Homemade Magic Shell

Tasty, no?

One recent Sunday afternoon, while picking up a treat at the grocery store (we do that occasionally), my little brother asked me about the Magic Shell on display nearby.  As I explained the concept to him, his eyes lit up with excitement and anticipation.
"Can we get some?" he asked.  I checked the price tag.
"No way," I said, and followed it with the fateful words: "I can make some for way less than that."

So I did.  Next time we had ice cream, I whipped up a quick Magic shell.  The secret ingredient here is coconut oil.  It melts into a liquid at 78* F, so is easy to use and pour.  Since it hardens at any temperatures lower than 78* F it's ideal for making your shell.
Starting with the basis of coconut oil, you can make any kind of shell you want.  My favorite, though, is choco-peanut butter.

It hardens into a shell in mere seconds!

Choco-Peanut Magic Shell:

• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/8 cup sugar (or more depending on your sweet tooth)
• 1/8 cup peanut butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Mix coconut oil and cocoa powder thoroughly.
2. Add vanilla, sugar, and peanut butter.
3. Mix until smooth.
4. Pour over ice cream, ice cream cones, fingers, or whatever takes your fancy.

Donuts

Mouthwatering cake donuts without a donut pan?  You'd better believe it.  A quick experiment to make a low-carb cookie for a snowy day turned into a happy accident and a new recipe.  Give these donuts a try some chilly wet Sunday morning... mm, maybe a cup of coffee?

Donuts:

• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1/4 cup flax seed powder
• 1/8 cup peanut flour
• 1/8 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp NuNaturals

• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp almond extract
• 1 egg
• 1/2 stick butter

1. Mix all dry ingredients until no lumps can be found.
2. In a separate bowl, beat egg thoroughly.
3. Add vanilla, almond extract, and melted butter.
4. Mix both together.
5. Place on cookie sheets, buffered by parchment paper if you have it.
6. Getting the donut shape is no trick, simply stick your finger into the center of a lump and form a "donut-esque" shape.  
7. Bake at 350* for about 12 minutes.
8. When the donuts are done, remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack.  If you wish to glaze them, do it while they are still warm.

Glazing the Donuts:

The glaze I used for these donuts was Trim Healthy Mama's "Nighty-Night Custard".

• 1 tsp. vanilla whey protein powder
• 1/2 tsp. coconut oil
• a bit of sea salt
• 3-4 shakes of NuNaturals (or 3 teaspoons of Truvia)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3/4 tsp. konjac glucomannan powder

1. Turn on your kettle or put 1 and ¼ cups water in a small saucepan and bring to a rapid boil.
2. Put vanilla whey protein in blender along with coconut oil, sea salt, sweetener, and vanilla extract.
3. Add 1 cup boiling water to blender and start blender. While ingredients are blending add glucomannan.
4. Blend for about a minute and a half, turn off blender, add the extra ¼ cup of water then blend again for a little while longer.
5. Taste and adjust, your end result should be a perfect balance between the sweetener and the salt. You may need to add more of either sea salt, sweetener or more vanilla.

When you glaze the donuts, the best way to do it is to place a pan under your cooling rack and pour the glaze over the donuts.  They will be glazed, and the excess will be caught in your pan for further glazing, snacking or immortalizing in carbonite.

This recipe is "S" for Trim Healthy Mamas.

Enjoy!

Peanutbutter Cup Spooner & Choco-Mint Shake

Yum.

These two silky and satisfying snacks were well worth the effort of putting together, and either would be good enough to use as a dessert in of itself!

Peanut-Butter Cup Spooner:

Just digging in...

The base of this recipe was "Skinny Chocolate", found in the book Trim Healthy Mama.  I just added some peanut butter and a good bit of cream and 'viola!

• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 2 Tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder
• A few shakes of NuNaturals
• As much cream as you'd like
• A splash of vanilla
• 1 1/2 Tbs. natural sugar-free peanut butter

1. Make sure the coconut oil is a liquid.  It solidifies at 78°F so chances are you'll have to warm it some at this time of year.  
2. Once the coconut oil is completely melted, mix in the cocoa powder thoroughly until no lumps can be found.  Unless you like lumps of unsweetened cocoa powder.  In that case just skip stirring move on to the next step.
3. Add your sweetener until it satisfies your sweet tooth.  It will probably take several tries.
4. Add the vanilla.
5. Add the cream in small amounts until it looks like milk chocolate.  Or stop sooner if you prefer darker chocolate.
6. Now add the peanut butter and stir until smooth.
7. You can eat it at this point or chill until desired texture is achieved.  Pictured above is the dessert after being frozen for an hour.  This recipe makes two servings.

Frosty Choco-Mint Shake:

You might want a spoon.

Though not visible in the picture above, this shake has a beautiful creamy texture below the toppings, with an appetizing green hinting at the minty goodness inside.

• 1 1/2 cups almond milk
• 2 Tbs. cream
• A few shakes of NuNaturals
• A splash of vanilla
• 2 - 4 drops of peppermint extract, depending on your tastes
• Green food coloring
• 10 ice cubes
• Skinny Chocolate as found in Trim Healthy Mama or above, stopping at step 4 or 5
• Whipped Cream

1. Mix the first six ingredients in a container with high edges.  I used a glass quart jar.
2. Add ice.
3. Using an immersion blender (you do have one, don't you?) chop all the ice into small chunks.  Alternatively, you could use a regular blender, but I don't have one of those so I can't guarantee it will work.
4. Pour into a glass, mug, canteen, or whatever it will be served in.
5. Top generously with whipped cream.
6. Drizzle on chocolate.  It must be soft for this step, so it's best if made fresh.  This recipe makes two servings.

Both of these treats have a lot of fat in them, but basically no carbs.  This means they fit with "S" style meals for Trim Healthy Mamas or Pro/Fats for Sommersizing.

Enjoy!