Healthy Baked Maple Custard ~ A Gluten-Free Recipe

Does anyone else like to use long-bake-time recipes on cold days?  There's nothing like a warm oven filling the home with yummy smells when it's chilly outside.  Here is a simple recipe with no refined sugars that is a lovely little snack or dessert to pull from the fridge at a moment's notice (or straight from the oven as soon as it's not too hot to eat.  I love warm custard.) Also?  This recipe is easy and non-threatening; qualities I look for in life.

Baked Maple Custard

Prep: 10 min; cook: 70-80 min; serves 6

• 2 cups milk
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup grade b maple syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract
• ground nutmeg (optional garnish)

1. Preheat oven to 325º.
2. Thoroughly whisk all ingredients except the nutmeg together.  Pour mixture into ramekins or these fun jars like the ones pictured above.  Sprinkle the tops with nutmeg, if desired.
3. Place cups in a baking pan (I use my roasting pan with the grill removed) and fill pan with hot water so it comes to about halfway up the ramekins or jars' sides.
4. Bake for 70-80 minutes or until the custards are set (they jiggle a little but aren't liquidy anymore).  Enjoy warm, completely cooled, or chilled.  Keeps in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

~ Browse more Riddlelove recipes here. ~

Grain-Free Coco-Vanilla Cake With Creme Fraiche Frosting ~ Joseph's First Birthday Cake

It is hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that this littlest one of ours is one year old.  It seems he "popped out" (as his sisters would say) only a couple of days ago, but at the same time I feel that he has always been in my life.  A sonnet of love is bubbling up from within me, but that must wait for another time and place.  This post is about his cake.  I can't help but share one picture of the birthday boy right here and now, though:

I wanted him to enjoy his first cake without introducing him to refined ingredients and artificial colors and dyes.  Coconut flour came to the rescue.  With a little bit of this and that added to it, this little cake was born.  Frosted with creme fraiche which imparts an irresistibly smooth, tart rounding out of flavors, this cake remains simple yet complete.  I had to add little frozen blueberries because they are his favorite.  A single bees wax birthday candle topped it, and we all erupted in laughter when he spit-blew it out (with some spitless help from dad, of course).  By the time he was finished, not a scrap was left on that plate.  Baby and mama, both satisfied.

This can obviously be enjoyed anytime by anyone.  It is not meant to be boxed in only as a first birthday cake, but to be enjoyed at any time of year by all ages; GAPS dieters included!

Joseph's Grain-Free Coco-Vanilla Cake

Prep time: 10 minutes; bake time: 18 minutes; makes 12 cupcakes or 1 single-layer round cake

• 2/3 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 5 eggs
• 1/3 cup coconut oil 
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar, rapadura, or sucanat
• 1 tablespoon gluten-free vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350º.  Line 12 muffin cups or grease 1 cake pan or 8x8 square pan.
2. Mix all ingredients thoroughly and place batter into prepared cupcake or cake pan.
3. Bake cupcakes for 18 minutes or cake 25-30 minutes, or until a fork stuck into the center of the cake comes out clean.  Cool completely before frosting.

For the Frosting:

• 1 cup creme fraiche (also sold at Trader Joe's if you would prefer to buy it already made)

1. Frost each cupcake as liberally or as sparingly as you want.  Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.  I recommend not frosting them until right before serving the cakes.

Healthy Cookie Dough Balls ~ A Raw, Gluten-Free, GAPS & Paleo Recipe

Picnics, park days, camping, work, school, home, road trips...  these little treats beckon you beneath their lidded containers with their siren call of the cookie dough.  Come and partake.  We are doughy and sweet and healthy.  Who can deny the power of cookie dough?  Once you slap a good-for-you label on them (because they really are), all hindrances fade away and you are left with happiness and sticky hands.

