few minutes.

In another bowl mix the maple syrup, the vanilla essence, the sugar, and the melted butter.

In a third bowl (sorry! too many bowls today!), mix all your dry ingredients together.

Mix the fermented almond milk with the rest of the wet ingredients, and then add all the dry ingredients. Mix well.

Set your waffle iron in 4-5 setting (I like my waffles toasty!). Once the iron is hot, pour 1/2 cup of the waffle mix, and carefully place 5-6 cookie dough balls on top. Press. Let the magic happens (around 4.5 minutes).

Serve warm, with a dollop (or two) of Skinny Coconut Cream Frosting.

Click here for the nutritional information.

Additional resources:

• Gluten cookie dough from scratch
• More about the cronut
• An inside out Reese Peanut Butter Cup

Note that the baking mix from Glutino is GMO-free! Glutino is a strong advocate of the non-GMO movement, supporting Proposition 37 in California and the Non_GMO Labeling Act in Washington. For more on the Non-GMO Movement click here.

 

 

 

Note:  I was not paid or compensated for this feature. I was provided with free product to spread the gluten free love; however, I was not required to write a positive feature in exchange.

 

 

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