Cinnamon Cloud Bread - A Yummy Keto & Gluten Free Dessert or Snack

If you loved bread before you started keto or went gluten free, going without can be a hard adjustment to make. What do you eat with your tea? Dessert? As a snack? 

This delicious cinnamon cloud bread is the answer to your bready keto cravings. I like to eat them as-is with a cup of tea or bulletproof coffee. 

If you need a fat and protein boost, smear it with some almond butter and maybe even add a couple sliced strawberries. YUM! 

The inspiration for this recipe came from the "english muffins" recipe on page 158 of Vanessa Spina's book Keto Essentials: Your Complete Guide to the Ketogenic Diet (get it on Amazon or Barnes & Noble). 

Her book has all kinds of really creative keto recipes (all of which are also gluten free!). If you're looking for a great keto cookbook, I highly recommend it.

If you want a cloud bread that is more well suited for savory applications, leave out the xylitol, vanilla and cinnamon (but do whisk the egg yolks with the sour cream before adding them to the egg whites on step 5). I love topping mine with cream cheese, lox and capers for breakfast or an easy lunch.

Unlike other cloud bread recipes, this cloud bread is made with sour cream. I find sour cream is easier to mix smoothly (as opposed to cream cheese).

But you didn't come here to hear me ramble. You want to learn how to make this bread! Let's get down to it!

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Gluten Free Oatmeal Raisin Protein Cookies (and Giveaway!)

If you have ever wondered how to make protein cookies, you have come to the right place! When PlantFusion got in touch with me to ask about partnering with them to show off their awesome plant-based proteins I was excited to try them in some non-traditional ways - like in a baked good! I've seen a lot of people online asking if you can use protein powder in baking and I'm happy to say the answer after some extensive testing is YES (for PlantFusion anyway - no promises about anyone else's protein).

I spent several days baking batch after batch of protein oatmeal cookies and getting feedback from my kids and husband and I think what I've come up with here is pretty awesome! They have a great  oatmeal cookie flavor and boast a whopping 11 grams of protein! These would make a great afternoon snack when you need something with sticking power. If you don't normally eat breakfast, these would be a great alternative to help fuel you without having to eat a whole plate of food.

Thank you to PlantFusion for sponsoring this post! Be sure to read all the way through and enter the giveaway at the bottom for the sample kit of your choice!

How to Make Protein Cookies

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Strawberry Shortbread with Ice Cream

I was very strawberry adverse when I was a kid.  I think it was the little, crunchy seeds.  My mom used to tell me it was okay, because she didn't like strawberries as a kid either, and now they are her favorite fruit.  

Fast forward 15 years and my mom was right: I love them.  I am not sure they are my favorite fruit, but they are up there. Especially when you combine them with an almond shortbread and ice cream.  These are delicious!  They look super fancy when you serve them to guests and (huge bonus) they are gluten free!

Choose the juiciest, best strawberries (see the guide for choosing great strawberries), and get your summertime dessert on!  

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Peanut Butter Stuffed Chocolate Chip Pazookie

 

I don't remember when I first heard about the pazookie, but clearly it has stuck with me, because it is just about one of my favorite desserts now. It is a cookie the size of a pizza (almost), very soft in the middle, served with several scoops of ice cream on top (basically the most divine dessert out there).  The ice cream on top starts to melt, because the cookie is straight out of the oven, and as it melts, it runs into the cracks and holes left by your spoon, making it a gooey, chocolatey, ice creamy mess that will make your tongue sing!   

I debated on how to add the peanut butter when I came up with this recipe.  I don't love peanut butter cookies, because the peanut butter generally makes the cookie crumbly and kind of dry, so instead, I made a delicious chocolate chip cookie, and put a peanut butter chocolate filling in between two layers of the cookie dough.  That way the cookie dough is not compromised, but you still get the peanut butter goodness.  

It is just about the most decadent, delicious dessert that you could possibly want.  Also, it is great for an intimate gather of friends or family, because it only serves a few (in this case, six).  I am not going to pretend that this is a super healthy dessert, but it is one of the most delicious desserts that you could possibly have!  Make it and you definitely won't regret it.  

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{Recipe} Chocolate Peanut Butter Treat Bars

This post is brought to you by Nature's Path.

