Brown Butter Cacao Nib Skillet Cake

This quick brown butter cacao nib skillet cake is gluten free, 

grain free, and so satisfying.

It cooled down just enough in Boston this weekend for me to feel good about cranking up the oven and baking a cake. And boy, was I glad I did! This grain-free skillet cake is so easy to whip up, looks and smells like a giant cookie, but boasts a unique and sophisticated flavor thanks to the browned butter and cacao nibs. I highly recommend making it today--it's perfect for dessert or simply as a snack cake!

This recipe is adapted from Selma's Table, my assigned blog for this month's Secret Recipe Club reveal day. I had a hard time choosing a recipe because Selma has so many tantalizing options. I almost bought anchovies for the first time because this walnut, herb, and anchovy sauce sounded so delicious (I wanted to pair it with some zoodles!). This Italian version of shepherd's pie looks fabulous, too. Also, what sounds better than black summer truffle pesto roast chicken?

Tiger Nut Brownies

This post is sponsored by Tiger Nuts USA.

Tiger nut flour is the secret ingredient in these super fudgy nut-free paleo brownies!

Have you heard of tiger nuts? They're a new-to-me ingredient that I'm really excited to share with you. Here are three fun facts about tiger nuts:

1. They are not nuts! Tiger nuts are actually tubers, which means they're a great snack option for anyone, even people with nut allergies.

2. Tiger nuts are a truly paleo food--scientists believe that they formed a large part of the diet of hominims and other early humans. They've also been found in Egyptian tombs from over 6,000 years ago. (I found this info on Wikipedia.) 

3. Tiger nut flour makes delicious brownies!

Bonus fact: tiger nuts are widely cultivated in Spain, where they're used to make a special kind of horchata. Grab the recipe here!

The folks at Tiger Nuts USA sell peeled and unpeeled tiger nuts as well as tiger nut flour. I haven't used the unpeeled tiger nuts yet, but I'm planning to use them to make tiger nut milk. (That has to be the coolest name for a kind of dairy-free milk, right? Why drink almond milk when you could drink TIGER NUT MILK??)

Cashew Chia Cacao Nib Pudding

This cashew chia cacao nib pudding is paleo, gluten-free, and easily made vegan. It's also a snap to make and surprisingly satisfying!

Happy fourth of July weekend! I made you a healthy dessert packed with superfoods: chia seeds, cacao nibs, honey, and cashews. Well, I am not totally sure that honey and cashews are superfoods, but they're not bad, right? I think this pudding would be a welcome change on a weekend when desserts are often pumped full of artificial colors and flavors. (Although, if you do need something naturally red, white, and blue, may I suggest my pico de gallo de frutas? Just use blueberries instead of kiwis.)

Since this pudding is a make-ahead dessert, it's perfect for having guests over. While you're out grilling lamb burgers and mixing drinks (agua fresca, perhaps?) these perfectly-sized treats will just be gelling in the fridge.

This was my first time using chia seeds and cacao nibs, and I loved them both. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the cacao nibs since they're unsweetened chocolate, but while I wouldn't necessarily eat a handful plain, they were perfect in this pudding. Some of the cacao nibs are blended with the cashew and chia base to deepen the chocolate flavors of the entire pudding, and some are sprinkled whole on top. This gives each bite of cashew chia pudding this craveworthy chocolatey crunch. It's so good!

Mocha Ricotta Pie with Strawberries

This pie is one of my absolute favorite desserts. It's in my top three of all time, right up there with almond butter thumbprints and salted caramel brownies.

What makes it so fabulous is the trifecta of a lightly sweetened, crunchy shortbread crust, a rich and creamy ricotta filling with chocolate, coffee, and a hint of lemon (yes, lemon!), and a topping of juicy strawberries. It reminds me of the amazing Southern-style chocolate pie I always used to eat at the now-defunct Marimont Cafeteria in Austin, Texas, but with a mature Italian twist and bright berries to lighten things up.

Really good dark chocolate and high quality, full-fat ricotta are important for this pie. (Good coffee won't hurt either, but I love my Café Bustelo.) I was so excited about having a tub of Narragansett Creamery ricotta in my fridge that I proceeded to completely forget I'd bought it to make zucchini lasagna, and dumped all of it into the filling for this pie.

Chocolate Doughnuts with Cherry Cheesecake Glaze

It's Friday! Paleo chocolate doughnuts with naturally-colored magenta glaze, anyone?

I, for one, am super pumped about the color here. It's all about eating the rainbow, and aside from red cabbage, those purple hues can be kind of hard to find!

