Paleo Chocolate Covered Cherries

With the holidays just past, paleo desserts have been on my mind.  I miss chocolate covered cherries, but don't dare eat the commercial ones. Processed sugars make my joints hurt something awful!  I modified a traditional recipe but have not really figured out precise measurements yet for the paleo version - just did my typical "throw stuff together". 

Original version: 60 maraschino cherries, 3 Tbsp of butter, 3 Tbsp of light corn syrup, 2c of powdered sugar, and 1 lb dipping chocolate.

My version: a package of frozen dark sweet cherries (approx. 30 cherries), and what I'm guessing amounted to 1/4 c (unrefined) coconut oil, 1/4 c maple syrup, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/2 c arrowroot powder, 1/4 tsp xanthan gum, and a 10 oz package of Enjoy Life Chocolate Mega Chunks.  I'm pretty good at eyeballing measurements. :)

I melted the coconut oil with the maple syrup and vanilla extract, then added a little arrowroot powder not only to thicken, but to give that slightly powdery texture that powdered sugar would give.  It blended up nicely and I thought about putting it in the fridge to cool so it would be easier to apply to the cherries . . . but I am impatient.  So I added xanthan gum.  Now, I did not mean to use that much xanthan gum - the bag spilled.  It gelled the mixture a little more (okay, a lot more) than I wanted!  I will note that some of the coconut oil, I estimate about 1 Tbsp, refused to mix in no matter how much I stirred.  Actually it wasn't a bad thing that the mixture gelled that much - it was fairly easy to apply it to the cherries, which were still frozen. With the coldness of the cherries, the coconut oil hardened back up quickly and the mixture stayed on the cherries nicely.  Then I melted the chocolate and dipped the coated cherries, and placed them in mini-muffin paper cups.  The chocolate began to cool and the frozen cherries began to melt, so while the first half of the finished batch looked great, the second half was not particularly appetizing-looking!

If I had been thinking, I would have used either a double boiler or a heating pad to keep the chocolate all melty, and kept the coated cherries in the freezer or at least on cold packs to keep them frozen for easy dipping. But at least they tasted great!  They were even better the second day.

Want more recipes?  Purchase Cavemom's Cooking on Etsy.

Pumpkins + Apples = Pie-gasm!!

In honor of tomorrow being the first day of fall, I felt like making my paleo apple pie.  But with only 4 apples, it was either a trip to the farmer's market (where I'd want to spend way too much!) or get creative.  Then I thought about all the pumpkins I picked up yesterday . . . and an idea was born.  Although if you check Google, it's not exactly a new idea - it was just new to me! :)
 
First I had to bake up one of the pumpkins, let it cool, scrape out the flesh and mash.  I don't care for pureed pumpkin, to me pureeing it (or any squash) changes the flavor a little.  I'm happy with somewhat lumpy cooked pumpkin.  Then I began the process of making two pies into one.
 

Pumpkin Apple Pie

For this one you’ll need 2 recipes out of Volume 1, shared here:

Almond Pie Crust
If you use butter, you may substitute the suet for butter.

1 1/2 c. almond flour or almond meal
1/2 c. arrowroot
1 3/4 Tbsp rendered suet or tallow (I render suet as I need it)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 egg

Sprinkle on:

Maple syrup or honey
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Allspice

Mix ingredients and pat into a pie dish, patting the crust up the sides of the dish.  Save some crust to use as a crumble on top the pie!

Pumpkin Pie Filling:

1 1/2 c. pumpkin, cooked
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 c. raw honey (heat on low to melt if necessary)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 c. coconut milk

Mix thoroughly, pour 2/3 of the mixture into the pie crust.  Set the rest aside.
 
Apple Pie Filling (this recipe is halved and slightly modified from the original):
4 pie apples, sliced
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
Washed raw sugar or maple syrup to taste
1/8 c. pecans, chopped
 
In a large bowl, combine apple slices, spices, and washed raw sugar or maple syrup.  Let sit a few minutes for the apples to juice up.  If using frozen apples, this will create a lot of juice.  Gently place the coated apples into pie crust on top the pumpkin filling (in order to keep the apple slices from sinking, you may want to place each apple slice individually).  Save the excess spiced apple juice and mix it with the excess pie crust and chopped pecans.

Once the apples slices are placed, pour the remainder of the pumpkin filling on top.   Don't forget the topping!

 

 

 

I baked it for 35 minutes at 350F, and the topping was getting a little dark but the pumpkin filling could have been a little more done.  Next time, I'd wait with the topping, bake the pie for 30 minutes, add the topping, then bake for an additional 20 minutes.  Even if I didn't bake it perfectly with the first go-round, it was still extraordinarily delicious!!

Want more recipes?  Purchase Cavemom's Cooking on Etsy.