Let it be known that making these cheesecakes are one of my favorite things to do in the Give It A Whirl Girl kitchen. These desserts are rich, flavorful, and actually quite nutritious. They are a much better alternative to regular cheesecake. The basic ingredients in these are fruit (medjool dates) and a variety of different nuts (mostly cashews). I am not going to lie, sometimes I even sneak in a slice for a filling breakfast. This matcha chocolate cheesecake dessert is unique in its flavor. If you are a fan of matcha (green tea) this recipe for a matcha chocolate cheesecake might just be perfect for you. I love everything about this particular one: the crust, the filling, and the chocolate ganache on top. It all marries together harmoniously to make one hell of an awesome cheesecake.
Matcha & Chocolate Cheesecake
This almost-paleo matcha chocolate cheesecake requires several different components to make it all come together. I broke it down into sections for you. I suggest gathering up all of your ingredients first so you can breeze through this recipe with ease.
Sorry readers… no recipe here. I really should have taken measurements and gotten out my pen and paper. I still, however, would like to share the details on how I created this scrumptious and healthy-ish bowl of paleo and vegan double chocolate nice-cream! As you can see in the photo below there are three spoons in that little Fiesta bowl fighting for a bite of this frozen treat! I was a little short on ingredients so I worked with what I had and ended up with one lone bowl. Oh well, better than nothing right? If you love chocolate then you are in for a real treat. Continue reading to find out how you can make your own healthy ice-cream at home with a few simple (and affordable) ingredients!
Fighting for the Chocolate On Chocolate Paleo & Vegan Nice-Cream
If you are an addict to chocolate it is time to listen up here! There is this thing, a superfood, called cacao. Not cocoa, but cacao, and there is a difference in the way that the two are processed. Raw cacao is achieved by a cold-press method with the beans. Cacao is chocolate in its purest and most natural state. Cacao is filled with enzymes that are beneficial to your body and those enzymes are lost in cocoa.
Last night I made a wonderful healthy dinner. We had chicken marinated in Primal KitchenHoney Mustard and some roasted broccoli. I really wanted a dessert though and then I remembered that I had a bag of Pamela’s Oatmeal Cookie & Bar Mix stored away in the pantry. I am a big fan of Pamela’s line of gluten-free products and I have tried several and have been quite satisfied. It was a first for me, though, making her oatmeal cookies. I doctored up the cookie mix to take it from ordinary to extraordinary. No shame in using a mix to create your baked goodies! This mix was outstanding and the cookies are disappearing quick! Read my Pamela’s Oatmeal Cookie review to find out more about this gluten-free baking mix.
My Pamela’s Oatmeal Cookie Mix review
Ingredients used for my gluten-free oatmeal cookiesSimple Truth Black Chia SeedsMcCormick Organic Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Chia
I gathered up my ingredients for the cookies I was making with Pamela’s Oatmeal Cookie & Bar Mix . The recipe called for butter but instead of butter, I ended up using Barlean’s Butter Flavored Coconut Oil. This coconut oil is a healthy alternative for butter and can be used in place of butter in most, if not all, recipes.
I knew raisins belonged in my oatmeal cookies and I had some Simple Truth raisins in the pantry, a nice fresh bag!
Gotta have my Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Chips!!
To make my husband happy (because he is obsessed with chocolate chip cookies) I added in some Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Chips. I just can not say enough nice things about those chocolate chips from Enjoy Life. They are vegan and free from all common food allergens. They taste fantastic. I have a confession to make too. Sometimes I eat those chocolate chips straight out of the bag as a little snack. They are so freaking yummy.
Chia seeds & spicing things up!
I started up the KitchenAid Stand Mixer (my BFF in the kitchen right now!) and got all of my ingredients mixed up and then I continued to add a few more things. I added some Simple Truth black chia seeds (about a tablespoon) and then I gave it a heavy shake of my McCormick Organic Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Chia spice blend. I love that spice so much and it comes in handy for some of my baked breakfast creations.
What I recommend for bakeware
For my baking, I really love the Circulon Bakeware. I have the bakeware set in chocolate. I sprayed my sheet pan with some coconut oil and the surface is nonstick. I have never had a problem removing anything off of this bakeware. You can find the cookie sheet on Amazon. This is the bakeware I have ever owned. I have had it since early this year and I am thoroughly impressed with it.
I did not take long for these cookies to bake. I believe it took 12 minutes. That 12 minute waiting period was agonizing for me. I could not wait to take a cookie off the tray and have a nice, warm one. Warm cookies are the best… a true comfort food for most I would say!
Pour yourself a glass of milk for your oatmeal cookie
I poured myself a glass of Unsweetened Califia Farms Almond Milk and I mixed in a scoop of Primal Kitchen Collagen Fuel. I dipped my cookie into the milk and a had a tremendous FOODGASM! I was really on the struggle bus trying not to consume every single cookie that was on the tray. They turned out just that good! I will admit it, I did end up eating three warm cookies. Not a healthy choice but I ended up going for a long walk with my dog to burn off some of the cookies.
Gluten-Free Oatmeal, Raisin, Chocolate Chip, and Chia Cookies With unsweetened almond milk w/ Collagen Fuel
Final thoughts on Pamela’s Oatmeal Cookie Mix
I usually avoided using mixes for the past year. I figured I was better off DIY’ing the whole recipe for it myself. But if you are doing any kind of gluten-free baking the cost of ingredients really inflates and seems astronomical. So to me, it just seems more cost effective to spring for a mix. Most of what you need is there in the mix and you can doctor them up yourself any way that you would like. We all enjoyed Pamela’s Oatmeal Cookie Mix and would definitely buy it again in the future!