You may be surprised that this vibrant shade is all thanks to a mere handful of SIX frozen cherries (and, full disclosure, a tiiiiny bit of post-processing in Lightroom).

When I came up with the idea of a cherry cheesecake glaze for doughnuts, I was excited for it be pink. I was really surprised, though, when I ended up with this lovely shade of fuschia! The color may depend on the kind of cherries you use--I always buy frozen dark sweet cherries at Whole Foods (even though they're called sweet cherries, there's no sugar added) because I love to put them in smoothies, but my new favorite use for them is this delicious glaze.

Matcha Mug Cake

Happy St. Patrick's Day! I made you a matcha mug cake. It's not at all Irish, but at least it's green!

I was excited to make something green for St. Patty's Day, but I don't like to use artificial coloring in my food. Since I had my heart set on making a dessert, using spinach or kale as coloring agents didn't seem very appealing. Matcha was the perfect solution.

If you haven't discovered matcha yet, I highly recommend it! It's just very finely ground green tea leaves, so it has a bit of caffeine and all the great antioxidants contained in green tea. The flavor is hard to describe, but it's exotic and a bit earthy. Matcha is delicious on its own in desserts, but also pairs well with chocolate. I've made these mug cakes with and without chocolate chips and still can't decide which one I prefer.

Mexican Almond Pulp Brownies

Have you tried making your own almond milk? It's really good, and nothing like the store-bought kind. I like to put it in my coffee, add it to smoothies, or just drink it plain, alongside a delicious paleo baked good. (If you're not a fan of almonds, you can follow the same steps to make milk using pecans instead! If I had to choose my favorite between almond milk and pecan milk, I would have a hard time).

So, if you have made your own nut milk, then you know about the pulp problem. After squeezing the last vestiges of creamy milk out of the cheesecloth or nut milk bag, you're left with a bunch of pulp.

It's sad to just throw it away. Especially when you could use it to make brownies instead!

These Mexican almond pulp brownies are adapted from a brilliant recipe by Alanna of The Bojon Gourmet. (Alanna takes some of the most gorgeous food photos out there, so if you haven't visited her site, be prepared to want to make every single thing.) My version gets its unique flavor from a teaspoon of cinnamon and a dash of cayenne pepper. The result is like a Mexican hot chocolate in brownie form.

11 Paleo Treats for Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day (or Valentime's Day, as my students always called it) is right around the corner. Whether or not you're into the whole idea of a romantic holiday, it never hurts to make a special treat for yourself or someone you love, right? Especially a treat that involves chocolate.

Here's a roundup of 11 paleo desserts that are worthy of this special day. In case you're not as much of a chocolate lover as I am, though, I've included several fruity desserts here as well. There's one with both chocolate and fruit, and one with neither (but don't worry, there's plenty of salted caramel in that one).  Three of them are vegan, in case that's what you're looking for.

What are your plans for Valentine's Day?  Are you making a dessert (paleo or otherwise)? I'd love to hear about it in the comments!

Without further ado, here are 11 paleo treats for your Valentine's Day cooking pleasure!

Salted Chocolate Chip Hazelnut Cookies

I've had four snow days in the past two weeks. Luckily, I've spent my extra time off pursuing an admirable goal: baking the ultimate grain-free chocolate chip cookie.

My quest began when I saw these soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies on Alexandra's Kitchen. Alexandra's blog is one of my favorites. Everything she makes is mouthwatering, and I love her detailed tips and stunning, perfectly lit photographs. Basically, I'm a huge fan.

I had to have those cookies.

With a caveat, of course: I wanted them to be paleo-friendly and grain-free.

I've made paleo cookies before and thoroughly enjoyed them, but they weren't the kind of cookies that could blow regular, gluten-containing cookies out of the water.  They didn't have the holy grail: the perfect combination of crunch and chewiness.

I set out to find some grain-free cookies that fit the bill--cookies that were crisp around the edges, but chewy and a tiny bit underbaked in the center.

Nutella Coffee Cake + Paleo Nutella

I'm sharing a recipe for nutella coffee cake with homemade paleo nutella over on the Healthy Aperture blog this week!

I had to turn in the post a while ago, so it's been over a month since I actually ate the cake, and now I REALLY want some.  I can barely focus enough to write this little blurb because I am desperate to get up, go to the kitchen, and make it again.  The sweet, vanilla-scented cake has huge swirls of dark, rich nutella, and the combination is totally addictive.

