Sometimes I just need a cookie. When I was growing up, my mother made chocolate chip cookies once a week and left them in the cookie jar for us to eat until they were gone. Back then, I wasn’t a huge fan of baked cookies. I preferred the dough. But, as I’ve gotten older and become a coffee drinker as well as a mom, I have acquired a deeper appreciation for a finished cookie. Trust me, despite my food allergies, I have also developed an even deeper appreciation for cookie dough. I like cookies because if I’m in a hurry I can spread the dough into a pan and make bar cookies, they are easy to make with my kids, and they keep really well whether I keep them in an airtight container on the counter or in the freezer to take out as needed.
Here are my girls and I baking the S’Mores Cookies from The Complete Allergy-Free Comfort Foods Cookbook
As I’ve said many times before, I find inspiration everywhere I go. And today, when I took down a copy of my first book Allergy-Free Desserts to send to someone I actually found inspiration from one of my own recipes. This may have been a first. I’m usually inspired by others, not myself. Anyway, I decided to make these Raspberry Coconut Gems after spying the photo of my thumbprint cookies on the back cover. I changed the flour mix, rolled the cookies in coconut and then filled them with raspberry jam, but you could use apricot or whatever flavor you have on hand. That’s the beauty of these cookies. They are versatile and taste great with just about any fruit filling. And, they definitely fit my criteria for why a cookie is a great thing to bake: 1) I didn’t spread them in a pan BUT I could if I really wanted. Just spread the jam on top and sprinkle with the coconut 2) My oldest daughter made the indentation in the centers for me and 3) These keep very well and stay soft in an airtight container on the counter for up to three days.
Sometimes just a tiny twist on an old favorite makes for perfection. I think you will agree. Make these with or for your kids and have a wonderful time eating every last crumb together.
Raspberry Coconut Gems
Makes 20
1 1/2 cup superfine or Chinese rice flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1/4 cup sorghum
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup organic palm fruit oil shortening
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/2 cup +2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons ground flaxmeal
6 tablespoons water
1 14-ounce package sweetened, flaked coconut
3/4 cup jam of your choice, I used raspberry
1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk together the rice flour, potato starch, sorghum, baking soda, baking powder, xanthan gum and salt in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
2) In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the organic palm fruit oil shortening, granulated sugar and brown sugar until they are fluffy. Scrape down the sides and beat in the honey and vanilla. Mix together the flaxmeal and the water, let them sit 2 minutes and add them to the batter. Beat the batter until it is light and fluffy again. Scrape down the sides. Slowly stir in the dry ingredients and mix until the dough comes together and all of the ingredients are evenly incorporated.
3) Pour the flaked coconut into a bowl. Scoop the batter out by generous spoonfuls, roll the dough into a ball with your hands, roll each ball in the coconut and then place it on the prepared sheets about 2-inches apart. With the tip of your thumb or the knuckle of your forefinger, create an indentation in the center of the cookie. Fill the center with 3/4-1 teaspoon jam depending on the depth of your indentation. Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes or until the edges are just golden. Remove the cookies from the oven and let the cookies cool on the cookie sheets for 10 minutes. Then remove them to cooling racks to cool completely. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
