Guilt Free Desserts ...

Here are the delicious dessert recipes you’ll learn on this webpage. You can click on the recipe to go to it directly, or read on to see all the recipes.

Cherry Almond Cookies
Lemon Pudding
Blueberry Pie
Banana Ice Cream
Double Chocolate Cake

Cherry Almond Cookies
Makes 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups almonds
• ½ cup walnuts
• 1 ½ cups pitted, packed dates
• ½ tsp almond extract
• ½ cup dried cherries

Equipment

• measuring cups and spoons
• mixing bowl
• spatula

Directions

1. Grind ½ cup almonds into a powder in a food processor; set aside.
2. Place the remaining 1 cup almonds and walnuts in the food processor and process until coarsely chopped. Add the dates and almond extract and process until the mixture sticks together.
3. Remove the mixture to a mixing bowl. Add the dried cherries and mix.
4. Form the dough into 2-inch round balls and flatten each ball slightly with the palm of your hand.
5. Roll each cookie in the almond powder that you set aside.
6. Store refrigerated or frozen in a sealed container. Cherry Almond Cookies keep for 1 month refrigerated and 3 months frozen.

Cookie how-to: make an unlimited variety of cookies from one base

First, make the base

Gather these Ingredients:

• 1 cup almonds
• ½ cup walnuts
• 1 ½ cups pitted packed dates

and Equipment:

• food processor
• measuring cups
• spatula
• mixing bowl

TIP: Make sure that you pit the dates before you measure them, and that you pack them into the measuring cup. Use a soft date: I prefer “Medjool dates”

Process the almonds and walnuts slightly, until coarsely chopped. Then evenly distribute the dates over the nut mixture. Process until the mixture begins to stick together.

TIP: Don’t over-process the almonds and walnuts. You just want to break them up into coarse chunks, so that they process evenly with the dates. If you over-process them, the whole thing will be doughy and sticky, instead of chunky.

TIP: It is important to evenly distribute the dates evenly over the nut mixture, so that it processes evenly.

Remove the mixture to a mixing bowl.

Now it’s time to play and add optional ingredients!

If you want to make different kinds of cookies, separate the base into batches, and add different optional ingredients to each batch (Make sure you that you divide the amount of the optional ingredient by the number of batches you are making). Here are some possibilities:

• ½ cup dried fruits: raisins, cranberries, or cherries (1/2 cup per cookie base recipe)
• ½ tsp extract: almond, vanilla, mint, or cherry
• ½ tsp flavorings: orange zest, lemon zest, or cinnamon
• ¼ cup other ingredients: shredded dried coconut, cocoa or carob powder, chocolate chips, or carob chips

Now, proceed with steps #4-6 of Cherry Almond Cookies

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Lemon Pudding
Makes 1 cup pudding, 4 servings

Ingredients

• 2 medium avocadoes, chopped
• ½ cup raw honey or agave nectar
• ¼ cup lemon juice

Equipment

• cutting board
• citrus juicer or reamer
• food processor
• measuring cups
• spatula

Directions

Place all ingredients in a food processor. Process until smooth. Garnish with fresh berries, if desired.

Parfait how-to: layer puddings to create elegant party desserts

First, make the pudding

Avocadoes are the secret ingredient in many creamy puddings. They take the place of cream, butter, and eggs, and once you add sweeteners and flavorings, you won’t taste the avocado.

Use a food processor to process the avocadoes with the sweetener and flavorings. A blender will whip too much air into the mixture.

TIP: Agave nectar is a liquid sweetener made from cactus, with a low glycemic index. If you do not eat honey, it’s clear color and neutral flavor make it an ideal sweetener for puddings.

Now it’s time to layer!

Use a small wine glass to present the parfait. Layer the pudding with sliced fruits or berries of different colors, such as strawberries, bananas, mangoes, pineapple, and blackberries. Continue to layer until the wine glass is full.

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Blueberry Pie
Makes 1 pie, 8 servings

Ingredients

Crust:

• 1 cup shredded dried coconut
• 2 cups raw macadamia nuts
• ¼ tsp sea salt
• Dash cayenne pepper
• 1/3 cup pitted dates

Filling:

• 3 cups blueberries, fresh, or frozen, thawed, and drained
• ½ cup pitted dates
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon

Equipment

• blender
• citrus juicer or reamer
• food processor
• measuring cups and spoons
• pie plate
• spatula

Directions

1. In a food processor, process the dried coconut until it is coarsely ground.
2. Add the macadamia nuts, sea salt, and cayenne and process until the mixture is a coarse meal.
3. Add the dates and process until the mixture sticks together when pressed between your thumb and forefinger. Press the crust into a shallow pie plate.
4. Blend 1 cup of the blueberries with the dates, lemon juice, and cinnamon in a Vita-Mix or blender. Mix the blended blueberry mixture with the remaining blueberries.
5. Using a spatula, fill the crust with the blueberry filling.
6. Chill at least 1 hour to set. Serve at room temperature, or warmed in the dehydrator.

