Tag Archives: coconut

Paleo “Sugar” Cookies with Cinnamon Maple Frosting (plus options!)

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With Christmas fast approaching, I wanted to give my wonderful readers an early present…a sneak preview of not one, but TWO recipes from my latest book, Paleo Indulgences!! 

That first Christmas after switching to a Paleo lifestyle, I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to make sugar cookies with my daughters, which had been a tradition for almost a decade.  (Started with my oldest, before my youngest was even around!)  So I went to work to find a suitable sugar cookie cut-out with no gluten, grains, dairy, soy or cane sugar.  After a few attempts, we were oh-so-happy with the results!  The final recipe created a cookie that was so versatile, I could make a simple drop cookie out of it, or roll it into a log and slice the cookies if we were lazy that year, but best of all, we could  roll it out and use our beloved cookie cutters!!  Not only that, the cookies stay together nicely and don’t fall apart while we decorate them!  Our tradition was saved!

Now, I must confess, that I also make a small batch of my original Sugar Cookie Cut-Outs (with modifications) for my youngest, because she can’t have nuts, and a full coconut flour cookie, or one with ground seeds, just hasn’t passed our taste tests yet.  For this small batch, I use maple syrup instead of sugar, and coconut oil and palm shortening instead of non-dairy butter.  It’s not Paleo because of the GF grains, but it’s the best choice for us since nuts leave her feeling awful, and missing out on the tradition would leave her feeling even worse.  Nope, not on this Mama’s watch!

What are your family’s Holiday traditions, and how have you adapted them to fit your gluten free and/or Paleo lifestyle?  Whatever they are, I hope you enjoy this recipe with your family and create some wonderful memories along the way!

 

Paleo “Sugar” Cookies
Grain Free, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free*, Soy Free, Cane Sugar Free

Dry Ingredients:

1 C Almond flour
¼ C Coconut flour
2 TBSP Arrowroot starch
½ tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp sea salt

(~Option – for chocolate sugar cookies, add in 2 TBSP organic unsweetened cocoa powder~)

Wet ingredients:

1 egg (*for an egg free option, you can use 1 TBSP flax meal mixed with 3 TBSP hot water)
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
¼ tsp pure almond extract
1/3 C pure maple syrup
2 TBSP coconut oil, melted

1)     Preheat oven to 350°.

2)     In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.

3)     Add wet ingredients to the dry, except for the coconut oil, and blend with a hand
mixer.

4)     With mixer on low, slowly add coconut oil to the bowl and mix well.

5)     For a soft cookie, you can scoop and bake now for 11-13 minutes

6)     For a crispier cookie, roll the dough in plastic wrap into a log.  Place in the freezer
for 2 hours (or more, until very firm).  Remove and slice into ¼” slices.  Place on parchment lined baking sheet and bake 13-15 minutes.

7)     For cutouts, shape dough into a disc and refrigerate for 3 hours (or more).  The longer you keep them in the fridge, the easier they are to work with.

8)     Using a fine dusting of arrowroot powder to prevent sticking, dust two sheets of parchment paper and the dough.  Roll dough between two sheets of parchment paper to about 1/4″ thickness.

9)     Remove top piece of parchment and cut out cookies with cookie cutters. *Tip* – dip your cookie cutters in some arrowroot or cocoa powder (for chocolate cookies) to keep them from sticking to the dough.  Remove excess dough from around cutout shapes.  *Tip* -  If your dough is still soft and not easy to peel off the parchment, knead a small amount of arrowroot starch (or cocoa powder for the chocolate cookies) into the dough until it’s a little less sticky, then re-roll.

10)    Place bottom sheet of parchment with cookie shapes (no scraping cookies and transferring to another sheet!) onto a baking sheet and bake 13-15 minutes or until edges are browned and center is firm to the touch.

11)    Cool on baking sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

12)    Frost with your favorite icing or my Cinnamon Maple Frosting (below)!

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Cinnamon Maple Frosting

½ C Palm Shortening

1/3 C pure maple syrup

Pinch sea salt

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 TBSP Arrowroot starch

2 tsp Coconut flour (sifted)

2 TBSP Coconut oil, melted

 

1)     In a medium bowl with a hand mixer, blend all ingredients except coconut oil until fully combined.

2)     With mixer on low, slowly add in coconut oil.  Blend well and there are no lumps.

