I tried to be adventurous when making these cookies. I'm getting okayyy at creating my own recipes, but sometimes I fail, hard. These cookies are delish, but the frosting I made was so bad. Guys, it was so bad I could barely even eat it. Even Adam being so sweet couldn't keep in how bad the frosting was. I'm not even going to share it. If you want frosting for these bad boys, I suggest the frosting from my paleo chocolate cake. You can find that recipe here. 

The cookies are so good and so flavorful you hardly need frosting. 



Ingredients: 

• 2 cups almond flour
• 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup cooking oil
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 cup shredded carrots, squeezed of excess water

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with a silpat.
2. Combine the almond meal, coconut, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
3. Whisk together the egg, coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla in a small bowl.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until just incorporated. Fold in the carrots until combined.
5. Spoon about 3 tablespoons of the batter onto the baking sheet into a cookie/disc shape.
6. Bake for 14 minutes, remove and let cool 1 minute (cookies will be soft upon removing from oven but will firm up as they cool) on the baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack.
7. Store cookies in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Enjoy, friends! Happy Tuesday, here's to a great week!

1. Begin with frosting: Add the coconut cream, chocolate chips and a pinch of salt to a small pot over low heat. Whisk until melted. Transfer to a bowl, cover with wrap and place in fridge for at least 6 hours. I let it sit overnight. 
2. Cakes: Preheat oven to 350 degress. Line the bottom of three 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper and spray the parchment with nonstick. This is imperative.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the melted and cooled coconut oil, coconut sugar, eggs, vanilla and apple cider vinegar until smooth. Add almond milk and beat once more until mixture is well incorporated.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk the almond flour, cocoa powder, coconut flour, baking soda and salt together. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well. Mixture will be on the thicker side.
5. Divide batter evenly between pans and spread out with a spatula to smooth the tops. Bake for 20-30 minutes until a tester comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached; rotating the pans halfway through baking. 
6. Let cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes then transfer to the fridge to finish cooling completely. Allow cake to cool in the fridge for at least an hour before removing from the pan and frosting. The cake should be room temperature when you frost it.
7. Finish making your frosting: Scoop the hardened chocolate coconut cream frosting mixture into a large bowl. Use a hand mixer or a KitchenAid mixer to beat frosting until peaks form and it looks nice, fluffy and creamy. Use immediately! See Tip 1! 
8. Layer cake, using about 1/3 -½ cup frosting between each layer, then frost the top and sides with remaining frosting. Serves 12-16! Cake can be stored at room temp for a day or two, then should be transferred to the fridge.

Happy Thursday friends!

• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 5 12 cups peeled, chopped apples

• 3/4 cups almond flour
• 1 tablespoon coconut flour
• 2 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• small pinch (very small!) salt
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix the maple syrup, lemon juice, nutmeg and salt together in a large bowl. 
3. Peel and cut the apples. Place the apples in the maple syrup mixture and stir well until apples are coated. Place the apple mixture in an 8x8 glass pan.
4. In a medium mixing bowl combine the almond flour, coconut flour and cinnamon. Add coconut oil, maple syrup and salt. 
5. Pulse the walnuts in a food processor until they are in small pieces. Stir the nuts into the topping mixture.
6. Drop the topping over the apples. 
7. Bake for 40-50 minutes until the topping is brown and crisp and bubbling. If the nuts start to burn, cover with foil.
8. Let cool, scoop out some NadaMoo vanilla ice cream and enjoy! 

Happy Thursday friends! We're only one day away from the weekend! 

Did you know if you go to a paint store, you will find no less than 45 different shares of grey and beige? You'll even find a multitude of greige (yes, that's the actual word for grey + beige). The best part is bringing your husband to a paint store and asking him to spot the difference in the 10 different whites you show him and ask him to care. Babe, white dove IS different than alpine snow!

It's a battle. Anyways, Adam and I are slowly but surely updating our house and doing new stuff to it, including painting. Currently, our entire house is like living in a sandbox. I'm pretty sure when our old owners moved out, they picked a neutral color at Home Depot and painted very single wall the same exact color. It's a pretty sandbox but its one that needs a little Kristen touch, and a little greige.

