I have decided in this post to do a review and a recipe at the same time. I was sent a jar of Kelapo Cold Pressed Virgin Coconut Oil, and I have been having so much fun with it that I didn't know where to start. Coconut oil has many health benefits which you can read about by following the link below. The most relevant health benefit here, however, is that it is a dairy free, soy free baking alternative! Now I know some people don't like the taste of coconut. In the almond cookie recipe below you really can't taste it. For those of us who DO like coconut, I have to tell you, I tried spreading it on toast like the company suggests and it was amazing! The first thing you taste is coconut, then after a few seconds I swear it tastes and feels like butter on your tongue. Tonight we are going to try melting it and pouring it over popcorn. Oh yes, and I've been cooking my stir fry and root veggie casserole in it too, this really is wonderful stuff! Thank you to Jen over at the Kelapo company for introducing me to a wonderful new baking alternative! I would also like to mention that this product is organic and fair trade certified. I am having trouble with my integrated links, so please follow the link below to find out everything you want to know about Kelapo Coconut Oil http://www.kelapo.com/index.php. On to the recipe...I'll keep this short, but I have to mention why I made these. When I was a little girl my Grandma would occasionally bring home a little pink bakery box with fresh baked Chinese almond cookies inside. They were so amazing! I recently felt an overwhelming desire to share this with my kids, so I altered a recipe to be gluten free, egg free, dairy free, and soy free. Guess what...they didn't even like them! Silly kids!!! Anyway, despite what the kids may say I think these are incredible. I ate the whole batch! :)
1 c Kelapo Virgin Coconut Oil (please see link above)
3/4 c Sugar
1 Eggs worth of Ener G Egg replacer
1 t Gluten free almond extract
1 c Almond flour
3/4 c Brown rice flour
3/4 c Sorghum flour
1/8 c Potato starch
1/8 c Tapioca starch
1/2 t Xanthan gum
1 t Baking powder
1/4 t Salt
24 Whole blanched almonds
Optional: 2 parts corn syrup to 1 part water to be used as an "egg wash"
Heat oven to 350°F. Combine Kelapo Coconut Oil and sugar in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Add egg replacer and almond extract; beat until well mixed. Add flours, starches, baking powder and salt. Beat until well mixed. If dough is too dry and crumbly, add a teaspoon of water at a time until it JUST comes together. If you add too much water your cookies will be like marzipan in the middle (believe me- I know). Bake for 15 minutes or until just set. Cool completely.
Shape dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten to about ½ an inch thick. Press an almond into the center of each cookie.
Optional: If you want to mimic the look of egg wash, mix 2 parts corn syrup with 1 part water in small bowl, then brush tops of cookies with the mixture before baking.
how is amanda doing?
ReplyDeleteNot so well. She stuck to a very strict allergen free diet for 6 weeks and saw absolutly no change at all in her symptoms, so she is back to eating whatever she wants. We are still waiting for the results of her Esophageal manometry and her PH test. I think she burned out on blogging already...she's frustrated. :(
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for careing!
Sorry, that was supposed to be "caring"...it kills me when I spell something wrong.
ReplyDeleteI have to check my cupboards for these ingredients and I hope I'll do these tomorrow ;)
ReplyDeleteAwsome! let me know what you think.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering, do you only use the EnerG Egg replacer? I used it but my daughter hated the teste so I've been trying to find some good alternatives :)
ReplyDeleteHello ashling. I almost always use Ener-G egg replacer, but there are other alternatives. For muffins I like to use fruit purees. For these cookies I think flax "goop" (as we call it) would work. I can't make a link in my comments, but here is the address for my flax egg replacer... http://yummyallergenfree.blogspot.com/2009/03/egg-dairy-and-gluten-free-french-toast.html
ReplyDeleteAlso, here is the address for another site with a good list substitutions and their best uses...
http://www.egglesscooking.com/egg-substitutes/
i adore coconut oil, Trader Joe's sells it now for 5.99/pound! Do you have a way t sign up for email notifications when you post something new? I would love to subscribe!
ReplyDeleteYUM!! These are so buttery, you'd never know there wasn't any butter! I changed the flours, used half xylitol, and chia meal in place of the Ener-G. They are way crumcly like I did them, but the flavor is so over the top, i will be woring this one over until I GET IT!! thank you!! FYI, i started a blog hop, if you'd like some inspiration...take a peek!! Allergy Free Wednesdays - http://tessadomesticdiva.blogspot.com/2012/02/allergy-free-wednesdays-3.html
ReplyDeleteOh good, Im glad you liked them! You might try upping the xanthan gum just a smidge(maybe up to another 1/2 t), it might hold them together better, but too much will make them hard. Good luck, let me know how they turn out. Maybe I can share your healthier version with my readers. OK, I'm heading over to your blog now for Allergy Free Wednesday! :)
ReplyDeleteI notice that many folks have egg allergies. I too was plagued with this problem but then I tried eating duck eggs and turkey eggs and they are great. They don't bother me at all. I have passed this tidbit of info to all our customers who are severly allergic to most foods and all but 2 were able to handle these other eggs in moderation where chicken were eggs not tolerated. Just wondered if you had tried either of these other options with your family?
ReplyDeleteThank you for the info! I have not tried turkey or duck eggs. Where do you get them? I do know that Emily is allergic to cows milk, and ahe also can not tolerate sheeps milk or goats milk.
ReplyDelete