We make a batch of these delicious, protein-packed bites every week.  My kids don't even like almond butter, but I buy it in bulk because they adore these treats.  I know there are millions of cookie dough bite recipes out there, but frankly I'm tired of trying to remember how I make mine, so on the blog they go.  Other recipes are so cute and tiny.  We mow through them before the sun sets.  This recipe lasts us a whopping two days.  The superfood that is the chia seed not only absorbs the moisture and holds them together brilliantly, they also impart a yummy taste that reminds us of halva, one of our favorite desserts.  If you have never heard of halva, I shed a tear for you and for the sake of your well-being, will post a recipe for it soon.  In the meantime, do the world a favor and make a batch of cookie dough bites.  They will make you happy and in turn the world will be a better place.  It's for mankind, really.

Healthy Cookie Dough Balls
Prep time: 15 minutes, makes 24 balls

• 1 cup almond butter
• 1/2 cup raw honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1/2 vanilla bean
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 cup chia seeds (if the whole seeds bother you and get stuck in your teeth/braces, simply give them a whirl through a coffee grinder and use the fresh chia seed meal)
• 1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips or cacao nibs

1. Place all ingredients except chocolate chips in food processor.  Process until well-combined (about 1 minute).
2. Add chocolate chips to the processor and pulse until mixed in (about 5 seconds.  You can distribute the chips more evenly while making the balls).
3. Form dough into 1-inch-thick balls.  Store in a lidded container in the fridge.

I'm sharing this at Monday Mania, Pennywise Platter, Simple Lives Thursday.

Sweet Potato Pie ~ A Gluten-Free Recipe with GAPS & Paleo Options

Sweet potato pie is a huge part of holiday feasts in some circles.  In others, it's never even made an appearance, which is a travesty.  Let's change this, for the sake of humanity and historic preservation.  This yummy dessert has been brought out of ovens with gloved hands since before these States were Untied. Sweet potato pie made it's debut in the 16th century and has been enjoyed ever since.  

This gluten-free rendition of it is a modified version of Paula Deen's filling and Elana's crust.  It worked out really well.  I wasn't planning on posting about it or more pictures would have been taken (and better ones at that), but I don't want to forget this compilation and all the tweaks made, so please forgive the lack of quality and quantity when it comes to the photographs.

Gluten-Free Sweet Potato Pie

Prep time: 30 minutes, bake time: 2 hours (divided), 8-10 servings

For the crust:

• 2 cups blanched almond flour
• 1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
• 2 tablespoons butter or coconut oil
• 1 egg

For the filling:

• 2 cups sweet potatoes (or yams), about 2
• 1 1/4 cup coconut sugar
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter or 8 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract (learn how to make your own here)
• 1/4 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup milk (dairy or coconut)

For the topping:

• 3 egg whites
• 1/4 cup honey or grade B maple syrup

1. Preheat oven to 350º.  Peel sweet potatoes, cut them into fourths, and place in pot.  Fill with water just to cover sweet potatoes.  Cover and bring to a boil, boiling for 15-25 minutes, or until the pieces are very soft.
2. While the sweet potatoes boil, assemble crust by placing all crust ingredients in the food processor and run it until the dough forms a ball.  Press dough into a 9-inch pie pan.
3. Place all filling ingredients into the mixer and mix until well-combined.  Pour filling into the prepared crust.  If you have any leftover filling, simply grease a glass dish of your choice (bread, another pie dish, or in some ramekins) and bake along with the pie.  Then you'll have some yummy custard.  Bake for 35-45 minutes or until a clean knife pierced in the middle of the pie comes out.  Cool completely on a cooling rack.
4. To make the meringue topping, whip egg whites in your mixer with a whisk attachment until peeks form.  As it continues to whip, slowly pour in maple syrup.  Using a spatula. spread topping over the pie, making sure you can't see any of the filling underneath.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the topping's peeks are lightly brown.  Allow to cool and serve slightly warm or completely cool.

I'm sharing this at Monday Mania, Pennywise Platter, Simple Lives Thursday.

