Summer is upon us and that means BBQ’s and get togethers/potlucks. I usually try and bring along some sort of sweet treat because it’s hard to steer clear from desserts that are usually offered ….so bringing one to share means that I will not dive into something that my aching tummy will regret later.
I’m not a huge fruit lover but I do love berries. A fruit salad is always a good idea but I like my chocolate! So what I’ve done here is combine the two. I have a super yum recipe on my blog ‘Brownie Crisps‘ and they are very reminiscent to the brownie brittle you can grab at the store so I took that recipe and tweaked it a little to give these thin crust brownies more of a brownie like feel vs. a cookie, if you will.
Do you take along foods to help keep you on track with health goals? I personally don’t mind indulging in something that I don’t usually eat but more than just thinking about the waist line, I worry that I’ll end up feeling sick later. It really depends on what is offered and I don’t want to take the chance that it’ll be something that my tummy doesn’t agree with. YES, I can certainly abstain all together but for me, food is often what we socialize around – right? I mean, we get together with friends for dinner, lunch, coffee, BBQ’s and even dessert and/or drinks. I don’t think it’s a bad thing for food to be fun ….but we should know our limits. Maybe it’s my age but it’s not worth an evening of eating things I don’t tolerate well, when I am feeling ‘blah’ and or even sick the next day. Kind of like alcohol — I decide to steer clear mostly because being in a fog or having a hangover the next day isn’t fun anymore!
*side note: You can make mocktails or even just a glass of club soda with lemon (in a short glass) will allow you to feel like you’re partaking and quite honestly, no one will bug you about having a drink if they think you’ve already got one …..and all the while you’ll know that the next morning you will be thriving and feeling great!
But back to dessert! Here we are with this perfect little treat that you can take or serve at any get together but with the strawberries and blueberries laid out like this, it’s a perfect 4th of July dessert! Or just toss them all on ……right? Anything red, white and blue emotes America so do what you will but I would definitely give this a try. My (non-paleo/foodie) daughter said ‘no’ to this a couple of times and finally gave in and had a piece AND LOVED it! It’s not often that I get her on board with some of the recipes I make but when I do, I know it’s a winner!
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 2 tbsp tapioca flour
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil, cooled
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- "Frosting"
- 1/2 cup coconut cream*
- 4 oz cream cheese*
- 2 tsp xylitol
- 8-10 strawberries, depending on size
- 35ish Blueberries
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a bowl, whisk up the almond flour, tapioca flour, coconut sugar and cocoa powder. Add salt.
- In another bowl, mix the eggs, coconut oil and vanilla.
- Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredient bowl and combine. Spread out onto a greased or parchment lined 9x13 baking pan (I like the short rimmed pan for these, not the brownie pan). Smooth and place into preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes.
- Let cool.
- Combine frosting ingredients using a hand mixer and "fluff" into a smooth consistency. Spread on top of cooled brownies. Place in refrigerator for 30-60 minutes.
- Hull and slice strawberries. First, place blueberries to create the 'stars' area on the flag on upper left hand corner. Then, lay strawberries, somewhat over lapping one another to create a 'stripe' up to the blueberries and continue with stripes going down the pan (I had 4 stripes of strawberries).
- Or alternatively, use blueberries with raspberries if that's your preference and honestly, a flag doesn't need to be made ....just tossing them on will still be a fun red, white and blue dessert that will taste just the same!
- *If you prefer not to use cream cheese, replace both the coconut cream and cream cheese with 1 cup full fat coconut milk (chilled so you can get the solidified coconut milk).
