This year the kids and I are participating in a large cookie exchange. We tested TONS of recipes (no one was complaining) and found the perfect ones! These cookies are so simple. With only four ingredients they really are amazing. I tested these out on my co-workers, friends at Thanksgiving and the neighbors and they were a hit!

It’s very simple. Buy a box of cake mix, add ingredients and bake. That’s it. They are guaranteed to turn out soft and chewy every time! We tied SEVERAL combinations and we liked them all. I am really convinced that you can not go wrong with any combination!

Cake batter cookie recipe!

Ingredients:
1 box of cake mix
2 eggs
1 tsp baking POWDER
1/3 cup vegetable oil (Others work fine also)

Yes, that is really it! Although you can add any mix-ins that you want. I will include some of our combinations after the instructions!

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Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix eggs, oil and baking powder in a bowl until combined. Slowly add dry cake mix. You want the batter to by thick so you can roll it into balls.
Now is the time to add mix-ins. This could be nuts, chocolate chips, candy pieces, dried fruits. You make up your own fun combinations and report back!
Roll into 1.5 inch balls and place on a baking sheet. We used a pampered chef stoneware, so we did not need it greased, but you may.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes or until slightly golden brown.
Remove and let cool on cookie sheet for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire rack.

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Our personal favorite Cake Batter Cookie combinations:
Cherry Chip cake mix + Dried cherries + Chocolate Chips
Spice cake mix + Roll in cinnamon sugar before baking
Funfetti cake mix + Extra sprinkles before baking
French Vanilla cake mix + Chocolate chips
Devils Food cake mix + Chocolate chunks
Strawberry cake mix + Chocolate Chips

What combination will you come up with? We would love to hear!

The post Cake Batter Cookie Recipe appeared first on That Savage Life.

MMM. Brownies. Chewy, fudgy, thick chocolate goodness. We have tried several “paleo” brownies and just could not get into the texture or the taste of them so we decided to try our hand at Sweet Potato Brownies. We had an abundance of purple sweet potatoes lying around so we used those instead of the traditional orange ones. They don’t taste any different, but it does make the brownies LOOK darker instead of the orange tinge the traditional sweet potatoes give. I was a little skeptical of these when I was whipping up this recipe, but the results were awesome. The only regret is not having some raw milk on hand for these to go with!  My husband says he prefers these to any other brownies we have tried. We added chopped raw pistachios to ours, but you can omit those or add any nut or dried fruit of your choice! Try it out and let me know what you think!

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Fudgy Sweet Potato Brownies!

Ingredients:
Two cups of sweet potato (cooked and peeled)
3 eggs
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1/3 cup raw honey
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 tbs coconut flour
3 tbs cocoa powder (we used special dark)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup Enjoy life chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped raw pistachios (optional)

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Instructions:
Bake and peel the sweet potato. Mash and measure out two cups.
Add egg, oil, honey, vanilla to a bowl and whisk until smooth.
Fold in coconut sugar, coconut flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and chocolate chips.
Pour batter in a 9×9 greased baking pan.
Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

The post Fudgy sweet potato brownies! appeared first on That Savage Life.

These little treats came about because we did not have graham crackers on hand when we started the fire! We really try to stay away from all gluten and grain when we started eating Paleo foods 8 months ago. I saw some gluten-free graham crackers at Natural Grocers and they were just so expensive and it has been my experience that most store-bought gluten-free products don’t taste that great anyway. So we skipped them and came up with our own version of S’mores that we actually love more than the traditional version! You can use chocolate bars in the middle or anything else you can come up with! We would love to hear about your fillings!  They were a HIT with all of our guest and we hope that your family loves them too!

Instructions:
-Break apart Hershey bar and set aside.
-Place GIANT marshmallow on a stick and slow roast it. Lightly brown the outside evenly all the way around by turning slowly. If it catches fire, blow it out and move marshmallow back from the fire. The key is to not allow it to burn because the marshmallow will flake and you won’t have a nice pocket for your chocolate to fit into.
-Once it is nicely browned, use your fingers to remove the outset crust from the marshmallow.
-Insert chocolate and press together.
-Enjoy!