One of my favorite things about blogging is introducing you you companies I love. So when I found out that Nature's Path and their Envirokidz line were running an awesome contest that will take winners to Costa Rica (!!!) I was excited to tell you guys about it. Because: Costa Rica! Plus their breakfast foods are pretty awesome.

If you are aren't already familiar with the EnviroKidz line, you definitely want to pick up a box the next time you are at the grocery store. Their cereals are all Organic, GMO free and gluten free. And they taste good. The boxes have interesting information that teaches kids about animals and protecting the environment.

What was that about Costa Rica? EnviroKidz is sending three lucky families on an EnviroTrip to Costa Rica to help save the sea turtles at SEE Turtles, a non-profit wildlife conservation travel operator in the beautiful OSA peninsula. The whole things sounds amazing. Read on at the bottom below my recipe to find out more!

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The BEST Blueberry Muffins

This post is brought to you by Stonyfield.

For the last three months, I've been working with Stonyfield as a brand ambassador. This has given me a chance to try out even more of their products (I was already a huge fan!) as well as try and develop tasty recipes for you (like the "Sneaky Green Smoothie" I wrote about last month).

This month, I had a chance to experiment with some recipes in the Stonyfield Farm Yogurt Cookbook. I made the "Very Blueberry Muffins" by Bonnie Freeman (pg 55)- with some minor modifications and they turned out delightful! They are light and creamy. This is my new go-to muffin recipe for sure!

Ingredients 

• 2 cups + 1 Tbsp unbleached all purpose flour, divided*
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 cup Stonyfield Organic Vanilla Yogurt*
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 egg*
• 1/2 cup safflower oil
• 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp sugar, divided*
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup frozen blueberries*

*Purchase organic products for these ingredients to avoid GMOs and high risk pesticided foods.

Yield: 6 jumbo sized muffins or 12 standard sized muffins

Directions 

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly grease muffin tin with coconut oil or line with paper cups.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together 2 cups flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, combine yogurt and baking soda. Set aside.
4. In a third, large bowl beat an egg with a fork. Add the safflower oil, 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla. Mix well with a silicone spatula. Add the flour and yogurt mixtures alternately to the egg mixture and stir until just blended. Batter will be thick.
5. Pour blueberries into a strainer and rinse over the sink. Place in a small bowl (I re-used the yogurt bowl) and toss with 1 Tbsp flour. Add to the batter and fold in.
6. Fill muffin tins with batter. Lightly sprinkle tops of muffins with remaining 2 Tbsp sugar.
7. Bake for 25-30 minutes for standard size muffins / 30-35 minutes for jumbo muffins or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

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disclosure: As a Stonyfield blogger ambassador, I was compensated for writing this post as part of my contract with Stonyfield. The opinions and thoughts contained in this post are 100% mine. This recipe is modified from the Stonyfield Farm Yogurt Cookbook. I only ever work with companies I support and think you, my readers, will like. Please read my full review and endorsement policy here.

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No-Bake S'mores Drop Cookies Recipe

We participate in a small church full of wonderful, creative people. There seem to be three primary creative outlets people are involved in: Music, Painting and Food. Every other month or so, we have a food challenge and people can come show off their best recipes from the designated category.

Last month, we had a cookie challenge and these cookies won the "most unique" award - mostly because they couldn't believe that chow mein noodles were a primary ingredient. But they are SO good. A little sweet, a little salty, a little crunchy, a little chewy. These cookies have it all. PLUS they are no-bake so you can make them all year without worrying about heating up the kitchen - even during the summer.

Ingredients

• 1 bag semi sweet chocolate chips
• 1 small bag crunchy chow mein noodles
• 1 16 ounce jar of dry roasted peanuts
• 1 bag baby marshmallows

As always, be sure to look for products labeled GMO free when shopping for ingredients.

Directions

1. Pour the chocolate chips into a glass bowl. Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between until the chocolate is smooth and creamy. Be sure not to overheat chocolate or it will lock up and you will end up craft failing in a big way.
2. Add 1 cup of peanuts and 2 cups of chow mein noodles to the chocolate. Stir well to coat.
3. Add 2 cups of marshmallows and toss to coat. Be careful not to over-stir or the marshmallows will begin to melt.
4. Drop spoonfuls onto parchment paper and set aside until hardened

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{Recipe} How to Make the Most Delicious Granola Bars You've Ever Had

I kid you not when I tell you that these are quite possibly the most delicious granola bars ever. Plus they are pretty inexpensive to make and use ingredients you probably already have in your pantry.

