Today on the blog, we’re joined by one of the up and coming talents in the paleo blogging scene, Taylor of Taylor Made it Paleo. We started following Taylor on Instagram a few months back and have been hooked on her fantastic food and terrific photographs ever since. We recommend that you check out her feed for more recipes like this one! Not only that, but Taylor is extremely entertaining along the way. If you’re a fan of PaleOMG, you’ll definitely love Taylor.
And for her guest post, Taylor is tackling the difficult challenge of making a cranberry pistachio biscotti with paleo-friendly ingredients!
♥♥♥
Hello Paleo Parents readers! Taylor here from Taylor Made It Paleo. First of all, I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am to be writing this post. I’m not even going to lie, I have my sister to thank for my connection to Stacy and Matt. You see, awhile back, they wrote a post on their Facebook page saying they were looking for new paleo accounts to follow on Instagram, and that they wanted their followers’ input. So naturally, I did what any other desperate blogger would do and called my older sister and begged her like a puppy to write my name on there (treats were involved as bribery). And what do you know, a few days later they followed me. I think I did a small dance routine around my kitchen when that happened. Okay a big dance routine. Anyways, that’s how it all started and now here I am writing on their blog, still star struck as ever.
So if there is one thing you should know about me, it’s that I have a highly dangerous sweet tooth. Highly dangerous. So you can only imagine how much I love this time of year with holiday goodies galore. And let me tell you, my family does not mess around when it comes to Christmas cookies. No sir. Back in my childhood days, I would bake and bake and bake Christmas cookies with my grandma until I could bake no more. Okay, let’s be real; I still do that today. But with much different ingredients now thanks to paleo.
What some people don’t know about me is that I’m also a type 1 diabetic. I was diagnosed when I was ten years old (I’m now 21), and used to take four insulin injections a day until just a couple of years ago when I made the transition to an insulin pump (a small device attached to me 24/7 that gives me insulin in small amounts all day, as well as bonuses when I eat). So if you know anything about type 1 diabetes, you know that it doesn’t really mix well with sweets. Sugar in food = sugar in blood. And when your body doesn’t make insulin to regulate blood sugar like mine, things get complicated.
So a little over a year ago, I was reading up on the paleo diet because I had heard about how much it helped with controlling blood sugar. I’ve never had any severe problems with controlling my levels, but I knew that I could use some improvement, so I decided to give it a try. I did the Whole30 thing at first (and many times after) to get me started, which was great. But after a while, I knew I wouldn’t be able to sustain that strict of a diet if I was going to make this a lifestyle. I was going to need to satisfy my sweet tooth somehow, without totally falling off the wagon and eating treats that would send my blood sugar soaring. So that’s when Taylor Made It Paleo came about. I started experimenting with paleo treats and sharing them with people on my site.
Now, some people don’t agree with paleo desserts because they think it goes against the whole point of a paleo diet. Well, I think those people are crazy. For me, paleo is all about doing what works for you and what is going to be sustainable for you. And eating a paleo treat sometimes is what works for me. I think that’s part of the reason why I like Matt and Stacy so much. Because they created the “Best Brownies Ever” in their Beyond Bacon cookbook. And when I tasted those brownies, I knew there would forever be a special place in my heart for those lovely people.
So today I am here to share with you one of my all-time favorite Christmas cookies. Every year, my aunt and I make a cranberry pistachio biscotti that is just to die for. Dip it in coffee, dip it in milk, dip it in white chocolate (what?), you name it. This stuff is the bomb.com. But not the bomb.com for making your blood sugar happy. So this year I decided to make it paleo-style. Don’t tell my aunt, but I think this version is actually better. I love this recipe because it is just so festive for the holidays with the red cranberries and green pistachios. But the really great part is that it’s so versatile. It’s really just a blank canvas for you to run wild with. Not into cranberries and pistachios? Well, let’s be honest, I’m secretly judging you if you’re not. But you can easily replace them here with chocolate chips or another dried fruit; whatever your little heart desires. Just like a paleo diet, these babies can be customized to your liking. So enjoy! And Happy Holidays!
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups almond flour
- 1 tbsp arrowroot flour
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ¼ cup + 1 tbsp honey
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup shelled pistachios
- 1 tbsp grass-fed butter or ghee, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- In a food processor, combine almond flour, arrowroot flour, baking soda and salt.
- Add in honey, pulsing until the mixture becomes sticky and begins to form a ball.
- Remove from food processor and use hands to mix in cranberries and pistachios.
- Form dough into a log (about 10 inches long, 2-3 inches wide) and place on a baking
- sheet covered with parchment paper.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove and let cool for 45 minutes, then slice into 1 inch pieces on the diagonal.
- Place pieces on baking sheet and brush tops with melted butter.
- Bake for another 15 minutes at 300 degrees, turning cookies once halfway through.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before cooling
- completely on wire rack.
- Enjoy!
I’m Taylor, a 21 year old modern day cavegirl. Just kidding. But I do like paleo. And baking paleo desserts. I don’t think cavegirls did that.
Web: www.taylormadeitpaleo.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/taylormadeitpaleo
Twitter: @taymadeitpaleo
Instagram: taylormadeitpaleo
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/TayMadeItPaleo
