Easy Coconut Shortbread Cookies

As with the mayo, I had a little free time on my hands the other day and decided to spend it looking online for an egg-free, dairy-free, gluten-free coconut macaroon recipe.  BWAHAHAHA!!!  I came across one or two but the reviews were dim to say to the least.  After reading the recipes, I understood why.  I've been cooking a long time and can usually tell just by reading a recipe if its going to work.  As much as I love and use coconut flour, I know it will turn into sand if isn't combined with something that will bind it.

I think part of the problem is that many people don't understand the products they're using, their properties and how well they play with others!  I will say this right now...gluten-free products are not very forgiving.  A mistake will usually not turn out edible...LOL  You'll either get something that falls apart and can be used to fill a sandbox OR you'll get something heavy enough to bludgeon someone to death with.  My mind goes in strange places.  I'm envisioning an episode of NCIS in which Ducky informs Jethro that the victim died of blunt force trauma to the head inflicted by a laof of gluten-free bread! Abby finds trace evidence of fava bean flour and coconut fibers under the suspects fingernails.  Clearly, I need therapy!

Cookies can either be hockey pucks or sweet, gritty crumbs depending on how you play your cards.  Many of the recipes I came across relied on eggs for binding and of course...this homey don't play dat!  Still others used sweetened condensed milk and while not as allergenic (for me) as CEGB's, that stuff is like eating creamy corn syrup...yuck.  I hate the smell of it too.  That first whiff when you open the can is vaguely sour and sickeningly sweet at the same time. 

My little brain started spinning because somewhere up there, locked away among the cobwebs was a previously shelved idea of what to do with the commercial baker's grade coconut creme concentrate that I just happen to have a case of.  This is NOT to be confused with that crap in the market called coconut cream.  That stuff has a years worth of high fructose corn syrup in every spoonful and a little polysorbate 60 (or 80 can't remember which and does it really matter??) thrown in for good measure.  Probably has artificial coconut flavor added too.  Simple stated...bad ju ju! 

This stuff I'm talking about is made by Tropical Traditions (http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/) and is 100% pure concentrated coconut.  It's make up is about 70% coconut oil and the rest is the fiber from the meat.  I guess you could also think of this as coconut butter.  This stuff is insanely delicious...if you are a coocnut lover that is.  You can spread it on toast like butter or (dare I admit this) just eat a spoonful out of the jar once in a while.  Its naturally sweet because well...coocnut is natually sweet and when it's very concentrated like this product is...it almost tastes like it has been sweetened but it hasn't.  The cream is solid like butter also...to about 75-77 degrees.  Like pure coconut oil though, beyond that temperature it becomes liquid.  It's still very thick and creamy (much like the consistency of sweetened condensed milk) but pourable.

So I know you're dying to know how the cookies came out right?  They were marvelous BUT...the texture wasn't that of a macaroon.  To me it most closely resembled shortbread...hence the title.  These are like stupid easy to make.  The biggest thing is just getting the coconut cream concentrate.  BTW...you can also use this concentrate to make coconut milk.  You just add a teaspoon for ever 6 ounces of water.  Use warm water and blend, the chill.  So if you order a quart online don't be worried that you have to make a million cookies.  Just use it for milk and you can cook with it was well.  It's great in curries, breads, rice...whatever.
I guess I should add that I am NOT affiliated with or compensated by Tropical Traditions in any way.  I just happen to love their products.

Gluten-Free Vegan Coconut Shortbread Cookies

A drizzle of chocolate never hurt any cookie!

• 1/2 cup tropical traditions coconut cream concentrate, melted
• 1 heaping cup organic unsweetened shredded coconut flakes
• 3 tablespoons organic coconut flour
• 1/4 teaspoon xantham gum
• pinch kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons organic agave nectar
• 2 tablespoons melted organic coconut oil

Preheat oven to 350F.  Line a sheet pan with parchement paper. 

In a medium bowl stir together coconut cream and shredded coconut until blended.  Add coconut flour, xantham gum and salt; mix well.  Pour in agave and coconut oil.  Mix with wooden spoon until mixture is completely combined.  It will be very thick.

Use a small 1 ounce scoop (like a tiny ice cream scoop) to form mixture into 12 balls.  Pack into scoop well.  Release from scoop onto parment lined baking sheet.  Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes.  Cookies should only be lightly browned and baked enough to hold together. 

This recipe only makes 1 dozen because it was a test batch and I didn't want to waste a large amount of ingredients if it didn't work.  Fortunately, I was pretty sure it would...and it did!  Double or triple the amounts if you want to make more cookies.  Store cookies in airtight container.

just out of the oven...lightly golden brown

close up...shows the dense shortbread consistency

don't the look scrumptuous?

it's coconut LUV

I don't know who could have done that...really!

