I’m coming to terms with coconut flour. I wrote about the stuff a few weeks back and have been experimenting since. It’s tricky stuff. But once you get it…it gets you. Since a few of you asked…here are some more recipes I’ve been playing with.
These biscuits (above) were an experiment…that worked. They’re (good) fat ‘n’ protein bombs. And as with everything I make, you can’t stuff them up. I just throw in ingredients until they’re the right consistency…so don’t fret about exacts.
I made a batch and froze them. This week I’ve been taking out two for breakfast and heating in the microwave (I know, I know…I haven’t parted with it yet; you can also reheat in a medium oven for a few minutes…but the energy to heat up an oven for a few minutes concerns me…ergo microwave). Great for putting in lunch boxes or for work.
But be warned: they’re super filling and nourishing. You won’t have cravings for hours. (Some of you have been asking about craving busters…).
PS. They taste like something between a cheese cracker and a scone…but denser, like a crumpet.
So, the recipe.
coconut and cheese biscuits
- ½ cup almond flour or LSA (or other nut flour)
- 3 eggs
- ¼ cup butter, melted
- Salt, a good grind or two
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
- a generous shake of chilli flakes or paprika
- 1/2 – 3/4 cup sifted coconut flour
Blend the almond flour, eggs, butter, salt, chilli and cheese.
Add the coconut flour and kneed the dough until a moist play dough consistency (1/2 cup of coconut flour might be enough…just see…you don’t want it too dry because it will continue to soak up the eggs…if your dough seems too dry, add another egg or extra butter).
Form dough into balls and put on a tray lined with baking paper. Flatten to either a thin cracker or a thicker (1cm) biscuit.
Bake at 200 C for 15 minutes. I turned them once to get crispy cheese action on both sides.
Makes about 16.
image via Marks Daily Apple
coconut tortillas
I love this paleo recipe, from Mark’s Daily Apple. Makes 4 tortillas.
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- 2 tablespoons coconut flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
Whisk together water, eggs, olive oil and lime.
Mix together coconut flour, baking powder, cumin and chili powder.
Slowly pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, whisking as you pour so clumps don’t form.
Heat several tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat. When the oil is hot, pour 1/4 cup of batter in the pan, tilting pan so the batter spreads thinly.
Let the batter sit untouched for one minute then put a lid on the pan and cook one minute more. Flip the tortilla and fry for 2 more minutes
beetroot chocolate fudge cake
This, from my friend Violet, who says:
For the beetroot cake I actually used the flour mix recommended by the grainfreeliving website, to replace the normal flour (you replace the amount of flour with 1/3 coconut flour, 1/3 almond meal, and 1/3 potato starch. I have used both rice flour and tapioca starch in place of the potato). The cake is amazing, rich and dense, but definitely not sugar free. Perhaps if you experimented a little you could make something work. The beetroot and chocolate combination is amazing, there is a great earthiness to it.
[If you're sugar-free you could easily replace the honey and maple syrup with rice malt syrup which is fructose free...it works really well in cakes - Sarah]
fluffy coconut pancakes
This recipe also came via Violet.
- 4 eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup milk (raw, or coconut)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon stevia
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- coconut oil for frying
Preheat griddle over medium-low heat.
In a small bowl, beat eggs until frothy, about two minutes. Mix in milk, vanilla and stevia.
In a medium bowl combine coconut flour, baking soda, sea salt, and whisk together. Stir wet mixture into dry until coconut flour is incorporated.
Grease pan with coconut oil. Ladle a few teaspoons of batter into pan for each pancake. Spread out slightly with the back of a spoon. The pancakes should be 2 – 3 inches in diameter, and fairly thick. Cook for a few minutes on each side, until the tops dry out slightly, and the bottoms begin to brown. Flip and cook an additional 2 – 3 minutes.
Serve hot with butter, coconut oil, and fruit.
Loving coconut flour? What are you doing with it?
“PS. They taste like something between a cheese cracker and a scone…but denser, like a crumpet” . So which is it?? Did make me laugh though.
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These look lovely thanks.
I have a question in case anyone uses it: is there any good egg substitute sold in Australia? Is it in health food stores? I have a reasonably strong egg white allergy so would be interested to know if any substitutes work. A lot of the recipes on this blog are great, but have eggs. I continue to have them occasionally but am trying to cut them out, at least for a few months to see if the reaction stops. Thanks
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February 21st, 2012 at 11:01 am
Hi Ele, I too have an elergy to eggs (+ dairy & gluten). In recipes, I substitute black chia seeds for eggs.
