Veggie Staples

dairy free, gluten free, refined sugar free, plant based recipes

Paleo & Gluten Free Chocolate Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies

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The Holidays are here! What is your favorite way to celebrate? My friend is hosting a cookie swap in a few weeks, and these Chocolate Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies (Gluten Free & Paleo) are an oldie but goodie for any holiday party! They incorporate that lovely combination of chocolate and peppermint that everyone is sure to love! And better yet, they are sweetened with natural honey! I was lucky enough to get some Nektar Honey Crystals on my hands from Nektar Naturals! (Thank you Nektar Naturals!) I used this as a healthy sugar substitute, (as I always do), and they still were a big hit. How awesome is that?

Who can resist such cute spirals? I had a few mishaps (I decided to use coconut sugar, which is brown… guess what? brown sugar does not take color dye, whoops!). I found these awesome natural food dyes after scouring the internet, and they worked really well! I was really impressed with the coloring, I wasn’t sure if they would turn out muddy or too dull. I would have been upset if I had ended up with pink instead of red! Anyways, if you are into Chocolate Peppermint (my whole family is obsessed) you will really love these cookies! Did I mention they are also gluten free and paleo? Note: If you do use coconut sugar in this recipe, the color will not turn out! Don’t learn the hard way like I did! I recommend using Nektar Naturals honey crystals!!

And don’t forget to head on over to my instagram account for a Nektar Naturals giveaway!

*Nektar Naturals can be found in any Walmart!!

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Paleo & Gluten Free Chocolate Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies
Author: 
Recipe type: Cookie
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 24 cookies
 
Ingredients
  • 3 cups almond flour
  • ¾ cup honey crystals, stevia or truvia
  • 1 egg
  • 4 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
  • 3 tablespoons raw cacao powder
  • 1 tablespoon almond or coconut milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • green & red food coloring to liking
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, whisk flour and baking soda.
  2. In a large bowl or in an electric mixer, beat honey crystals and coconut oil until fluffy (around 3 minutes)
  3. Beat in egg and vanilla into the honey crystals and coconut oil
  4. Add flour and baking soda, reduce mixer to low or beat until just blended
  5. Divide dough in half and place in two bowls
  6. Stir in cacao and milk into one bowl, stir in peppermint into the other bowl
  7. Divide peppermint dough in half and place in separate bowls
  8. Mix the red food coloring into one peppermint dough, green into the other
  9. Divide the chocolate dough in half
  10. Shape all the dough pieces into 3 X 5 inch rectangles, set on wax paper or parchment paper and place another piece of paper on the top for easy rolling
  11. Roll out dough into 9 X 12 inch rectangles.
  12. Refrigerate rectangles in the refrigerator for at least an hour
  13. Place 2 chocolate rectangles on a floured work surface (I like using arrowroot or tapioca flour)
  14. Remove from sheets of wax paper
  15. Lightly brush the chocolate dough with water (helps with sticking)
  16. Place red dough on top of one chocolate dough, place green dough on top of the other
  17. Trim edges if the dough shapes are uneven
  18. Roll dough together (from the long side) into a log form (both green and red dough)
  19. Roll dough tightly so the log is compact
  20. Wrap dough in plastic wrap/saran wrap for at least 3 hours
  21. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  22. Remove logs from refrigerator and unwrap
  23. Cut logs into ¼ inch thick cookie slices
  24. Place 1 inch apart on greased cookie sheet or Silpat
  25. Bake 10-15 minutes, until the edges begin to brown, rotating half way through

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The Best Gluten Free ‘Sugar’ Cookies

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We recently celebrated Zoey’s first birthday - I’m not really quite sure where 1 year went! Here she is shoving her face full of birthday cupcakes at school (gluten free & dairy free, of course)!!

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One thing I also sent to school with Zoey were these awesome ‘sugar’ cookies - they really are the best gluten free ’sugar’ cookies!!!! The kids really loved them and I don’t mind giving Zoey a treat knowing it’s gluten free and as ‘healthy’ as it can possibly be, not full of anything processed. Sometimes I think I’m crazy when I make everything homemade (time consuming), but at least I know what’s in them and what she’s eating - plus these really are the best gluten free ‘sugar’ cookies.

