Frozen Cookie Sandwiches

I’m not really sure what to say about these other than that if you love a cookie ice cream sandwich, you’re going to LOVE these. And then you’ll love them even more when you realize they use healthy ingredients and no gluten, dairy, or refined sugar- hello everything good and right in the world. I used the same ingredients from the 3-Ingredient Ice Box Cake from the meal plan a few weeks ago and just rearranged it into some cookie sandwiches we could snack on by the pool.

Let’s talk for just a sec about the Simple Mills Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies. Simple Mills is a brand I love - they use whole food ingredients (almond flour, tigernuts, coconut oil and unrefined coconut sugar) - because in my humble opinion, a life without cookies is no life at all. And ones that taste good and are healthy? EVEN BETTER.

Here in Nashville, Simple Mills products can be found at Whole Foods, Target, and Kroger but if you don’t frequent any of those places, you can get them online from Amazon or Thrive Market. They have so many great products but I specifically love their Crunchy Cookies (Chocolate Chip and Toasted Pecan), Pizza Dough Mix, Sea Salt Crackers, and Muffin Mix.

Alright on to how I made these little bites of deliciousness…

What you need: SoDelicious Coconut Whipped Topping, Simple Mills Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies, EnjoyLife Foods Dairy-free Mini Chocolate Chips

What to do (in four easy steps):

Step One - Thaw whipped topping slightly and scoop into a Ziploc bag. Cut off the tip.

Step Two - Open up cookie package and pipe whipped topping onto one cookie then top with a second cookie.

Step Three - Carefully place mini chocolate chips around the outside of the whipped topping and place on a small sheet pan.

Step Four - Place in the freezer for at least one hour.

Enjoy!

Happy Birthday, Tennessee - The Fruit Pizza Edition

Sometimes I spend my time scrolling through Instagram, drooling over all the beautiful food creations people make - I gotta say, people are really talented. With Tennessee’s birthday coming up (June 1st), I decided to try my hand a pretty food creation and made a fruit pizza paying homage to my great home state.

I love fruit pizza as a summer dessert because it’s sweet and light and just feels right for the hot temps. I used a mix of recipes, creating a “healthy-ish” version you can feel good about enjoying…it is dessert after all.

For the Cookie Crust: I used the grain-free sugar cookie crust from FitFoodieFinds. Her recipe makes a 10 inch round crust so to make my 1/2 sheet pan size, I doubled her recipe. The original recipe can be found here.

Ingredients:

• 2 large egg

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup honey

• 4 Tbsp coconut oil

• 4 cups blanched almond flour

• 1 cup coconut flour

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 cup white chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line sheet pan with parchment paper.

2. Mix wet ingredients in large mixing bowl and set aside.

3. In separate bowl, mix dry ingredients.

4. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix and knead with your hands until combined. If using, add white chocolate chips and combine.

5. Place dough on sheet pan and press to flatten.

6. Baked 17-20 minutes then cool completely before icing.

For the icing: I used the Skinnytaste Fruit Pizza Cream Cheese Frosting and again, doubled the recipe. This one is so simple to make.

Ingredients:

• 2- 8 oz blocks cream cheese, softened

• 1 cup powdered sugar*

• 2 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. In a larger bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the ingredients until well blended. After cookie is completely cooled, frost cookie.

*For my recipe, I used a powdered sugar substitute, Swerve Sweetener Confectioner’s Sugar. If you haven’t used Swerve before, it’s a zero calorie and non-glycemic sugar replacement made from completely natural ingredients, meaning it won’t spike your blood sugar and unlike Stevia, it doesn’t have any aftertaste. It’s used in a 1:1 substitute with regular sugar and can be used in all recipes. Swerve makes a granular, confectioner’s and brown version for all your baking/cooking needs. This is a completely optional step as I see nothing wrong with a little sugar sometimes in the context of an otherwise healthy diet, but I stock Swerve in my pantry so I went for it.

Finally, I decorated my Tennessee Flag with fresh strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries. Any cut up fruit will do though and the design options are endless. I’ve included some of my favorite fruit pizza inspirations below - I several more of these in our future this summer :)