In place of eggs, use black chia seeds with an equal amount of water. Allow the chia seeds and water to sit for say 10 mins before adding them to your recipe….it creates a nice goey consistency.
I make pumpkin muffins/scones regularly with GF self-raising flower, coconut oil, rice milk, mushed up cooked (& cooled) pumpkin and black chia seeds (with water).
hope this helps x
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February 21st, 2012 at 11:11 am
Hi Selena thanks so much, will give it a try. Ele x
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February 21st, 2012 at 4:07 pm
Thanks for the chia seed tip, Selena. These recipes are always full of eggs and I’m allergic.
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February 21st, 2012 at 12:40 pm
Hi Ele,
You could also try
1 tbsp flaxseed + 3 tbsps water, leave to steep = equivalent of 1 egg.
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February 21st, 2012 at 2:30 pm
Thank you Jessica much appreciated. I’ll add that to my list to try as well!
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February 21st, 2012 at 4:58 pm
Orgran have a no egg replacer available from supermarkets. Also check out http://www.glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com and click on baking tips and substitutions. There’s handy info on eggs.
These recipes look fabulous!
I have a question re: Coconut and cheese biscuits.
How many biscuits did you make from this mixture?
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February 21st, 2012 at 9:42 am
Whoops! Disregard my question after another glance i can see it says 16.
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All sound delish Sarah!
I’m coming to The Conscious Club on Wed night, looking forward to seeing you! xxx
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I use coconut flour at times to coat fish when I pan fry it. YUM. I have a few coconut flour recipes on my blog I have played with. Recently found out I cannot have egg, which makes some recipes harder, but yesterday made amazing biscuits egg free! This recipe isn’t exact as I was playing but here it goes:
2/3 cup coconut flour
1 270ml can of coconut milk
pinch of salt
stevia
cinnamon
2 tablespoons of gelatine (preservative free) I use now brand
4 tablespoons of coconut oil melted
a couple of tablespoons of water or to correct consistency!
Gelatin acts as binder
Oven at 180 for 15 to 20 mins
I thought they might be a disaster but there was so devine!
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Oh good, I need a new obsession outside of my usual buckweat and almond flour. A question – do you find dairy makes you feel crappy at all? I always thought it was something I ought to avoid, given my gut is sensitive. Isn’t it bad for an inflamed stomach? Thanks, loving the recipes!
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I have Hashimoto’s and have embarked on a gluten free diet. I am also eradicating soy from my diet, however, I find soy lecithin as an ingredient in so so many products – it is extremely difficult to purchase food without it! Even gluten free foods have so many odd processed ingredients. Soy lecithin being the worst offender! I find myself wondering, if it is the same soy that hashimoto’s sufferers should avoid. I know in my heart it is but being gluten and soy free is a big effort with my seriously depleted energy levels. Can you refer me to any handy reference material/books or share what you know to help me get my head around this.
I am currently on predizone to reduce the inflammation in my body. They link I may have lupus as well and I’m awaiting a visit to a specialist. Diet is my major focus right now.
Thanks,
Susie
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February 24th, 2012 at 1:26 pm
Look into paleo recipes. Paleo is gluten, legume, dairy and sugar free. The best way to go is avoid all processed foods… Soy is in everything, it is problematic not only due to the anti nutrients and toxicity, but also due to hormones and genetic modification! It is super hard to avoid which is why avoiding processed foods is plain easier…. plus you may find things along the way that don’t have it, but this way you always know there are things you can have! Eat plenty of meat and veggies, starchy ones like sweet potato are good for some nice carbs for energy.
Typically in a day I have a banana, almond milk, protein powder (whey protein isolate, has negligible lactose which is what is normally the problem with dairy, you can always sub in egg whites), cinnamon smoothie, a salad with protein for lunch and snacks, and a piece of meat with veggies for dinner. Sounds dull, but you can really mix it up. Add in recipies using coconut flour to up dense carbs, fruit can also be a good energy boost, though watch the amount due to sugar. Other snacks that are great are nuts, nut butters, biltong, veggie sticks and dip made from tahini and lemon juice (like hummus but without the nasties!).
Hope this helps a little… The paleo community have some amazing resources out there, and it is a great way of eating to help with chronic health issues. Good luck!
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Hi Susie,
I’m pretty sure I’ve read Sarah say to avoid soy lecithin in such circumstances.