Coconut Lace Cookies ~ A Gluten-Free Recipe

Colonial Americans would host open houses during the holidays, serving many different kinds of jumbles, nogs, ciders, and finger foods.  They would place an announcement in the local paper and  neighbors would escape their wintertime isolation and brave the bitter-cold to join in the festivities.  Family news was shared as everyone thawed themselves by the fire with a mug of hot cider in hand.  Little, homemade gifts of heart-felt thanks were given to the hosts.

Among the holiday spread you would find jumbles, the first cookie.  Some are soft and fluffy, others are flat and round.  I've come up with a gluten-free version of coconut lace cookies, or jumbles.  These flat, buttery, crispy little treats are delicious by themselves or are a beautiful finish to a bowl of ice cream.

Gluten-Free Coconut Lace Cookies
Prep time: 15 minutes, Bake time: 13 minutes, Makes 45 cookies

• 1 cup coconut sugar
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup blanched almond flour
• 1/2 cup arrowroot powder
• 1 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened)

1. Preheat oven to 350º.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Cream together the sugar and butter in a mixing bowl.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and beat the mixture together.  Turn the mixer on low and slowly add almond flour, arrowroot powder, and coconut until combined.
3. Use a teaspoon to measure and drop dough onto the cookie sheet; not a heaping teaspoon, or else they won't cook properly.  Keep the cookies at least 2 inches apart.  They spread a lot.
4. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned.  Take care not to over-bake or they will lose their buttery, almost caramel-ish flavor and just taste burnt.  Allow to cool at least 5 minutes before transferring to cooling racks.  Store in air-tight containers.

I'm sharing this at Monday Mania, Simple Lives Thursday, Pennywise Platter.

Peppermint Bonbons ~ A GAPS, Paleo, & Raw Dessert Recipe

Christmas time, as happy and joyous as it is, can also be a daunting season for those on a restrictive diet.  Everywhere you turn, there's a platter of sugar cookies and fudge.  Constantly denying oneself these treats wares on a body, so this month I'm focusing on creating beautiful, delicious desserts that you could easily see on any "normal" holiday dessert table.  It's a happy thing when everyone at the party can indulge without destroying their bodies.

Peppermint Bonbons {Gluten-Free, Paleo, GAPS-Friendly, Raw}
Prep time: 30 minutes, makes about 24 bonbons

For the filling:

• 1 jar coconut cream concentrate (16 oz)
• 2/3 cup raw honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon mint extract

For the shell:

• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup cacao powder
• 1 tablespoon raw honey or grade B maple syrup

1. Scoop coconut cream concentrate out into saucepan with all the ingredients and melt over low heat until everything is thoroughly combined.  Shape mixture into balls that are about the amount of 1 tablespoon.  Place them in the fridge while you prepare the chocolate shell.
2. Put all shell ingredients in a saucepan over very low heat and stir until it's liquified and smooth.  Pour in a small bowl (I used a ramekin).  Dip each bonbon in the shell, then dip them again for a second coat.  Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.  They will hold their shape for several hours outside of the fridge.

Easy Mini Chocolate Cloud Cakes ~ A Naturally Gluten/Grain-Free Recipe

With a cake rich in flavor and light as a cloud in texture, it brings satisfaction without feeling like there's a lump of dough in your stomach.  These little cakes are gorgeous in presentation and delightful to sink your spoon into.  My pitiful camera doesn't do them justice.  Someday, maybe someday, I'll get a big girl one.  In the meantime, I plan on making these for the next dinner party as both children and grown-ups delight in these flourless, mini cloud cakes.

Ramekins are a favorite around here.  They are the perfect-sized bowl to hold soups and porridges for little children.  I use them as my ice cream bowl to keep from polishing of way more than I should.  If you decide to make these in muffin tins, I highly recommend using parchment paper (see collection of how-to pictures below) instead of cupcake liners because these cakes puff up quite a lot while baking.

