Category: chocolate

Chocolate Cream Pie (DF, GF, & Egg Free) {THM:S}

If you’ve been craving Chocolate Cream pie but can’t handle dairy or eggs..I’ve got you! You won’t be missing either with this delicously creamy chocolate pie! I think I see more allergen friendly recipes in this blogs future!

Before sharing this recipe: The hands on part is minimal, but it does take several hours to fully set, so plan accordingly!

We had a smallish gathering for Thanksgiving this year & (as usual!) I got healthy dessert responsibilities!!

My entire family has been friends with my one of my brother in laws family since before I was even born…..& it was his chocoholic sisters request. She doesn’t really do dairy or grains & my sister can’t do dairy or eggs…so..challenge accepted!

I give to you….Chocolate Cream Pie that’s Dairy, Egg, Grain, Gluten, & Sugar Free! It may seem like there’s nothing left to create a pie without having any of those options, but trust me…there is! My whipped cream & milk chocolate loving little sister LOVED it.

I was quite surprised with how well it turned out since it was an experiment, so I immediately had to go make it 2 days later to ensure I had everything written down correctly as I got requests for the recipe. Such a hardship, I know…I had it for breakfast and afternoon snack this week. 🙂

I’ve had requests to share what ingredients I use, so I’ll just highlight a few….I plan on doing a master post of my ingredients for future reference.

I buy 99% of my grocery items from my local health food store, Golden Harvest Market, so available brands may vary, but at least you’ll know the gist of the ingredients.

Coconut milk: I use the Field Day brand for Full Fat & Light (or whatever happens to be on sale!) . You may be able to find Goya or Thai Kitchen which are both comparable.

Coconut Cream: I used the Thai Kitchen brand. Do not confuse it with CREAM OF COCONUT which is full of sugar!

Sugar Free Dark Chocolate Chips: I used the Lily’s Dark Chocolate Chips, as they are completely dairy free. Feel free to use another brand, such as Bake Believe or THM’s own chocolate chips. I have not made this recipe using another brand so I cannot vouch for how they melt. NOTE: 9 oz. chocolate chips is the equivalent of 1 1/2 cups.

85% or darker chocolate (finely chopped) may be used, but you may need to increase sweetener as desired!

Sweeteners: My favorite sweetener is THM’s own Xylitol Free Gentle Sweet. It does not (to me!) have a strong aftertaste and the majority of people that are not sugar free do enjoy the baked items I’ve made with it. Xylitol is a HUGE no-no in my house since there are 2 EXTREMELY nosy dogs that live here & some of my family members can’t handle xylitol.

Swerve Confectioners Style is my go to for sweetening cream since its already ground and therefore it doesn’t have to be whipped until dissolved, which lessens the chance of overwhipping your cream.

Print Recipe

Chocolate Cream Pie (DF, GF, & EGG FREE) {THM:S}

All the chocolatey goodness of a Chocolate Cream Pie but Dairy Free!
Course: Dessert
Keyword: chocolate, dairy free, dessert, egg free, gluten free, keto, Low carb, pies
Servings: 8

Ingredients

CRUST

  • 2 cups almond flour
  • 3 Tablespoons Gentle Sweet or equivalent of other on plan sweetener
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 3 Tablespoons cocoa powder
  • ¼ cup coconut oil, melted

FILLING

  • 2 teaspoons gelatin
  • 2 Tablespoons cashew milk or other nondairy milk
  • 1-13.66 oz. can full fat coconut milk (see notes on how to use light coconut milk)
  • ¼ cup gentle sweet
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1-9 oz. bag sugar free dark chocolate chips, or other on plan chocolate
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

TOPPING

  • 2-13.66 oz. cans full fat coconut milk, chilled
  • 1½ Tablespoons Swerve confectioners style sugar, or other on plan sweetener, powdered
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°

CRUST

  • Combine all crust ingredients except for coconut oil & whisk together using a fork or whisk until no lumps remain.
  • Add melted coconut oil to mixture & mix together with fork until completely blended. Press firmly onto sides and bottom of a 9-inch pie pan. (Using a measuring cup or tamper to press it down work well.)
  • Bake for 12 minutes. Set aside to cool.

