Coconut Macaroons

Need a quick last minute cookie for Christmas??Try these! I found some delicious little treats at Whole Foods and I fell in love with them. They are called “Snacaroons” made by Laughing Giraffe. They are these little raw, vegan coconut mounds with various flavors. Whole Foods isn’t close but I found them online also. However, they are pretty pricey so I decided to try my own little version. Result = fantastic! These are just slightly baked so they have a nice little crunch but still a gooey texture inside. I made a variety of flavors with the same base ingredients and will probably experiment more. If you like coconut macaroons, you will love these gluten free, dairy free version (note, mine are not vegan as they do have egg whites)! This recipe makes about 24 small cookies

Base

12 oz of unsweetened coconut flakes (I like Bob’s Red Mill)

¼ cup coconut oil

1 Tbsp almond paste (or additional coconut oil)

1 egg white (you could use egg replacer with a little experimentation)

¼ cup almond milk or coconut milk

1 tsp sea salt

¼ cup raw coconut sugar (regular sugar will work)

Mix ingredients together in a large mixing bowl until well blended. This will be your base. To make plain macaroons, form mixture into small cookies using a scoop and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350°F for about 10 minutes. Watch closely to make sure the coconut does not burn. Drizzle with melted chocolate if desired.

Here are a few variations I’ve tried to so far:

Amaretto Cherry

1/3 of the base mixture

¼ cup cherries, finely chopped

1 tsp Amaretto liquor (you can omit this if desired)

Mix together and bake according to base directions.

Pumpkin Pie

¼ cup pumpkin puree

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp maple syrup

1/3 of the base mixture

Mix together and bake according to base directions.

Caramel

2 Tbsp caramel sauce (homemade or store bought)

1 tsp maple syrup

1/3 of the base mixture

Mix together and bake according to base directions.

Other variations: Cranberry Orange – add in 1 tsp orange zest, 1 tsp minced cranberries, 1 tsp orange juice to 2 cups of the base mixture. Caramel Bailey’s – add in 1 tsp of Bailey’s liqueur to the caramel version. Peanut Butter – add 2 tsp peanut butter or almond butter to the base mixture. 

Never Fail Pie Crust & Banana Coconut Cream Pie

I’ve mentioned before that my mom is an awesome cook – like the best I know! She has a pie crust called “Never Fail Pie Crust” that she uses for all her pies (of course my favorite being her pumpkin pie). It is awesome – flaky, buttery, crisp. This is my attempt at her pie crust with gluten free flours. It doesn’t hold a candle to hers but it will work for me! This recipe makes about 2 pie crusts.

2 cups GF all-purpose flour (I used a mix of sweet sorghum, white rice and tapioca starch)

1 tsp xanthan gum

2 tsp baking powder

1 Tbsp Stevia or sugar

¾ cup butter or shortening, cold (I used dairy free butter)

¼ cup lukewarm water

1 egg, divided in half (save the other half for an egg wash to brush over the pie tops)

½ tsp vinegar

• In a mixing bowl, combine flour, xanthan gum, stevia, baking powder and butter. Blend until mixture is slightly crumbly. 
• Add in water, egg and vinegar and blend until ingredients are well combined. Pour dough mixture onto a clean, floured surface. 
• Split into two equal portions and roll each portion out as desired. 
• NOTE: This also freezes well. After rolling, place parchment paper over crust and roll crust up. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze up to two months. To use after freezing, just thaw at room temperature or in refrigerator. This crust is good for pies, cobblers, pot pies, etc.

BANANA COCONUT CREAM PIE

My father’s favorite pie is Coconut Cream. Over the last couple years, his health has declined rapidly. He has grown up eating junk and refuses to change his habits. His typical Coconut Cream Pie was loaded with sugar, fat, carbs, etc. Little does he know that I’ve greatly modified my coconut masterpiece into a low carb, low fat, low sugar, gluten free treat! For Thanksgiving this year I decided to add a little twist to it and add some bananas. It turned out great and gave the pie extra flavor! This makes one regular pie.

