With apologies to the Greeks, and with apologies to those who love powdered sugar. My husband loves these. They are made with coconut flour, which has a light and delicate texture. Hemp hearts and chia seeds bring extra nutritional punch. They are sweetened with erythritol and stevia, and have a lovely bright sweetness and delicate texture. Erythritol is a 'sugar alcohol' made by fermenting sugar. The resulting product is nearly as sweet as sugar with a pleasant sugar taste, doesn't affect blood sugar, doesn't affect insulin, doesn't contribute to systemic inflammation, and doesn't contribute to dental decay. Some alcohol sugars (sorbital, xylitol) can have a bit of an effect on the digestive tract if consumed in large quantity, but erythritol tends to be well tolerated, and although it tastes sweet on the tongue, it doesn't break down to be utilized as energy, so it doesn't affect the body. It seems to be well tolerated without ill-effect by people who need to avoid sugars. Stevia is a plant, and the powder derived from it is insanely sweet (32 times sweeter than regular sugar), but doesn't have a fully rounded flavour profile that we expect from sugar. The combination of the two sweeteners gives a sweetness that is more on par with traditional sweeteners. Which brings us of course to the natural question "Why not just use organic cane sugar instead of trying to mimic the flavour?" For those people who enjoy baked goods made with traditional ingredients, there are so many fantastic recipes out there already. My goal here is to create things that taste terrific but suit those who wish to or need to avoid things like most grain flour, corn syrup, and cane sugar. It's nice to be able to still have the occasional treat that tastes absolutely like a treat but won't bring the ill-effects that the more traditional ingredients have on some people.
So, there you have it. Not trying to change the world one cookie at a time, but personally very sensitive to most sweeteners, and happy to share my ideas with anyone else who finds them useful!! I believe there is room in this world for treats that taste like treats but won't have ill-effect on the body.
ingredients:
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 cup water
1/4 cup erythritol
1/4- 1/2 tsp stevia powder (my son found these too sweet with 1/2 tsp, but my husband loved them like this)
1/4 cup white chia seeds, finely ground
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup hemp hearts, finely ground
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup coconut flour
extra erythritol to coat them before baking
directions:
1. combine the ingredients, adding the coconut flour last
2. shape the dough into small crescents by hand
3. roll the crescents gently in erythritol before baking on a lined baking sheet
4. bake for 30 minutes at 345 followed by 60 at 170.
This recipe made about 32 cookies.
Cooks tip: Regarding the 60 minutes at 170. Baked goods made with nut/seed/coconut flours don't behave the same way in the oven as more traditional grain-flour baked goods. I find a little 'dehydration' after baking can be a useful tool. Gets them closer to the traditional texture without over toasting or over browning. When I make think, crisp cookies with almond flour, I generally will even do a 3 hour dehydration on 170 after a 14 minute bake at 345. Works beautifully!!!
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