Healthier, No-Bake Chocolate Tart

This chocolate tart is for the chocolate lovers out there. It’s a quick one to prepare, but feels elegant and decadent at the same time. This recipe makes 6 individual servings (made in a muffin tin). You can always double the recipe and make it in a pie dish for a larger group.

Ingredients:

Crust:

• ¾ cups almond flour

• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1 tbsp maple syrup

• 2 tbsp melted coconut oil

• ½ tsp vanilla 

• ⅛ tsp sea salt

Filling:

• ¾ cup full fat coconut milk

• 1 ¼ cup dark chocolate chips

• 1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

• Line a muffin tin with 6 muffin liners.

• Stir the crust ingredients in a bowl until well combined. Spoon an even amount into each muffin liner and press firmly until there’s a relatively even layer. Set aside. (You might have some leftovers – you can crumble it on top of yogurt for a decadent snack).

• Next, whisk the can of coconut milk before measuring out ¾ cup. Then heat it in a small saucepan until simmering. Place your chocolate chips in a bowl and then pour the coconut milk on top. Wait one minute. Don’t skip this step!! Then slowly stir until smooth. Add in the vanilla extract and stir until combined.

• Spoon the chocolate filling into the muffin cups. Place in the refrigerator for about 2 hours or until firm. If it’s not firming up or you need it sooner, you can place in the freezer and then allow it to come to room temperature (or closer to it) before serving.

Some serving suggestions: top with flaky sea salt, berries, orange zest, crushed pistachios, or a dollop of whipped cream.

Chocolate Hazelnut "Crunch" Bars

This nutty, chocolatey dessert really hits the spot for all those chocolate lovers out there. Not only is it easy to make, it’s full of protein and healthy fats from the walnuts and hazelnuts. It’s only lightly sweetened with some maple syrup, and so while it tastes decadent, it’s a much healthier dessert option. Finally, the best part is that one batch of these bars makes about 20 squares. Keep them in the freezer for when a sweet craving hits! For me, that’s after lunch and dinner basically every day! One or two of these does the trick :)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups roasted, unsalted hazlenuts

• 1 1/2 cups raw pecans

• 5 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled

• 1/4 cup maple syrup

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 3/4 cup chocolate chips

• Maldon sea salt for finishing

Directions:

• In a food processor, add hazelnuts, pecans, salt, and cocoa powder until you get a crumbly texture.

• Add in maple syrup and coconut oil and process until ingredients are well combined

• Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper. Take the chocolate nut mixture and press evenly into the pan. Place in the freezer for 5-10 minutes to set.

• Meanwhile, melt the chocolate chips either in the microwave or on the stovetop over low heat. Top the chocolate nut mixture with an even layer of the melted chocolate. Add a few pinches of Maldon sea salt flakes to the top and then return to the freezer for 15-20 minutes.

• Remove the chocolate crunch bar from the freezer and cut into squares - small or large! Keep these stored in the freezer.

Chocolate Almond Butter Banana Bites!

These frozen treats are the PERFECT post-dinner dessert. They are cold and refreshing, and the frozen banana has somewhat of an ice cream-y texture. They are nutty, chocolatey, and perfectly sweet! Make a batch and store them in the freezer for an easy sweet bite after a meal!

Ingredients:

(makes about 20 bites)

• 2 bananas

• 1/4 cup almond butter (or nut butter of choice)

• 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips

• 2 tsp coconut oil

• sprinkle of cinnamon (optional)

Directions:

• Line a large plate or baking sheet with parchment paper

• Peel and slice the banana into 1/4- 1/2 inch rounds

• Lay 1/2 of the bananas on the parchment paper. Spoon almond butter onto banana slices. Top with the remaining banana slices to make little “sandwiches”. Place in freezer for one hour.

• Melt chocolate and coconut oil on the stovetop over low heat, stirring constantly until melted together (or microwave). Remove from heat and stir in a sprinkle of cinnamon if desired.

• Take banana “sandwiches” and dip into the melted chocolate until covered halfway. Then place back in the freezer for a few minutes until fully frozen.

• Eat and enjoy!

Chocolate Peppermint Bark

Chocolate Peppermint Bark! This is the easiest holiday treat and it’s a lot healthier than some other holiday desserts out there. It takes 5 minutes to make and it feels so festive! This makes for a great homemade gift or it’s perfect to have around the house when you want a sweet treat :) You can also just melt dark chocolate chips, spread it on parchment paper and top it with whatever you like. I love topping it with toasted coconut or pistachios, dried cherries, and sea salt. YUM.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dark chocolate chips

• 4 drops peppermint extract

• 1 candy cane, crushed

Directions:

• Line a sheet pan with parchment paper

• Melt chocolate either in the microwave or on the stovetop using a double boiler over simmering water

• Once melted, add in the peppermint extract and stir to combine

• Spread the chocolate in an even layer on parchment paper 

• Top with crushed candy canes

• Refrigerate for 15 minutes or until hardened

• Break apart the chocolate pieces and serve!
  