No-Flour Mini Chocolate Cloud Cakes
Prep time: 20 minutes, bake time, 20 minutes, makes 18 mini cakes

For the cake:

• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup coconut sugar or evaporated cane juice, divided
• 6 eggs, divided

For the topping:

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder

1. Get eggs out of fridge and set on counter to un-chill.  Preheat oven to 350º.  Line muffin tins with parchment paper or lightly butter ramekin pots.
2. In saucepan, melt chocolate chips and butter over medium/low heat.  Set side.
3. Separate 4 eggs and let whites fall into mixing bowl.  Put yolks in a different bowl along with 2 whole eggs and set aside.  Whip egg whites until stiff.  Slowly add 1/2 cup sugar as you continue to whip the whites until incorporated.  Scoop whites out into a bowl and set aside.  Now pour the other egg mixture (with the yolks) in the mixer and whip on high for about a minute.  Slowly pour in other half cup of sugar, then chocolate mixture into egg yolk mixture while whisking on medium speed until fully incorporated.
4. Very gently fold in the egg whites, at about one half of it at a time, until all folded in.  Scrape into  ramekin pots or lined cupcake tins, 2/3 full.  Smooth tops.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top doesn't wobble.  Don't over-bake!
5. While cakes bake, wash mixing bowl and put it in the freezer to chill (this helps the whipped cream set up).   Cool cakes on rack.  Don't worry!  They will fall.   When cakes are cool and you're ready to serve, put whipping cream in chilled mixer and whip until peeks form.  Slowly pour syrup and vanilla into the cream as you finish whipping.  Once cakes are cool, plop a dollop of whipped cream on top of each cake and sprinkle cocoa powder on top.

I'm sharing this at Monday Mania, Real Food Wednesday,  Pennywise Platter, Fight Back Friday.

How To Make Natural Food Coloring and Dyes

Colorful treats can be fun.  They can also be highly toxic if artificial ingredients are used.  Our kids can still enjoy colorful cakes and frostings without being poisoned.  The cake above was frosted with all natural food coloring.  Find out how to use real food to make fun food colors in my article over at Modern Alternative Kitchen by clicking here.  Now we really can have our cake and eat it too!

I'm sharing this at Real Food Wednesday, Pennywise Platter, Fight Back Friday.

Gluten-Free, Grain-Free Chocolate Red Velvet Cake with Buttermilk Frosting ~ A Recipe

The holidays are coming!  And that means lots of red food dye!  

Wait.

If you know me, you know I love to get all festive-like.  However, I must draw the line at artificial food coloring (stay tuned for a post on natural food dyes next week).  Guess what?  When it comes to coloring food red and keeping things real, you can have your gluten-free cake and eat it, too.  This is when I pull out my red food coloring of choice: the beet.  You beetcha!

Sorry.  

I just finished my cup of coffee for the day.

Coffee makes me extra cheerful (and cheesy, apparently).

Red velvet cake is the ultimate holiday dessert.  Serve it on a autumn-y platter and you've got a harvest party treat.  Doll it up with your favorite wintertime accents and add a drop or two of peppermint oil to the frosting and it's a candy cane cake.  Bake it in a heart-shaped mold and it's perfect for Valentine's day.  Decorate the top with blueberries and raspberries in a flag-like fashion and it's a healthy Fourth of July indulgence.  See?  This cake has got you covered for every holiday of the year.

Because we had to use more than one beet in the recipe to make the color pop, there is a slight earthy taste that the root imparts. The folks I've served this cake to said they actually enjoyed it.  No, they weren't just trying to be nice (these are truly honest friends) and no, they aren't of the health-nut persuasion.  So I trust their critique.

If you've never tried buttermilk frosting, you're in for a treat.  This fluffy frosting is lighter than buttercream and is the perfect, pillowy topping for this moist cake.

Grain-Free Red Velvet Cake with Buttermilk Frosting

Prep time: 20 min; Bake time: 35 min; Serves 9

For the cake:

• 1 very large or 2 small beets, raw and peeled
• 2 cups blanched almond flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup honey, coconut sugar, or rapadura (honey will impart a stronger, honey-ish flavor)
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350º.  Cut the beet(s) in quarters and place in blender.  Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.
2. Pour batter in a greased 8x8-inch baking dish.  Bake for 35-40 minutes.  Allow to cool before frosting.

