Candida.

It's a pretty miserable thing. Brought on by antibiotic overuse, consuming too much sugar, and more, this condition is a systemic overgrowth of yeast in the body.

Believe me--it's not a pretty sight.

If you're really interested, you can read more of my dealings with candida at:

- What is Candida and The Beginning of My Sugar-Free Life
- My Childhood and 5 Causes of Gut Dysbiosis
- Do You Believe this Gut Health Myth?

Once you have an overgrowth of candida, you really need to stop eating sugar.

Yep--like I said--not fun.

But thankfully, that doesn't mean that you can't still enjoy desserts.

You just need to get a little creative with them.

And if you've been around here for any time at all, you know that I like being creative in the kitchen.

Hopefully you've tried:

- Silky Bean Fudge
- Chocolate Almond Chip Coconut Milk Ice Cream
- Sugar-Free Marshmallows
- Almond Joy® Bars

Well, if you've got a sweet tooth like me, and you are trying to avoid sugar (which really--even if you don't have candida, avoiding sugar is a good thing to do), then do I have a treat for you.

Note -I am an affiliate for the candida book and there are other links in this post as well that are affiliate links. If you click on them and make a purchase I might make a commission.

This book is loaded with tons of information about candida, and also--70 Whole-Foodie-Friendly, but Sugar-Free Super Tempting Desserts. (The authors use a mixture of alternative sweeteners that you can adapt to your liking.)

Sugar-free Desserts in The Sweeter Side of Candida

Check out these great titles:

- Serious Chocolate Lovers Pots de Creme
- Chocolate Chunk Mousse
- Finger-Licking Cinnamon Rolls
- Lick Your Lips Lemon Meringue Pie
- Chocolate Loca Mocha Cake
- Shortbread Caramel Candy Bars (like Twix®)

Sigh. The list goes on and on.

It's the kind of book that inspires me to get in the kitchen to try out some new recipes.

And right when I got my copy of the book, that is just what I did.

Just this morning I whipped up the Feet in the Sand Coconut Ice Cream (with my Homemade Chocolate Chips) and "The Best Ever" Almond Butter Healthy Buckeyes. I wanted to make the Shortbread Caramel Candy Bars, but I was in a hurry so I picked quick and easy stuff. This time :).

The verdict? Both were delicious.

Truthfully, I made the ice cream with some added gelatin for creaminess and I added it too late and my Homemade Coconut Milk wasn't creamy enough (I took a short cut) so it was a tad grainy, but it did taste great. In fact, my son asked me to make it again with just stevia and a proper batch of coconut milk.

Feet in the Sand Coconut Ice Cream

Almond Butter Healthy Buckeyes

The healthy buckeyes were simply yum.

And lucky you---I get to share the recipe with you all here.

The following photo is from the truly fantastic Sweeter Side of Candida book.

Yummy Almond Butter Buckeyes. Mmmmmm......

Ingredients

Center

1/2 cup butter, softened (I used coconut oil, melted)
3/4 cup almond butter (See my Homemade Nut and Seed Butter)
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch celtic sea salt
1/2 cup granulated low-carb sweetener (see Recipe Notes for alternatives)
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)

Chocolate Coating

1/2 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup raw cacao powder
pinch celtic sea salt
stevia (to taste; see my Stevia Tips here)

Instructions

In a medium bowl, combine xylitol/cinnamon (if using) with butter, almond butter, vanilla extract, and salt. Mix on medium speed until well blended.
Use a small scoop, or form balls in your hand, and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Freeze for about 20 minutes.
While it's freezing, put coconut oil in a small pan and melt. Add the remaining ingredients (add stevia a little at a time) and stir well. Let cool. Remove baking sheet from freezer and dip the centers in the coating. Put back in freezer for approximately 5 minutes.
Coat two more times to make a nice coating. Store in freezer.

Notes

You can replace the almond butter with an allowed nut butter of choice, but it may change the flavor. I used a mix of pumpkin and sunflower seed butters for this since I was running out of almond butter--and they tasted great!

Tried this recipe?Mention @wholenewmom or tag #wholenewmom!

"The Best Ever" Almond Butter Healthy Buckeyes

Makes 20 pieces

Ingredients

Center:

1/2 c. butter, softened (I used coconut oil, melted)
3/4 c. raw almond butter (See my Homemade Nut and Seed Butter)**
1 tsp. vanilla extract
pinch of celtic sea salt
1/2 c. powdered xylitol or other sweetener of choice (See Powdered Sugar Substitute)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon, optional

Chocolate Coating:

1/2 c. coconut oil
1/4 c. raw cacao powder
pinch of celtic sea salt
stevia to taste (See my Stevia Tips here)

Method

In a medium bowl, combine xylitol/cinnamon (if using) with butter, almond butter, vanilla extract, and salt. Mix on medium speed until well blended.
Use a small scoop, or form balls in your hand, and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Freeze for about 20 minutes.
While it's freezing, put coconut oil in a small pan and melt. Add the remaining ingredients (add stevia a little at a time) and stir well. Let cool. Remove baking sheet from freezer and dip the centers in the coating. Put back in freezer for approximately 5 minutes.
Coat 2 more times to make a nice coating. Store in freezer.

**you can replace the almond butter with an allowed nut butter of choice, but it may change the flavor. I used a mix of pumpkin and sunflower seed butters for this since I was running out of almond butter--and they tasted great!

So many recipes in the book are great -- just like these Healthy Buckeyes.

It's great to have recipes for sweet treats on hand so you are less tempted to eat things that will sabotage your anti-candida eating plan!

Are you a Chocolate and Nut Butter fan too?

Nut Butter Buckeyes - low carb, dairy free, paleo

Candida.

Sugar-free Desserts in The Sweeter Side of Candida

Feet in the Sand Coconut Ice Cream

Almond Butter Healthy Buckeyes