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

This banana bread is such a treat. A small slice is a perfect addition to breakfast, but I personally enjoy this as an afternoon snack. Ever since I started breastfeeding, I’m always hungry and a quick slice of this bread seems to do the trick! And since it’s made from wholesome ingredients, I never feel guilty about indulging :)

Ingredients:

Made with my littlest helper!

• 3 ripe bananas, mashed

• ¼ cup coconut oil, melted and cooled

• ¼ cup maple syrup

• 3 eggs, beaten

• 1 1/2 cup almond flour

• 2 tbsp coconut flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• ¼ cup chocolate chips

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

• In a mixing bowl, combine mashed bananas, coconut oil, eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla.

• In another bowl, combine the almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda, and salt

• Mix the wet and dry ingredients together and then fold in the chocolate chip

• Transfer mixture to a bread loaf pan and bake 50-55 minutes

Chocolate Coconut Granola

This chocolate coconut granola is a real treat! It’s free of refined sugars and is made from wholesome, unprocessed ingredients. I personally love having this on top of some yogurt for a healthier dessert option. Try adding in some banana or strawberry slices too! Feel free to get creative with this recipe - for example, add walnuts or almonds in place of pumpkin seeds if that’s your preference. Also, to make it even more decadent, once it’s cooled, add in some chocolate chips!

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups rolled oats

• 1 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened)

• ⅓  cup pumpkin seeds

• ¼ cup of coconut oil

• ¼ cup maple syrup

• ¼ cup cacao powder (unsweetened)

• ½ tsp cinnamon

• ¼ tsp salt

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

• In a mixing bowl, combine oats, coconut, pumpkin seeds, cinnamon, and salt. Stir to mix together.

• Over low heat, in a small saucepan, melt the coconut oil. Add in maple syrup, vanilla, and cocoa powder. Once combined, remove from heat.

• Add the chocolate mixture to the bowl with the oats. Stir to combine. Spread oat mixture onto a parchment-paper lined baking sheet and bake for 25 min.  Let cool.

Health Benefits of Coconut:

• They are an excellent source of healthy fats, which our body needs to support a healthy metabolism, brain health, hormone production, and vitamin absorption (for vitamins A, D, E, and K).

• Most of the fats in coconut are medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), which are used by your body to produce energy.

• It is an excellent source of manganese, which is essential for brain and nervous system functioning.

• It’s a good source of insoluble fiber, helping to regularize bowel movements.

• Just remember, coconut is high in fat and in calorie-dense, so we don’t need a ton of it in our everyday diet!

Sources and additional reading:

• https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/coconut-nutrition#section

• https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/coconut-meat#downsides

Chocolate Peanut Butter Date Balls

I love making treats that I can keep in the freezer and enjoy whenever I am craving something sweet, and these are no exception! You can feel free to make these your own by adding oats in place of or in combination with shredded coconut. You can use any nut butter you’d like in place of peanut butter. You can even sweeten this mixture with maple syrup or honey in place of dates! While most of us are not making regular trips to the grocery store at this time, with strict shelter-in-place regulations, we have to get creative in the kitchen and use the ingredients we have on hand!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup shredded coconut

• ¾ cups of Medjool dates, pitted

• ½ cup of creamy, all-natural peanut butter (unsalted)

• 2 tbsp ground flax seeds

• ¼ tsp salt

• ¼ cup dark chocolate chips

• 2 tsp coconut oil

Directions:

• Place dates in a food processor and pulse until broken down

• Add in peanut butter, shredded coconut, ground flax, and salt. Pulse until combined.

• Scoop out the dough and roll into balls. Place in freezer for 15 minutes.

• Melt chocolate with coconut oil either in the microwave or on the stove top. Once melted, dip each peanut butter ball in chocolate.

• Freeze in an air tight container.

Optional: add the chocolate chips into the dough with a spatula (after all other ingredients are combined) if you’d rather have chocolate chips instead of dipped chocolate peanut butter balls. 

Gluten-Free Chocolate Tahini Brownies

With Valentines Day right around the corner, I was inspired to bake something chocolatey and delicious! These brownies are so decadent, you wouldn’t believe that they are somewhat healthy! At least a whole lot healthier than most other brownie options out there!

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup tahini

• 1/3 cup maple syrup

• 1 tbsp melted and cooled coconut oil

• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 2 eggs

• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1 tablespoon coconut flour

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/3 cup chocolate chips (my preference)

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

• In a large bowl, add the tahini, maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla extract and eggs and mix until smooth 

• In a small bowl, mix together cocoa powder, coconut flour, salt and baking soda.

• Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until the batter is smooth. 

• Fold in 1/3 cup chocolate chips into the batter. 

• Spread batter evenly into a parchment-paper lined or greased 8x8 pan.

• Bake for 22 minutes or until knife inserted into the middle comes out clean.

• After brownies have cooled a few minutes, drizzle with tahini or almond butter and a pinch of sea salt (optional).

Chocolate Tahini Fudge Bites

These chocolate tahini fudge bites are perfect when craving a little something sweet. With this recipe, you can make a batch and store them in the freezer for that quick-fix dessert. You can enjoy these fudge-y bites, knowing that all the ingredients are ones that you recognize and that aren’t highly refined and processed. In my opinion, they are the perfect amount of sweet, yet they taste so decadent. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Ingredients:

(makes 30 fudge bites)

For the chocolate layer:

• 3/4 cup melted coconut oil

• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1/4 cup maple syrup

• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

For the Tahini layer:

• 1 cup tahini

• ¼ cup coconut oil 

• ¼ cup maple syrup

• 1 tsp vanilla

• ¼ tsp salt

Directions:

• To make the chocolate fudge layer, melt coconut oil in a small saucepan over medium low heat until melted. Add maple syrup, vanilla, and cocoa powder. Stir until combined. Remove from heat and pour into an 8x8 baking dish. Place in freezer for 30 minutes.

• To make the tahini fudge layer, melt coconut oil in a small saucepan. Add tahini, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt. Stir until combined. Remove from heat and let cool for about 2-3 minutes. Pour over the chocolate layer and return to freezer for 30 minutes.

• Remove from freezer and slice into 30 pieces. Store fudge bites in freezer.

Notes:

• You can always sub out a different nut or seed butter for the tahini.

• You don’t have to include the chocolate layer - you can simplify and keep it a single layer fudge bite!

• The chocolate layer is less “fudge-y” than the nut butter layer. I personally like the contrast in texture (it’s almost like an open face peanut butter cup), but if you prefer them to both be soft, add 1 cup of nut/seed butter to the chocolate mixture and reduce the amount of coconut oil and cocoa powder to 1/4 cup each!

Tahini Chocolate Chunk Cookies

These tahini cookies are a welcome alternative to a typical chocolate chip cookie, which is full of refined flours and sugars. We all know eating sugar is no good for our bodies - it offsets our blood sugar levels and is linked to weight gain, skin breakouts, heart disease, and Type II Diabetes to name a few - but many of us crave a little something sweet at some point during the day. This cookie is made with real, unrefined ingredients, like almond and coconut flour, tahnii, coconut oil, and maple syrup (a natural sweetener). For your chocolate, look for brands that are minimally processed and without additives, like Hu, Honey Mamas, and Pure 7….please share your favorite brands below in the comment section!

These cookies are a little “cakey” but they are honestly SO delicious and you can enjoy them guilt-free. Plus you can know that you are benefiting your health from the tahini too! Read on for more info about that!

Ingredients:

(makes 10-12 cookies)

• ¾ cup almond flour

• ¼ cup coconut flour

• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

• ½ tsp cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 egg

• ¼ cup maple syrup

• 1/4 cup tahini

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted and cooled

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1.5-2 ounces of a dark chocolate bar, coarsely chopped

• 1 large pinch of Maldon Salt, for sprinkling on top

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

• In a large mixing bowl, mix the tahini, maple syrup, egg, coconut oil, and vanilla extract together until combined.

• In another mixing bowl, combine almond flour, coconut flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Mix to combine. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir to mix. Fold in chocolate chunks.

• Refrigerate the dough for 5-10 minutes and then form 10-12 cookies from the batter and place on a parchment paper- lined baking sheet 

• Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Sprinkle cookies with Maldon salt. Cool before serving.

Health Benefits of Tahini:

• Sesame seeds are packed with antioxidants - in particular sesamin and sesamolin, which help lower LDL cholesterol levels and boost heart health

• The high amounts of antioxidants also help prevent inflammation in our bodies by fighting free radicals

• Tahini is an excellent source of healthy fats, which supports heart and brain health

• It is a great source of plant-based iron, so it can be a useful addition to your diet if you are a vegetarian or vegan

• Tahini contains amino acids, vitamin E, B vitamins, trace minerals and fatty acids, which helps to keep skin youthful by promoting skin cell rejuvenation 

Sources and Additional Reading:

• https://www.soomfoods.com/the-health-benefits-of-tahini-soom-foods/

• https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-6997/10-Reasons-to-Eat-Tahini.html

• https://draxe.com/nutrition/tahini/