For the Frosting:

• 1/3 cup soft butter (don't use ghee.  I tried it and it doesn't taste good in this recipe.)
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons buttermilk

1. Cream butter and sugar until smooth.  Add vanilla and buttermilk and beat until smooth and fluffy.  If the frosting is still too thick to your liking, add one more tablespoon buttermilk.

~ Browse more Riddlelove recipes here. ~

I'm sharing this at Monday Mania, Real Food Wednesday, Simple Lives Thursday, Pennywise Platter, Fight Back Friday.

Cookies Are A Sometimes Food ~ A "Healthy" Chocolate Chip Oat Cookie Recipe

A cookie can be scrumptious.  Crunchy, sweet, or yumptious.  But a cookie is a sometimes food.

~Cookie Monster

Why is "healthy" in quotations?  Well, they are healthy because these cookies are made with spelt, oats, and unrefined muscovado sugar.  They are not healthy because the grains aren't soaked, soured, or sprouted. But here's the deal.  I modified this recipe slightly to remove any refined ingredients, but these are the cookies of my youth.  I have a long-standing love for them.  They render any self control useless.  You might try making them with sprouted flour, but I can't bring myself to modify this recipe any more than I already have.

When my brother and I were with baby-sitters, these cookies and I would rendezvous under the guise of hide-and-seek.  I generously let the baby-sitter count while I grabbed as many cookies as I could, stashed them in various corners of the house, and inhaled as many as possible before hearing "ready or not, here I come!"  When my parents returned and wondered what happened to all the cookies, I was provoked to reply, "That baby-sitter sure did love them.  I've never seen anyone eat so many cookies at once."

The cookies made me do it.

Maybe this recipe shouldn't be shared.  It's powers are too strong.

The fact that I'm posting a recipe that doesn't include soaking or souring and the fact that we are sending three of our kids to school this year probably has some of you interceding for my salvation.  Fear not.  My home schooling roots run deep and we plan on returning to edumacating at home.  As for these cookies?  I probably make about four batches a year and freeze them to only eat little bits at a time.  The only problem is I discovered that frozen cookies are delicious.  Now they live in the barn's chest freezer to distance myself from them.  I figure the Jewish people eat unleavened bread once a week, so it won't hurt us to eat unleavened cookies once a quarter.  Just go with it.

I've decided to make a batch, freeze them, and put two cookies in each child's lunch box every Friday as a spacial treat; one for them and one to share.  I hope they share.  The genes aren't in their favor though.  

Powerful Unrefined Chocolate Chip Cookies (eat at your own risk)

Makes about 3 dozen; prep time: 10 minutes, bake time: 15 minutes

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups muscovado sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups spelt (why I choose spelt)
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
• 2 cups oats
• 2 cups chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350º.  Cream butter and sugar thoroughly.  Beat in eggs, one at a time.  Add vanilla.
2. In a separate bowl, mix, flour, soda, and salt.  Slowly pour in flour mixture into butter mixture while the mixer is on low.   Mix thoroughly.  Stir in oats, then chocolate chips.
3. Shape loosely into balls, about 2 heaping tablespoons each.  Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until the edges are slightly brown and the middle is still doughy.  Cool on cookie sheets for 2 minutes then transfer each cookie to a cooling rack.

Please excuse the blur.  I was holding a 4-month-old who somehow knew these were good and was trying to grab one.  It's a generational reflex.

TIP:

I take cookies very seriously and feel that most of them are over-baked.  This is an unnecessary travesty that makes me weep.  Here is my rule of thumb:  if the cookies still look raw in the middle but there is a hint of brown on the edges, take them out of the oven.  They will cook a little bit more as they cool on the cookie sheet for two minutes.  Then be sure to transfer them to a cooling rack so they stop cooking.  This will leave you with cookies that are gooey on the inside and crispy on the outside and they hold up beautifully.