(c)copyright Jill Anderson

The Homegrown Gourmet

Gluten Free, Vegan Tropical Raw Fruit Pie

Since I needed to make this today anyway to get some pictures, I thought I'd go ahead and post it for everyone.  I've made this pie several times for cooking demos and everyone always begs for the recipe. Its so easy that its almost a non-recipe.  The key to this pie's success is the combination of flavors and chilling the finished dish long enough to be able to get it out of the tart pan. 

The inspiration for this dish actually comes from an old church supper favorite.  My grandmother made it and I'm sure many of your grandmothers made it as well.  It was a jell-o salad with crushed pineapple, bananas, marachino cherries, pecans and that dried artificial whipped cream stuff that you mixed with milk and vanilla.  There is a laundry list of things that were unhealthy about that dish but it actually tasted good.  So I got to thinking about what elements of the dish actually WERE good and came up with this raw tropical fruit pie.  Oddly enough, it absolutely does taste like the old church supper dish.  Its hard to believe that the entire thing is made of fruit and nuts (in various forms).

Anyway, give it a try and see what you think. 


The grainless date, nut pie crust can be made ahead, wrapped and stored until you are ready to use it.  The wrapped crust dough will keep for a week in the fridge.  Once it has been made into a pie, it is best used within 1-2 days.

Note:  I have used raw almond meal that I had left over from making almond milk.  I place it on a sheet pan and turn my oven on the lowest setting and dry the meal for several hours.  You need to stir it so that it dries completely.  If you don't have your own raw almond meal, Bob's Red Mill has it in 16oz. bags available at healthfood stores and some grocery stores.  However, that almond meal is not raw.

For the crust: 

12 fresh (not dried), pitted medjool dates

1/2 cup unsweetened freeze dried organic coconut flakes

1 cup raw almond meal 

2 tablespoons organic coconut flour

1/4 cup melted organic extra virgin coconut oil

pinch of kosher salt

Place the pitted dates in food processor along with coconut.  Pulse until dates are processed and mixture has formed a gooy ball.  Add almond meal, coconut flour and kosher salt to mixture.  Pulse until mixture is well blended and crumbly.  Drizzle in melted coconut oil 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing for several seconds between addtions.  Mixture will still appear somewhat crumbly but will hold it's shape when pressed together.  Press crust mixture into bottom and up the sides of a removable bottom tart pan, chill.

Tropical Raw Fruit Pie

There are two items in this pie that are not raw and they are the coconut milk and the crushed pineapple.  I have tried several substitutions but find that even though its not raw, unsweetened full fat coconut milk produces the most satisfactory results.  As for the pineapple, you CAN use fresh pineapple that you have crushed in the food processor but it has to be squeezed as dry as possible and the pie needs to be eaten within a few hours of preparation.  The longer it sits, the fresh pineapple will begin to "weep" and make the pie soggy.

1 cup unsweetened freeze dried organic coconut flakes

1/2 cup full fat organic coconut milk, refrigerated

2 large bananas sliced 1/4" thick

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 pint fresh organic strawberries, sliced

1 can organic crushed pineapple in natural juices, drained and squeezed dry

1/2 cup chopped organic pecans

additional unsweetened flaked coconut to sprinkle on top

Keep pie crust refrigerated until ready to assemble pie.   Using a spoon, remove only the creamy top layer of coconut milk until you have half a cupful.  Combine coconut milk and flaked coconut in a small bowl.  Let stand for 15 minutes until coconut is hydrated and coconut milk is completely absorbed.  Spread this mixture in the bottom of prepared crust.  Slice bananas and place in a small bowl.  Sprinkle with lemon juice and toss gently.  Lay banana slices out evenly on top of coconut layer.  Spread sliced straweberries evenly over banana layer.  Evenly distribute crushed pineapple over the top of pie.  Sprinkle pecans and additonal coconut on the top to garnish.  Chill for at least 4 hours.  To remove sides of tart pan, run a small knife around the sides to loosen and gently push up on the removable bottom until side ring comes free.  The pie will slice when it is cold. 

Make some whipped coconut cream to top the pie.  Spoon off the remaining "cream" in the can of coconut milk.  Save the watery layer at the bottom of the can for another use.  Place the cold coconut cream in a metal bowl and stash in the freezer for 15 minutes.  Add 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar and beat with electric mixer until soft peaks form.  Coconut whipped cream will not beat to stiff peaks.  You may sweeten with a few drops of stevia extract if desired but I find the unsweetened cream to be a better compliment to the pie.

Enjoy!

(c) copyright Jill Anderson

The Homegrown Gourmet