Making a homemade, grain-free, low sugar treat at home is a great way to round off your Halloween festivities. Here are some amazing Halloween-like recipes for you to try!
Treat #1: No Bake Chocolate Macaroons
What you'll need:
1 cup organic coconut flakes
½ cup organic shredded coconut
¼ cup raw cacao powder
¼ cup organic maple syrup
2 tbs. melted coconut oil
¼ cup hydrolyzed gelatin** *Instead of gelatin, you can substitute ¼ cup of your favorite protein powder*
What you'll do:
In a large glass or stainless steel mixing bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients. Easy.
Melt the 2 tbs. of coconut oil and mix in the maple syrup for about 3.7 seconds.
Combine the oil and maple syrup liquid with the dry ingredients and fold together with a spatula. Very easy.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for about 20 minutes so that it cools down and hardens a bit.
Form macaroon balls about 1 inch in diameter and place on a cookie sheet or in a glass container.
Place back in the fridge for another 30 minutes, or as long as you can possibly wait, whichever one happens first.
Eat and enjoy. The easiest step.
Treat #2: Kid Friendly Pumpkin Cider Latte
What you'll need:
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup pure apple juice (use apple cider if you can’t find unpasteurized apple juice)
1 cup light canned or the boxed drinking kind of coconut milk
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
What you'll do:
In a medium saucepan, whisk together the pumpkin, juice and milk over medium heat
Simmer until it just begins to boil while constantly stirring, about 10 minutes
Whisk in cinnamon and nutmeg until combined and remove from heat
If you have cinnamon sticks, add the stick early on instead of the ground cinnamon and let simmer for 20 minutes – we’re just not that patient!
If you have a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth, strain
Treat #3: Pumpkin Delights Cookies
What you'll need:
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup blanched almond flour or raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup softened coconut oil
1/4 cup honey
2 eggs
1/2 cup pumpkin or apple butter
What you'll do:
In a high speed blender or coffee grinder, grind pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds on high until they are a fine powder. We measure the seeds, not the resulting flour!
In a large mixing bowl sift together the almond flour, if using, coconut flour, tapioca flour, the ground seeds, spices, baking soda and salt. Stir until thoroughly combined.
In a separate bowl, beat together the pumpkin puree, honey, oil and the eggs until incorporated.
Pour in the dry ingredients slowly while mixing. Continue to mix until a thick dough forms.
Divide the dough in half and flatten. Chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, for at least twenty minutes.
Remove one dough disk and roll out on a tapioca floured surface. Cookies should be about 1/4" thick.
Using pumpkin shaped cookie cutters, cut out cookies and remove to a lined or greased cookie sheet. If the dough becomes warm, it will be difficult to work with and become sticky. If this happens, return it to the fridge to cool.
Spoon on about 1/2 TBSP of pumpkin or apple butter on top of the cookies. Spread out, leaving 1/8" edge all the way around.
Remove the second disk and roll it out as well to the same thickness. Cut out more pumpkins.
With a knife, cut out fun faces on this second pumpkin, then place on top of the first cookies.
Lightly press the edges together to seal the cookies.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes until cookies just begin to brown. Cook time will vary depending on the thickness and size of your cookies.
Store at room temperature only for a day or two, otherwise keep chilled and bring to room temp before serving.
Treat #4: Chocolate Pumpkin Fudge Balls
What you'll need:
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
6 tbsp coconut butter, melted completely
2 tbsp pure maple syrup or raw agave
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/8 tsp cinnamon
tiny pinch salt
Only if not coating in chocolate, add stevia to taste OR 1 additional tbsp both pure maple syrup and coconut butter
Optional chocolate coating (listed in instructions below)
What you'll do:
Make sure no ingredients are cold. In a cereal bowl, stir together first 6 ingredients (and 7th ingredient, if using) until completely smooth.
Refrigerate half an hour or until firm enough to roll into balls with your hands or a mini cookie scoop.
If you wish to coat them in chocolate, either dip in melted chocolate OR mix together equal parts virgin coconut oil, cocoa powder, and pure maple syrup until a thin sauce forms.
Dip fudge balls in, then immediately set back in the freezer to harden. Leftover balls should be stored in the fridge or freezer for up to three days.
Treat #5: Healthy Snickers Bars
What you'll need:
For the nougat:
1/2 cup creamy almond butter
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp coconut flour
For the caramel filling:
12 soft dates , pitted (about 3/4 cup packed)
1/3 cup water
scant 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp coconut oil , melted
1/4 cup chopped peanuts , or other nuts/seeds of choice
For the dark chocolate coating:
1 cup dark chocolate chunks
1 tsp coconut oil
What you'll do:
To create the nougat layer, combine the almond butter, coconut flour and maple syrup in a medium bowl and mix well to combine. Press the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and use your hands to create a uniform rectangle shape that is about 1/2-inch thick. Place in the freezer to set.
To prepare the caramel filling, combine the pitted dates, salt, vanilla, and coconut oil, and and water in a high-speed blender, and blend until completely smooth and creamy. You may need to stop and scrape down the blender a couple of times to make sure the caramel is blended uniformly. Be sure to taste the caramel and adjust the flavor or texture, as necessary.
Remove the nougat layer from the freezer and spread half of the caramel filling evenly over the top, using a spatula to smooth.
Sprinkle the 1/4 cup of chopped peanuts, or other nuts, over the top of the caramel layer, and use your hands to gently press the chopped nuts into the caramel filling. Place in the freezer to set for at least 30 minutes.
For the chocolate coating, combine the dark chocolate chunks and coconut oil in a heat-safe bowl and melt in the oven, or microwave, until completely smooth and melted.
Remove the candy bars from the freezer, and slice into 6 full-size bars. Slice these full-size bars in half, to create a "fun size" version, if you prefer.
Use a spoon to spread the melted dark chocolate over the tops and sides of each bar, then pick them up to coat the bottom, as well. Return the chocolate-coated bars to the parchment-lined baking sheet, and allow to set in the freezer for at least 15 minutes before serving. The longer the bars set in the freezer, the firmer they get!
Due to the nature of this recipe, these bars will melt quickly if left at room temperature. Serve directly from the freezer for best results!