First things first, the master bedroom. I am in love with this Benjamin Moore color White dove. I stole the idea from my blog crush, Arielle at Something Navy. She painted her master this color and I'm obsessed. I'll be sure to share all the before and after photos.

Let's move on to the cookies. You fabulous Everyday Grace readers LOVED these cookies on Insta-stories. So, this is my thanks for reaching out. You asked, I blogged.


It's fall in Denver finally and the cool weather and the pretty leaves have inspired me to bake. Last Sunday I spent the entire day trying out new recipes with Adam as my taste tester. There's nothing like a cool Sunday with a glass of red wine and some cookies, amiright? I am all about these kind of weekends.

I've never been a cookie fan. If it were up to me, dessert would consist of candy and ice cream. Cookies, pass. Cake, hell no. Cupcakes, I'd rather save the calories. And then I tried the vanilla oreos. If you haven't had these cookies, you are missing out on life's littlest treats. If I had no discipline I would literally eat the entire package of Oreos. I'm not lying here.

When I saw these cookies, I thought hmm... sandwich cookies, yummm. Plus adding the extra layer of coconut cream is the best ever. They are especially the best fresh out of the oven with lots of the fresh cream. Adam told me these are his new favorite cookies and I just might have to agree.

These seem like a lot of work and they kind of are, but look at those ingredients - they're all the ones you'll already have in your pantry. Let's get backing.

Ingredients: 
Cookies: 

• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup creamy almond butter
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/2 lemon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1./2 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of salt

Filling: 

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 
• 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons cold coconut milk - scrape the cream off the top
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice

How to Make: 

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, almond butter, honey, lemon juice and vanilla. 
3. In a separate bowl, combine the almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. 
4. Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. 
5. Form the cookie dough into 30 balls and flatten each one. The thinner the crispier. 
6. Bake the cookies for 9-11 minutes until they just about brown. Allow to cool. 
7. While the cookies are cooling, making the filing! 
8. Whisk together the vegetable oil, honey, lemon and vanilla. Beat in the coconut cream until a cream forms. Put in the freezer for about 10 minutes. 
9. Once the cookies are cooled and the cream is cold, scoop those babies up. 
10. PS. Store in the refrigerator! They make the cookies a tad soft, but you want that cream cold. 
11. Enjoy! 

Let's be best friends - pin the image below!


Happy Wednesday friends!

It's officially Christmas week everyone! I don't know about you, but I am feeling unusually festive for a Monday morning. This weekend, Denver graced us with -5 degree temperatures forcing Adam and I to stay inside, watch movies and for me, bake!

We watched Home Alone, one of my all time favorite christmas movies and it made me realize how horrible Kevin's family is?! I mean, that scene in the kitchen, yikes! And, one thing I don't get - does Kevin ever tell him family about what happened while they were gone? I mean, the cops just left him house and didn't think to come back and tell his mom and dad? Seems a little unrealistic to me.

So, now that we've gotten Home Alone straighten out, let's talk about things I love. I love christmas, I love hallmark movies (who is with me here), I love baileys and last but not least, donuts. It is no secret that I love donuts. If you follow me on Instagram (kgrace01) you will see that I post a new donut picture about once a month. I cannot help myself. Those sugary little circles are my favorite.

My best friend Coti is obsessed with donies. When we were in college, we would go at 2am to the donut store to get the fresh, warm donuts right out of the oven. Man, I miss the days when 4000 calories at 2am didn't go straight to my hips. Also, my donut dish is from my paleo guru, Callie. This recipe is dedicated to Coti and Callie, my two best girls always making sure I'm making the best recipes. <3

My love for donuts is almost always squashed when I try to make them paleo. They are good, but just not as good as regular, white sugar donuts. I made some apple cider donuts a while back and Adam has never asked me to make them again, which is usually a good hint that he was crazy about them. I never really mastered paleo donut making, until now.


I found inspiration for this recipe on Paleo Hacks, one of my go-to recipe blogs. I used different flour, more of some ingredients and less than others and I am so pumped about how these little babies turned out.

Because it's Christmas, I decided on some to crush some candy canes and sprinkle them on top. Cute and SO festive, am I right? Ya know what else would be good? Melt those candy candy kisses and drizzle that on top! Oh man, I know what I'm making this weekend.

