Chelsea HarrisonFebruary 13, 2014Comment

Fudgy Flourless Chocolate Walnut Cookies and Healthy(er) Powdered Sugar

Chelsea HarrisonFebruary 13, 2014Comment

Let me start this by saying, this recipe is not health food. It is most definitely an indulgent treat. That said, it is gluten-free, dairy-free, and full of healthy fats. I got the idea for this recipe from my aunt. Every Sunday my family meets for lunch at my grandmother's house. Lately my aunt has been bringing these chewy walnut chocolate cookies. I normally can easily say no to cookies. They just don't appeal to me enough to be worth consuming the not-so-clean ingredients they typically contain. But these cookies are different. They are just so rich and fudgy I couldn't resist. So I decided I had to create my own version with ingredients I trust.

The controversial ingredient that I had to change to make this recipe work was confectioner's sugar. I love baking and confectioner's sugar has been my enemy. It is essential for making candies and icing, but I have been avoiding it for ages. Well, these cookies won't work without it so I had to get creative. And I'm so glad I did because I found that replacing confectioner's sugar is incredibly easy. Necessity truly is the mother of invention.

To make the powdered sugar:

Put coconut sugar in a high speed blender or coffee grinder and blend until powdery, about 30 seconds.

Seriously, thats it. Why did it take me so long to figure that one out? So now that you know how to make powdered sugar without refined white sugar, you can make these delicious cookies. This recipe is also great for replacing confectioner's sugar in my maple marshmallow recipe.

Another change I made to these cookies is to add cacao nibs. Cacao nibs are small pieces of husked cacao beans. If you can find them, opt for raw cacao nibs. They have that delicious chocolate flavor with minimal processing and no added milk and sugar. They add amazing crunch to smoothies or oatmeal. Cacao nibs are an excellent source of magnesium which is crucial for muscle function. They are also full of antioxidants which are necessary for disease prevention. But my favorite health benefit of cacao is its mood-boosting effect. Cacao stimulates the release of certain neurotransmitters which improve your mood. Right on!

Fudgy Flourless Chocolate Walnut Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup walnuts, chopped

2/3 cup powdered coconut sugar

3 heaping tbsp cacao or cocoa powder

pinch of salt

1 egg white

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp cacao nibs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toast chopped walnuts on parchment paper lined baking sheet for 8-10 minutes or until they smell fragrant. While the nuts toast, mix together powdered coconut sugar, cacao powder, and salt. Add the nuts and stir. Now add egg white and vanilla and stir until batter is evenly mixed. This can be also be done in a standing mixer on low or medium low, but a hand mixer is too fast. Finally fold in the cacao nibs. Spoon out heaping tablespoons of batter onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 14 minutes. Makes about 8 cookies.

Chelsea Harrison

Chelsea HarrisonDecember 24, 20137 Comments

Turmeric Hot Cocoa & Maple Marshmallows

This season I have seen tons of delightful posts of homemade marshmallows that look beautiful, pillowy, and delicious. I wanted to make some to add to my cocoa but found that they are essentially refined sugar and corn syrup. Not wanting to be left out of the fun, I decided to see if there was a way to make them with a healthier sweetener. I thought honey would be too intense and so I decided to experiment with maple. The results were a huge success: Fluffy caramel colored marshmallows that melt beautifully into cocoa.

Chelsea HarrisonDecember 24, 20137 Comments

Turmeric Hot Cocoa & Maple Marshmallows

Chelsea HarrisonOctober 12, 201312 Comments

Slow Cooker Pumpkin Porridge

Autumn is undeniably here with its chilly mornings. And while I'm not quite ready to say goodbye to smoothies, I have been waking up craving warm cooked breakfasts. One of my favorite breakfast recipes comes from the incredibly talented Sarah Britton of My New Roots. She is an absolute genius in the kitchen and I've never tried a recipe of hers that I didn't like. Her pumpkin pie amaranth porridge is incredible and just what I've been in the mood for lately.

Unfortunately, when I am in a hurry in the morning it can be hard to find time to cook a hot breakfast. So I decided to make my version of Sarah's pumpkin porridge in a slow cooker. You don't have to stir constantly or wake up early. Just throw the ingredients in, turn the slow cooker on, and wake up to a hot healthy breakfast.

Chelsea HarrisonOctober 12, 201312 Comments

Slow Cooker Pumpkin Porridge

Chelsea HarrisonJuly 03, 20131 Comment

Baked Vegetable Pockets + Orange Peanut Dipping Sauce

Most days I wake up craving fresh fruits and vegetables, raw foods, and earthy flavors. They energize me and leave me feeling pure and on top of the world. But other days…I really miss junk food. That is to say I miss the warm salty flavors and reassuring feelings I get from eating familiar foods. What I don't miss is the inevitable can't-move, bloated, sick feeling that comes along with junk food, not to mention the unseen havoc it causes my digestive and immune systems.

It was on one of these junkfood-minded days that I came up with this recipe. My perspective is that eating should be fun and intuitive and not about deprivation so when I feel like I need comfort foods, I embrace it. I wanted to make something comforting to satisfy my craving without the heavy feeling and negative repercussions. With this criteria in mind I came up with Vegetable Pockets stuffed with eggplant, mushrooms, cashews and more. It's not quite Indian, not quite Chinese, although it hints at both dumplings and samosas. Usually stuffed foods are wrapped in white flour based pastries or noodles which offer little to no nutritional benefits. White flour also spikes your blood sugar (hello, disease fuel) and is one of the most common triggers for people with food sensitivities. Instead I used rice paper because they are light and gluten free. Rice paper wraps hold everything together without adding much to taste, allowing the vegetable flavors to shine through.

Chelsea HarrisonJuly 03, 20131 Comment

Baked Vegetable Pockets + Orange Peanut Dipping Sauce

Chelsea HarrisonJuly 02, 20145 Comments

Chocolate Cake for a Naked Fig Birthday!

I almost can't believe it has been one year since I first shared a recipe as The Naked Fig, and yet I can barely remember what life was like before I started this site. I am so grateful to everyone that has supported me over the year. I really would never have done it without your encouragement. Thank you for helping me discover something that brings me so much joy. And of course I couldn't let a birthday pass without cake.

Chelsea HarrisonJuly 02, 20145 Comments

Chocolate Cake for a Naked Fig Birthday!

Chelsea HarrisonOctober 07, 20148 Comments

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Black Bean Cookies

The first time I saw a recipe for black bean cookies I thought surely there must be a mistake. Black beans couldn't possibly taste good as cookies, right? Wrong. Chocolate black bean cookie dough tastes exactly like brownie batter. EXACTLY. And they are packed with protein and fiber too! Win, win. So after months of eating chocolate black bean cookies, I got adventurous and came up with these Pumpkin Spice ones in time for fall. They are flourless, gluten-free, vegan, and nut-free. And somehow they still taste amazing.

Chelsea HarrisonOctober 07, 20148 Comments

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Black Bean Cookies