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.

This photo is from the Sweeter Side of Candida book. I didn't have time to get my own photo together for you–sorry :)!

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