How do you make your cookies special if you are using a mix? I’m really happy with the outcome of these. Leave me a comment and let me in on your cookie secrets! Hope you enjoyed this Pamela’s Oatmeal Cookie review and I hope it inspires you to give it a whirl!
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Hey guys and gals! Going to make this post short and sweet because I already blogged today but I have to tell you all about my brinner (breakfast for dinner) that I shared with my daughter, Chloe! May I present to you (drumroll please) Cotton Candy Cloud Gluten-Free and Egg-Free Protein Pancakes! These cotton candy pancakes had the most fascinating taste and texture. It was like eating carnival food but it is healthy-ish!
Gluten-Free, Egg-Free Cotton Candy Cloud Protein Pancakes
Ingredients used in the Cotton Candy Cloud Pancakes
Here are some of the ingredients I used. Missing in the photo is the Lorann Cotton Candy Flavor Oil and the candy sprinkles I used. I used up the rest of that oil and now I have bubblegum flavor on the way. Oh my goodness!
Some of the ingredients used for the Gluten-Free, Egg-Free Cotton Candy Cloud Pancakes
Also, for added protein for the milk, we went with Bolthouse Farms Unsweetened Protein Plant Milk. An 8 oz serving of that milk has 10g of protein… woohoo!
Gotta have my candy sprinkles!
I mixed some sprinkles into the batter because why not? They are not going to kill me. I think the pancakes themselves are healthy so a little added sugar won’t hurt.
Gluten-Free, Egg-Free Cotton Candy Cloud Pancakes
Cotton Candy Cloud Protein Pancakes – Gluten-Free, Egg-Free
What I loved most about this pancakes were their light and fluffy texture and that is why I am calling them cotton candy clouds. I loved the lightness of these pancakes and they tasted marvelous. I am really proud of the outcome of this recipe I came up with. My only regret is not making enough for both of us, and we had to share this plate. I’m greedy and I wanted my own plate!
What do you enjoy for brinner (breakfast for dinner)? Are you more into sweet or more into savory? My brinners are almost always sweet.
Want to learn more about the products used to create these cotton candy pancakes?
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I have a confession to make. I am addicted to my donut pan! I picked one up last weekend at Mile’s Cake and Candy Supplies in Clinton Township and I am so glad that I did. It is so much fun to work in the kitchen with my daughter making these healthy-ish gluten-free baked donuts. I went with a 6-cavity donut pan from Wilton. Wilton is a trusted source when it comes to baking supplies so I felt very confident purchasing this pan for the Give It A Whirl Girl kitchen. I did not use this pan for the recipe below but it would be best going with this pan. I used a flexible heart-shaped silicone mold with the donuts in the recipe and they were difficult to remove from the mold. So trust me here, go with a Wilton pan. You will thank me later. The cooking times are the same for either pan.
Wilton 6-cavity donut pan
We went a little overboard decorating these devil’s food donuts. We gave these donuts a generous sprinkling from 3 different jars of rainbow sprinkles. Why? Because variety is the spice of life. Gotta have my sprinkles right?!! We did not eat these sugar skulls, they were just for decoration.
Instead of using an actual egg we created our own “eggs” with ground flaxseed. For these you place 4 tablespoons of flax in a coffee grinder and grind them up. When these 4 tablespoons of ground flax are married to a half-cup of water this results in an egg-like mixture. Just whisk away and wallahh… flax eggs! They are vegan and paleo friendly. You can also do the same with chia seeds. So if you are ever out of eggs just bust out your flax or your chia and make your own eggs!
Devil’s Food Chocolate Vegan & Gluten Free DonutsSome of the ingredients I used and also a heart-shaped donut pan from FoodStirs
1/2 cup vegan dark chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life)
1 tablespoon coconut oil.
Your flax “egg” will have an egg-like consistency after soaking in water a few minutes.
Recipe:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
While oven is heating up prepare your flax “eggs”. Place 4 tablespoons of flaxseed into a coffee grinder and grind them up. Place grounded up flax into a bowl and add 1/2 cup water. Whisk it up. Allow it to sit for a few minutes and it will get an egg-like texture.
Work on dry ingredients first. Place coconut flour, cacao powder, baking soda, and salt into your stand mixer and mix until well combined.
Now for the wet ingredients… add your flax “egg” mixture, coconut oil (1/3 cup), and maple syrup. Mix until well incorporated.
Fill donut pan cavities up 2/3 of a way to the top of the mold. They will puff up while baking in the oven.
Bake for 16-18 minutes at 350 degrees.
Remove donuts from the oven and allow to cool.
Prepare your chocolate glaze by placing 1/2 cups of chocolate chip and 1 tablespoon of coconut into a bowl. Microwave in 15-second increments. Continue stirring the chocolate and oil until completely melted.
Dip your donut in the glaze. Allow it to see a few minutes for the glaze to set up.
Eat and enjoy!
Devil’s Food Chocolate Vegan & Gluten Free Donuts
Have you ever made your own homemade baked donuts? How do you enjoy yours? Do you think this is something you would like to try? Leave me a comment and let me know. I would love to hear from you!
If you are interested in creating your donuts you can pick them up at Amazon.
Wilton 6 Cavity Donut Pan
Wilton 6 Cavity Donut Pan 2 Pack
DISCLAIMER: THIS POST CONTAINS AMAZON AFFILIATE LINKS. I DO RECEIVE A SMALL COMMISSION IF ITEMS ARE PURCHASED THROUGH THESE LINKS. ALL OPINIONS STATED HERE ARE MY OWN.
 
