Category: Desserts

Gluten-Free Linzer Cookies

These melt-in-your-mouth Linzer cookies are healthier than traditional Linzer cookies and every bit as delicious!

Gluten-Free Linzer Cookies - These Gluten-Free Linzer Cookies are a tad healthier than traditional Linzer cookies and just as yummy. With chia, flax and NO refined sugar.

A LINZER COOKIE FOR SPRINGTIME

Linzer cookies originated in Austria, having evolved from the classic Linzer torte, a heavily spiced jam and nut filled tart that has the distinction of being known as the world’s oldest cake, dating back to the late 17th century. Traditionally Linzer cookies were associated with Christmas but have become so popular over the years that they’re now made and served all year long. My unique take on this beloved sandwich cookie produces cookies that will literally melt in your mouth. Gluten-Free Linzer Cookies have the same soft, buttery flavor as their classic counterparts but are absent the nuts, yuletide spices, and refined sweeteners, making them lighter, healthier, and more befitting of springtime. (more…)

3 Ingredient Healthy Samoas

A healthy remake of the beloved Girl Scout Cookie. Simple to make with only 3 ingredients and no baking required.

3 Ingredient Healthy Samoas

THE IMPORTANCE OF NUTRITIOUS TREATS

If you’re trying to eat a little healthier these days, here’s a tip that might seem counterintuitive. Don’t banish treats from you diet. Why?  Because giving up things we enjoy eating entirely can lead to feelings of deprivation and eventually weaken our willpower. You’re much better off replacing these indulgences with healthier alternatives rather than giving them up altogether. To do that however, you need an arsenal of nutritious treats at your disposal – treats like these 3 Ingredient Healthy Samoas. These delicious little cookies are a remake of the famous Samoas Girl Scout Cookies (alternatively known as Caramel deLites). They’re made with just 3 simple ingredients, require no baking, and are guaranteed to satisfy your sugar cravings. (more…)

Cassava Greek Yogurt Brownies

Gluten-free, grain-free, brownies with a cake-like texture and rich chocolate flavor.

Cassava Greek Yogurt Brownies - Gluten-free brownies with a cake-like texture and rich chocolate flavor. Made with grain-free cassava flour. | QueenofMyKitchen.com | #brownies #glutenfree #grainfree #healthybaking #cassavaflour

UNUSUAL BROWNIE INGREDIENTS
Cassava Greek Yogurt Brownies are delicious gluten-free brownies with a cake-like texture and rich chocolate flavor. They’re made with two ingredients not commonly found in brownies: grain-free cassava flour and Greek yogurt. At first glance these seem like odd ingredients with which to make brownies, but each serves an important purpose. The cassava flour replaces all-purpose wheat flour in this recipe and is the perfect baking substitute for those who adhere to gluten-free diets or who must avoid grains. The Greek yogurt, in turn, adds moisture – without it the brownies would be too dry because even though cassava flour can usually be substituted 1:1 for all-purpose flour, it’s more absorbent than all-purpose flour, so when baking with it, other ingredient adjustments – in this case, adding a dairy product – are often needed. So, what is cassava flour? Read on. (more…)

Chickpea Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Traditional oatmeal raisin cookies are transformed with a humble can of chickpeas. The results will surprise you!

Chickpea Oatmeal Raisin Cookies - Traditional oatmeal raisin cookies are transformed with a humble can of chickpeas. The results will surprise you! | QueenofMyKitchen.com | #easy #healthy #gluten-free #healthycookies #healthyoatmealcookies #healthy #oatmealraisin #cookies #healthybaking

HEALTHY HOLIDAY TREAT
In the world of cookies, the chocolate chip reigns supreme, but not far behind is the oatmeal raisin with its more crumbly, earthy texture and warm, comforting spices. Here’s a healthier version of these classic cookies made with a can of chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans). If you have a health-conscious cookie lover in your life, these would be a perfect holiday treat for them. (more…)

Strawberry Sugar Cookies

Taste the essence of strawberries in these beautiful gluten-free sugar cookies!

Strawberry Sugar Cookies on a plate with milk and a bowl of fresh strawberries

STRAWBERRY SEASON

It’s strawberry season here in Massachusetts, and although these soft and tender Strawberry Sugar Cookies weren’t made with fresh picked strawberries, they are bursting with strawberry flavor. The secret ingredient is freeze-dried strawberries that have been ground into a powder and then incorporated into the cookie dough, giving it not only terrific flavor, but a beautiful pink color. The decorative almonds and cranberries are optional toppings so leave them off if you wish. But, if you have the time, they add a unique touch and make the cookies look extra pretty. (more…)

Mason Jar Brownie Ice Cream

The world’s easiest homemade ice cream.  No churning or fancy equipment required!

