6 Paleo Dessert Recipes To Inspire You
The Paleo diet is no longer an esoteric term, though the actual premise of the diet is still shrouded in confusion. Need a tutorial before we begin? Click here to learn more about the Paleo diet.
Click here to read more on 6 Paleo Desserts to Inspire You (Slideshow)
With so many diets competing for media attention and shelf space, it's easy for any diet, new or established, to get lost in the fray. There's Atkin's, the Mediterrean Diet, and South Beach just to name a few. And then there are all the catch phrases and terminology of low carb, gluten-free, juice cleanses, and ketogenics. The list goes on.
One diet might suggest cutting out carbs and still others give the green light as long as consumed starches come from natural sources i.e., fruits and vegetables. Nuts are the devil in some diets and godsend by yet another. How's a girl supposed to lose weight if I lose wind just rattling off the do's and don'ts! Really, just comparing the many mandates make me want nothing more than to reach for a cronut. Surely that's permissible and even encouraged on one of these diets? Is there no Refined Sugar Diet?
But alas, there is not. One, if perhaps only, overarching theme with these diets is that desserts loaded with refined sugars and butter are never "OK" to consume on the daily and the perils of regularly eating them will include a no-no finger wagging by all.
I know what you're thinking: Duh, of course you're setting yourself up for poor nutrition and weight gain if you eat too many desserts. Who needs a diet to tell me that! But perhaps the takeaway is that there are hidden fats and sugars in all commercial foods, never mind just desserts, so you're only helping yourself in being more cognizant of what you're cooking and eating.
In an attempt to harness said cognizance, I've been looking to homemade dessert options that venture out from the use of white flour, sugar, butter, and cream but don't try to pass off a bowl of berries as the only go-to for dessert options. For inspiration, I've looked to my Paleo counterparts to see what they use in their baking adventures. I am pleasantly surprised to know that there are different types of flours and other ingredients that lend themselves to making delicious desserts.
The Daily Meal rounded up some of the best Paleo desserts from our contributors. Read on to see how you can satiate your sweet tooth while following a Paleo lifestyle!
Flourless Chocolate Cake
Aren't chocolate cravings prehistoric? Surely cavemen and women alike relied on chocolate to eat their feelings. How else would they manage the stress of hunting saber tooth tigers and relying on commission from cave paintings to feed their young? We understand the search for a good chocolate cake recipe plagues the present day society, too, so The Daily Meal shares this Paleo-friendly one.
Click here for a recipe for Paleo Friendly Flourless Chocolate Cake.
Pumpkin-Chocolate Bars
You'll be surprised these treats don't have creamed butter in them. The pumpkin and coconut oil give a soft, moist mouth-feel and the dark chocolate punctuates with just the right amount of sharpness making this a dessert that will have you wanting to curl up in your cave, happy and satiated.
Click here for a recipe for Paleo Pumpkin Chocolate Bars.
Click here to read about 4 more Paleo Desserts.
If you have a Paleo recipe you'd like to share, send it to ssatpathy@thedailymeal.com. I'm always looking for more inspiration and I'm also curious to learn more about cooking and baking on the Paleo diet!