Baking Archives - The Paleo Network

Cooking paleo recipes with almond flour

September 20, 2014/1 Comment/in Blog Posts, Cooking, Food, Paleo, Recipe /by Suz

If you've done much paleo cooking you'll have noticed lots of recipes call for almond flour or almond meal. With flour a no-no, almond flour is a great alternative.

What's the difference between almond meal and almond flour?

Simple – almond meal is darker in colour because it is made with almonds with their skins on. Almond flour is made with blanched almonds.

I prefer cooking with a more finely ground almond flour/ meal as I find it a lot lighter. Another thing to bear in mind, is that if you're substituting conventional flour for almond flour, you'll need to watch the temperatures – you'll probably need them a lot lower.

Make your own

You can make your own almond flour by blanching almonds and grinding them -but be careful not to over grind, or you'll end up with almond butter. To get really good results (like shop bought almond flour), you'll need a grain/ nut mill, like this. If that's too much like hard work, you can buy your almond flour or meal ready to use. Remember – buy in bulk to save money – the small packs are really expensive.

Substituting flour for almond flour

Unfortunately it's not as simple as substituting one cup of white or wholemeal flour for one cup of almond flour. Almond flours lack the starch and gluten SAD flour has, which may mean you need to consider adding some sort of binding ingredient like eggs. You may also find a 1-1 substitution makes your recipe turn out too dense.

Storing almond flour

As this is an oil based flour, you need to make sure it doesn't turn rancid (if it does,throw it away). I store mine in the freezer, but if you keep yours in a cool dark place it should be ok for several months. Another reason to buy in bulk.

Here are some of my paleo recipes to try, which use almond flour:

Cinnamon and molasses flax cookies paleo recipe dessert sugar free gluten free dessert-min

Recipe: Cinnamon and molasses flax cookies

April 5, 2014/2 Comments/in Baking, Cooking, Desserts, Food, Paleo, Recipe, Under 30 Minutes, Vegetarian/ Vegan /by Suz

Cinnamon and molasses flax cookies – the name says it all doesn’t it? These paleo treats are warming and lightly spiced, with a melt in the mouth texture. The molasses and flax work together in this recipe to bind the cookie dough, so no eggs are needed. Best of all, they are ready in less than 15 minutes!

Makes 6 cookies

Cinnamon and molasses flax cookies Ingredients:

1 cup ground almonds
2 tbsp ground flaxseed
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp baking powder
Pinch sea salt
¼ tsp ginger (optional)
1 large tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp blackstrap molasses
1 tbsp coconut sugar + 1 tsp cinnamon, to coat

Cinnamon and molasses flax cookies How To:

1) Preheat your oven to 160C / 325F / Gas mark 3. Line a baking tray with some parchment paper and set aside.

2) In a mixing bowl, combine the ground almonds, flaxseed, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and ginger (if using). Then add the coconut oil and molasses, and mix well. This is best done using a stand alone mixer, but if you don’t have one, your hands will be just as good. Just be sure that all ingredients are thoroughly combined. The dough will be relatively sticky, but still workable.

3) In a separate bowl, combine the coconut sugar and cinnamon. Using your hands, roll the cookie dough into golf ball sized shapes, then coat evenly with the cinnamon and coconut sugar mixture. Lay out on the baking tray, and flatten slightly.

4) Bake for 8 – 10 minutes, then remove from the oven. Leave to cool for 5 minutes before serving – these are best eaten straight away but keep for up to a week.

5 Ways to get more coconut oil in your diet paleo diet primal fat nutrition-min

5 Ways to get more coconut oil in your diet (I did number 4 today)

March 13, 2014/3 Comments/in Blog Posts, Cooking, Fat, Food, Health /by Suz

You know the health benefits of coconut oil by now. It’s loaded with MCT’s (Medium Chain Triglycerides) and is a wonderful source of healthy saturated fat. It’s antiseptic, antimicrobial and anti-fungal, is excellent at improving gut health and even boosts your metabolism. There’s also a lot of research indicating it’s great for dementia/ Alzheimer's patients.

If you’re not the greatest fan of eating it by the spoonful (personally, I love nothing better, but we’re all different!), then it can be tricky getting copious amounts of the stuff into your diet. I get a lot of emails from people really keen to consume it – but who hate the flavour. Whilst you can get refined coconut oil, with none of the taste, it is a refined product – far better to go for the purest oil you can find.

If you’re looking to up your intake of coconut oil in a delicious way, then check out some of the great ideas below.

Bulletproof coffee – I've covered Bulletproof Coffee before as it is a fabulous way to enjoy the saturated goodness of coconut oil in liquid form. To make a DIY Bulletproof coffee, put a generous spoonful of coconut oil into a black coffee, and enjoy the creamier, mellower beverage it creates. Bulletproof coffee is also a proven energy boost and is a great start to the day if you are practising intermittent fasting.
Coconut oil chocolate – who doesn't love chocolate!? Home made chocolate bites are a fantastic way to get a little more coconut oil in your life. Simply melt down 1 tbsp coconut oil, and mix in 1 tsp cacao powder and half a teaspoon of raw honey. Leave this to set in the freezer for 20 minutes, and you’ll have a delicious block of coconut oil chocolate to enjoy! It’s extra tasty with a couple of chopped macadamias or goji berries thrown into the mix too.
Smoothies – if you’re making smoothies, why not add an extra dose of healthy fats by adding a tablespoon of coconut oil to the blender? You won’t notice the taste, but it will add a subtle creaminess to the mix.
Roasted Veggies – As one of the healthiest oils to roast with, coconut oil is a fantastic choice for tossing your favourite veggies in before roasting. It’s flavourless when used in this way, so works brilliantly if you’re adding herbs and spices to the mix. My favourite mix is sweet potato and delicata squash, tossed in a generous amount of melted coconut oil then sprinkled with cinnamon, rosemary, thyme and black pepper. Delicious!
Paleo baked goods – I'm not the biggest fan of Paleo baking, but when the occasion arrives, you could do a far lot worse than using generous amounts of coconut oil to make super moist muffins or melt in the mouth cookies.