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You would never know I’ve replaced everything bad that comes in a normal sugar cookie and replaced it with much better ingredients! I also love making sugar cookies because I love all the fun cookie cutters you can use to make them way more fun - my Mom bought me a bag of 100 different cookie cutters last year for Christmas, and I don’t think I will ever have a shortage of any cookie cutter I’m looking for!

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The Best Gluten Free ‘Sugar' Cookies
Author: 
Recipe type: Cookie
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 38-48 cookies
 
Ingredients
  • 1.5 cups Gluten Free Enjoy Life All Purpose Flour
  • ½ cup coconut oil, melted
  • ¼ cup coconut sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp baking powder
Instructions
  1. Mix coconut oil & coconut sugar together
  2. *beating in a mixer will make it much easier, but not necessary
  3. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and beat until blended
  4. Add the flour and baking powder until completely combined.
  5. Remove from the bowl and roll into a ball.
  6. Place the ball of dough on a plate or in a ball (covered by plastic wrap or a dish towel) for 30-45 minutes.
  7. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
  8. Remove dough from refrigerator and use extra gluten free all purpose flour to sprinkle on your countertop (I like putting some on my rolling pin too).
  9. Roll the dough out to the desired thickness (around ¼ inch seems to work the best)
  10. * I did mine in small sections, I just found this easier
  11. Cut the dough with your cutters and place onto your silpat or greased baking sheet
  12. *you’ll get 38-48 cookies depending on how big your cookie cutters are
  13. Bake for 8-10 minutes until the cookies are faintly golden brown on the edges.
  14. Allow to cool before eating! (I like this wire rack the best)

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Paleo & Vegan Almond Chocolate Biscotti

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One last chocolate recipe! After this there is no more for a little while, okay? I know I’m not helping you keep that New Years Resolution to lose a few pounds..
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I’ve been back on a baking kick lately, and decided to dive into a biscotti recipe. Almond Chocolate Biscotti, in fact. I love biscotti. It’s dry and crumbly kind of like a scone, but a smaller serving and dunks perfectly in tea or coffee! And a nice little crunch if you choose not to dunk. Plus, who doesn’t like a little chocolate with their coffee & tea? Nevermind that these are paleo, gluten free, vegan, and have no refined sugars! What is your favorite flavor of biscotti?

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Paleo & Vegan Almond Chocolate Biscotti
Author: 
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 6 biscotti
 
Ingredients
  • ¾ cup almond flour
  • ⅓ cup coconut flour
  • ¼ cup raw cacao
  • ¼ cup honey
  • ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
  • ¼ cup enjoy life chocolate chips (plus more to sprinkle on top, if desired)
  • ¼ cup raw almond slivers (plus more to sprinkle on top, if desired)
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • pinch of sea salt
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
  2. Mix all ingredients together (except chocolate chips & almond slivers)
  3. Add chocolate chips & almond slivers (if desired)
  4. Roll into a square, brick shape
  5. Sprinkle extra chocolate chips & almond slivers on top of the biscotti brick if desired
  6. Bake in the oven for 15-18 minutes or until sides and bottom begin to brown
  7. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for one hour
  8. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees
  9. Slice biscotti (I got 6 thicker slices out of my log)
  10. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until biscotti begin to come hard and crunchy
  11. Remove from oven and allow to cool
  12. Enjoy biscotti with coffee or tea

paleoveganchocolatebiscotti

Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookies

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IMG_2722Do you love sugar cookies? These are a spin off of my Pumpkin Sugar Cookies I made for Fall this year, but we some natural red dye for this holiday full of love. These Valentine’s Day ‘sugar’ cookies are gluten free, paleo and vegan, and are perfect for the one you love! I made a pink batch, too, by using less of the natural red dye (which you can find here). You could also use dried strawberries to dye your cookies pink, just by buzzing them in the food processor for a few minutes! Kids will have a lot of fun with these, chose any cookie cutter you please, dye or no dye, and they’ll have fun getting involved in the kitchen!