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Since starting our Paleo journey I have been on a hunt for the PERFECT chocolate chip cookie recipe. I wanted a cookie that was soft and chewy and that still tastes good the next day! I also wanted a cookie that took very little time to prepare and a recipe that was not full of complicated instructions or hard to find ingredients. I heard rave reviews about Against All Grain’s Real Deal Chocolate Chip cookies and decided to try them. I checked out the recipe, but I didn’t have all the ingredients. I substituted some ingredients and let me tell you, these cookies are blow-your-mind good!! My husband and kids ask for them often! My husband’s co-workers have tried them and friends of mine have had them and not a single person disliked them! They are THAT good. Just trust me and try them for yourself! The best part is these cookies are gluten, soy, grain and dairy free!

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup ghee (you can use grass-fed butter if you tolerate it)
• ¼ cup coconut palm sugar (We like Navitas Naturals Organic Coconut Palm Sugar)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons raw local honey 
• 1 large egg
• 1½ cups almond flour (We like Honeyville Blanched Almond Flour)
• 2 tablespoons coconut flour (We like Nutiva coconut flour)
  
• ½ teaspoon baking soda 
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup chocolate chips (We like Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini Chips)

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Instructions:

-Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
-Using a food processor (or high powered blender) mix ghee, coconut sugar, honey, vanilla and egg until smooth and combined.
-Add almond flour, baking soda, salt and coconut flour and mix just enough to combine ingredients. If you over mix baked goods tend to get hard once they are cooked.
-Scrape sides down and add in chocolate chips of your choice. Mix with a wooden or rubber spoon.
-Form 1 1/2 inch dough balls and place on a cookie sheet. We use a Pampered Chef stoneware, but you can also add a Silpat or parchment to your cookie sheet and it will be fine.
-Cookie do not spread much so you will need to form them as you would like for them to come out.
-Bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges are golden browned. The cookie will still be soft to the touch in the center. Remove and let sit and cool on a baking rack.
-Best enjoyed right away, but if you need to save any cookies place them in an air-tight container.

The post Perfect Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies! appeared first on That Savage Life.

My son LOVES Nutella, but the ingredients in Nutella are not good for him.

I decided to use what I had on hand and try to make my own Nutella!

Now, Nutella is made from Hazelnuts, and the only thing I had on hand was Cashews and Pecans. They worked just fine!

Since I had never made this before I don’t have an actual recipe… but I can tell you that I used my Omega Juicer and my Ninja Blender to blend, crush and turn the nuts (pecan and cashew) into butter.

I then added 1 tablespoon 100% special dark cocoa powder.

-Add raw honey to taste. However sweet you like it!

This was a HUGE hit with the kids!

The post Paleo Nutella appeared first on That Savage Life.

They are so creamy on the inside with a crunchy chocolate shell!

Ingredients:

1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons butter
1 lb dipping chocolate

Instructions:

Cream together sugar, peanut butter and butter.

Roll into 1.5 inch balls

Freeze until stiff

Melt Chocolate in a double boiler

Dip frozen peanut butter balls in chocolate and let cool on wax paper.

The post Peanut Butter Balls appeared first on That Savage Life.

Chocolate covered Moonshine cherries with vanilla bean cream center!

Think that was a mouth full???

Wait until you have tried these AMAZINGLY delicious, easy to make, home made cordial cherries!

These are very simple to make… the bad thing is you want to eat them right away!!

The cherries have to set for TWO weeks at a minimum so that the vanilla cream will liquefy.

The picture above is from Day one. Of course I had to cut one open and try it!

Ingredients:

• 40 Ole Smokey Moonshine cherries
• 1/4 cup (2 oz) butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 tbsp light corn syrup
• 2 tbsp reserved cherry liquid (can substitute cherry liqueur)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
• 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 lb semi-sweet chocolate
• 1 tsp liquid Invertase *** (SEE NOTE)

{NOTE} If you choose to use regular maraschino cherries you will need to use the invertase if you want the cream to liquefy.

Instructions:

The day before, remove the amount of cherries you will need from the liquid and pat dry with a paper towel. Place in freezer overnight.

Mix the butter, corn syrup, cherry liquid, vanilla, and powdered sugar until you have a workable dough ball. You don’t want it sticky, but you don’t want it to be too hard it cracks. You can’t mess this up… just add more powdered sugar if it is too sticky.