This little babies would be a perfect treat for Christmas morning. Can you just imagine. I would have to make like 12 dozen, my fambam would gobble these up. Without further ado, let's get to the good part.

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• salt
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
• 1/3 cup applesauce
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil

1. Preheat oven to 350 °F.
2. Combine dry ingredients (flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder, salt) in a large bowl.
3. In a microwave-safe dish, melt coconut oil completely; Whisk eggs and coconut oil together. Add the other wet ingredients (applesauce, honey, vanilla) to that same bowl and stir.
4. Mix wet ingredients with dry ingredients.
5. Grease donut pan with nonstick spray; Add dough to donut pan, pressing down so the dough is tightly packed and smooth.
6. Place pan in oven and bake for approximately 15 minutes or until dough is no longer soft.
7. Remove from oven; Flip your donut pan upside down and the donuts should pop right out.
8. Allow at least five minutes for them to cool before icing them.

The Icing: 

1. On the stove, heat the chocolate chips and coconut together, stirring every 30 seconds until melted.
2. Eat warm or refrigerate to allow the icing to harden
3. Enjoy!

The best part about these little donuts is that you don't feel like you're eating that many because they are so tiny. So like 9 tiny donuts equals one right? Cool, glad we are on the same page here. Don't mind me, I'll be in the kitchen coming up with all the different things to drizzle on top of these. I wonder if you can melt baileys and mix it with chocolate to make a boozy syrup. I'll report back.

Happy Monday! Happy one week until Christmas! Happy 2 weeks until 2017! Let the countdowns begin!

Remember that time I told you paleo desserts are kind of my thing? If I'm being honest all desserts are my thing.  When I was little I thought your stomach was composed of a bunch of different shelves and that regular food couldn't fill up your top shelf -- only desserts could.

Hey, PS I still think that. I can eat enough for a family of 5 and still be ready for dessert. It's a problem I'm come to accept, which is why paleo treats are critical to my diet and my waist line.

While paleo treats are delicious, there are days I still miss regular treats.

For example, I love Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, so I made these. I love donuts, so I made these. I LOVE truffles, hence this recipe. Chocolate muffins -- done. Chocolate chip cookies -- done and done.

Are you guys ready for this? I'm not sure if you are. But -- introducing paleo twix bars. I'm going to give you a minute to think about that.

Paleo. Twix. Bars. You are welcome.


Ingredients:
Shortbread Crust: 

• 2/3 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1/3 cup coconut oil, solid

Caramel Filling

• 1/2 cup creamy almond butter
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/3 cup coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon honey

Chocolate Topping

• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon flakey sea salt

How to Make:

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease a 8x8” square pan with coconut oil.
2. Combine coconut flour and salt in a bowl. Add the maple syrup and stir until fully combined and crumbly. 
3. Add the room temperature coconut oil and mix until a large dough ball forms, pressing out any clumps of coconut oil. I used my hands at the end to bring the dough fully together.
4. Press the dough into the prepared pan. Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges. Let cool completely.
5. For the filling, combine all of the ingredients in a small saucepan and heat until all of the ingredients are melted and throughly combined. Pour over the crust and let cool in the refrigerator until set before topping with chocolate layer.
6. For the chocolate topping, whisk together all of the ingredients and pour over the cooled caramel layer. Smooth evenly and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. 
7. Let cool until set. Slice into 1-inch slices, or 16 squares. Keep stored in the refrigerator.

Whats your favorite dessert? I definitely think these are my new favs! Enjoy everyone!

It is a constant battle on Sundays trying to find the perfect cookie recipe for the week. I know what you're thinking, Come on Kristen, you're pathetic if that's your battle. #worldpeace #nodonaldtrump #theperfectselfie #byekardashes

Okay, okay, but hear me out. Paleo desserts are my thing. I love them. Adam loves them. And, when Sunday rolls around and we're meal planning for the week, Adam inevitably asks what paleo dessert I'm making.

Speaking of -- Isn't meal planning the worst? It's like packing. We sit there on Sunday and pick dinners for the entire week. I do this for 3 reasons; (1) weeks are so busy and it makes life easier if I know what I'm making, (2) it makes the grocery store trip much easier, (3) it saves us money. But -- it sucks.

