SEXY-UGLY Prune and Orange Cookies

Tags

AIP, Autoimmune Protocol, Biscuits, Cookies, Dairy Free, Egg Free Baking, Healing Family Eats, Healthy Baking, Paleo

(Image by TSL)

sexy ugly
Someone not considered conventionally good-looking (or any kind of good-looking in some cases), but possesses an appealing personality, style, or talent, and is thus considered sexually attractive by many.

First coined by the movie, ‘Kissing Jessica Stein.’

Here’s the thing, I haven’t really done that much baking since I started this whole autoimmune protocol kick. When you’re off all grains, nuts, seeds AND eggs (among other things) – it does limit your options considerably when it comes to making sweet treats.

There is no education like adversity. (Benjamin Disraeli)

You have Healing Family Eats to thank for these wee babies. Earlier in the month she featured a gorgeous looking recipe for her Apricot N’Oatmeal Cookies. Frankly, I’ve been thinking about them on and off since I first saw the post.

I’ve become known as the ‘queen of balls’ in my neck of the woods, of late. Everybody asks for them.

And, just in case your wee mind is not on the same page as mine, I’m referring to those spherical objects commonly referred to as ‘Bliss Balls’. They’re a handy snack full of nuts and a bit of dried fruit, sometimes some flavouring like chocolate or coconut. Ever since I successfully reintroduced activated (soaked) nuts, I always have a few in the fridge. And, they’re both easy to make and seriously more-ish – when you get the ratios right. I think my most successful are my Jaffa Balls.

But sometimes a girl needs a change. And, I kept thinking about those cookies from over at Healing Family Eats…

Sexy Ugly Prune and Orange Cookies
(Image by TSL)

The thing is, when I went to my pantry to check for all the ingredients, I was missing the dried apricots. Sometimes delayed gratification just won’t cut it. And, necessity apparently being the mother of all invention, and all – this is what I came up with.

My wee sexy-ugly cookies certainly don’t look as pretty as the originals. But, they taste fab’! And, they can be whipped up in no time.

And – they were my very first attempt at egg-free baking. Moderately excited about that!

Try them and tell me what you think?

• Servings: 10
• Time: 30 minutes
• Difficulty: SUPER easy.
• Print

Ingredients:

1 x cup desiccated coconut
2 x Tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 cup organic prunes
zest of an orange
1 x Tablespoon gelatine
1 x Tablespoon fresh orange juice
2 x Tablespoon very hot water

Method:

1. Heat your oven to 180° F/350° C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

2. Pop your desiccated coconut, coconut oil, prunes and orange zest into your food processor. Blitz until thoroughly combined.

3. Pop the gelatine into a small bowl. Add your orange juice. Mix well until combined. Working quickly, add your hot water and whisk until the gelatine has completed melted.

4. Turn on your processor and pour the orange juice and gelatine mixture through the feeding tube. It will only take a couple of seconds to mix it through.

5. Using a tablespoon as a measure, take spoonfuls of the mixture and pop onto the baking sheet. Flatten carefully with a fork.

6. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Leave to cool completely (they will firm up as they cool).

E N J O Y !

If you don’t eat all your cookies at once, they will keep for a couple of days in the fridge.

 

Italian Almond Cookies the TSL-Way…

Tags

Amaretti Biscuit Recipe, Baking, Biscuit Recipe, Biscuits, Blogging, Christmas Baking, Coconut Sugar, Cookies, CutterLight, Dairy Free, David Lebovitz, Gluten Free, Gluten Free Baking, Paleo

LM’s Choc-drizzled Italian Almond Biscuits TSL-Style
(Image by TSL)

David Lebovitz is surely an icon in the world of food blogging. He’s a man with much style. And, if you’re a bit of a foodie and don’t already subscribe to his blog, I urge you to go and check it out… (here)

There’s a big difference between lucky and fortunate. Luck is a winning lottery ticket blowing in your window. Fortunate means that you’ve taken the initiative and done something. And because of it, there was a positive outcome. (David Lebovitz)

Last week, I bookmarked his Italian Almond Cookies post to try at a later date. With the silly season fast approaching, and in this dairy-free (LM), gluten-free (me) house we live in at Casa TSL, finding Christmas baking recipes that fit the bill can be a little challenging. These looked seriously yummy.

Then, in this wonderful global world of blogging we inhabit, yesterday my special northern-most blogging buddy, Barbra of CutterLight posted about her take on David’s recipe.

Italian Almond Biscuits TSL-Style
(Image by TSL)

So, we have David Lebovitz, who lives in France. Barbra who resides in Alaska – sometimes on land and sometimes at sea. And, now I am putting my spin on Italian Almond Cookies here in Australia. We should see how many countries we can add to the Italian Almond Cookies list…?

Here at Casa TSL, I made my cookies biscuits (biscuits: because I don’t come from America) with coconut sugar*. It’s more like brown sugar than white in consistency, so my biscuits were sun-tanned versions of the original, and probably a little more caramel-y in flavour.

And, of course, LM thinks everything tastes better with chocolate…

Nude Italian Almond Biscuits TSL-Style
(Image by TSL)

David Lebovitz Inspired Italian Almond Biscuits TSL-Style

Ingredients

for the dough

3 cups blanched almond meal
1 cup coconut sugar
3 large egg whites (fresh as possible and at room temperature)
pinch of salt
3 tablespoons jam (I used Cornersmith’s Crabapple Jelly)
a few drops of pure almond extract (a little goes a long way!)

 for finishing the biscuits

1 large egg white
About 2 cups slivered almonds
About 150 – 200 g dark chocolate (optional)

1. Heat the oven to 160ºC/325ºF. Line two baking sheets with baking paper.

2. Mix the almond meal and coconut sugar together in a large bowl.

3. Using your electric mixer, in a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they start to pile up into soft peaks.

4. Fold your beaten egg whites into the almond mixture. The egg whites will lose some volume. Then fold in your jam and almond extract. Mix the dough until it comes together into a smooth ball. I used my hands to ensure the jam was evenly distributed throughout the dough.

5. Using a tablespoon measure, roll each biscuit into a ball in your hands, then roll them ovals.

6. Whisk your remaining egg white in a small bowl to break it up. Pour the slivered almonds into another small bowl. Roll each biscuit in the egg white, followed by the slivered almonds. This part is a little fiddly and requires some gentle coaxing to get the almonds distributed all over your biscuits. After coating each of your biscuits with the almonds, put them on a baking sheet, evenly spaced apart.

7. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Rotate the baking sheets in the oven so your biscuits bake evenly. Let cool.

8. If having your biscuits ‘LM Style’, melt your chocolate (in a bowl placed over a pot of gently simmering water or in the microwave). Drizzle melted chocolate over your biscuits.

LM’s Choc-drizzled Italian Almond Biscuits TSL-Style
(Image by TSL)

*Coconut sugar has a lower GI rating of than sugar. This way I can kid myself into thinking these aren’t quite as bad for me!