One more picture of these beauties, just because.

~ Browse more Riddlelove recipes here. ~

Summer Squash 12 Ways ~ Recipes for the Harvest

If you've ever grown summer squash, you know this is the time of year it takes over.  Before you throw any extra over to the chickens, take a look at my summer squash recipe collection over at Modern Alternative Kitchen.  There's so much you can do with this fruit besides just zucchini bread.

Do you have any methods of using summer squash you'd like to add to the list?  More suggestions are so very welcome for all the squash growers of the land.

I'm sharing this at Monday Mania.

Maple Coconut Tapioca Pudding ~ A Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free Dessert Recipe

Experimenting in the kitchen can be a risky game.  You win some and you lose some.  Last night, we were victorious!  I'm pleased to share with you this deliciously creamy, rich, decadent treat, free of gluten, dairy, and refined sugar.  My husband, Mr. Tapioca Connoisseur himself, gave it two thumbs up.  Well, that's what I gather from watching him polish off two heaping bowls of it.  I suppose this recipe would be considered bulk cooking.  My family will demolish it in two meals, but for those of you living with less than seven people in your house, this pudding freezes well.  I suggest freezing leftovers in individual servings.  Tuck them into packed lunches and by the time you're ready to enjoy your meal, it will be thawed just enough for it to have a frozen custard effect.

Maple Coconut Tapioca Pudding

Prep time: 30 minutes Yield: 8 cups

• 1 cup tapioca pearls
• 2 1/4 cups water
• 6 3/4 cups coconut milk from BPA-free cans
• 1 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
• 6 eggs, separated
• 1 cup grade B maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon gluten-free vanilla extract
• ground cinnamon as an optional garnish

1. In a large sauce pan, bring water to a boil.  Turn off heat, add tapioca pearls, stir, and let it rest for 30 minutes.
2. While tapioca soaks, separate eggs.  Beat egg whites with maple syrup and beat yolks in a separate bowl.  Start measuring other ingredients while you wait for the tapioca to finish soaking.
3. Add milk and salt to soaked tapioca and whisk in egg yolks.  Whisk constantly over medium heat until it thickens and is brought to a boil.  It's important to use a whisk to separate any tapioca clumps.  Reduce heat and simmer another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Slowly pour 2 cups hot tapioca into the egg white mixture as you whisk vigorously.  Now whisk in egg white mixture with the rest off the tapioca.  Whisk 3 more minutes over low heat.  Add vanilla.  Serve warm or chilled.  Sprinkle a bit of cinnamon on top of each serving if desired.

~ Browse more Riddlelove recipes here. ~

Gluten-Free, Grain-Free Apricot Crumble Pie ~ A Recipe

Here is our final recipe for Apricot Week.  I think.  We'll see.
Besides jams and jellies, pies are a happy way to preserve summer fruit when we need a warm-weather treat during the cold days to come.  Use up your very ripe apricots with this recipe if you're done making jam.  This is a pie that the Paleo, GAPS, gluten-free, and any ol' lover of food can gather 'round the table and enjoy.  Fancy a crisp instead?  Simple omit the crust, follow the filling & crumble recipe, and bake it in a 8x8 pan.  Lidded pans come in extra handy if you plan to freeze it.  My mixer was able to make two pies at a time.  If you want to make a potluck-sized crisp, double the recipe and bake in a 9x13 inch pan.