Remove Cherries from freezer.

Take about a tablespoon of dough and roll into a ball. Flatten it in your palm. Place the cherry in the middle and wrap it up.

Finish the rest of these and freeze until firm. (I did mine overnight)

Melt chocolate in double boiler. Using two forks dip the cherries in the chocolate and set on wax paper. All to dry.

Inspect the cherries to see that all spots are covered with chocolate creating a seal so when the center liquefies it does not leak out. If not completely covered then re-dip.

Place in a tightly covered dish and allow to sit in a cool, dry place for a minimum of two weeks!

Enjoy!! (To be enjoyed responsibly)

**~*~* I will update the blog with pictures of the liquified center in two weeks*~*~**

The post Chocolate Covered Moonshine cherries and vanilla cream! appeared first on That Savage Life.

It isn’t fast. It isn’t healthy.
However…. it is YUUUUUMMMMMMYYY!
This is BY FAR the best cookie recipe I have ever tried!
The cookies stay moist and chewy and DELICIOUS even after they cool!

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies!

INGREDIENTS:

1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (8 3/4 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
14 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 3/4 sticks)
1/2 cup granulated sugar (3 1/2 ounces)
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar (5 1/4 ounces)
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk (I added one more when at a high altitude)
1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips (Enjoy Life brand recommended)
or 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (Enjoy Life brand recommended)
3/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)
or 3/4 cup walnuts, toasted (optional)

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The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Directions:

1
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 large (18- by 12- inch) baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.
2
Heat 10 tablespoons butter in 10 inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and, using heat-proof spatula, transfer browned butter to large heat-proof bowl. Stir remaining 4 tablespoons butter into hot butter until completely melted.
3
Add both sugars, salt, baking soda and vanilla to bowl with butter and whisk until fully incorporated. Add egg and yolk and whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds. Let mixture stand 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth and shiny. Using rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if using), giving dough final stir to ensure no flour pockets remain.
4
Divide dough into 16 portions, each about 3 tablespoons (or use #24 cookie scoop). Arrange 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets, 8 dough balls per sheet. (Smaller baking sheets can be used, but will require 3 batches.).
5
Bake cookies 1 tray at a time until cookies are golden brown and still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, 10 to 14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack; cool cookies completely before serving.

CHANGES: I live in a higher altitude, so I added one extra egg yolk and cooked them for about 12 min.

IF you have tried these let me know what you think!

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The post The BEST chocolate chip cookies!! appeared first on That Savage Life.

Healthy Andes Mint Chocolate Cupcakes

This recipe only has 4 ingredients! 

This is by far my favorite (and the kids)!

Don’t let the pumpkin scare you off! It is very well hidden with the chocolate. My boys and husband could not even tell it was in there!

Healthy Andes Mint Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1) Devils food Chocolate cake mix (DRY)

2) One can 15 ounce pumpkin

3) Andes Mint Chocolate chips!

4) 1/2 cup water

Instructions:

Mix together the dry cake mix and one can of pumpkin.

Add between 1/4 cup and 1/2 cup water for desired consistency.

Mix in (I used half the bag) Andes Mint Chips

Scoop into cupcake pan. Top with more chips.

Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean!

Enjoy!

The post Healthy Andes Mint Chocolate Cupcakes appeared first on That Savage Life.

My family LOVES these muffins! I love that they are ONLY three ingredients and they have a hidden ingredient that nobody will know is there! Pumpkin!! There is no oil or eggs in this recipe! Just water, pumpkin, cake mix and chocolate! They are so much better for you and I promise you can’t even taste the pumpkin! Plus, if you are on weight watchers, these have a low points value!

Chocolate 3 ingredient muffins

1 boxed chocolate cake mix (I used sugar free)

1 small can of pumpkin puree 15 ounce

6 ounces of chocolate chips

**MAKES 48 mini  cupcakes**

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Mix together cake mix and canned pumpkin. It is best to use a mixer for about 2 minutes on medium speed to get fluffier cupcakes.

Add in almost all of the 6 ounces of chocolate chips

Put in a muffin tin with liners. Batter is dense and does not rise much so these can be filled to the top.

Add a few tiny chips to the tops.

Bake for 22-25 min until a toothpick inserted comes out clean!

**ENJOY!**

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