Buckeyes. (GF)

The classic peanut butter and chocolate dessert–perfection!

Peanut butter + chocolate.

It’s one of my husband’s favorite combinations, and over the years we’ve been married it has become one of mine, too!

I know buckeyes are a Christmas tradition for many families, but although that isn’t the case with mine, I’m quickly getting on board. If you’ve never had a buckeye before, it’s pretty much like eating peanut butter frosting dipped in chocolate.

Yup. They’re amazing.

And, they’re gluten-free! Hooray!

I made these recently for a friend who just had a baby and I forgot how much fun it is to make these. It does take a while to dip the buckeyes in the chocolate, but just have fun and enjoy the process.

Now all you need to do is turn on some Christmas music and sing your way through making the recipe!

Buckeyes (GF)

• 1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
• 1 cup butter, room-temperature (can soften in the microwave if needed)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening

1). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Make sure you have enough room in the freezer for the cookie sheet.

2). In a large bowl, use a hand-held mixer (or wooden spoon) to mix the peanut butter, butter, vanilla extract, and salt together. Add the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, and mix until fully incorporated.

3). Roll the peanut butter mixture into 1 inch balls (I cheated and used a cookie scoop!). Set them on the parchment-lined cookie sheet and add a toothpick in the top of each one. Freeze for about 30 minutes or until hard.

4). Fill a medium sized pot with about 1 inch of water. Place it on the stove over medium heat until simmering, then set it to low to keep it barely simmering. Combine the chocolate chips and shortening in a microwave, heat-proof bowl. Microwave for 1 minute, and stir. Continue microwaving in 30 second intervals for 1 more minute, stirring each time. Place this bowl on top of the simmering pot of water and stir until the chocolate and shortening are completely melted.

5). Use the toothpick as a handle to carefully dip the buckeyes in the chocolate, leaving the top center exposed. Place on the parchment-lined cookie sheet and either refrigerate for 2 hours or freeze for 30 minutes. Remove the toothpicks and gently smooth the peanut butter over the hole from the toothpick. Store in the refrigerator for up to a month!

Recipe adapted from Brown Eyed Baker.

 

No-Bake Chocolate Almond Butter Cups. (GF, DF)

A rich gluten-free, dairy-free dessert without refined sugars! Keep a stash in your freezer to satisfy your next sweet tooth!

Um, guys?

This recipe is a game-changer. I’m struggling to find the words to accurately convey to you how incredibly awesome these little chocolate almond butter cups are! The flavor. The texture. The chocolate!

They. Are. Delicious!!

And the best part? This is a guilt-free dessert that doesn’t taste like one. Don’t you hate biting into a “healthy” dessert only to be left wishing for the real deal? Not here. My husband and I were absolutely SHOCKED at how good these were, and not in a that’s-good-considering-it’s-a-paleo-treat kind of way. These are just plain ol’ GOOD. I made these after having eliminated refined sugars for two months and I was on a mission to make something that tasted great but was not full of sugar. The only source of sweetness in these chocolate cups comes from a minimal amount of maple syrup, so they are refined-sugar free. But again, you’d never guess it!

To make these amazing little cups of yummyness, combine almond flour, a touch of maple syrup, coconut oil, cinnamon, vanilla, and almond butter. One taste of this mixture and you know things are headed in a great direction. That all gets pressed down into muffin tins.

I used a regular muffin pan, but if you want to make them more bite-sized you can use a mini-muffin pan if you have one.

Then, the chocolate sauce.

Confession time.

I had no idea making chocolate could be this easy! Just mix melted coconut oil, maple syrup for sweetness, and pure cocoa powder. The result? Silky, rich chocolate sauce! Pour this on top of the almond butter mixture, top with flaked sea salt and/or sliced almonds, and freeze for about 30 minutes.

Seeeee? Easy! These are my new favorite dessert.

You do need to keep these cold so the chocolate doesn’t start to melt, but I love having them in the freezer and pulling one out on occasion for a satisfying dessert made of real ingredients and minimal sugar.

P.S. I know these aren’t traditional Christmas cookies, but I think they’d be a great addition! They would cater to every family member’s special dietary needs (gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo, vegan, vegetarian, etc.) and still taste amazing. Plus, you can make them ahead of time!

Here’s a quick video I made explaining how to make them!

No-Bake Chocolate Almond Butter Cups (GF, DF, Paleo, Vegan)

For the almond butter base:

• 1 3/4 cups almond flour
• 2 Tbsp almond butter
• 2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup, warmed if refrigerated
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch of fine grain sea salt, to taste

For the chocolate sauce:

• 3 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 3 Tbsp pure maple syrup, warmed if refrigerated
• 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
• pinch of sea salt, to taste

Optional toppings: flaked sea salt, sliced almonds, coconut, etc.

1). Line a muffin pan with liners and make sure there is enough room in the freezer for the muffin pan.

2). In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the base. The dough should be a little bit sticky similar to the texture of cookie dough.

3). Equally distribute the dough into the bottom of the muffin pans (I got 9 thick cups). Press down until it is smooth and flat.

4). In a small bowl, combine the chocolate sauce ingredients, whisking together until smooth. Equally spoon the chocolate over the base of the cups. Top with flaked sea salt and/or sliced almonds, coconut, etc.

5). Place the muffin pan in the freezer for about 30 minutes before enjoying. Store remaining cups in the freezer until ready to eat. These are delicious straight from the freezer!

Servings: 9 (large) cups. Approximate Nutritional Information per Serving: Calories: 266 Carbs: 11g Fat: 21g Protein: 6g Fiber: 3g Sugar: 8g Points+: 7 Recipe adapted from here.

Adapted recipe courtesy of Audrey’s Apron. 

Eggnog Muffins.

The Christmas baking posts continue! If you like the flavors of eggnog, you will love these muffins. Even if you do not like eggnog (I don’t!), you too will love these muffins!

These festive muffins are a great way to get you in the Christmas spirit and make for a lovely Christmas breakfast. It’s also a great way to use up extra eggnog you have after the holidays. All the eggnog does is add moisture and flavor to the muffins. They’re not overly sweet and have a nice hint of nutmeg, vanilla, and cinnamon. They’re not exactly health food, but certainly are a better choice than some other muffins! They do have oats in them, after all!

These muffins are easy to make; all you need are two bowls, a whisk, and a spatula! I love that I don’t even need to get out my electric mixer for to make these.

After the muffin batter is spooned into the pan, the muffins get an extra sprinkle of cinnamon sugar. This little addition makes the tops beautiful and just a tad sweet. Christmas is in 2 days…it’s not too late to add these to your holiday baking list!

Eggnog Muffins

• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour or white whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup quick-cooking (not instant) oats
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups light eggnog
• 1/3 cup oil
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Cinnamon-sugar for sprinkling (or make your own…mix 1/4 cup sugar with 1 tsp cinnamon)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Line a muffin pan with muffin liners.
2. Place flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Use a whisk to combine the dry ingredients.
3. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the eggnog, oil, egg, vanilla extract, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Do not overmix or your muffins won’t rise properly. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups and sprinkle cinnamon-sugar over each. Bake in preheated over at 400F for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Servings: 12-14 (I got 14). Nutritional Information per serving: Calories: 171 Carbs: 24g Fat: 7g Protien: 4g Sugar: 12g Fiber: 2g WW PointsPlus: 5 

I found the original recipe on Atthebakersbench.com a few years ago, however they have since removed the link. Adapted recipe courtesy of Audreysparon.wordpress.com.