Recipe Test: Coconutty Cookies

These cookies took multiple steps, more than I normally take to make cookies.  But I had some special requests to recreate the girl scouts famous cookies, the samoa.  The requirements; they are to be organic as well as gluten, lactose, casein FREE, whose taste embodies the flavor profile of the chocolate coconut samoas.  I was not sorry I took the time to make these tasty treats.

Shortbread Cookies

(using all organic ingredients)

1 cup coconut oil ghee, room temperature

1/2 cup organic raw cane sugar

1/2 cup brown rice flour

1/2 cup sorghum flour

1/2 cup arrowroot powder

1/2 cup tapioca powder

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder

2 tablespoons almond milk (unsweetened)

Cream together your coconut oil ghee and sugar with an electric hand mixer until light and fluffy.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, vanilla powder and salt.  

Slowly add this to the ghee/sugar mixture.

Lastly add in the almond milk.
Place your dough ball in glass container with lid and refrigerate until the dough is as firm as a stick of butter (about 30 or 40 minutes, time may vary).

After dough is firm from the fridge. 

Preheat your oven to 350F  and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 

Using plenty of flour press out dough to about 1/4 - 1/8" thick, can do this in segments and use cookie cutters for shapes or freestyle your own. 

Bake in preheated oven for 10 - 12 minutes.

Let cool on wire rack for at least 5 minutes before next step.

Caramel Coconut Topping

(using all organic ingredients)

1 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened 

1/4 cup homemade caramel sauce (recipe below)

Take the coconut and toast in the oven or toaster oven at 300 degrees for a total of 15 minutes, stirring up every 5 minutes.

Caramel Sauce Recipe

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup canned coconut milk

2 tablespoons coconut oil ghee

pinch of real sea salt

1/2 tsp vanilla powder

Melt coconut oil ghee in saucepan, then add in remaining ingredients.  Cook on medium heat while whisking the mixture for about 5 to 7 minutes, or until it thickens. 

Remove from heat and let cool. 

When the toasted coconut is done, mix 1/4 cup of the caramel sauce with the coconut in a small bowl. 

Melting Chocolate & Assembly of 

Coconutty Cookies

3/4 cup dark chocolate chips or chunks, organic & fair trade best

Double boil the chocolate to melt it down.

(Double Boil: Take a small pot and fill it with about a inch or two of water, place a heat safe bowl on top of pot of water.  Be sure not to let the water touch the bottom of bowl.  Place the pot on medium heat and fill your bowl with chocolate chips.  When you hear water boiling and chocolate begins to melt, remove from heat, but keep bowl on pot and stir chocolate until smooth).

Assembly of Coconutties

Have a parchment lined baking sheet ready.

Take a cookie and dip the bottom into chocolate to coat.  Place cookie on parchment lined sheet, and repeat for all cookies.

Take your coconut caramel mixture and place about a teaspoon of mixture on top of each cookie, pressing flat.

Take remaining chocolate and drizzle on top.

Place in refrigerator to set for 10 minutes.  

Take out and enjoy, or store in airtight glass container in refrigerator.

Happy Baking, Melting & Assembling Everyone!!

The Eco-Friendly flowers & chocolate option for Valentines or any day!

My husband and I are not really Valentine's Day celebrators.  When we were kids we got caught up in the hype that we had to do something, or buy gifts for each other, but those days are long behind us.  We do not exchange gifts, flowers or chocolates on Valentine's Day, but that certainly does not mean there are no flowers or chocolate in our house right now.  Or that we don't show each other how much we are grateful that we have one another, every single day.

Sadly, the industry of both the standard flowers and chocolates are severely polluting our planet.  The gifts that are supposed to be about love, are in fact just the opposite.  Between the factory pollution from chocolates, and the chemical additives they put in the chocolate, the pesticides they spray all over the flowers to make them pretty for longer, traditional Valentine's Day gifts are not doing their job loving the earth (or us). 

If the chocolates and flowers route is the one you just have to take,

don't worry...there is a way to choose delicious chocolates & beautiful flowers that are both good for you and for our earth!!

Instead of visiting a florist, why not go to a nursery like Atlantic Nursery in Freeport, NY.  There are plenty of beautiful options to choose from.  From a potted plant, to a herb terrarium, to romantic orchids, you can't go wrong.  If your sweetheart isn't exactly the potted plant, or terrarium type, why not stop by your nearest Whole Foods for a nice selection of cut flowers that are chemical free!

Onto one of my all time favorite foods

Dark Chocolate!

If you have not heard yet, pure organic, fair trade dark chocolate is actually good for you!!!  That is not saying eat a whole bar of chocolate everyday, but a few squares everyday will actually be nurturing your body as well as your mind.  

When looking for good dark chocolates be sure to look for organic & fair trade.  Organic means the ingredients were grown without harmful chemicals.  Since the cacao plants typically grow outside the US, purchasing fair trade means that the farmers and workers who grew the ingredients are treated fairly and not taken advantage of (you'd be surprised how many companies use essentially slave labor to get the cheep price on goods for you). 

Every year I can't help but purchase my favorite chocolates from a wonderfully conscience company called Sjaaks Organics.  

They have a wide selection of organic, fair trade & gluten-free chocolates, that are simply delicious!!!  

Keep your eyes out for organic, fair trade & gluten-free chocolates and you simply can't loose!

Keep sharing the eco-friendly love out there everyone!

Happy Valentine's Day!