sneaky cookies and coconut musings.
I never used to like coconut. I remember I actually used to say I was “allergic” to it when I was a kid, to get out of eating it. Ha, how times (and taste buds change). We all go through it, our taste buds mature, and we begin to “get” why certain foods are INCREDIBLE, when a few years previous, we would have turned up our nose in disgust. I never used to like mushrooms until I moved to Australia – it was strange – as soon as I jumped the ditch, I tried mushrooms properly and LOVED them. Same thing with capers, olives, good quality olive oil, wine – it’s like my sense of taste hit a new stride, and ditched it’s rather bland childhood/teenager favourites for the more sophisticated nosh.
Coconut has been my biggest infatuation of late. Not just due to the taste, if you can believe it. The health benefits of coconut OIL, in particular, are pretty incredible. I really do believe consuming large amounts of the stuff has really helped me on my Anti Candida Crusade; it’s anti-fungal properties are not to be scoffed at.
Oil pulling using coconut oil has been awesome, weird at first – but I SWEAR my teeth are whiter. I’ve even had almost instantaneous success using coconut oil on a little case of Cradle Cap Misty had…. within a day his symptoms (dry, scaley patches on the scalp) had softened, and in a few days was gone completely.
I know there is all sorts of negative hype surrounding saturated fats (which coconut oil is HIGH) in – but personally I couldn’t give two hoots about that. I know what makes me feel good, and coconut oil is my main squeeze.
Taste buds change as we grow older, yes, and I think it’s a really good thing to keep in mind that we CAN “re-set” our taste buds if we want to, at any time. I mean, if you eat a diet that is full of sugary-trans fatty-overly salted-preservative/additive laden foods, the of course a simple veggie stew and quinoa dinner is going to taste a little “blah” in comparison. Once you cut out all the fake, processed crap from your diet, you really begin to be able to truly TASTE food as nature intended it. I have discovered that by cutting out all sugar on the Anti Candida Diet, my taste buds have really grown adept at discovering the natural sweetness in veggies and whole grains. Stevia is there as my crucial crutch, yes, but my NEED for sugar sugar sweetie sugar has really died down.
Speaking of sweet-treats (that aren’t SO sweet) I’m on a Macaroon-kinda-kick. I think it’s because I kept stumbling across bags of coconut in my Mum’s pantry – and she says she hates dessicated/shredded coconut – so I was just being a good daughter and ridding her of it, yes?
I’m always a big fan of sneaking secret-nutrient-ingredients into baked good too. This recipe uses chickpeas and chia seeds to help bind the dough together, and ensure that the cookies stay a little chewy. Ingredient fixation of the day (Week? Month? Year?) coconut oil makes up the topping. Now who doesn’t love a chocolate-ty, coconut-ty topping?
Vanilla-Cinnamon Cookies with Chocolate Macaroon Topping
(Vegan, wheat/soy/nut/corn/refined sugar free. Anti Candida Friendly)
- 1+ 3/4C chickpeas ( One 400g can, drained of all liquid)
- 3/4C oatbran (oat flour or buckwheat flour – ground from raw groats- could be subbed in here)
- 2T chia seeds
- 1/4t sea salt
- 25 drops vanilla stevia liquid (OR 2T liquid sweetener such as agave/maple etc – REDUCE water to 1T if you use this option)
- 2T water
- 1t vanilla extract
- 1t ground cinnamon
- 1T solid coconut oil
- Pulse all ingredients together in a food processor until well combined…. you will need to scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times.
- Turn out “dough” onto a lined baking sheet, and squeeze together so it forms a large clump. Rest the dough here for about 10 minutes…. it makes it easier to work with.
- The easiest way to roll it out is to place another sheet of baking paper on top, and either press with your palms or use a rolling pin until it is about 4-5mm in thickness. (If you prefer a crispier cookie then roll the dough out to about 2mm in thickness).
- Cut out cookies using a cookie cutter, or simply cut into squares.
- Bake for 23-25 minutes at 160 degrees C on fan bake setting.
- Turn oven off, leaving cookies inside to dry out further. They will looked cracked and really dry, but they actually stay remarkable chewy in the middle.
- Top with the following….
Chocolate Macaroon Topping
- 8T solid coconut oil
- 8T toasted coconut shreds (lightly brown in a dry fry pan)
- 4T cacao powder
- 20 drops vanilla stevia liquid (OR liquid sweetener of choice – 2T- omit hot water though)
- 1/4t vanilla extract
- 2T hot water
- Pinch sea salt
- Pour hot water over the coconut oil to help it soften… then add the toasted coconut straight from the pan…. again to help the oil melt.
- Mix in all other ingredients, and ensure no lumps of solid oil remain.
- Scoop onto cooled cookies, and flatten out.
- Chill in fridge to the topping “sets.”
Honestly, I don’t know about the reliability of my taste buds, as you saw what I made/ATE the other day. On all accounts, though, my buds found these particular cookies rather delicious…. so much so, that I made/ATE three batches in as many days.
What are your thoughts on coconut oil? How have YOUR tastebuds progressed in sophistication over the years?
20 Responses to “sneaky cookies and coconut musings.”
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- - October 27, 2012
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Vegan. Stay at home Mum of Misty. Yoga teacher in training. Passionate about REAL food - creating it, eating it, sharing it. I can never stick to a recipe.
