Easy Recipe for Healthy Almond & Date Treats (Paleo)

This easy healthy dessert recipe makes a great paleo snack.

This easy recipe makes it to my list of healthy desserts for the hot summer months because there's no baking involved (Ahem, except for toasting the almonds, which you don't *have* to do. It just makes them more flavorful). You combine almonds (or any kind of nuts), and dates with a little vanilla, cinnamon, and salt, and you end up with a tasty and healthy dessert (and paleo snack!) that isn't too sweet. You can use honey (or a vegan sweetener of similar consistency, like maple syrup) if you need to, but the dates tend to be sweet enough.

These paleo cookies work well in a packed lunch or eaten at a potluck, but they're also a great high-energy, healthy snack to take on day hikes; they're packed with potassium, fiber, protein, and (healthy) fat.  In other words, they pack enough "oomph" to help keep you going and feeling full, whether you eat them as fuel for a workout or just to kick off your day.

They're essentially little, no bake, homemade, bite-sized energy bars. And, if you're looking for paleo diet foods, you should add these to your folio of great paleo cookie recipes!

This date balls recipe would also work well as a healthy Thanksgiving dessert or appetizer.

Equipment-wise, you'll need a food processor. Just throw the ingredients in there, give them a spin, and roll the dough into bite-sized morsels. It's quick, easy, and the last step is kid-friendly.

Mini food processors won't do, though. There's only so much they can handle, and I learned that dates are not on the "can-handle" list. My mini died halfway through that struggle (with a very sad popping noise and some smoke). "Rustic" best describes the resulting chopped date ball mixture.

Also, safety message #2:  photography can be dangerous. Summary of the day's hazards:

• Equipment deaths during food prep = 1 mini food processor
• Lost-worktime injuries during photo shoot = 1 (elbow + concrete wall = Hello Kitty bandaid)

These paleo sweets, made with almonds, honey, and dates are an easy healthy dessert recipe.

This healthy date balls recipe is easy to make, and makes great paleo snacks.

Recipe for Healthy Almond, Honey & Date Treats

(paleo snacks)

(makes ~25 date balls)

1 lb dried pitted dates (appx 3 1/3 c) (I used Deglet. You can also use Medjool; they are more moist.)
1 1/4 cup raw whole almonds (appx 6 2/3 oz, or ~0.42 lb)
1/4 cup honey (If you need any at all. A vegan alternative is maple syrup or agave syrup.)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp salt
Vegetable oil for your hands to help you form the treats

Variations: Explore new flavor combinations by using different types of nuts (pistachio, walnut), adding citrus zest (1 tsp of orange or lemon), or different spices (1/4 tsp ground clove, cinnamon or cardamom).

Notes: A friend was able to find the medjool dates that had evaded me and she tried these out herself. She commented that with medjool dates, the date ball recipe was so moist that she didn't need honey and she still found it to be sweet enough. She also coated the treats with a mixture of crushed toasted walnuts, orange zest and cinnamon for a delicious flavor combination!

Using Deglet dates, I found that a 1/4 cup honey (equal to 4 tbsp) wasn't too sweet. However, reduce honey to match your own preferences. For every tablespoon of honey you omit, you may want to add 1 tsp water to make up for lost moisture.

1) You don't have to toast the almonds, but it really intensifies and improves their flavor. To do so, spread on a baking sheet and toast almonds lightly in oven (350 F for about 5-7 minutes). Careful not to over-do otherwise they'll take on a bitter taste and burn. They should become fragrant and barely change color. While you're waiting, you can roughly chop the dates (helps you discover any pits, and preps them for the food processor).

2) Place half of the toasted almonds in a food processor, and pulse until finely ground. Remove them from the food processor and set them aside.

3) Place the remaining whole toasted almonds in the food processor. Pulse until finely ground. Throw the chopped dates in the food processor along with the remaining ingredients (honey, vanilla, cinnamon, salt) and process until the dates are finely chopped and ingredients are evenly mixed.

4) Coat your hands lightly in vegetable oil, and shape the date balls into walnut-sized pieces. Roll them in the finely ground almond, and set aside. Enjoy!

These bit-sized morsels are perfect for an on-the go snack.

Mmmmm! I hope you enjoy these healthy snacks!

