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 shortcut) 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.
Nut Butter Buckeyes - low carb, dairy free, paleo
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 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch celtic sea salt
- 1/2 cup granulated low-carb sweetener (see Recipe Notes for alternatives)
- 1/2 teaspoon 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 low carb sweetener/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
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is merely an approximation. Optional ingredients are not included and when there is an alternative, the primary ingredient is typically used. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts since they have been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
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?
Wow!!! Would really love to win one of these awesome prizes, we try to watch our sugar intake and would love to take it one step further. Thanks!!
Yummy!