Oatmeal Citron Macaroons

I don't know what to say about these cookies; they speak for themselves. You just have to try one. It's a simple recipe, easy and quick to make, and delicious to eat. They are crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside, thanks to the citron preserve.

The Recipe:
Dry ingredients:

• 1 cup desiccated unsweetened flaked coconut
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 2 tbsp pea fibre (optional, to increase fibre content)
• 1 tsp five spice powder (you can also use pumpkin pie spice)
• 1/2 tsp salt

Wet ingredients:

• 3 large egg whites
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup citron preserve (you can substitute with any marmalade)

Stir dry ingredients together in one bowl. Beat egg whites and sugar to a stiff peak. Add dry ingredients at once to egg whites and fold until all dry ingredients are completely coated with egg white. Add citron preserve and fold in until thin streaks of preserve remain. 

Scoop spoonfuls (~1tbsp) of cookie batter onto a lined cookie sheet. Press to flatten cookie a little. Bake at 350 °F (~175 °C) for 15 to 20 minutes or until sides are golden brown and crispy. Allow to cool on a rack. Hope you like these as much as I do. 

Dry ingredients without salt and five spice

Just before baking

Just out of oven

They look so beautiful, so I thought I'd put a close-up here too

Coconut Angel Cake

Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Are you just about to begin the annual marathon of rich, decadent holiday feasts? Or perhaps you've already begun, like I have? Here, I have a recipe for a light interlude to keep our spirits (and perhaps body) light: a coconut angel food cake. Let's not wait for the summer to enjoy coconut and angel food cake. A dash of cinnamon gives this cake a welcoming warmth.

The Recipe:
Sift together dry ingredients:

• 1/3 cup coconut flour
• 2 tbsp defatted soy flour
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp ground flaxseed (optional, stir after sifting others if adding)

Wet ingredients:

• 6 egg whites (separated from fresh raw eggs, best if left at room temperature)
• 4 tbsp white sugar
• 2 tbsp brown sugar (for flavour and moisture)
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar (stabilizes egg white structure)

Measure out white sugar and stir in cream of tartar so that it is evenly distributed. In a large, clean bowl, beat egg whites until it comes to a soft peak. Add white sugar, a tablespoon at a time, while beating. Continue to add brown sugar, again, a tablespoon at a time. Continue beating until you get a medium peak. Carefully fold in sifted dry ingredients with a large spatula, stopping when you don't see clumps of flour anymore. You can fold it all in at once or separate into two batches. Scoop into an un-greased, 8 by 4 inch (or 20 cm by 10 cm) loaf tin, even out the top, and bake at a 325 °F (~165 °C) oven for 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Flip loaf tin upside down to cool for 15-20 minutes before removing from pan and slicing. If your tin does not have "feet", you can let it rest in a round bowl that's slightly wider than 8 inch diameter so that the cake surface is not touching anything but air can circulate. Slice and enjoy when cooled. 

Measured out dry ingredients before sifting

Egg whites beat to medium peak with sugars and cream of tartar

Cooled loaf cake

Here's how the structure and texture looks inside 

It's not exactly fat free because there is some fat in the coconut flour and soy flour (and in the flaxseed if you are using it), but it's much lower than that in pound cakes but no less flavourful. You can add a sugar glaze or sprinkle with icing sugar if you like. Happy holidays!

Soft coconut oat cookies

The smell of coconut prompts me to conjure images of calm swaying palm trees and lazy sweeping sea waves. These soft cookies are made with oat bran and coconut flour. Both ingredients not only make it high in fibre, but also give it a wonderful texture and delicious taste. The chewy softness comes from using liquid forms of sugar like corn syrup and condensed milk.