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Valentine's Day Sugar Cookies
Author: 
Recipe type: Cookie
 
Ingredients
  • 1.5 cup almond flour
  • 1 cup tapioca flour
  • ⅓ cup apple sauce
  • ½ cup coconut oil (melted)
  • ½ cup honey or maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • drops natural food dye until desired color
Instructions
  1. Mix ingredients all together (no fuss!)
  2. Place dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour
  3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  4. Roll out dough into ¼ inch to ½ inch thick slabs
  5. Press cookie cutter into cookie dough and place on Silpat or greased cookie pan
  6. cookies should fit on each sheet depending on the size of the cookie cutter
  7. Bake cookies in the oven for 12-15 minutes or until edges are brown

 

 

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Gluten Free Chocolate Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies

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I have been on a cookie making kick… can you tell? Actually, my absolute favorite is oatmeal butterscotch, but those butterscotch chips aren’t quite so healthy for you, so I may have to skip those this year (or maybe I’ll just make one batch?…) Everyone needs a few cheats every now and then.

I wanted to make something festive for the holidays, so I decided to whip up some colorful cookies (gluten free and paleo, of course)! Who can resist such cute spirals? I had a few mishaps (I decided to use coconut sugar, which is brown… guess what? brown sugar does not take color dye, whoops!). I found these awesome natural dyes by Color Garden after scouring the internet, and they worked really well! I was really impressed with the coloring, I wasn’t sure if they would turn out muddy or too dull. I would have been upset if I had ended up with pink instead of red!

I probably shouldn’t be encouraging eating desserts… I am trying to lose 30 pounds of baby weight myself. But I figure holidays treats are bound to happen, might as well make them healthy. I also track all of my food on My Fitness Pal, and I just found out they do this great new thing called “Recipe Importer” where all you have to do is enter the link and then all of the calories for said food will be figured out for you! I am currently in the process of entering all of my links so all you have to do is type in Veggie Staples into My Fitness Pal and all the recipes will come up. How’s that for genius? I was really excited about it. I always do it all by hand when I make my recipes!

Anyways, if you are into Chocolate Peppermint (my whole family is obsessed) you will really love these cookies! Did I mention they are also gluten free and paleo? Note: If you do use coconut sugar in this recipe, the color will not turn out! Don’t learn the hard way like I did! I recommend using honey crystals for this recipe, or stevia, or truvia (see my favorite brand here).
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Gluten Free Chocolate Peppermint Spiral Cookies
Author: 
Recipe type: Gluten Free & Paleo Chocolate Peppermint Spiral Cookies
Cuisine: Dessert
Serves: 24 cookies
 
Ingredients
  • 3 cups almond flour
  • ¾ cup honey crystals, stevia or truvia
  • 1 egg
  • 4 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
  • 3 tablespoons raw cacao powder
  • 1 tablespoon almond or coconut milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • green & red food coloring to liking
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, whisk flour and baking soda.
  2. In a large bowl or in an electric mixer, beat honey crystals and coconut oil until fluffy (around 3 minutes)
  3. Beat in egg and vanilla into the honey crystals and coconut oil
  4. Add flour and baking soda, reduce mixer to low or beat until just blended
  5. Divide dough in half and place in two bowls
  6. Stir in cacao and milk into one bowl, stir in peppermint into the other bowl
  7. Divide peppermint dough in half and place in separate bowls
  8. Mix the red food coloring into one peppermint dough, green into the other
  9. Divide the chocolate dough in half
  10. Shape all the dough pieces into 3 X 5 inch rectangles, set on wax paper or parchment paper and place another piece of paper on the top for easy rolling
  11. Roll out dough into 9 X 12 inch rectangles.
  12. Refrigerate rectangles in the refrigerator for at least an hour
  13. Place 2 chocolate rectangles on a floured work surface (I like using arrowroot or tapioca flour)
  14. Remove from sheets of wax paper
  15. Lightly brush the chocolate dough with water (helps with sticking)
  16. Place red dough on top of one chocolate dough, place green dough on top of the other
  17. Trim edges if the dough shapes are uneven
  18. Roll dough together (from the long side) into a log form (both green and red dough)
  19. Roll dough tightly so the log is compact
  20. Wrap dough in plastic wrap/saran wrap for at least 3 hours
  21. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  22. Remove logs from refrigerator and unwrap
  23. Cut logs into ¼ inch thick cookie slices
  24. Place 1 inch apart on greased cookie sheet or Silpat
  25. Bake 10-15 minutes, until the edges begin to brown, rotating half way through

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Paleo, Gluten Free, Vegan Gingerbread Cookies

