Happy Valentine's Day! I will use any holiday as an excuse to bake something delicious. For this celebration of love, I decided to try a recipe I have been thinking about for some time now. I tried Earnest Ice Cream's Vegan Coconut Kaffir Lime Ice Cream and it was decadent, but it got me thinking... Why not try and bake a gluten-free coconut flour and limey dessert? Voila! February 14th arrived and we have cookies. I decided to still use organic butter and eggs in this recipe, so they are not considered vegan, but you could easily substitute if that was your target audience.
Benefits:
- Coconut flour is made from coconut meat, which is an excellent source of fatty acids, B vitamins, vitamin C, and vitamin E. It also contains potassium, magnesium, manganese, copper, and iron. Coconut is an excellent source of fibre as well. Its flour contains almost twice the amount of fibre compared to wheat bran.
- Since it is Valentine's, it is only appropriate to try and promote a happy heart too. Limes (and lemons) contain powerful phytonutrients, which are fierce antioxidants that help to protect and maintain a healthy heart. Limes are an excellent source of Vitamin C; a main antioxidant helping to reduce oxidative damage in the body.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter, room temp
1/4 cup coconut oil
2 eggs
zest & juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup cane sugar
1 cup coconut flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
crack of sea salt
Preheat oven to 350°F. In a stand-up mixer, combine wet ingredients and sugar. In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix until just combined. Roll dough into two balls, place in a reusable container, and stick in the freezer for 30 minutes to chill. Roll dough out to about 1 cm thick and cut with favourite cookie cutters. Sprinkle with colourful demerara sugar if desired. Bake for 7-9 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks. Enjoy with loved ones on this special occasion!
References
- Haas, E. (2006). Staying healthy with nutrition: The complete guide to diet & nutritional medicine. New York: Ten Speed Press.
- Mateljan, G. (2007). The world’s healthiest foods. Seattle: George Mateljan Foundation.