The recipe: Measure 2 1/4 cups oat bran into a bowl and sift 1 cup coconut flour with 1/4 tsp salt and 2 tsp baking powder over it. In a separate bowl, heat 1/4 cup unsalted butter with 3/4 cup corn syrup and 2 tbsp low fat condensed milk over gentle heat until butter is melted, and corn syrup and condensed milk are runny. Take the wet mixture off the heat and whisk 1/2 cup room temperature milk into it. Then add 3 egg whites at once and whisk vigorously to combine. Pour all the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until combined with a spatula. There's no need to worry about over-mixing here because there's no gluten. Since the dough is very soft, shape it into small logs (~5 cm diameter) using cling wrap and freeze it for 45 min to 1 hour. With a sharp knife, cut dough log into ~0.5 cm slices, place on lined baking sheets and bake in a 300 F oven for 10-12 minutes. Feel free to bite in whenever they cool to a tolerable temperature!

Buckwheat banana pancakes

There are many healthy ways to start a day. Homemade buckwheat banana pancakes is one of those ways. These pancakes are soft and fluffy on the inside and have a thin, crispy coconut crust on the top and bottom. They are also very easy and quick to make.

The recipe: I peel and chop 2 medium-sized, ripe bananas and place in a bowl. Then I separate two eggs and place 1 egg yolk in the bowl with the bananas and the 2 egg whites in a clean bowl for whisking later. I add 3 tablespoons of buckwheat flour and 1/4 teaspoons of salt to the banana and egg yolk. Using a fork, I mash the bananas and thoroughly combine the flour and egg yolk and set aside. Using a whisk, I beat the egg whites until it holds a soft peak. As I preheat a non-stick pan, I gently fold the beaten egg whites and banana mixture together, leaving a few small lumps. The pancake mixture is ready. I add a about a teaspoon of margarine to the pan and swirl it around. Before I spoon the pancake mixture onto the pan, I sprinkle some dried, shredded, unsweetened coconut where I plan to place my pancakes. I then spoon my pancake batter into the pan (about 3-4 tbsp of batter per pancake), sprinkle over some more coconut, and let the pancakes cook unit small bubbles start to pop on the upper surface (about 2 minutes). I flip the pancakes and let the uncooked side brown for another 2 minutes. The first batch of pancakes is ready to serve!

Since there's such a high banana content in these cakes, I find that they are sweet and moist enough to eat on their own, but they can certainly be topped with any pancake topping of choice. By the way, these pancakes happen to be gluten-free, dairy-free, and nut-free. Who would've guessed?

Disclaimer: Please note that this recipe has not been reviewed by FAI or medical experts. Avoidance is the only accepted course of treatment for food allergy. Always verify ingredients or food products by checking with the manufacturer and/or your physician to ensure that any foods are safe for your unique allergy issues.

Coconut Pillow Cookies

I made special coconut cookies this weekend. Being special, they were of course, unlike any other coconut cookie I'd tasted. These are soft, round, pillows with a crisp crust.

The Recipe (in case you are interested):
Dry ingredients:

• 1/2 cup chapati flour (or whole wheat pastry flour)
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder

Wet ingredients: 

• 2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce 
• 2/3 cup plain greek yogurt (I used 2%, but any fat content should be fine)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 egg whites
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar

In a skillet on medium heat, reduce applesauce until only about 1/3 cup is left and add  cinnamon and salt. Remove it from the heat and stir in greek yogurt. In a bowl, stir and sift together dry ingredients. In another bowl, beat egg whites to stiff peaks with sugar and cream of tartar. Now, gently fold the applesauce and yogurt mixture into the egg whites. Then pour all the sifted ingredients in at once and fold until a very soft but non-runny dough forms. I dust my hands with a generous layer of flour, scoop off 1-tbsp sized dough balls and roll them into a sphere. I place them on a lined cookie sheet and bake at 400 F for 8 minutes then at 250 F for another 20-30 minutes.

I rolled some of these in flaked unsweetened coconut for extra texture and flavour.
I meant for these to look like the smiling cookies (a traditional cookie used to celebrate Chinese New Year), but taste completely different!