Coconut Cookies

Last week was Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.   Even though I am not Jewish I love this New Year’s celebration.  Rosh Hashanah reminds me of a wonderful time in my life. My ex-husband was raised Jewish and each year we would go with our son Trevor to the services at the Woodstock Congregation with Rabbi Jonathan Kligler.  The community was warm and welcoming.  Rabbi Kligler always had an uplifting message of hope and promise.  Thinking about it opens my heart.

This year I invited my significant other Roger’s  parents over to celebrate the Jewish holiday.   I made a simple dinner of:

• Garlic Roast Chicken
• Roast Potatoes ( I used a mixture of red potatoes and sweet potatoes, both organic, the organic potatoes taste so much better and you can eat the skin which contains so much of the vitamins).
• Water Sautéed Spinach with Garlic
• Roast Broccoli
• Salad

My plan was to grill the chicken and broccoli but it was super windy here on Thurs so I used the oven. It was a simple meal, very enjoyable with the family.

For  dessert I tried out a new recipe I have been working on for Coconut Cookies, gluten free, dairy free, paleo.  These are somewhat like macaroons but more of a cookie. You can eat them for dessert or take them with you as a healthy snack.  I had them this morning with some tea after my green smoothie.  Yum!

Coconut Cookies

These cookies are gluten-free, dairy free and grain-free. They are nicely browned and crisp on the edges with a soft, chewy interior.    Coconut is highly nutritious and rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. It is classified as a “functional food” because it is used for both food and medicine.  Beyond its nutritional content, the almonds have protein and fiber helping lower the rise in blood sugar and insulin after meals.  The tahini adds a good amounts of calcium and protein but the flavor does not overpower the cookies.

Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Paleo, Vegan                                             print recipe

Makes 20- 22 cookies

3/4 cup raw, raw almonds
2 Tb finely ground flax seeds
1/8 tsp Celtic sea salt
2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup tahini
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 Tb cacao nibs (optional, you could also use chocolate chips)

• Preheat oven to 350F  Lightly oil a  12” x 18” rimmed cookie sheet with coconut oil.
• In the bowl of a food processor, process the  almonds, flax and salt together until they resemble a coarse meal, about the texture of cornmeal. The mixture should be very finely ground, without any identifiable pieces of almond visible.
• Add the coconut and pulse once or twice to combine.
• Pour the maple syrup, tahini and  vanilla over the dry ingredients. Process again until everything is incorporated and the mixture forms a sticky ball (you may need to stop and scrape down the sides of the processor bowl once or twice). Stop as soon as the mixture holds together to avoid grinding the coconut too fine.
• Stir in the cacao nibs or chocolate chips by hand; do not process again.
• Using a small ice cream scoop or tablespoon drop small mounds of the mixture onto the cookie sheets about 1 inch apart.
• Wet your palms (or use a silicon spatula) and flatten the cookies slightly.
• Bake in preheated oven 10-12 minutes, rotating sheets about halfway through, until the cookies are just brown on the edges.
• Cool completely before removing to a cooling rack (the cookies will firm up as they cool). May be frozen.