How the heck am I supposed to know what I'm going to want to eat on Thursday, on Sunday.That's crazy. That's like saying I am for sure going to want to wear the black maxi on Saturday by the beach instead of the white romper. It's a ridiculous goal. It is definitely the major plight that comes with meal planning. Cost efficiency v. cravings. It's the eternal struggle. PS. Adam hates rompers so it wouldn't be the romper by the beach.

Anyways.

The part that gets me past all that --- is the meal planning for sweets. I always try to make at least one type of sweet for Adam. It makes all the boring meals a little better. And hey, sometimes the sweets craving is too much to handle. I can attest. I find it better to eat a mini paleo lemon nugget then stuff my face with the thin mints I have hiding in the pantry. I guess better is relative for everyone.


But hey, I cant blame Adam for wanting sweets, I make good desserts! This week was no different. These little paleo lemon cookie nuggets are exactly what the doctor ordered. They're sweet, a little tangy and perfect for a mid-day sugar craving. Ps. there are practically no ingredients. You're welcome.

Let's do this.

Ingredients:

• 1 heaping cup cashew butter
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• pinch sea salt

How to make: 

1. Preheat oven to 350. 
2. In a food processor, combine all the ingredients until smooth. If the batter seems too runny, just stick it in the fridge for a minute. 
3. Use a cookie scoop to form cookies and drop onto a lined baking sheet 
4. Bake for 12 minutes. 
5. Let these cool completely before removing them from the baking sheet. (They will feel soft -- they'll harden, promise). 
6. Enjoy! 

This story goes back to Easter Sunday. It was a gorgeous Sunday afternoon. It was 70 degrees in Colorado and we had just gotten home from a great church service.

Granted, we got lost on the way to church -- the church we've been going to for about 3 months. One thing I've learned, in my almost 11 months of marriage, is that if your husband wants to drive to church and "go this way" you don't butt in and tell him that "that way" is the wrong way.

That is, until you're stuck in a neighborhood and have to google maps your way to church. And then when you get there, you're late and have to stand. But, anyways, it was Easter Sunday and it was great.

We got home from church and I was in the mood for baking. I found this recipe for Blueberry Cheesecake Cookies. Oh, and did I mention that they're paleo! Whoop whoop! I was going to bake and Adam was going to wait for Directv.

Did I forget to mention that out TV had been out since Thursday? Apparently 17 inches of snow not only damages a gutter, but it causes the gutter to drop on the satellite and knock it out. Just so happened that our TV went out during March Madness. So, there we were with the Elite 8 looming and no TV.

Anways, back to the cookies. I ran to the store to get fresh blueberries when Directv called. "Ms. Kristen, we can't make it today, we're rescheduling to next Saturday." I didn't even respond, I just called Adam and he called. I won't go into details because this story is from Easter Sunday and there were a few too many expletives to repeat. Needless to say, Directv showed up around 4pm and we were back to watching March Madness.

Okay, sorry, I'm rambling, back to the cookies. Blueberry. Paleo. Cheesecake. Cookies. Done & done. These cookies take a hot minute to make and bake but they are so worth it. Plus they are purple. Score.

This recipe is from Physical Kitchness. Have you guys met Chrissa? She's the blogger behind Physical Kitchness. I haven't met her either, but I think we should be friends.  She blogs the most delicioussssss recipes ever. They're all so different and delicious. I love her and her recipes. This one is no exception. Go show her some love. In the meantime -- the recipe.

Ingredients: 

• ½ cup raw almonds + 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice 
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup coconut flour 
• ½ cup almond flour 
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ cup coconut oil 
• 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons raw honey 
• ¼ cup almond milk 
• 1 large egg 
• 1 cup blackberries 
• 2 tablespoons water 
• ¾ teaspoon arrowroot powder 