These are just a few tasty ways to ramp up your coconut oil intake. Have I missed any?

Recipe: Double Almond and Black Cherry Slices

June 14, 2013/2 Comments/in Baking, Cooking, Desserts, Food, Recipe /by Suz

This recipe really is one of those ‘I can’t believe its Paleo’ moments. Perfect for a special occasion, or occasional treat! The abundance of almonds creates a delightfully buttery flavour, and is just heavenly when combined with the black cherry. Go on, see how many of your non-paleo friends you can convert with these slices!

Double Almond and Black Cherry Slices Ingredients:

1 ½ cups ground almonds
1 tbsp coconut flour
½ cup flaxseed
½ cup almond butter
1 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp raw honey
2 tbsp high grade maple syrup
1 tbsp coconut oil
200g sugar free black cherry jam (I like the St Dalfour brand, but if you can’t find any it’s easy to make your own!)
Coconut flour to dust with (optional)

Double Almond and Black Cherry Slices How To:

Preheat the oven to 350F / 180C / Gas Mark 5. Line an 8 inch square pan with some baking parchment.

In a large bowl, combine the ground almonds, coconut flour, flaxseed and baking soda. In a separate bowl, whisk together the honey, maple syrup and coconut oil. Blend in the almond butter a little at a time to make a thick, buttery paste.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and rub together with your hands to form a dough. Set aside around a ¼ of the mixture.

Press the remaining dough into the baking tin. Smooth it out with a spatula, then poke a few times with a fork all over. Bake in the preheated oven for 8 minutes.

Remove the tin from the oven. Spread the jam over the base, smooth out, then crumble the remaining dough all over the top. Finish with a few flaked almonds if you wish.

Return to oven and bake for another 10 – 12 minutes. When the top is lovely and golden, the slices will be ready.

Set aside to cool for around half an hour before you cut into squares! You can dust with coconut flour to serve.

Paleo Lemon Cookie Cupcakes recipe dessert sweet treats cakes-min

Recipe: Paleo Lemon Cookie Cupcakes

May 25, 2013/9 Comments/in Baking, Cooking, Desserts, Food, Recipe /by Suz

As the name implies, these Lemon Cookie Cupcakes are somewhere in the Venn diagram of a Cookie and a Cupcake. Not that that makes them any less delicious! These guilt free treats (well, provided they are occasional treat, that is!) are delightfully light and lemony, and the coconut ‘icing’ makes them feel just a little indulgent. Enjoy!

Serves 12

Lemon Cookie Cupcake Ingredients:

1 ½ cups ground almonds
2 tbsps coconut flour
Zest of 2 large lemons
¼ tsp baking soda
2 tbsps coconut oil
3 tbsps maple syrup
½ vanilla pod

For the icing:

1 can of chilled coconut milk
Zest of 1 large lemon
½ vanilla pod

Lemon Cookie Cupcake How To:

For the Cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 180C / 350 F / Gas Mark 4

To make the cupcakes, combine the ground almonds, coconut flour, lemon zest and baking soda in a large bowl. Whisk together the coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla to form a thick oil, and then gradually stir in to the dry ingredients.

Tightly press the cookie dough into 12 muffin cups, about an inch and a half high as the mixture will rise.

Bake in the oven for 10 – 12 minutes until golden brown.

For the cream icing:

Remove the can of coconut milk from the fridge. Drain off any excess liquid by pressing the lid firmly down into the can and tipping upside down (over the sink that is!)

Pour the remaining ‘more solid’ coconut cream into a large bowl, and add the lemon zest and vanilla. Whisk for 3 – 4 minutes, until soft and fluffy.

When the cupcakes are fully cooled, spoon 1 tbsp of the icing on to each cupcake. Leave in the fridge to set for about an hour. Sprinkle with toasted coconut, or grated lemon rind if you like, before serving.

The hardest part of this recipe for me was waiting for the cupcakes to cool! They just smelt so good, I may have eaten one straight from the oven. And yes, I did burn my mouth. Good things come to those who wait, don’t forget that folks!

Recipe: Paleo Gingerbread Men

April 9, 2013/7 Comments/in Baking, Cooking, Desserts, Food, Recipe /by Suz

Whilst I generally avoid anything sweet, sometimes it's good to have a recipe for a more natural version of a sweet treat up your sleeve – and it doesn't get much better than ginger biscuits.

Adapted from a gluten free recipe I found online, I've replaced rice flour with a mixture of arrowroot and ground almonds to make these wonderfully moreish cookies. I've also cut out the sugar and replaced with unrefined molasses. The butter is optional – if you don’t do dairy, you can replace it with coconut oil.

Ingredients:

50g butter
55g arrowroot
55g ground almonds
2 tbsp molasses
1 tbsp raw honey
½ teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon mixed spice
1 teaspoon ginger

How To Make Ginger Biscuits:

1) Preheat an oven to 180C / 350F / gas mark 4

2) In a saucepan, melt the butter with the molasses and honey.

3) Mix the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add the mix from the saucepan a little bit at a time, stirring well.

4) Roll the mixture into biscuits, or use a gingerbread man cookie cutter (or whatever shape you prefer). Cover a baking tray with parchment, and lay the biscuits out side by side.

5) Bake for 10 – 12 minutes, or until golden brown

6) You can use nuts or seeds to decorate your gingerbread men.

Do you often do “Paleo Baking”, or is it something you avoid all together? And if you do bake, what do you make?

Posts