Apple Spice Cookies (Paleo)

I originally planned to go apple picking with my friend Leslie yesterday, but despite having one of the mildest best summers since I've lived in D.C., mother nature decided to spice up October 6th by reaching 90 degrees, to which I was all "fuck that." So, we've decided to reschedule for a day that actually feels like fall. 

But since I already had my heart set on the idea of coming home with North West's weight in apples, I decided I needed to bake something apple-y. Since I haven't made any variations on this recipe (which, btw, is the my most popular recipe of all time), I thought I'd do something special and put a new fall spin on it. Hence, apple spice cookies.

I know a lot of you are obsessedies with Fall, so I'm pretty sure you'll like these: you'll get the sweetness from the apples and honey paired with spicey cinnamon and ginger. It'll kind of be like those Britney Spears perfume commercials where she place the nice AND naughty versions of herself. But for your mouth!!

These cookies have a slightly cakey texture compared to the classic version because I made it from memory and changed a few proportions of things, but they're still amazing. I suppose you could even bake them in a muffin tin, but I prefer eating cookies to muffins. Feels more like a treat to me that way.

If for some reason you HATE apple, well, first of all, what's wrong with you? And second, you could probably sub the apple in this recipe for pumpkin puree. Not too much though, or it might change the texture. And if you're scared to give it a try, then just make these cookies exactly as I made them.

Apple Spice Cookies (Paleo)

Makes 9 large cookies

• 1 cup unsweetened almond butter
• 1/2 cup raw honey
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• half an apple, diced (use something sweet like Fuji or Gala)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated on a microplane

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degress F.

2. In a large bowl, combine almond butter, honey, egg, baking soda, and salt until well incorporated. Add apple, spices, and ginger and stir to combine.

3. Spoon batter onto a baking sheet (you may have to spread the batter a little to get it into a round shape) about 1-2 inches apart from each other--they'll spread a bit.

4. Bake about 10 minutes, or until slightly set.

5. Remove cookies and allow to cool on pan for about 5-10 minutes. Then finish cooling on a cooling rack.

Paleo Sweet Potato Meringue Pie

I get really annoyed by people who don't "know how" to cook. Like, it's not even hard! Seriously! The hardest part about cooking is probably having the right equipment or making sure you didn't forget to pick up the one ingredient that's crucial to making the whole recipe work, but that's it! Do you have an oven? Do you have a bowl? How about a knife? Okay, great--you can cook!!

I think people who don't "know" how to cook simply don't care about cooking. And that's totally different. THAT, I can get behind. I mean, listen, I don't know anything about football, but that's not because it's hard to understand, that's because I literally do not care about learning how football works. Like, if you really want to learn how to roast a chicken without burning it, you will eventually figure it out. And if you want to learn how to make the perfect pie crust, then just follow Martha Stewart's instructions. And if you really want to make the cooking experience simple, just make the Paleo version of it.

I'm always the first to say that if you want to adopt a Paleo lifestyle, you have to enjoy cooking, but that's not to say you have to be a good cook. In fact, Paleo cooking is great for people just like you! Why? Because cooking allows for so much more room for error than baking. And despite the fact that you might use an oven to "bake" things, like this, this, and this, the chemistry that goes into baking glutenous treats (which is typically where most novice cooks struggle) is non-existent in Paleo baking.

Which is all just a really long way of saying, this sweet potato meringue pie is super easy to make. Just make sure you don't forget to buy, ya know, the sweet potatoes or whatever.

Now that fall is setting in, sweet potato pie just felt like the right thing to do.

I've never made sweet potato pie before--we were more of a pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving family (though that's not to say we didn't enjoy sweet potatoes in other forms)--but since Paleo baking is easy, I decided to give a try, and it was a worthy experiment. Worthy of my mouth, that is!

I also tried out a new pie crust recipe (arrowroot and coconut flour give it a very authentic texture), and it's a keeper!

So, if you think you just don't KNOW how to cook, go ahead and give this recipe a try--you'll love it. And if you just don't LIKE/WANT to cook, make friends with someone who will make this for you. And then buy them a thank you gift, you leach!