FILLING

  • Sprinkle gelatin over cashew milk in small bowl & let soften for several minutes.
  • Heat coconut milk, gentle sweet, & salt together in pan over medium low heat until hot, but not boiling, stirring once or twice to ensure all sweetener granules are dissolved.
  • Add softened gelatin to coconut milk mixture and whisk together to dissolve all gelatin.
  • Place chocolate chips in a bowl and pour hot coconut milk mixture over chocolate chips.
  • Let mixture sit for 2 minutes. Whisk until smooth & stir in vanilla.
  • Cover bowl and refrigerate until mixture is set, 4 hours or overnight.
  • Once mixture is chilled, remove from refrigerator & using handheld mixer, beat on high (I use a small kitchen-aid hand mixer and high is 5 on it.) for about 3 minutes, or until mixture is creamy and slightly lightened in color.
  • Scrape into prepared pie crust & smooth top.
  • Press a sheet of plastic wrap over the top of filling & refrigerate until set, about 2-3 hours
  • Once set, top with whipped coconut cream

TOPPING:

  • Open cans of chilled coconut milk & scoop out ONLY the SOLID CREAM into a bowl. (The thin, watery part can be used in other recipes, like lentil soup or smoothies!)
  • Add sweetener & vanilla extract to coconut cream & whisk together using hand mixer on high speed for about 3-4 minutes, until sweetener is dissolved. It will stiffen, but not to the point of regular whipped cream.
  • Spread cream over top of pie or pipe it on decoratively using a large frosting tip.
  • Garnish with shaved chocolate or a chocolate glaze, if desired. (Any recipe would work for it, but the glaze from the Peanut Butter Cookie Muffins comes to mind.)

Notes

You may use low fat coconut milk in place of full fat.  If doing so you’ll need to increase the gelatin to 4 teaspoons (up from 2 teaspoons). Follow the directions, but if when softening gelatin it’s not completely moist, add a few more drops of nondairy milk until it is. (no more than a teaspoon or two extra should be needed.) 
Any on plan chocolate may be used, if using a milk chocolate you may want to decrease the sweetener.
1 can of coconut cream (not to be confused with CREAM of coconut!), may be used in place of the 2 cans of full fat coconut milk. You may need to decrease the sweetener as it will yield a slightly lesser amount than the 2 cans.
I like to use the Swerve confectioners style sweetener as it doesn’t leave a gritty feel and seems to help stabilize the coconut cream.
When covering the pie filling, I like to spray the plastic wrap with cooking spray to prevent sticking.

Flourless Chocolate Cake {THM:XO} -w/ S option

I’ve been working on creating some dairy free (as in not even any butter!) recipes for one of my older sisters who is not able to handle ANY dairy at this point in her life. She also is unable to handle any sweeteners except honey, coconut sugar, & pure stevia.

Nothing makes me happier than to have a challenge like that and come up with a recipe that brings joy to the person who has to deal with those challenges. I was able to take my regular recipe for Flourless Chocolate Cake and transform it into a delicious dairy free dessert for her 18th wedding anniversary dinner. Even my brother in law said it was delicious, except for the coffee flavor. 🙂 You definitely don’t need to add the espresso/coffee, but I find it brings out SUCH a depth of flavor that I don’t like to leave it out

Now, as general rule coconut sugar & honey are not recommended sweeteners on THM, except for children and those who don’t feel the need (or don’t happen to have a sweet tooth the size of Texas like me!) to consume desserts, except on the rare occasion, like my sister.

That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy a piece when I made it. How could you resist a piece of beauty like this!

I haven’t tested it, but you may substitute an equivalent on plan sweetener for the coconut sugar, following the same directions as with the coconut sugar.