3)     If frosting is a bit too soft, refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~

Candy Cane Sugar Cookies

For a Holiday party variation, I bake small circles of the sugar cookies, both chocolate and vanilla.  After the cookies cool completely, melt dark chocolate, unsweetened dark chocolate and a little peppermint extract together and stir until smooth.  (The unsweetened chocolate helps cut the sugar a bit since I use less of the dark chocolate this way.)  Then drizzle the minty chocolate over the cookies.  Next, crush organic (read: no artificial colors, flavors or corn syrup) gluten free candy canes and sprinkle them on top!  They’ll be a hit at your next Christmas Cookie Exchange Party!

~~~~~~~~~~

Oh, and one last suggestion…sometimes, when I’m in a Naughty List kinda mood, I like to dip half of a BIG sugar cookie in melted dark chocolate.  Yep.  I’ll just leave it at that.

Father’s Day Treat – Vanilla Maple Walnut Pecan Crunch

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Father’s day is quickly upon us and when I think about my dad, I think about snacks.  He’s a snacker.  Always was, always will be.  I remember, when I was little, he would plow through a snack craving until it was exhausted, then move on to the next.  Now, back then it was the not so good for you treats…cinnamon bears (can you say high fructose corn syrup and red #40?), then the giant Hershey Bars with almonds (hey, at least he was eating a nut!), and I can’t forget the month long, yogurt-covered almond phase of 1987.  Ahhh, the sugar coated memories.

These days, after years of hounding from his loving family, he chooses – most of the time – a little healthier snack to satisfy those cravings.  One of his favorites is a quick and easy, sweet and crunchy snack our family created (and has adapted to a million different varieties) – Vanilla Maple Walnut Pecan Crunch!  So I made my special Dad a batch and wanted to share the recipe with you.  Snack on Dad!

Vanilla Maple Walnut Pecan Crunch

 

1 C Raw Walnuts and Pecans (I use about half of each, but feel free to use any ratio you’d like)

1/3 C Pure Organic Maple Syrup

3/4 C Organic, Unsweetened Coconut Flakes (the fat flakes, not finely shredded)

1/2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

 

1)  Preheat oven to 350°.
2)  In a medium bowl, toss all ingredients together, making sure everything is coated in the syrup.
3)  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Pour nut/syrup mixture onto the parchment paper and spread evenly.
4)  Bake 15 – 20 minutes or until everything is golden brown and bubbling.  The longer you cook it, the crispier it will be.  If you want a chewier snack, bake it about 10-12 minutes.
5)  Cool pan completely on a wire rack.
6)  Break into pieces (if necessary) and store in an airtight container for up to a week.  But it will never last that long!

Monkey Munch

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Yesterday was a little cooler and rainy which tends to make me want to snack more.  Apparently I feel the need to store calories and be prepared for a famine when the weather cools off.

To satisfy my chocolate craving but with something semi-substantial, I decided to doctor up one of my favorite on-the-go snacks from Paleo People.  They have a wonderful line of oat-free, grain free granolas that are absolutely delicious.  For my concoction I chose the Banana Nut Granola because, as I’ve mentioned before, I do love the chocolate/banana combo!

The granola is amazing on it’s own, but I wanted to take it up a notch by adding in toasted coconut flakes, a drizzle of dark chocolate and a sprinkle of pink Himalayan sea salt.  The results were better than I’d hoped!!

We devoured ours very quickly, and by “we” I mean me.  So be careful and portion this one out since it’s easy to over-do in one sitting.  Have fun!

 

Monkey Munch

 1 pkg (5 oz) Paleo People Banana Nut Granola (http://www.paleopeople.com/)

¼ – 1/3 C Dark Chocolate (72% or higher – amount depends on
how chocolaty you want it)

1/3 C Unsweetened Organic Coconut Flakes

Pinch of Sea Salt (I used Pink Himalayan Sea Salt)

 

1)  Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper.  Spread granola evenly on paper.

2)  Place chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and heat in the microwave, for 20 second increments, stirring each time, until chocolate is almost completely melted. Remove from microwave and stir until completely melted.

3)  Spread coconut flakes evenly on another baking sheet.  Bake in a 350° oven for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until coconut is evenly toasted.

4)  Stir toasted coconut into the Banana Granola.

5)  Drizzle melted chocolate evenly over coconut/granola mixture.

6)   Sprinkle top with a tiny amount of sea salt.

7)   Cool at room temperature until chocolate hardens, or if you just can’t wait, place in the fridge until chocolate firms up, about 30 minutes.

8)   Break into pieces.  Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

 

Macadamia Thumbprint Cookies (No Bake!)

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(Grain free/Paleo)