Here are five reasons you should be making nutella coffee cake right now:

Mocha Pistachio Ice Cream (Dairy Free, Coconut Free)

Sadly, it turns out that I'm allergic to coconut.

This is especially devastating because coconut is the miracle food source of the paleo world.  Coconut milk, sugar, flour, oil, and butter are all delicious, and do an impressive job of standing in for their non-paleo counterparts.  

I can't help but wonder if my sudden increase in coconut intake during my January Whole30 was what caused my allergy to surface.  But, no matter the cause, I won't be partaking in any coconut anytime soon.  Eating raw coconut makes me feel awful, and my doctor told me not to eat cooked coconut either unless I first sit through a challenge test in his office.  The test would consist of me bringing in some food with cooked coconut in it, eating it one bite at a time, and seeing if I go into anaphylactic shock or anything.  I told him no thanks for now.

Choco-Ginger Truffles

The chocolates pictured here are survivors of a kitchen disaster.

Truffles are easy and fun to make, and I find the process comforting.  To make these ones, I peeled a chunk of ginger with a spoon (like this), grated it with a microplane, and dropped it into a saucepan with almond milk, vanilla, and a pinch of salt.  Once the mixture had come to a robust simmer, I poured it over a bowl of chocolate chips.  I whisked the mixture into shiny perfection: truffle batter.

So far, so good.  I let the batter chill in the freezer, compartment of choice for impatient truffle-makers. When it was firm, I formed the truffles with a melon baller, a method I learned from watching Ina Garten.  If you don't have a melon baller, you can approximate one with a teaspoon measure; just make sure you dip the utensil in hot water in between truffles, and don't be afraid to scoop forcefully.

After a quick roll in some cocoa powder, the truffles were almost ready.  I ate one, consumed the equivalent of another by scraping the bowl with a spoon so that no gingery chocolate would go to waste, and stashed the tray with the twenty remaining truffles in the fridge to chill.

Fried Banana Brownie Cake with Honey Whipped Cream

It was my birthday on Saturday, and I had an amazing day.  I started the morning by opening the present Ben got for me, which was a Kitchen Aid stand mixer!  I've wanted one for years, and finally feel like I count as a real food blogger now that I own one.  I haven't used it yet because I have need to clear a special spot for it in the kitchen, but I've been peering into the box every few hours and just kind of smiling at it.  After opening my mixer, I met up with a friend to go for a run, and then went home and moved a bunch of furniture and hung pictures with Ben.  (Our landlords have been renovating our apartment, so we have a lot of rearranging to do.  One secret about me is that I love organizing things around the house, even though I put it off like crazy and almost never do it.  I am not at all sure why I dread it so much, because once I get started I really enjoy it.  So, oddly enough, moving furniture and hanging pictures was one of my favorite parts of the day.)

My mom, Ben, and I went to dbar for dinner, which is within walking distance of our apartment and is one of my favorite restaurants ever.  Pro tip: it starts gradually turning into a nightclub around 10 pm on Friday and Saturday.  I've never been able to convince anyone to stay with me for that phase, but we got to witness the beginning of the transformation last night: one of the waiters walked by, casually pushed a button on his bracelet, and made a screen drop from the ceiling.  No big deal.

Chocolate for Breakfast: Ghirardelli Intense Dark 72%

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and also my favorite.  Today I'm sharing how to make Ghirardelli Intense Dark 72% chocolate part of a complete breakfast.  Don't tell me chocolate for breakfast is strange--I promise that if you love chocolate at night, you'll love it even more in the morning.

Do you remember those cereal ads that used to run in the nineties during kids' shows--the ones that always said the cereal being advertised was "part of this complete breakfast?"  I never considered cereal a meal, even as a kid, and I always wondered: what ELSE is part of this complete breakfast?

Easy Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting {Secret Recipe Club}

Sometimes you just need a cupcake.  Or a few cupcakes.  I feel that I need cupcakes often, but it's rare that I actually need a dozen, full-size cupcakes.  Unless I have a party to take them to, making a whole batch of cupcakes can often end in disaster, with me deciding that a cupcake with coffee is a great breakfast, a cupcake with a side of fruit is a perfect lunch, and dinner is best concluded by eating another two cupcakes, and so on for the next few days.

That's why I love small-batch baking.

This delicious recipe for a small batch of easy vanilla cupcakes with chocolate frosting comes from Asiya at Chocolate and Chillies.  I was assigned her blog for my first month participating in the Secret Recipe Club, and had so much fun perusing her recipe index and deciding what to cook (if you haven't heard of the SRC, it's basically a club where each month you're assigned a blog to cook from, and someone else is assigned your blog, and it's a fun surprise on the reveal day to see who had your blog and what they decided to make).

