I began searching the internet to find out what natural sources of octanoic acid exist, also known as caprylic acid. The benefit of caprylic/octanoic acid is that it restores the beneficial bacteria to your gut. So for those of you who are dealing with long term gluten sensitivity damage you will find this to be a wonderful addition to your diet. Specifically it addresses candida infections in the gut.
Caprylic acid is found in various milks, specifically goat's milk and also in palm and coconut oil. I LOATHE goat's milk cheese and the thought of the foot-odor infused dairy product makes me cringe... However I am all about getting myself healthy... I'm even thinking I will try some goat's milk yogurt in the coming days and I promise to report back.
Coconut oil though is actually recommended as a supplement so I decided naturally that while I can begin to add the oil to my diet (I've read online to start with 1 TBL and work up to 3 per day) I also can add coconut in other ways to my diet.
For more on why coconuts are a miracle food check out the Coconut Research Center.
Some basic highlights are: improves digestion and bowel function, protects against osteoporosis, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory.
So I picked up a bag of organic coconut flour at whole foods last week. A few years ago I had attempted a coconut flour crust which proved to be vile so I approached this culinary adventure with a wee bit of apprehension. I did some research online for cookie recipes that I thought might provide some guidance. Coconut flour seems to be popular within the paleo community so I found recipes that tended to be be on the "healthier" side than what I was striving for. If I'm making a darn cookie I want it to be a cookie!
This took a bit of experimentation but what follows I consider to be a successfully delicious coconut flour cookie recipe.
Gluten Free Coconut Flour Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 Tablespoon gluten free vanilla extract (I recommend Spice Island)
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup half and half (you could can also use milk or a dairy free milk like almond or coconut, I just had half and half in my fridge)
- 1 cup coconut flour
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup strawberry jelly or other flavor of your choice.
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Foil and butter baking sheets.
2. In a mixer combine peanut butter, honey, vanilla, egg and brown sugar and milk, beat till combined.
3. Add Coconut flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix till all ingredients combine.
4. Chill dough in fridge for 15 minutes.
5. Remove dough from fridge and with moist hands (I make sure my hands are very clean and then and I just run them under a little water) roll into 1 inch balls and place on sheet. I suggest moist hands because this dough is very sticky and keeping your hands moist (not dripping wet) really seems to help the process.
6. With your finger tip (moist) press and indent into the center of each cookie. This creates the spot for your jelly.
7. Fill each indent with a drop of jelly (you can use jam too.)
8. Bake in oven for 8 minutes. You will find that these cookies puff a little but they do not spread and also they do not brown that much on the top so while you are looking for them to be golden underneath don't over bake them.
9. Once removed from oven allow to cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet and then remove with a spatula. The cookies are not stackable because of the jelly and they stay very moist and chewy after they have cooled, store them in tupperware.
My first bite I did notice the flavor of the coconut but my friend who was hanging out with me said she noticed it less... now I really only taste the peanut butter but the texture of coconut is still evident. I really like these cookies and they are a great alternative for those seeking a grain free (and corn free!) diet.
Enjoy! xoxo! Iris
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