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Hello!
Mmmmm, coconut. Hated it with a passion but now go through jars of stuff.
) and I’m going to email you a picture of the treats since they turned out so lovely.
In case you wonder if people ever make your stuff I wanted to let you know that I made both thees cookies and the chocolate quinoa ones. I made them into cookie sandwiches rather than coating them in the topping in an attempt to get my son, Winter to eat the whole thing. Not just scrape of the top with his teeth an ditch the rest (aye, toddlers!)
Pleased to report they were a success. So yummy. We shared them with our playgroup friends who gave them a thumbs up.
So, thank you, Lou for all you do (rhymes
E
Just got your email and I am SO stoked, Emma – thank you so much
It’s SO lovely to hear when people actually take the time to re create my recipes!
I have a very big smile on now!
I LOVE coconut oil! I use it for everything… cooking, baking, eating from the jar, moisturizer, intimate needs (don’t worry I keep a separate jar for that in the bedroom) etc. etc. Amazing stuff. Glad to hear the oil pulling is going well… still need to try it with the coconut oil!
I used to HATE brussel sprouts growing up. Like wouldn’t touch them AT ALL… which was rare for me because I definitely was not what you would consider a picky eater… in fact I think brussel sprouts were the only thing I wouldn’t touch. Now I adore them though. I wasn’t brave enough to try them out again till a couple years ago, but boy am I glad I did!!
Oh YES…. same here with the brussel sprouts…. ew yuck was the thought as a child – BUT now I love those little suckers…. especially roasted in maple syrup + coconut oil…. so SO amazing. I think it’s because people tend to over-cook them WAY too much (over-boiled grey icky yuck sprouts) and their bitter taste doesn’t really appeal to a child’s taste buds I imagine…. that’s all right as it means MORE for me!
Coconut oil is just SO good. The more I learn about it, the more I eat and the better I feel – magic
I love coconut oil. I use it in baking and cooking all the time. I’m with you about the lack of love for coconut…. although mine was more about shredded coconut. ICK! I’ve found some just recently that I really like boy do taste buds change.
It’s seems shredded coconut is the one most people dislike (as did I) – BUT now I love the stuff
I’m glad my taste buds have decided to “grow up” a little!
My first package from Eternal Delight turned up the other day! I was inspired after hearing you rave about their coconut oil so much
Opened the package and it smelt absolutely delicious, can definitely see how you eat spoonfuls of it! Haven’t used it in the kitchen yet but put some of it on dry & ezecma like skin, can definitely feel it hydrating my skin! Am looking forward to using it and will be making a batch of these cookies soon! I’ve been looking into Coconut oil for a while now and was a bit bewildered at all the different varieties out there so cheers for the brand recommendation Lou!
Oh COOL, Shonelle – you made a fine choice getting the Eternal Delight stuff…. it’s seriously brilliant. Plus the couple that run the company are just the sweetest, most passionate pair – they are all for eating vibrant, WHOLE foods – and it shows in the quality of their products.
Yay, enjoy discovering the joys of coconut oil – my favourite way to eat it at the moment is in it’s SOFT form (not rock hard, but not liquid… in the middle somewhere) mix it with some cacao powder and some vanilla stevia, and use it as a spread on ANYTHING (bread/fruit slices/crackers) SO good
Think I need to try the brussel sprouts with maple syrup and coconut. Sounds yummy!
It’s AMAZING, Vivienne… Just toss sprouts with a few tablespoons each of maple syrup and coconut oil. A generous sprinkling of sea salt and roast at 180 degrees until tender and slightly caramelized – SO GOOD
A little fresh lemon squeezed over after roasting is a yummy touch too.
I read somewhere – and it’s probably wrong – that one’s taste buds shed (eew) every 7 years, which could account for some adjustments in what we like and don’t like. Or it could all be complete hooey. At any rate, it’s so true that one does adjust once processed, salty, refined, overly-sweet is eliminated from the diet.
I went to a talk last night about food-additives, and apparently, chemicals such as MSG/aspartame muck around with your taste or mouth – “bliss” sensation, so it takes a huge whack of sugar! salt! more chemicals! to actually make you go ‘mmmm Yummo’ – no wonder most of the world thinks salad is bland without 10 tonne of creamy/chemical laden dressing!
I just got a visual of little buds dropping off my tongue
I came to comment yesterday and I couldn’t find the comment link!! Thank goodness it’s here now. I LOVE COCONUT OIL. I eat it at nearly every meal and it makes everything inside of me move so smoothly. I hated actual coconut when I was younger too, the texture..the flavor..everything about it was nasty to me. Now I love it! I love to bake with it. Yummm macaroons!
That’s a great description of everything “moving smoothly” – I totally agree! Great stuff, for sure
I am exactly the same
I used to really dislike coconut and now I find I love it (ditto a few other things) – yay for changing tastes! I haven’t quite got to oil pulling though…
Yeah, I’m a bit crazy…. I wanted to try oil pulling and coconut oil was the only one that seemed the least gag-worthy. I think traditionally, sesame/sunflower are used, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it!
Coconut oil? What’s that? Never heard of it…
I certainly would not admit to using at least 300g a week. What sort of a person would do that?
Yeah…. while I was in NZ I went through a little more than 800g in 3 weeks… and that was being stingy with the stuff!
Obsessed?! You betcha