BakerGal

Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake Cupcakes (J.R.'s Family Recipe)

This easy chocolate cupcake recipe comes from a family Texas sheet cake recipe.

omg
OMG!

  OO       M        M      GGGGG           !!
 O   O     MM   MM     G                     !!
O     O    M   M  M     G        GGG       !!
 O   O     M        M     G          G          
  OO       M        M      GGGGG            !

These texas sheet cake cupcakes are DELICIOUS and easy to make. They're so moist that "cake" doesn't even come to mind as a description, and they are chocolate-y without being overwhelming. The closest chocolate cake I could compare these to? Well, maybe imagine what it might be like if a red velvet cake and a chocolate cake had a super-moisturized kid. Delicious, obviously.

I promise these Texas cupcakes are good. And, if you don't like cupcakes but you do believe in second chances, then try these.

From now on, ditch the "Extra-Moist" boxed cake mix...this is the real deal. You can see what I mean in the two photos below: moisture is practically pouring out of your computer. The secret? My hunch is that the cup of sour cream in the recipe has something to do with it.

Texas chocolate sheet cake cupcakes so moist, a goldfish could live in them.

After hearing about this family recipe for amazing Texas chocolate sheet cake cupcakes multiple times on separate occasions and being told about the miracles they were working (Being supremely moist? Converting cupcake-haters into cupcake-lovers?), I decided it was time to try them. I did, and I have to say, we're all pretty lucky that J.R.'s mom agreed to share this recipe with us.

J.R. told me that this is the standard recipe for birthday cakes in her family. Aging has never sounded so delicious. Plus: "The recipe is kind of fail-proof (a.k.a. my dad can make it)." Bonus!

Chocolate cupcakes so moist, you could water plants with them.

Texas sheet cake is often topped with a fudgey, chocolate frosting, but not this time. To pay homage to the family that shared the recipe, I frosted the cake true to their family tradition with the vanilla buttercream frosting recipe they use and an edible flower (sugared flowers, in fact!) for decoration.

Check below for the texas sheet cake recipe and frosting recipe, and take a look at my post on how to make candied flowers if you'd like to try that, too. They do make for some fancy cupcakes once you add the candied flowers.

These fancy cupcakes are from JR's family Texas chocolate sheet cake recipe.

Texas Sheet Cake Recipe for Cupcakes or Cake (J.R.'s Family Recipe)

Makes one 9"x13" sheet cake, or a double layer round cake, or 24 cupcakes

2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter

1 cup water

6 tablespoons Hershey's cocoa powder (unsweetened)

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 eggs

1 cup sour cream

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F

2. Bring to a boil: butter, water, cocoa. Let cool briefly.

3. In a bowl, mix: flour, sugar, salt, baking soda.

4. Pour boiled cocoa mixture over flour mixture. Blend well.

5. Mix eggs and sour cream together in bowl just until smooth (makes them easier to blend into the other ingredients). Stir into remaining mixture just until combined. Be gentle with the eggs...if you over-beat them, you may end up with a dry cake.

Bake the cake in an ungreased pan for 20-22 minutes (less for cupcakes). Let cool completely before frosting them. The cake freezes well, too, if you'd like to stash some away for later (It's SUPER exciting to discover some in the freezer when you thought it was all gone...based on recent personal experience).

Buttercream Frosting Recipe for Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake Cupcakes

Honestly, this chocolate sheet cake is so moist and amazing that it doesn't need frosting. But, if you want frosting, this is the deal:
3 3/4 cup (1 pound) confectioners sugar

1 stick (1/4 pound) butter at room temperature

3-4 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Combine in a large bowl with mixer at low speed. Add more milk if necessary. Use immediately, or refrigerate. Will keep for up to 2 weeks in refrigerator. Let refrigerated frosting come to room temperature, then whip briefly before using.

Fancy cupcakes thanks to those fancy wrappers. Exciting! Volcanic! Good lookin'!

I thought it would be fun to try some free-standing fancy cupcake wrappers. You can see them in the photos above. Annnnd...What did I learn?

1. Expensive
2. Overflow! (The instructions said "fill halfway." Do they really mean that? Yes. Yes, they do. Though I gladly ate the "volcanic" mistakes that I over-filled.)
3. Good lookin' (makes up for #1 and #2)

Thanks, J.R. & family! New favorite recipe...
BakerGal