I love making no bake cookies with my kids.  They can really get elbow deep in it from start to finish, without the long wait time of baking and cooling.  In case you haven’t heard, patience is not a star quality in most 10 and 6 year olds.

We tried these out over the weekend and they were a bit hit!  My youngest can’t eat nuts so we made a version with roasted, salted sunflower seed kernels.  It was good and made her happy, but if you can tolerate nuts, go with the Macadamias – so decadent!!

 

No Bake Macadamia
Thumbprints

1 C Roasted, salted macadamia nuts
1 C Unsweetened, shredded coconut flakes
1 tsp Pure vanilla extract
¼ C Coconut oil, melted
½ tsp Orange zest (optional)
1 TBSP Maple syrup

1)     In a food processor, grind macadamias into a coarse meal.  Don’t process too long or it will turn into butter.
2)     Add coconut, vanilla, oil, zest and syrup.  Process until combined, about 30 seconds.
3)     Scoop into small balls and place on wax paper lined baking sheets.  Press your thumb into each ball to create a well.
4)     Fill each cookie well with filling of your choice.  We used a whipped chocolate
ganache (see recipe below), but your favorite no-sugar jam/jelly would be great
too!
5)     Refrigerate for about an hour, until very firm.  Enjoy!
6)     Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

 

 Whipped Chocolate Ganache:

3 TBSP Coconut Oil, Melted
2 TBSP Maple Syrup
1 TBSP Cocoa Powder
2 TBSP Palm Shortening
2 tsp Arrowroot Starch

1)     Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.
2)     Whip with a hand mixer until smooth and fluffy.
3)     Store in the fridge.  Soften at room temperature before using.

 

 

Sugar Free Coconut Macaroons – With and Without Eggs

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Most of my life I hated coconut.  It was stringy and had a funny texture that I just couldn’t get through.  Then,  years ago, I started eating and baking with Unsweetened Dehydrated Organic Coconut.  Wow what a difference!  I realized that I didn’t hate coconut at all…what I hated was the over-processed, over-sugared, stringy “candy” they like to call coconut in the regular supermarkets.  Now, I simply can’t get enough REAL coconut!  Coconut flakes, shredded coconut, coconut milk, coconut oil…it’s all good.  And that’s ok because contrary to popular belief, saturated fat is not the enemy and the wonderful goodness that coconuts provide are heart healthy, energy promoting and medium chain fatty acid filled bites of deliciousness!  Don’t believe me?  Check it out here…and here… or Google it…you’ll see.  So give these macaroons a try.  I love them because they are coconut-y.  I love them because they are one bowl and one spoon easy.  And I especially love them because I can make them with pastured organic eggs (for me since I want the extra protein) or without for the members of the Maniac household that can’t tolerate eggs.  Oh, and to make it even better, they freeze well so make a bunch!  Give them away at a cookie exchange and keep the rest for later in the freezer.  Simply thaw to room temperature and enjoy!

Macaroons
(Egg Free, Sugar Free)

Dry Ingredients:
1 TBSP Coconut Flour
2 C Shredded Coconut
1/8 tsp Sea Salt
1/8 tsp Xanthan Gum

Wet Ingredients:
1/3 C Raw Honey
2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
1 TBSP Light Coconut Milk (canned or So Delicious brand unsweetened coconut milk beverage)

For Dipping:
½ C Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips (gf, df, soy free)
1 tsp Organic Shortening (Spectrum)

1)      In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.
2)      Add honey, vanilla and coconut milk to dry ingredients.  Mix with a spoon until
combined.
3)      Scoop golf ball size-ish (a little smaller) balls onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
Make sure the mixture is packed in the scoop fairly well to help them stick together
while baking.
4)      Bake in a 350° oven for 13-15 minutes or until bottoms are golden and tops start to
get toasty brown spots.
5)      Cool on baking sheets, placed on top of wire racks for 5 minutes.
6)      Remove parchment paper with cookies still on it to the cooling rack to finish cooling
completely.
7)      Meanwhile, melt the chocolate by placing chocolate chips and shortening in a small
microwave safe bowl and heating in 10 second increments in the microwave,
stirring after each time.  Do this until chocolate is almost completely melted.  Stir
again until all chocolate is melted and is smooth.
8)      Dip bottoms of cookies in chocolate and place upside down on racks until chocolate
hardens.  Or, simply spoon chocolate over the tops of each cookie.

 

Macaroons
(With eggs, Sugar Free)

4 Egg Whites
1/8 tsp Sea Salt
1/3 C Raw Honey
2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
2 C Coconut
¼ C Coconut Flour

1)      With a whisk attachment in a stand mixer, beat egg whites with salt until stiff.
2)      Gently fold in remaining ingredients until combined.
3)      Scoop into golf ball size-ish balls ( a little smaller than that) and place on parchment
lined baking sheets.
4)      Bake in a 350° oven for 13-16 minutes or until bottoms are golden and tops start to
brown slightly.
5)      Cool completely on wire racks.
6)      Dip cookies in chocolate or drizzle tops with chocolate, if desired.  See recipe for
chocolate drizzle above.