How to Make: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Boil 3 cups water in a small pot and add in ½ cup raw almonds. Let boil for roughly 10 minutes. This ensures the almonds will soften before pureeing. You can always soak the almonds in water overnight to skip this step. 
3. Drain the almonds and place them into a food processor. Add ½ cup of water, lemon juice, and salt. Puree until creamy, about 2 minutes.
4.  Combine the coconut flour, almond flour, and baking soda into a large bowl. Add the almond puree, coconut oil, raw honey, almond milk, and egg to the bowl. Mix well until a wet dough forms.
5. Meanwhile, add 2 tablespoons water to a pot and 1 cup blackberries. Heat the water on medium/high and let the blackberries soften until they break down, squishing them with the back or a fork or spoon. 
6. Turn off the heat once the blackberries have morphed into a runny jam, then whisk in the arrowroot powder to thicken the mixture 
7. Let the mixture cool slightly, then take large spoonfuls of the blackberry jam and add it to the dough, carefully swirling it in but not mixing in well. 
8. Using your hands, take a small scoop of the dough and gently form into a ball shape. The dough will be fairly wet. 
9. Place the ball on a parchment-lined baking sheet and gently flatten slightly. 
10. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes and let cool before serving. 
11. Enjoy!

Happy Wednesday people! Cheers to delicious cookies and hump-days.

Happy Thursday everyone! We are two work days from the weekend! Hooray! I know I promised you a weekend recap, but my internet at home has not been working correctly, so posting has been a bit difficult. I want this weekend recap to be special, so it might have to come a little late.

There's only one solution to bad internet at home, bake cookies! I've never been a huge cookie fan. I'm much more in the ice cream/fro yo spectrum than the cookie/cake side. But, these cookies are so good and they are so easy to make.



I found this recipe on Healthy Food for Living and was so excited. Lauren blogs over there and is always creating incredible recipes that are gluten-free, paleo ect. Go check out her blog, you will not be disappointed!

I know some people are kind of hesitant (ahem, guys in my office) to try paleo foods, but one would never know these cookies are paleo! They're soft, tasty and the perfect sweet when you're craving something.

Next time I make these, I think I might add dried cranberries. There is so much you could do with this recipe. It's simple so adding to it is easy! I hope you all enjoy this recipe and these cookies as much as Adam and I did. Let's just say they didn't last us more than 3 days! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups almond flour 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 6 tablespoons melted coconut oil (melt before measuring!) 
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (I used vanilla and it tasted great!) 
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

How to Make: 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Line a large cookie sheet with a silpat. 
3. In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking soda. Whisk together making sure to break up any clumps.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the melted coconut oil, honey, vanilla extract and water. 
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until combined. 
6. Fold in the chips and the coconut. 
7. Scoop out portions, roll in a ball and place on cookie sheet. Flatten them with the palm of your hand. 
8. Bank for 12 - 15 minutes. 
9. Place on a rack and try and let them cook before you dig in. Let's just say my house was eating scorching hot cookies :) 

• 12 ounces dark chocolate
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• dash sea salt
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder for rolling

How to make: 

1. Break up chocolate into pieces. 
2. In a pot, heat coconut milk and chocolate. Add in espresso powder and maple syrup. Mix until combined. 
3. Remove and add a dash of sea salt. 
4. Set the bowl in the refridgerator for about 5 hours until the mixture hardens. 
5. Take out a few minutes before to allow it to soften. 
6. Scoop out 1/2 inch balls with a spoon and lay them out on parchment paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. 
7. Roll truffle balls with your hands to make them round. 
8. Roll balls in cocoa powder and serve. 
9. Enjoy! 

Donuts, doughnuts, do-nuts? Is anyone else curious as to the multiple spellings of the word donut? No? Just me? Okay, it's not important anyways. These little donuts are so delicious and so easy to make. And, there is a huge possibility, and by huge, I mean, it happened...but Adam and I ate an entire batch of these donuts in one weekend. Weeps. Enjoy, enjoy!

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 salt
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil (melted)
• 1/2 cup warm apple cider
• 2 tablespoon coconut oil
• Cinnamon and coconut sugar

How to make:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper
3. In a small bowl, whisk together coconut flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. 
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil and honey. 
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined. 
6. Once mixed, add the warm apple cider until fully mixed in. This might take about 2 minutes, I promise it will mix in! 
7. Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place on baking sheet. 
8. Bake for 18 minutes and let cool. 
9. Brush donuts with melted coconut oil roll in cinnamon/sugar mixture. 
10. Enjoy!