Cinnamon and raisin sweet potato cookie bites - grain, gluten, sugar and dairy free. Paleo & AIP

When I come across an AIP compliant biscuit/cookie/muffin/baked item I Pin it. I'm amassing quite a collection now and getting the hang of baking AIP style. The results are different from regular baking & even straight paleo, but not necessarily in a bad way and there are a few tricks to ensure success.  I end up adapting most recipes to suit my tastes or tweaking to make even more yummy! This recipe is a tweaker from Healing Family Eats which is a great website for those following an AIP diet.

Cinnamon and raisin sweet potato bites

1 cup of mashed sweet potato (1 medium sized sweet potato)

1/2 cup of unsweetened shredded coconut

 1/3 cup of softened coconut oil 

2 tbs molasses

4 tbs coconut flour

1 1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup raisins

Oven 325F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Puree the sweet potato and shredded coconut in a blender to smooth out the mash and break up the coconut. Add in the rest of ingredients, except the raisins, and pulse until well combined.  Stir in the raisins. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop out the dough or roll balls of dough in your hands and place on the baking sheet.  Be warned the mixture is quite sticky!  Flatten the balls by pressing down lightly with your hand.  They don't spread out much during baking. Bake for about 30mins. The bites will crack a little and slightly brown at the edges.  Leave to cool completely on the tray, they will be quite fragile (it helps to make them on the small side). Store in the fridge to keep them firm.  I made 15 mini bites. 

Sweet potato morphed into a cookie format. How good is that? Does anyone know another version of sweet potato cookies? 

Gluten free banana bread

Its 8.15pm and I'm hungry. We have cupboards full of food but nothing to eat, you know the scene?!  I have had this banana bread on my mind since we returned from our summer holiday and was planning on making it with the girls.  I can't wait. I've made it. It is so quick and easy, requiring ingredients you have to hand (who doesn't have zillions of brown bananas in their freezer?) and only one bowl to wash up. Yay!

Gluten Free Banana Bread

adapted from this recipe

3 large ripe bananas

1 egg

3 tbs coconut oil

3/4 cup milk (dairy or non dairy)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup brown sugar

3 tsp baking soda

1 cup almond meal

1 cup cashew nut meal

1 cup gluten free flour (I used brown rice flour)

1 cup of jumbo oats 

1 tsp ground cinnamon

pinch of salt

3/4 sultanas

Preheat the oven to 365F.  Grease and line a loaf tin.  Mash the bananas then add the wet ingredients.  Mix thoroughly.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until combined. Lastly stir in the sultanas.  Pop in the oven and bake for approximately one hour, until golden on top and a skewer comes out clean.

Cut yourself a generous wedge, top with butter if you desire (I do) and even jam if you are feeling decadent. I keep mine in the fridge in an air tight container and it will last about a week. Its also delicious toasted.

Go make it, whatever time of day it is. 

Cinnamon and coconut muffins (starch free)

My diet has resulted in me spending more time browsing Pinterest for recipes. I use it like a search engine & have found it to have better results than 

Google (in this instance).  I came across this great blog, Slim Palate which has many delicious recipes which happen to be low or no starch. They are well written and have beautiful photos - but get this - he is a 17 year old boy!! Wow! Very impressed; note to self must improve my photography skills...

Cinnamon Coconut muffins

This recipe is adapted from Joshua's at Slim Palate, the original is here

1/4 cup coconut flour

2 tbsp almond meal (ground almonds)

1/4 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

3 eggs

1/2 - 3/4 cup brown sugar (depending on how sweet you like it)

2 tbsp coconut oil

2 tbsp coconut milk

dash of vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 345F and grease a muffin pan. This recipe makes 6 muffins.

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In another bowl mix the wet ingredients then add to the dry. Give them a good mix. Spoon into a muffin tin (with or without cases) and bake for 15-20 mins until a skewer comes out clean. NB: mine took nearer 15 mins. 

These little beauties are fantastic! I am so excited that my first coconut flour experience is a positive one; they are light and fluffy, a similar texture to using regular flour.  Ohhh the possibilities..........

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Pumpkin bread

Friends are coming round for coffee tomorrow morning and I was going to make my usual coconut bread. After a passing scroll through twitter there was no ignoring the fact it was Fall Autumn and all things pumpkin. I found this great recipe and thought we should have a slice of this bread instead & embrace the season; depsite the fact its still 30 degrees outside! 

Pumpkin bread

This recipe is adapted from Ann Marie @whblsblog

1 cup of plain flour

3/4 cup of wholemeal flour

1 cup of brown sugar

1/2 cup of castor sugar

1 tsp of grated nutmeg

1 tsp of cinnamon

1 tsp of ginger

1 tsp baking soda

 pinch of salt

1/2 cup of oil (I used canola)

1/3 cup of water

2 eggs

1 cup of canned pumpkin (unsweetened)

1 cup of raisins

Pre heat the oven to 350F. Grease & flour a loaf tin.  Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl whisk the eggs and add to the dry ingredients along with the oil, pumpkin & water.  Using an electric whisk/mixer thoroughly mix to combine.  Stir in the raisins.

The mixture is quite runny, so pour into your pre-greased loaf tin. As you can see mine was/is rather full. Ann Marie does double quantities and suggests using 3 loaf tins...She also uses all plain flour, castor sugar & adds chocolate chips. So feel free to create your own version (although she SWEARS hers is the best so you may want to give it a go!).

Bake in the oven for an hour, or until a skewer comes out clean.  It is divine warm out of the oven but just as good the next day, apparently.

It is a great loaf, and nice to mix things up. It will be a Fall staple from now on!