Paleo Sweet Potato Meringue Pie

For the crust

• 1 1/2 cups coconut flour
• 1/2 cup arrowroot flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 8 TBSP/1 stick of very cold grass-fed butter, cubed into small pieces
• 1/2 - 1 cup ice cold water

For the filling

• 4 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 2 TBSP coconut oil
• 2 eggs and 1 egg yolk
• 1 TBSP orange zest
• juice of half an orange
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup (maybe more if you want it sweeter--try it and figure it out)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the meringue

• 3 egg whites, room temp
• 3-4 TBSP raw honey

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a food processor, pulse coconut and arrowroot flours and salt until well incorporated, about 10 seconds. Add the cold butter (this important--don't fuck it up with room temperature butter) to the flour and pulse until the flour becomes crumbly, about 45 seconds.

3. While food processor is running, add ice cold water (don't fuck this one up either), in a slow steady stream. Add enough for the flour to start to bind together. It may not come together in the food processor, so I ended up dumping this in a bowl after adding about 1/2 cup of water and continued to incorporate the water with my hands. Ultimately, you're just trying to make the dough come together, but it will be crumbly. Test by pressing the dough together in your hand to see if it stays together. If not, add more water. Work quickly! 

4. Once dough can come together, dump it onto a big sheet of plastic wrap and form into a ball, then wrap and place in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

5. Steam sweet potatoes for about 30 minutes, or until they're fork tender.

6. Allow sweet potatoes to cool slightly, then toss sweet potatoes in a large bowl. Using a hand mixer (or blender/food processor/fork, whatever), puree sweet potatoes with coconut oil and eggs. Once combined, add zest, orange juice, maple syrup, spices, and vanilla. Taste here and decide if you want it sweeter.

7. Remove chilled pie crust from fridge and press into a pie plate (this is easier than rolling it out, just be careful about making it even across the pie plate).

8. Using a fork, poke holes on the bottom and sides of the crust, then place in oven for about 10 minutes.

9. Remove crust from oven, then dump filling into the pie shell. Place back in the oven for about 50-60 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.

10. Cool for about an hour. 

11. Make meringue by beating egg whites with a hand mixer until glossy peaks form. Then, add honey and continue to beat until well incorporated.

12. Dallop meringue all over pie--use a spatula or fork or something to make peaks.

13. Place pie back in the oven and turn on your broiler. Broil for about 1-2 minutes, or until meringue is golden. Allow to cool for another hour before serving.

TwoFaced Tuesday: Strawberry

"TwoFaced Tuesdays" is a joint venture between CupcakesOMG! and Jenna from The Paleo Project. Each week, we select one secret ingredient and put our own paleo spin on it. You can catch up on the entire series here. Also, if you have any special ingredient requests, you can always tweet us (@CupcakesOhMG and @ThePaleoProject) using the hashtag #TwoFacedTuesday.

When I went home for my birthday a few weeks ago, my mom was using this little red gadget to hull strawberries. My mom, who is just as practical as she is excessive, is a firm believer AGAINST a unitasker in the kitchen. In her mind, a good set of knives and few appliances are really all you need. And I agree. So when she told me that this strawberry huller was one of the smartest unitaskers she's ever used, I knew I wanted one. And so did she. So she went out and bought me one the very next day. Aren't moms swell??

This week, Jenna and I got a request from Megan to feature one of summers greatest pleasures: berries. Naturally, I saw this as a ripe (eh...??) opportunity to try out my new unitasker and make yet another GENIUS paleo dessert. Allow me to present to you Paleo Strawberry Mousse.

I've never had a strawberry mousse, but I have had white chocolate mousse and it's one of the most delicious things I've ever eaten. Mousse is basically just eggs and cream, so it's pretty much the perfect canvas for a paleo treat.

I did make this in the traditional way, which means there are raw egg whites in it. If you're worried about it then...don't make this. You NEED the eggs whites. But if you're worried about it and up for the "risk", try to get the freshest eggs you can. That's what I do.