Mason Jar Brownie Ice Cream - The world's easiest homemade ice cream. Just 5 simple ingredients and no churning or fancy equipment required! | QueenofMyKitchen.com | #icecream #masonjaricecream #dessert

HOMEMADE ICE CREAM MADE IN A MASON JAR? REALLY?

Making ice cream from scratch can be a bit of a project and typically requires some type of an ice cream maker. So when I read about making ice cream in a mason jar, although I was intrigued, I figured it was probably a gimmicky method that wouldn’t produce good tasting ice cream. I was even more skeptical because the article about this unique ice cream making technique was, quite apparently, using a stock photo instead of a picture of ice cream that was actually made using the recipe (“Getty Images” appears at the bottom of the photo).  However, this Mason Jar Brownie Ice Cream is proof that my skepticism was unwarranted! (more…)

Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookies

Gluten-free, grain-free, chocolate chip cookies made with nutrient dense chickpeas.  

Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookies - Gluten-free, grain-free chocolate chip cookies made with nutrient dense chickpeas. | QueenofMyKitchen.com | #chickpeachocolatecookie #chickpeachocolatecookies #healthychocolatechipcookies

HEALTHY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Looks can be deceiving!  Although these Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookies look like your average, run-of-the-mill, chocolate chip cookies, they’re anything but.  They are, quite possibly, the healthiest chocolate chip cookies on the planet – made from whole beans, nuts, seeds, and dark chocolate, and sweetened primarily with maple syrup, a natural, unrefined sugar.  The magic ingredient is these cookies is chickpeas, which stands in for the flour that you’d normally find in most cookie recipes, and that miraculously turns into dough that looks, and bakes ups, exactly like cookie dough.  And because there’s no wheat flour in this recipe, these scrumptious cookies are gluten-free and grain-free too.  They have a clean taste and tender texture and are delicious dipped in milk or served alongside a scoop of vanilla ice cream. (more…)

Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cake

An easy-to-make gluten-free, grain-free cake made with canned chickpeas. The perfect clean eating dessert!  JUMP TO RECIPE

Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cake - An easy-to make gluten-free, grain-free cake made with canned chickpeas. The perfect clean eating dessert! | QueenofMyKitchen.com | #chickpeas #garbanzobeans #glutenfree #glutenfreedessert #chocolatechip #healthydessert #grainfree

STOCKING UP ON CANNED FOODS

Stocking up on essential food items has been a popular topic lately as we all deal with the COVID-19 outbreak. We’re supposed to minimize our trips to the grocery store but still keep our families well-fed. What makes this difficult is that we need more food now than before, as we’re all eating at home – no more work/school lunches or dinners out. Sweet treats are important too because let’s face it, we need comfort during this difficult time. One thing that can help you balance these demands is to stock up on canned foods. This might not sound very logical or appealing but it’s actually an excellent strategy as long as you make healthy canned food choices. (Yes, indeed this Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cake is made with a canned food item!) Check out this article – Canned Foods Nutritionists Swear By. (more…)

Sweet and Salty Chickpea Brownies

 Health-minded chocoholics will go crazy for these guilt-free brownies made with super clean ingredients!  JUMP TO RECIPE

Health-minded chocoholics will go crazy for these guilt-free brownies made with super clean ingredients! | QueenofMyKitchen.com | #brownies #chickpeas #chickpeabrownies #healthybrownies #healthydesserts

I confess to being a little bit obsessed with brownies – more specifically, healthy brownies. Ever since I discovered that delicious, decadent, authentic tasting brownies can be made with nutritious foods like black beans, avocados, sweet potatoes, tahini, lentils, and bananas, I’ve been on a mission to develop as many of these guilt-free recipes as I can. Sweet and Salty Chickpea Brownies are my most recent creation and they are soooo good! (You can find links to all my other healthy brownie recipes at the end of this post.) (more…)

Coconut Oil Gingerbread Men

These modern-day gingerbread men are made with coconut oil and have a soft, chewy texture with classic gingerbread flavor.  JUMP TO RECIPE

Coconut Oil Gingerbread Men - These modern-day gingerbread men are made with coconut oil and have a soft, chewy texture with classic gingerbread flavor. | QueenofMyKitchen.com | #gingerbread #christmas #christmascookies #gingerbreadmen #coconutoil

Nothing gets me into the holiday spirit more than making gingerbread cookies. This year I updated my old recipe, one I’ve been using for many years, and came up with Coconut Oil Gingerbread Men. These cookies have a soft texture and classic gingerbread flavor and are so much fun to decorate. My old gingerbread men recipe calls for vegetable shortening, and in the past I used Crisco to make these cookies, but I no longer use partially hydrogenated fats (also known as trans fats) because they’ve been linked to inflammation and heart disease. A great replacement for products like Crisco is coconut oil and it can be used 1:1 so it’s an easy substitute. (more…)

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