Ingredients

• Coconut oil
• 1/2 cup salted butter, softened*
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened*
• 1 cup agave syrup*
• 4 1/2 cups rolled oats*
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour*
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups of mix ins. I usually use the following but just use whatever seeds, nuts and dry fruit you have on hand
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup dried zante currants
• 3 Tbsp flax seeds - lightly grind in a blender before using)*

*Buy these ingredients organic where available

Yield: 20 substantial bars (each of these bars is the equivalent of 2 store bought bars)

Directions

1. Grease a 9x13 baking pan with coconut oil and set aside. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, blend the softened butters and agave syrup. Add the oats, flour, baking soda and vanilla. Mix until the dry ingredients are uniformly coated with the butter/agave blend.
3. Stir in mix-ins until well distributed throughout the mixture.
4. Pour oat mix into the greased baking pan. Press down with back of spoon. Place a layer of wax paper on top of mix and continue pressing (hard!) until mix is well packed into the pan.
5. Bake at 325 for 20-25 minutes or until edges begin to brown.
6. Remove from oven and let stand 20 minutes before cutting into bars. For best results, let cut bars sit in pan overnight to continue setting up.
7. 
   

We usually keep the pan covered on the counter with a small spatula close by for helping ourselves throughout the day. You can also wrap the bars individually in wax paper. Refrigerate any bars you haven't eaten after 3 days.

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25 Delicious Gluten Free Desserts (that don't taste like cardboard!)

My friend Amy is getting married this weekend to a great guy. They are doing a dessert potluck for their reception, which I LOVE. The one hitch, though, is that Amy is sensitive to gluten and wheat so it is Gluten Free Dessert potluck. As someone who has no food allergies and bakes "fully leaded" (with gluten and real sugar and real butter...oh my!) it took some research to decide what to bring. Honestly. My first thought when I heard it was a gluten free dessert potluck was

Gluten free desserts? Um....apples? Strawberries?

Convinced that a bowl of apples is the lamest thing ever to bring to a potluck and certain that those sensitive to gluten eat more than apples and strawberries for dessert, I dug in and found a lot of very tasty recipes. I'm confident that you'll love all 25 of these recipes whether they are for you or a gluten sensitive loved one.

Strawberry Cheesecake Frozen Yogurt from user YogiClareBear on Food.com

Peachy “Ice Cream" in 5 Minutes from Nourishing Treasures

Creamy Coconut Pineapple Ice Cream in 5 Minutes from Nourishing Treasures

Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge from Creating Naturally

Homemade Peanut Butter Cups from Red and Honey

Almond Joy Bars from Whole New Mom

Chocolate Drizzled Popcorn from Simply Living Healthy

Popcorn with Maple Syrup from Nourishing Treasures

Popcorn Cake from Emeril Lagasse on Food Network

(be sure to get GF marshmallows)

Clementine Cheesecake with Candied Citrus from Raspberry Bean

Coconut Chai Cheesecakes from Bakesta's Paradise

Spiced Baked Pears from Raspberry Bean

Oat Stuffed Apples from Mom Endeavors

(make sure oats are certified gluten free)

"Apple Crisp so Healthy You Can Eat it for Breakfast" from Red and Honey

Stovetop Apple Crisp from Your Thriving Family

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies from Healthy Indulgences

Gluten Free No-Bake Cookies from Homemadeville

(make sure the oats are certified gluten free)

Also check out how to make these heart shaped

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies from The Niche

Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies from Gidget Goes Home

Everything But the Flour Cookies from An Organic Wife

Chocolate Coconut Macaroons from Your Thriving Family

Chocolate Cinnamon Donut Holes from Cleverly Inspired

Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting from Intoxicated on Life

Pumpkin Mousse Tart from Bakesta's Paradise

"Aphrodite's Kiss" Brownies with Royal Maca from Raspberry Bean

Enjoy!

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