Hello lovelies! I hope you enjoy my late night, caffeine-induced humor. It has been a wild day in the kitchen, let me tell you. No really, I want to tell you right now. You see, some days I have these incredible culinary successes that make me think to myself, "Self. I am going to do just fine. It may have taken thirty years, but I am really starting to get the hang of this 'life' business." Like, even though I kind of messed up the homemade yogurt (I couldn't just leave it alone. It was so cool looking!), I ended up making the most DELICIOUS ricotta I have ever had in my life. Maybe it was more mascarpone. Whatever. It was delicious with a bit of honey and strawberries. I heard angels singing. Then, sometimes, I have situations like this:
Again, the process. Melt the coconut oil on low, remove from heat and add vanilla and maple syrup. Stir until combined, then whisk in cacao.
NOW, the whole process. Preheat the oven to 350F, 325F if using a glass pan. Press your crust into the pan. Top with sweetened condensed milk (it can be fresh off the oven or previously cooked and out of the fridge, but I recommend letting it come to room temp so you can pour it on easily). Sprinkle an even layer of coconut over the top. If using chocolate chips, put them on now. If using drizzle, put in oven without chocolate and begin cooking drizzle after 10 minutes of bake time. Bake time will vary, I estimated mine at about 20 minutes. You should definitely check them after 12 to 15 minutes. When the edges are golden brown and the coconut is toasty, it's ready. Drizzle on the chocolate. It can go on when they're hot or after they cool. (Read: don't panic if you didn't start cooking the chocolate until the timer went off. This is one instance in which the process is whatever works. Yay!) Let them cool enough to not melt your face, and enjoy!
Do you have a favorite "copycat" or "modified" recipe for a special diet? Please share!
The left is what happens when you don't follow the proper procedures. Here's a little tip: if the recipe says, "Heat to x degrees, then add such and such until thoroughly combined, remove from heat and whisk in ingredient c," then by all means DO IT. Do it precisely as instructed. Do you know why? Because some bonehead probably did what I did. I got antsy waiting for my fabulous boyfriend to come home from the store (he brought mini rose plants for the kitchen window, the sweetheart!) and I mixed up the wrong ingredients, resulting in the mess you see on the left. It's basically a burned glob of raw cacao and pure maple syrup, and some organic coconut oil (which I strained off to be used on my hair. I don't care if I smell like a burned cookie. I'll use it when Aaron is out of town. Hee hee!). I haven't tossed them yet, but I'm afraid I may have ruined about $6 worth of ingredients. The sad thing is, I probably needed about 1/6 of that for the recipe I was creating. Yes, I was creating something. Would you like to see it? Of course you would. Here is my nourishing take on the old magic cookie thingy:
My family has gone under a huge lifestyle change as of March of this year. My mom is combining a nourishing diet with some of the GAPS principles, along with keeping her eye on things that will effect her thyroid and Dad's blood sugar. She has also recently cut out gluten. (Rough! I've only ever been able to do that for a few weeks at a time.) A lovely, brilliant lady friend of ours introduced us to the Nourishing Traditions book and style of eating. We have shared documentary reviews and recipes. Mom visits her almost every week and they have fun experimenting and learning. I told you all of that to tell you this: this recipe is safe for Mom. WOO! I thought it couldn't be done. I only had to shred my own coconut, make my own chocolate, substitute...okay wait. Let me just give you the recipe. I know you're curious. BUT REMEMBER - the process is IMPORTANT. In that top photo, the shiny, smooth, beautiful chocolate drizzle was made in under a minute using the proper procedure. Don't get me wrong, there are often many ways to approach a new creation or solve a problem. There is pretty much only one way to make this chocolate. Yup. Just save yourself the heartache. So enjoy the recipe and please, wander aimfully, my friends!
Disclaimer: this is not a low fat or low sugar food. However, the fats and sugars are not processed and the ingredients I used were from approved sources, so your body knows how to turn them into usable energy and nourish you from the inside out! I tried to be specific about what I used on the things that were especially significant.
Disclaimer #2: I eyeball everything, and I pretty much wing everything else. I'm really terrible about this. Really. So, I do my best to measure and give you accurate measurements, but if it looks a little off, feel free to tweak and post back to let me know what worked for you.
Okay, for real now. Here you go:
Nourishing Magic Cookie Bites
Almond meal crust:
- 1 1/3 C almond flour (made with blanched almonds)
- 5 Tbs (give or take) melted butter (We like Kerrygold)
- 1 tsp pure maple syrup (Optional)
Combine all the ingredients and press into an 8x8. (My pan is oblong, but I'm pretty sure this is ok in an 8x8. You have permission to kick me if it doesn't.)
Topping -
- Sweetened condensed milk (See recipe below)
- Shredded coconut (I shredded mine by hand because I didn't see any unsweetened and they usually use icky processed sugar. If you can find a safe alternative, awesome!)
- Chocolate drizzle (See recipe below. It is a bit strong, so use a light hand. Alternatively, you could use Enjoy Life brand chocolate chips. I'm a fan! You could also omit the chocolate, if you're not keen on it.)
Homemade Sweetened condensed milk
- 4 C whole coconut milk
- 2/3 C maple syrup (You could also use rapadura or sucanat, like in the video below.)
I (mostly) followed this tutorial: http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/video-sweetened-condensed-milk-that-is-actually-healthy/
This is another one in which the process matters. Bring the coconut milk to a boil, THEN add sweetener and boil, stirring occasionally, for 2 whole hours. You cannot try to speed this up or anything. Just let it do its thing. It is AMAZING. It is also going in my coffee tomorrow, and forever and ever because I love it SO! Also, I did not use this entire recipe on my cookie bites. There was about 3/4 cup left over, after I sampled a LOT of spoonfuls. No double dipping. I promise.
Chocolate drizzle
- ½ C raw cacao or cocoa powder (I love Navitas cacao!)
- 3 Tbs pure maple syrup
- ½ C coconut oil (I usually stick with organic)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract (Avoid imitation. It usually has vanillin and caramel color. Yucky.)
Again, the process. Melt the coconut oil on low, remove from heat and add vanilla and maple syrup. Stir until combined, then whisk in cacao.
NOW, the whole process. Preheat the oven to 350F, 325F if using a glass pan. Press your crust into the pan. Top with sweetened condensed milk (it can be fresh off the oven or previously cooked and out of the fridge, but I recommend letting it come to room temp so you can pour it on easily). Sprinkle an even layer of coconut over the top. If using chocolate chips, put them on now. If using drizzle, put in oven without chocolate and begin cooking drizzle after 10 minutes of bake time. Bake time will vary, I estimated mine at about 20 minutes. You should definitely check them after 12 to 15 minutes. When the edges are golden brown and the coconut is toasty, it's ready. Drizzle on the chocolate. It can go on when they're hot or after they cool. (Read: don't panic if you didn't start cooking the chocolate until the timer went off. This is one instance in which the process is whatever works. Yay!) Let them cool enough to not melt your face, and enjoy!
Do you have a favorite "copycat" or "modified" recipe for a special diet? Please share!
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