Grain-Free Apricot Crumble Pie


For the crust:

• 1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
• 1/4 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup expeller-pressed coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

For the Filling:

• 4 cups apricots, pitted and quartered
• 1 cup coconut, date, or whole cane sugar (whole cane isn't GAPS or Paleo-legal, just FYI)
• 1/3 cup blanched almond flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

For the crumb topping:

• 1 cup blanched almond flour
• 1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
• 1 cup pecan pieces
• 1/2 cup expeller-pressed coconut oil
• 1/2 cup coconut, date, or whole cane sugar

1. Beat all crust ingredients in a mixer and press crust into pie pan.  You can either bake the crust in a pre-heated 350º oven for 15 minutes or dehydrate it at the highest temperature it will go for 45 minutes.  Let the crust cool while you prepare the filling.
2. To make filling, mix all ingredients in a mixer for about 10 seconds or until everything is mixed and the apricots have been mashed but not puréed.  Pour filling into crust.
3. To make crumble, combine all ingredients in mixer and.  Mix until the crumbs are of the consistency you desire and sprinkle on top of pie.
4. Now you may either cover pie and freeze for later or bake in a 375º oven for 45-55 minutes .  If you are ready to bake a frozen pie, first place pie in oven, then turn it to 375º and bake for 60-75 minutes, or until pie is slightly browned and bubbly. 

~ Browse more Riddlelove recipes here. ~

Raw Apricot Cobbler Recipe

Moving right along in apricot week, I offer you a raw cobbler recipe.  But before we get into it, have you tried the raw apricot (or aprium) smoothies yet?  We are loving them over here.  If you have never tried preparing a raw dish, this is a very good starter recipe.  It's simple and only takes about 15 minutes to prepare.  Having received many accolades, feel safe about taking it to your next pot luck or picnic.

Raw Apricot Cobbler
Prep time: 15 minutes, serves 8-10

• 14 apricots (or apriums), pitted & divided
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1/4 cup grade B maple syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
• 1 cup pecans, walnuts, or almonds (we prefer pecans)
• 1 cup pitted dates
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1/2 vanilla bean

1. Put 10 apricots, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 3 tbs. coconut oil, maple syrup, and salt in a blender (a high-speed like a Vita-Mix works best).  Blend on high until smooth and pour into a pie pan.  Chop up 4 remaining apricots in little bits and sprinkle them onto the apricot purée.
2. In a food processor, make the crumb topping by processing nuts, dates, 2 tbs. coconut oil, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and vanilla until it resembles coarse crumbs (before it turns into a butter).  Sprinkle on top of apricots.  Now you can either serve it right away or stick it in the dehydrator at 105º for 30 minutes to 3 hours if you'd like it warmed and your house to smell divine.  Scoop onto plates or bowls and serve immediately.  Store leftovers in the fridge.  It stays good for 3 more days.

The apricots before the crumb topping was sprinkled.

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A Tale of the Woman Who Craved ~ A 2-Minute Sipping Chocolate Recipe

Once, there was a pregnant mother who was very full-term.  One day, this woman of great girth craved chocolate.  Cake, cookies, fudge, and pudding.  She wanted it all, but her large, with-child middle rendered her energyless to make such things, so she made something new that only required her to be on her feet for two minutes.  The creation was too thin to be a pudding, too thick to be a milk, and to warm to be a shake.  It was so rich, however, that she could only sip the new decadence and not guzzle it down in one gulp.  That's when she gave the creation it's name: Sipping Chocolate.  Hesitantly (because she wanted all five cups to herself but she knew that much richness would render her sick), she shared with her four children.  Their eyes lit up with delight and after sipping their cups clean, began to lick what remnants were left.  This mysterious treat has been kept a secret.  Until now.  For the first time in history, this gluten-free, dairy-free sipping chocolate is being revealed.

Also!
If you're craving some dairy-free chocolate ice cream goodness, pour this recipe into an ice cream maker and see what happens.  I'll give you a hint: it might change your life.

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free 2-Minute Sipping Chocolate
Makes 5 cups

• 2 cans BPA-free coconut milk
• 1/2 cup grade B maple syrup
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder (preferably raw)
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean
• 1/4 teaspoon Celtic sea salt

This recipe works best in a high-speed blender like a Vita-Mix, but you can use any blender.  Place all ingredients in the blender and blend on high for 45-60 seconds.  If you'd like it warm, blend it for 2 minutes.

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I'm sharing this at Monday Mania, Pennywise Platter, Simple Lives Thursday, Fight Back Friday.