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Okay friends, it finally hit me this weekend that the holidays are really here. I’m not quite sure how that even happened. Christmas lights and christmas trees are up in the neighborhood, and the 25th is drawing ever so near. Yesterday, even though I was feeling a bit under the weather, I spent the afternoon in the kitchen. I usually make 3 recipes on Sunday, to post here during the week, it’s really the only time that I can get anything done (after crossfit, after grocery shopping, and then usually before bikram yoga at 4pm). My Sundays are busy to say the least. My husband, Jake, is doing this work 4 hours when I get home from work/paternity leave thing, which leaves me little time to get anything done during the week. I usually walk 3/4 miles after school on the afternoons it’s not bitter cold out, as Zoey is too small for our running stroller just yet. Although I did run a Santa Shuffle with my Mom & sister this year! I’m hoping we can make it a tradition!

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Anyways, it took me a few tries to get these gingerbread cookies right for y’all. But I was determined to get it right. Sometimes it takes throwing away some batches before anything turns out correctly (which gets expensive). I know when recipes are paleo, usually there a lot of eggs, and although I do eat eggs (fresh from a friends’ chickens!) I know I have a lot of vegan readers! This vegan, paleo, and gluten free recipe reaches out to all of you guys! You can make these for any holiday party, they will be a huge hit, and you know they are something you can feel good about eating or feeding others. Also, if you are thinking about a great gift for a baker (that’s not very expensive) try a resuable Silpat! No greasing needed, easy to wash, and great for the environment. I couldn’t live without mine!

(and that would be my husband’s hand, sticking his fingers into the cookie tin while I was trying to take photos!)

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Paleo, Gluten Free, Vegan Gingerbread Cookies
Author: 
Recipe type: Paleo, Gluten Free, Vegan Gingerbread Cookie
Cuisine: Dessert
Serves: 15-20 cookies
 
Ingredients
  • 1¼ cup almond flour
  • 1 cup arrowroot flour (or tapioca starch) (+ more for rolling out dough)
  • 3 tablespoons black strap molasses
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
  • 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ginger (or more if you like them gingery!)
  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg
Instructions
  1. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl (flour, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg) and set aside
  2. Mix wet ingredients in another bowl
  3. Add wet and dry ingredients together and mix until the dough becomes a ball
  4. Place dough in the refrigerator until cold (around 30 minutes)
  5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
  6. Grease cookie sheet if needed
  7. Roll out dough until the dough is ¼ to ½ inch thick (you can do this in small sections if needed)
  8. Cut out cookies with gingerbread people shapes (or any others like trees, snowflakes, etc)
  9. Place cookies on the cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges begin to brown
  10. Repeat as necessary until all the dough is used!

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Paleo Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies

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There are few things I love more than I love pumpkin. Really. No, I’m not kidding. And oh, yes, my friends.. the pumpkin season is upon us. I cannot wait until Fall rolls around every year, it really is the best season. Apple picking, pumpkins, sweater weather, brisk air, the colors of the leaves… I could go on and on. The perfect time to be in New England. Very romantic, in my opinion, which is why I got married in September, too (two years ago today, in fact!).

I’ve made lots of other pumpkin recipes: Pumpkin Hummus, Pumpkin Ginger Muffins, Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls, Chocolate Pumpkin Mini Muffins, Pumpkin Whoopie Pies, Pumpkin Parfaits, Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Soup, Pumpkin Mac & Cheese, Pumpkin Risotto…. okay, you get it.

I have wonderful memories as a child always making and decorating sugar cookies with my Mom and sister, and I hope to one day do that with Zoey! I just hope she loves being in the kitchen as much as her mama does! This paleo pumpkin cookie recipe is a keeper, too. I hope you like it as much as we did!

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Paleo Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups almond flour
  • 1 cup arrowroot or potato starch
  • 1/3 cup pumpkin (puree)
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil (melted)
  • 1/2 cup honey or maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Instructions

  1. Mix ingredients all together (no fuss!)
  2. Place dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour
  3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  4. Roll out dough into 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch thick slabs
  5. Press cookie cutter into cookie dough and place on Silpat or greased cookie pan
  6. 12 cookies should fit on each sheet depending on the size of the cookie cutter
  7. Bake cookies in the oven for 15 minutes or until edges are brown
http://veggiestaples.com/paleopumpkinspicesugarcookies/

 

 

Paleo Lactation Cookies

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New Mom Post: If you’ve ever had kiddos and you’ve breastfed, you know that sometimes it’s hard to keep up with supply and demand. I’ve been drinking lots of Mother’s Milk Tea, which helps a lot, but I also starting looking for other foods that helped with milk production. I actually spoke with a lactation consultant and there haven’t really been too many tests proving that any certain foods do so, although many people believe they do (Carrots, Garlic, Spinach, Hummus, Nuts, Seeds, Ginger, Oils, Rice, Sweet Potato, Flax Seed, Oats, Brewers Yeast to name a few). This is a really article about galactogogues (foods that help milk supply)!