1 pre-baked GF pie crust (recipe above)

1 overripe bananas

1 cup almond milk

1 cup coconut milk

3 Tbsp arrowroot starch

1 tsp vanilla

½ tsp sea salt

¼ cup coconut flakes, unsweetened

½ cup whipped topping (for dairy free, use coconut cream)

1 Tbsp coconut flakes, toasted

• In a small blender, combine ½ banana and almond milk and blend until smooth. Pour mixture into a sauce pan over medium heat. In the blender, mix together arrowroot starch and coconut milk until smooth. Add in vanilla, salt and starch mixture to banana mix. 
• Bring to boiling and cook for about 5 minutes until mixture starts to thicken. Remove from heat and continue stirring for about 5 minutes. Let pudding set up for a few minutes. 
• Meanwhile, thinly slice the remaining banana half and place slices in a single layer along the bottom of the prebaked pie crust. Pour on pudding mixture. 
• Refrigerate for about 2 hours or until pie is set. Top with whipped cream and sprinkle on toasted coconut flakes. 

Hello Dolly Bars

Today I was missing my grandma. Grannie Grunt has been gone a long time but she helped start my baking addiction. I have dozens of her cookbooks that sometimes I just glance through to see her handwritten notes or find recipes she liked. I remember holiday dinners or birthdays or some other occasion and getting to eat her wonderful meals. My mom apparently inherited her cooking skills because she is a wonderful cook also. Anyway – I found this recipe going through one of her cookbooks. My mom and I made these little cookie bars all of the time. There are also called Magic Cookie Bars (I’m pretty sure a similar recipe is on the back of a sweetened condensed milk can). They are very simple to make but not gluten free. So I decided to accept the challenge of recreating one of my favorite desserts into something I could eat again. Result – success! These were so very similar to the real thing and I cut out the dairy, gluten and some extra sugar.

½ cup sorghum flour

¼ cup coconut flour
¼ cup teff flour
¼ cup coconut sugar
¼ cup coconut oil (or melted butter)
1/3 cup almond milk (I used unsweetened vanilla)
2 Tbsp brown coconut sugar
½ cup unsweetened coconut flakes
¼ cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup cocoa nibs (or chocolate chips – I used Enjoy Life! brand)

• In a mixing bowl, combine flours, ¼ cup coconut sugar and coconut oil and mix together until mixture is coarse crumbs.
• Press crust mixture into a 9x9 greased baking pan.
• In a small saucepan, combine almond milk and coconut sugar and bring to boil. Boil for about 2 minutes and then let cool.
• Pour cooled milk mixture over crust. Sprinkle pecans, coconut and chocolate on top of crust.
• Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes or until coconut starts to brown. Let cool 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Almond Joy Brownies

So I know I said this was a “healthy” blog (or at least an attempt at one), but these are definitely not healthy and definitely worth having to work out a little extra. I mean – just look at the picture! I’m a firm believer in have a “splurge” day sometimes. Of course, too much of a good thing can turn bad real quick so enjoy these in moderation. Honestly though, these are still gluten-free, lower in fat and somewhat healthier than if you made the real version.

Brownie bottom

1 package of gluten free brownie mix (we like Bob’s Red Mill or Namaste)
3 eggs (or equivalent egg substitute)
½ cup non fat Greek yogurt, vanilla
½ cup applesauce
½ cup water

• Whisk together all ingredients until well blended. Pour into a 9x13” baking pan.
• Bake at 325°F for about 30 minutes or until brownies are cooked through. (I wanted a crispier crust so I baked mine for a little longer)
• NOTE: If you’d rather, you could just make the brownie mix according to the package – I just cut out the extra fat in the oil it called for).
• Once it has finished baking, cool brownies for about 20 minutes.

Coconut Filling

1 cup soy butter (or regular butter)
½ tsp coconut or almond extract
1 cup powdered sugar
½ cup unsweetened coconut flakes

• Using a mixer, blend together butter, extract and sugar until well combined. Add in coconut.
• NOTE: For a time saver, use a premade container of vanilla frosting and just mix in the coconut. Spread this mixture over the cooled brownies.

Almond Topping
½ cup slivered almonds
1 cup chocolate chips, melted

• Sprinkle almonds on top of the coconut mixture on the brownies. Drizzle chocolate over the almonds. Refrigerate for about 2 hours to let everything set up.
• NOTE: As always - if gluten isn't an issue for you - make them with regular brownie mix.
• NOTE: You must share- you simply should not eat the entire pan, although the idea is very tempting….