This is a simple recipe with only a few ingredients, and although the steps are straightforward, it's important not to rush things. You'll be folding egg whites and it's important to take your time when doing so to prevent losing the air you're going to whip into them.

But if you're willing to take your time (and eat raw eggs), you'll have a delicious and fresh dessert to enjoy.

As a disclaimer, I haven't perfected the texture of this mousse--it's more foamy than it is creamy, but it's still totally nom-able. It's kinda like a really soft ice cream that isn't as cold as ice cream. That said, when I try this again, I think I would add another batch of whipped coconut cream at the end, since the first round of coconut cream becomes runny after adding the strawberry puree. 

But I mean, my god! How can you NOT want to eat this????

I'm also excited to try this with other fruits, since I'm pretty sure you can do it with anything that will puree in a food processor. Peach is next on my list, but they don't make a unitasker for that.

Head over to The Paleo Project to see Jenna's take on berries!

Paleo Strawberry Mousse

Makes about 6 servings

• 6-8 strawberries
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1-2 Tbsp raw honey
• 2 cans coconut milk
• 4 egg whites

1. In a food processor, combine strawberries, lemon juice, and honey. Blend until pureed. It will  be runny.

2. In a stand mixer, whip coconut milk into whipped cream. When using coconut milk, you only want to use the milk solids (none of the water). Some people find that it's easier to scoop out when you refrigerate your cans first, but for some reason that never works for me. Bottom line, just scoop out the opaque white stuff. Leave the clear stuff in the can and save it for a smoothie or whatever.

3. Using another mixer (hand will work just fine), beat egg whites into a stiff peak. 

4. Slowly drizzle in the strawberry puree into your whipped coconut cream. About a Tbsp at a time. You don't have to use all the puree, just as much as you like. The more you use, the runnier your mixture will become. I whipped the coconut cream and strawberry puree mixture again at the end to incorporate more air into it.

5. Add about a cup of the whipped egg whites to the coconut/strawberry mixture, folding gently to incorporate. Continue adding about a cup at a time until all the eggs whites have been added. 

6. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour before serving.

*This will also save pretty well for about a day, just store in an airtight container.

TwoFaced: Paleo Easter Dinner Roundup

I don't know what holidays are like in your house, but in mine, it's typically an acceptable excuse for eating 3 times your daily calorie needs. In one meal. And then enjoying leftovers in its various forms of sandwich and casseroles. At midnight. Over the sink. Ugh, it is NOT pretty. 

Also not pretty? Not enjoying yourself on the holidays because you're on a "diet." Lucky for you, eating Paleo isn't a diet at all, so there's no reason you can't celebrate all the indulgences Easter has to offer without derailing your good eating habits. Here's what I would make this Sunday if I were you...and then feel no shame in eating the leftovers by myself over the kitchen sink at midnight.

Appetizer

{BBC's Good Food Mint and Pea Soup}

Main Dish

{FastPaleo's Honey and Citrus Glazed Ham}

Sides

{Primal Palate's Roasted Brussel Sprouts}

{Jan's Sushi Bar's Zesty Egg Salad}

Dessert

{CupcakesOMG!'s CranApple Crumble}

Check out the Easter round-up Jenna whipped up!!

What are you planning on doing for Easter dinner/brunch? Will you keep it Paleo or say "Hayylll No!"?? 

TwoFaced: Cranberries

 "TwoFaced Tuesdays" is a joint venture between CupcakesOMG! and Jenna from The Paleo Project. Each week, we select one secret ingredient and put our own paleo spin on it. You can catch up on the entire series here. Also, if you have any special ingredient requests, you can always tweet us (@CupcakesOhMG and @ThePaleoProject) using the hashtag #TwoFacedTuesday.

Let me tell you a fun story.