Pie how-to: shaping a perfect crust

First, make the crust

Process the coconut and nuts until they are ground before you add the dates. This is different from cookies, where you want a chunky texture. Here, the texture should be more uniform.

Add only enough dates so that the mixture sticks together. Do not over-process the crust. If you add too many dates, the crust will be too sweet, and if you over-process the crust, it will be oily. Don’t worry if the crust seems a little loose. It will stick together more once you press it into the pie crust.

Pour all the pie crust in a shallow pie plate.

TIP: Use a shallow pie plate, rather than a deep-dish one. Raw pies taste better with a smaller amount of crust, so that the nuts don’t over-power the fruit filling.

Now, shape the crust

Don’t press that crust down yet! First you want to distribute it uniformly in the pie pan. Using the palm of your hand, make a light, circular motion, to distribute the crust crumbles along the bottom and up the sides of the pan.

TIP: If there isn’t enough crust along some sections of the sides of the pan, rearrange the crumbs so that they are evenly distributed.

When the crust crumbles are evenly distributed, begin to press the crust down on the bottom of the pan, using your fingers and palm. Make sure that you press especially firmly in the ridge at the outside edge of the bottom of the pan, where the sides begin.

TIP: A 1-cup size measuring cup is a useful tool for pressing the pie crust into the pan. Hold the measuring cup by it’s sides, and use a downward motion with a slight twist to press the crust into the bottom of the pan. When you use the cup to press down the outside edge of the crust, the sides of the cup will naturally press the crust against the sides of the pan.

After you have pressed the crust into the bottom of the pan, use your fingers to press the crust against the sides of the pan. If there is excess crust above the edge of the pan, gently shape it so that the edges are even. Instant pie crust, without the rolling pin!

TIP: At this point, you can wrap the crust with plastic wrap and place it in the freezer. Then, whenever the urge to have pie strikes, you will have a crust ready to go.

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Banana Ice Cream
Makes 2 cups ice cream, 4 servings

Ingredients

• 4 ripe bananas, peeled and frozen
• fresh sliced fruits or berries, to garnish (try mangoes, strawberries, pineapple, blueberries, or blackberries)
  

Equipment

• slow speed juicer fitted with a blank plate

Directions

1. Put the bananas through the juicer. Serve immediately, garnished with fresh fruit

Ice cream how-to: make creamy banana ice cream even if you don’t own a juicer

Slow-speed juicers, like the Green Star, Samson, and Omega, come with an additional plate, called the blank, or “homogenizing” plate. This plate can be used to make nut patés and ice creams.

But if you don’t have a slow-speed juicer, you can use your food processor to make ice cream.

Let the frozen bananas thaw for five minutes, to soften slightly. Cut them in half crosswise.

Fit your food processor with the shredding, or grating attachment. Grate the bananas.

Now, fit your food processor with the S-blade. Process the bananas until they become creamy, soft-serve ice cream.

TIP: To make other fruit ice creams, you don’t need to use the grating attachment. Here’s how to make two delicious fruit ice creams in your food processor, using only the S-blade:

Mango ice cream: Process frozen, sliced mangoes

Cherry ice cream: Process frozen cherries

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Double Chocolate Cake
Makes 1 8-inch cake, 8 servings

Ingredients

• 4 cups walnuts
• 1 cup pitted, packed dates
• 2/3 cup cocoa or carob powder
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 ½ Tbsp water
• 2/3 cup dried cherries, chocolate chips, or carob chips

Equipment

• measuring cups and spoons
• spatula
• 8-inch round or square cake pan

Directions

1. Place the walnuts in a food process and process until ground.
2. Add the dates and process until the mixture begins to stick together.
3. Add the cocoa or carob powder and vanilla extract and process.
4. Add the water and process briefly.
5. Add the dried cherries, chocolate chips, or carob chips and pulse just to mix.
6. Press the mixture firmly into a cake pan.
7. Chill for at least 30 minutes before serving. Chocolate Cake keeps for up to two weeks in the refrigerator.

Cake how-to: serving and decorating ideas

Mix in chopped nuts

Add 2/3 cup chopped walnuts or almonds into the cake batter before pressing it into the pan. Dust the top of the cake with additional finely chopped nuts.

Layer with fresh fruit

Top the cake with cherries, blackberries, or sliced strawberries. You can use fresh or frozen and thawed.

To make a layer cake, double the cake recipe. Press ½ of the cake batter into the pan. Top with the fruit layer. Press the remaining cake batter in the pan. Top with additional fruit.

Make a whipped topping or fruit sauce

To make a whipped topping, blend ½ cup water, 1 cup soaked cashews, and ¼ cup raw honey or agave nectar.

To make a fruit sauce, blend 2 cups strawberries, raspberries, or cherries (fresh or frozen and thawed) with ½ cup pitted, packed dates.

You can top the entire cake with the topping or sauce. Or, place a spoonful on top of individual slices.

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I hope you enjoy these guilt-free desserts.