So either way, what harm can a lactation cookie do? I found lots of recipes but nothing that was gluten free or paleo friendly, so I set out this weekend to make my own version. I made two versions of these cookies, one with gluten free instant oats, and one with ground cashews. You could do either, depending on if you just eat gluten free or if you eat paleo (both work great).

The next question is how to get Zoey to sleep through the night…. I just began reading Baby Wise. Anyone else have any tips?

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Paleo Lactation Cookies

Yield: 24 cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 c. ground cashews or gluten free quick oats
  • 3/4 cup almond butter or peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup coconut sugar
  • 1/2 cup ground flax seeds
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons ground brewers yeast
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • add ins (optional)
  • 1/2 c. Enjoy Life chocolate chips
  • 1/2 c. almond slivers

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Combine wet ingredients together (eggs, almond butter, coconut oil and vanilla) and set aside
  3. Grind flax seeds in a blender or food processor until powder like if necessary
  4. If needed, grind cashews in a food processor or blender until they resemble bread crumbs
  5. If your brewers yeast is in pill form (with no casing) place 10-15 tablets in a sandwich back and smoosh with the back of a spoon until it is in powder form
  6. Combine dry ingredients together (flax seeds, ground cashews, brewers yeast and baking soda) and mix with wet ingredients
  7. Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients until well combined
  8. Add chocolate chips and almond slivers if desired
  9. Place 2-3 inch balls of dough (12 on a sheet) onto your Silpat or aluminum foil (sprayed or greased with coconut oil)
  10. Bake for 15-17 minutes at 350 degrees
  11. Enjoy!
http://veggiestaples.com/paleo-lactation-cookies/

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The Paleo Brookie

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My sister recently mentioned that she tried to make some Brookies… what’s a brookie, I asked? She told me brownie on the bottom, cookie on the top! I was intrigued! Her recipe didn’t really turn out, but I have been thinking about it for the past week, and with nothing sweet in the pantry, I wasn’t crazy about breaking down and eating some of my husbands junk (i.e. processed foods that he asks me to keep in the house). So while my grandparents were visiting this weekend (now granted, in retrospect I should have been sleeping), I did some baking. I think it was totally worth it though. These gluten free, paleo brookies were a really big hit! I made them in muffin tins, which I think helped them cook more evenly, but then also gives it a fun, finger food vibe - easy to grab and not feel guilty about taking one! And they aren’t huge, so it’s not too much - I’d bet they also be perfect as mini muffins! I hope you enjoy these (gluten free/paleo) brookies as much as we did!

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The Paleo Brookie

Yield: 12 brookies

1 brookie

Ingredients

  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup tapioca or arrowroot flour
  • 1/2 cup Enjoy Life chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
  • 1/2 cup coconut sugar
  • 1/4 cup coconut flour
  • 2 tablespoons almond milk
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • for the brownies:
  • 1 cup honey or maple syrup
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup almond butter
  • 3/4 cup raw cacao powder
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Instructions

  1. Combine wet cookie ingredients in a bowl, mix well, and set aside
  2. Combine dry cookie ingredients, sifting well
  3. Add wet cookie ingredients to dry cookie ingredients and set bowl in the refrigerator for an hour to chill
  4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  5. While cookie batter is chilling in the refrigerator, combine brownie ingredients in a bowl and mix well (you could even use a food processor or blender to do so)
  6. Using a muffin tin, line with paper cupcake liners, or grease each cup well with coconut oil
  7. Fill each cup half way (will fill 12 cups) with brownie batter
  8. When cookie dough is chilled, scoop out 1/4 cup of batter
  9. Flatten batter into a pancake shape and set on top of each cupcake filled with brownie batter
  10. Place cupcake pan in the oven for 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees (or until a knife comes out clean)
http://veggiestaples.com/paleo-brookie/

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