Chocolate-Covered Almonds

Chocolate-covered almonds are my new favorite snack.  With a little sea salt added to the mix, they are just phenomenal.  Lately I've been seeing and buying them everywhere: Starbucks, Tedeschi, and Whole Foods each carry their own versions, all of which are irresistible to hungry grad students.  I decided it was time to make my own.

These almonds are roasted, dipped in salted dark chocolate, and tossed with a bit of Dutch-processed cocoa powder.  I can't stop eating them.  Although the chocolate coating is not as thick as the almonds I get at the store, which must be triple-dipped, this version still does a great job of satisfying my chocolate cravings.  I actually prefer the chocolate-to-almond ratio of this recipe, which allows the nutty flavor of the roasted almonds to come through.  If you don't like your almonds roasted, you can also make this with raw almonds.

While I loved the way these almonds tasted, I wasn't thrilled with how they looked.  It turns out it's really hard (at least for me) to get nice, smooth chocolate on something that has to be covered on all sides.  Since I like everything I post here to be easy on the eyes as well as delicious, I was contemplating not posting this recipe at all; however, when I asked some of my friends on Facebook what they thought, everyone said I should go for it.  So, here it is: a four-ingredient recipe for the most addictive snack on earth.  I hope you like it!

Salted Nutella Cookies + Cuina Baking Mat Giveaway

Disclosure: I received this product as part of an advertorial.

Ever since a friend of mine brought over some amazing nutella brownies a couple weeks ago, I've been dying to make a dessert of my own with the addictive chocolate hazelnut spread.  With a little research, I discovered that you don't have to add many things to nutella to make a delicious brownie batter or cookie dough.  You can even make gluten-free nutella brownies with just three ingredients.  However, I decided to make cookies--I was craving something that was both chewy and crunchy, and wanted another chance to use my Cuina silicone baking mat.

I was almost all set to make these cookies--I just needed a jar of nutella.  So, in case you were wondering, here is how to spend most of your day on a desperate search for chocolate hazelnut spread:

1. Wake up and tell your boyfriend he can take the car to work, since it's your spring break and all you really have to do all day is make cookies.

2. After he leaves, immediately regret your decision when you remember you need to go out and buy nutella for the cookies.

3. Eat some leftover bacon & sweet potato chili with a fried egg on top for breakfast, while wondering if there's any way to get nutella delivered to your home.  You decide there probably isn't.

Mini Grasshopper Parfaits + Epica Cocktail Muddler Review

Disclosure: I received this product as part of an advertorial.

I thought about calling these mini grasshopper fools, but that sounded like a bit much.  

Have you ever tried a fool?  It's an old-fashioned dessert consisting of pureed or mashed fruit, usually berries, folded into sweetened whipped cream.  I made a strawberry moscato fool last spring, and it was delicious. These parfaits are similar to fools, but with mint instead of fruit.  They're the perfect way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day (or any day).

(In case I lost you at "grasshopper", I use the term to describe minty desserts, usually also involving chocolate. The name was first used for a green cocktail made with creme de menthe.)

Vanilla Bean Buttercream Brownies

The large amount of frosting on these brownies represents the large amount of love I have for you!  It constantly makes my day that people actually read my blog, and I'm even more thrilled when I get a comment or get to connect with you on FB, Twitter, or IG.  You are the best, and that is why I made you the best brownies.

I've been wanting to make frosted brownies for a while now.  They just seem fabulously over the top--because once you've baked a rich and fudgy brownie, you totally need a big pile of buttercream on top, right?  (Hint: the answer is yes!)

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins + Pure Indian Foods Grassfed Ghee

I had a snow day last Wednesday, and spent the morning making these banana chocolate chip muffins.  They're a worthy project for any morning, unexpected day off or not.  Here are some reasons to give these muffins a try: they're gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free, and lactose-free, they're high in protein, they're sweetened mostly (or entirely) with fruit, and they're delicious.  Oh, and they have chocolate in them!

Baking with just coconut flour requires a lot of eggs, but the finished muffins don't taste eggy.  They're moist and bursting with chocolate chips, and they have a subtle banana flavor.  Unlike many muffins that are packed with sugar and low in protein, eating a couple of these makes for a pretty balanced breakfast in terms of protein, carbs, and healthy fats.  That means they'll keep you full for longer, but they still taste like treats.