Print Recipe

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Course: Dessert
Keyword: birthday dessert, chocolate, dairy free, gluten free, keto, THM
Servings: 8

Ingredients

CAKE

  • 4 large eggs, cold
  • ¾ cup coconut sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 8 ounces 100% unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
  • ½ cup butter flavored coconut oil (like this one.)
  • 2 Tablespoons espresso or strong coffee, optional

GLAZE

  • 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
  • 1-5.4 ounce can unsweetened coconut cream
  • 2 Tablespoons butter flavored coconut oil
  • ¼ cup coconut sugar

Instructions

CAKE

  • Preheat oven to 325°. Line a round 6 inch pan with parchment paper, grease pan and dust with unsweetened cocoa powder. Place in a 13×9 pan and set aside. Bring a kettle of water to a boil.
  • Using a hand mixer on high speed, beat eggs, coconut sugar, vanilla, and salt until foamy, increased in volume, and lightened in color, about 5 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, melt unsweetened chocolate, butter flavored coconut oil, and espresso (if using) until smooth and very warm, stirring once or twice.
  • Using a large rubber spatula, fold ⅓ of egg mixture into melted chocolate mixture until only a few streaks of egg are visible. Fold in ½ of remaining foam, then last of remaining foam until mixture is completely mixed with no streaks of egg foam remaining.
  • Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth top with rubber spatula.
  • Set 13 x 9 pan on oven rack and pour enough boiling water into pan to come about ½ way up side of pan. Bake until cake has risen just slightly, edges are just beginning to set, and instant read thermometer inserted in center of cake register 140°, about 18-20 minutes.
  • Remove cake from water and set on wire rack to cool to room temperature. (Run thin knife between edge of cake and cake pan to loosen.)
  • Remove from pan and place on desired serving tray. Glaze and garnish as desired.

GLAZE

  • Place unsweetened chocolate in a small bowl.
  • Combine remaining glaze ingredients in a small pan and bring to a boil. Boil until coconut sugar is dissolved, about 1-2 minutes.
  • Pour coconut milk mixture over chopped chocolate and whisk until smooth.
  • Pour over cooled cake and garnish with fresh fruit, mint leaves and grated chocolate as desired.

Notes

You will have leftover glaze, as I wasn’t about to use 1/2 a can of coconut cream! 🙂 You may use it as glaze for another baked good, stir it into coffee for a mocha or just eat it!
Recipe may be doubled to make a 9 inch cake. However, the glaze recipe will not need to be.
If using a springform pan, tightly wrap in foil to create a waterproof wrap for the pan.
If doubling recipe, place the 9 inch pan in a large roasting pan. 
To make cake look super professional, place baked cake on cake pad of same size, set on cooling rack placed on sheet pan or over news/parchment paper and then glaze. Once glaze is set, place on desired serving dish, garnish and serve.

Puppy Chow {THM:XO}

This also happens to be another recipe that came about after a discussion with a coworker, which seems to be where 75% of my ideas for recipes come from!

 Now, I know there are THM approved, single fuel recipes for Puppy Chow made with pork rinds or nuts and/or coconut flakes, but when I was brainstorming this recipe I was wanting something lighter, as nuts sometimes are a bit heavy for me…..Rice Cakes were the answer!

I know this is an XO, and since I’m still in weight loss mode I try to limit my XO’s. I do make an exception for this since I only make it a few times a year. It is seriously dangerous to have around. I have to scoop out a serving size or else I could eat the whole batch. (I’m not joking. I seriously have to put my self control to work when I make this!)

So, go ahead and make at your own risk! I know you won’t be disappointed!

My sister, Abby would be happy to have a constant supply of this around. She one of those who can eat 90% XO’s and not gain an OUNCE. A bit  lot of envy/jealousy  there on my part! (Don’t worry, I’ve worked through it!) Love you sis!!