Jenna and I decided real early last week what this week's TwoFaced ingredient would be cranberry. I was intimidated from the start. I mean, who in the hell cooks with cranberries outside of Thanksgiving?? At first I was like, maybe I could make a paleo spritzer? And then Jenna was like "....ummmm...yeah. No, yeah, I'm sure that'd be great." And then Kyle was like "that's a terrible idea." And then I stopped thinking about it and went on with my week. Until I texted Jenna on Sunday and said "yo, what's our ingredient this week?"

The ingredient cranberry was literally so intimidating to me, that I actually pushed it out of my mind. Like, entirely forgot that we had previously chosen it. And when I remembered, I just texted her one word: "shit." But like the immaculate conception, my mind was inexplicably impregnated by the recipe I conjured up for this week--CranApple Crumble.

Like many of my recipes, I found this to be laughably easy to put together. Some apple (I used MacIntosh), frozen cranberry, spices, and honey, topped with a lick-the-bowl-good mixture of almonds, cashews, and maple syrup make for a dreamy crumble.

 Baked in the oven until the top is golden and the fruits reduce and it's ready to be devoured.

 Personally, I ate it for breakfast at one point. And then dessert. And then dessert again.

And then I topped it with some coconut whipped cream and it was overrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!

Please make this. Dear God, you OWE IT TO YOURSELF AND FORGOTTEN CRANBERRIES EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!

I know Jenna prepared far better for her cranberry-inspired recipe, so make sure to check it out!!

Paleo CranApple Crumble
Makes about 6 small tarts worth

For the filling

• 4 medium apples, sliced then with a mandolin or cut into bite size chunks
• 1 cup frozen cranberries
• 1/2 cup raw honey
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger

For the topping

• 2/3 cup raw almonds
• 2/3 cup raw cashews
• 1 cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp. cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, toss all the filling ingredients together.
3. In a food processor, pulse topping ingredients until the nuts are chopped small, but not finely ground.
4. In small tart pans, divide the filling mixture evenly. They will be very full (overflowing, even), but they will bake down quite a bit.
5. Top each crumble with the nut mixture and press down.
6. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the top is golden and the fruits are soft.

TwoFaced: Pear Applesauce

Unlike Kim Kardashian's sham of a marriage, TwoFaced, the joint-venture between The Paleo Project and CupcakesOMG! is still going strong. 

This week, we found inspiration from the delicate fall flavors of pear. Not unlike a sugar plum, visions of a paleo pear tart started to dance in my head, but after devouring my LIFE-CHANGING chocolate covered pumpkin cupcakes (entirely non-paleo, btw), I opted for something lighter, simpler, but still sweet. I am, after all, on a never-ending mission to create as many delicious, authentic paleo sweets as humanly possible. And with that, I decided to make pear applesauce.

So, clearly, you need pears. And in case you lack basic observation skills, you also need apples. It'll taste better if you get pretty ones. Swear.

My recipe calls for a heaping helping of cinnamon, a dash of ginger, and is sweetened by nature's nectar, maple syrup.

  

When I ran out of cupcakes, I started eating this like it was my J-O-B. Pear applesauce eater: insult or best.job.ever.????

You can eat this warm, right off the stove, like I did, or you can let it chill for a few hours in the refrigerator. You could also use this as a topping for pork, paleo pancakes, or coconut whipped cream. Or like, you could eat it on ice cream too. But don't tell anyone I said that.

Pear Applesauce
Makes about 3 cups

• 5 ripe pears (I used Comice)
• 3 apples (I used Honeycrisp)
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 cup good maple syrup

1.) Peel and dice pears and apples into bite-sized chunks.

2.) Add pears and apples to a large pot. Stir in the juice of two lemons. Add enough water to pot to just barely cover the fruit. 

3.) Bring pears and apples to a low boil, then turn down to a simmer. Cover fruit and simmer for about 35-40 minutes, or until it starts to thicken.

4.) Using a potato masher or a whisk, mash the mixture. If it seems watery, use a ladle to funnel out some of the liquid.

5.) Add spices and maple syrup and cook until pear applesauce reaches desired consistency. 

Now, head on over to The Paleo Project to see what delicacy Jenna has whipped up!!