Print Recipe

Puppy Chow

Ingredients

  • 1- 8.5 oz. pkg. brown rice cakes, salted or unsalted (I use the Lundberg brown rice cakes) Find them here or at your local health food store.
  • ½ cup butter, or coconut oil if desiring dairy free
  • 1 ¼ cup sugar free chocolate chips (or 9 oz. 85% or darker chocolate, chopped)
  • 1 cup creamy natural peanut butter
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
  • ¼ teaspoon salt (decrease to ⅛ teaspoon if using salted rice cakes)
  • 1 bag swerve confectioners style sugar (approximately)

Instructions

  • Break rice cakes into 1/2-1 in. pieces into a large bowl. Set aside.
  • Melt butter and chocolate together over low heat, stirring constantly.
  • Stir in peanut butter, vanilla, & salt. Mix until smooth.
  • Pour over broken up rice cakes & stir until evenly coated.
  • Scrape mixture into large paper bag & toss with desired amount of swerve confectioners style sugar (I use the whole bag.) until evenly coated.
  • Spread out on newspaper or paper bags until dry.
  • Try not to devour the whole thing in one sitting!

Notes

You may use any other on plan powdered sweetener to toss this in, just don’t use Super Sweet. It’d be WAY to potent for this recipe!

P.B. Max Bars {THM:S}

What, you may ask does PB Max stand for? I asked the same question when I was young and the answer is got was “Peanut Butter [to the] Max!”

So yes, if you love peanut butter and chocolate, I’m 110% sure you will love these bars.

This recipe comes by way of a friend bringing them to a church potluck. They became an instant family favorite, so when THM became my lifestyle just over 2 years ago I KNEW this was one recipe that I HAD to Trimmify.

Whenever I ask the question “what should I make?”, my dads instant response 99% of the time is “ you know what sounds good to me …some of those peanut butter chocolate bars.” He likes them so much it’s what he got for a birthday dessert in lieu of birthday cake or cheesecake last year.

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PB Max Bars

Course: Dessert
Keyword: chocolate, Low carb, peanut butter, sugar free, THM-S
Servings: 24 pieces

Ingredients

CRUST

  • 1¼ cups THM Baking Blend
  • ½ cup oat fiber
  • ¼ cup pressed peanut flour
  • ½ cup THM Gentle Sweet
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup butter, softened

FILLING

  • ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
  • ½ cup natural unsweetened peanut butter
  • ¾ cup pressed peanut flour
  • ⅓ cup THM Gentle Sweet
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ teaspoon blackstrap molasses

Topping

  • 1¼ cups stevia sweetened chocolate chips (THM or Lily's)
  • 3 Tablespoons butter

Garnish (optional)

  • chopped roasted & salted peanuts
  • chopped sugar free peanut butter cups
  • shaved or grated chocolate

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°.
  • Line a 13 x 9 pan with parchment paper. (If you don't have parchment paper, just grease pan well with butter.)

Crust

  • Whisk all dry ingredients together in a medium bowl.
  • Add butter and mix with either a wooden spoon or mixer until dough is formed and no dry ingredients remain in bottom of bowl.
  • Press evenly into bottom of prepared pan, using a tamper or bottom of a dry measuring cup to pack it down.
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes or until just starting to brown. The crust may feel soft, but it will firm up once it's cooled.
  • Set crust aside to cool.

Filling

  • Mix all filling ingredients in medium bowl until completely combined.
  • Spread filling mixture evenly over cooled crust.

Topping

  • Melt chocolate and butter together over low heat, stirring until smooth. A double boiler or microwave works well for this step too.
  • Spread evenly over peanut butter filing.

Garnish (if desired)

  • If using chopped peanuts or peanut cups sprinkle over chocolate while its still warm so they'll set in place.
    If using chocolate shavings, wait until the topping is nearly set.
  • Refrigerate until set. Cut into 24 pieces and serve. If using parchment paper, you can lift the bars out of the pan to cut. Keep leftovers refrigerated.

Notes

Any other on plan sweetener works well in this recipe. Find a sweetener conversion chart here.
You may use creamy or crunchy peanut butter, depending on desired texture.
If you don’t have stevia sweetened chocolate chips, using 7 oz of 85% or darker chocolate in place of them is acceptable. Just chop the bar up into rough pieces.
Coconut oil may be used in place of butter in the topping.
My favorite tool for spreading is a small offset spatula like this one.
Molasses is an on plan food to be used in small amounts. 3/4 teaspoon is fine for this recipe since it’s spread throughout an entire batch.