Have you seen Supercharged Food website ?(http://www.superchargedfood.com/recipes#!__recipes).
It’s written by a woman who cured her ai through food, and recommended by Sarah on her blog a few months back. There are loads of gluten, wheat, yeast, dairy, & sugar free recipes that are really straight forward & simple to make with whole & natural foods, taste delish! This might help you find new ways to help you eat the stuff that will serve you better. Hope it helps!
S xo
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Sarah not the right blog forum, but wondering if you’ve heard/have a view on the HCG diet. I am currently doing it (with my doc so am comfortable with the process) with success and with the view to resetting my metabolism (hypothalamus/diencephalon). I ask now as I just noticed in her just out newsletter that Cindi O’Meara, Changing Habits, has done it and is now promoting it. Might be an interesting blog’s worth?
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Sarah, what’s the deal with the microwave? For someone who turns off anything electrical in hotel rooms, it surprises me that you of all people would use one.
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Love all these grain and sugar free recipes!
I wonder though: does any one else also experience a LOT of thirst after eating coconut-flour-baked-goods? Is this the dryness of the flour? I have a nickel sensitivity, it might be linked, but I’m not sure…
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February 24th, 2012 at 8:39 pm
Hi AM, I have read that coconut flour soaks up water/liquids in recipes so it probably could make you very thirsty! Maybe try adding more liquid in your recipes you use?
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Hooray! These are the biscuits I’ve been looking to make for my cheese-loving kids. They’re filling, wholesome, cheesy and delicious. Nice work Sarah.
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Hi sarah
I noticed that you substituted the potato starch out of the beet root chocolate cake any particular reason?
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Sarah thanks for the recipes. Just wondering about the pancakes though. Do you mean a teaspoon of stevia instead of a tablespoon? I imagine a tablespoon would be super dooper sweet!
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February 24th, 2012 at 4:07 pm
Ms Jane i thought the same thing re: stevia!
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hmm, someone removed my post!
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February 22nd, 2012 at 2:20 pm
all I asked is for you to write something not food related. Is that too much to ask??
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February 22nd, 2012 at 8:19 pm
Over it, the point of a blog is for the author to write about what they’re interested in at the time. If you don’t like what Sarah writes about, don’t read her blog. She shouldn’t have to change what she wants to write about based on the requests of others.
If you want something different, maybe suggest a topic or ask a question that may interest Sarah. Otherwise, I suggest you start up your own blog with things you’re interested in.
I’m getting annoyed of everyone complaining about sarahs topics, no one is forcing you to read the blog!
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Yum, can’t wait to try to make these biscuits, sound so delish! Personally I love the food posts, but each to their own
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Thanks for the ideas Sarah, coconut flour can be a tricky one…
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Oh and one more thing to all the blogger baggers out there! Everyone changes, evolves, experiments etc. I get the impression that Sarah is just trying to find out the best way to live her life and is very generously sharing her experiences with us. If this blog has morphed into something that doesn’t interest you simply switch off. When I first started my paleo way of life I was completely obsessed with Mark’s Daily Apple. Now that I have figured out what works for me I cruise his blog maybe once a fortnight and read what interests me and disregard the rest. I don’t post accusatorial messages in the comments section. I don’t feel betrayed that I don’t agree or am not interested in everything he says. I thank my lucky stars that people out there in world want to share their experiences with me. I thank them. And I thank you Sarah xxx
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hi all, i’m trying to cut out eggs/butter. I note you referred to chia seeds in replacement of eggs, what about butter?
thanks!
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March 3rd, 2012 at 8:42 pm
Sarah – you can sometimes substitute coconut oil for butter.
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March 5th, 2012 at 4:45 pm
Thanks Lyz! I’ll give it a go.
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What brand of coconut flour do you use? I have read that it makes a difference. It seems that the brand I use really soaks up the liquid.
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Hi, what would you have tortilla with? Also, do they keep a day or should you eat them the se day?
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February 27th, 2012 at 1:27 pm
Tried the biscuits as well and they turned out alright.
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These all look great! I actually came across that fluffy pancake recipe elsewhere the other day and “pinned” it AND tried making them. I found them hard to flip at first because they are so delicate. But by the time I was down to cooking the last couple I found them a lot easier to manage. The kids loved them!
I tried another new (to me) coconut flour recipe today for banana muffins.They turned out beautifully –
http://www.multiplydelicious.com/thefood/2012/02/banana-cinnamon-bun-muffins/
I’m new to sugar free and grain free, but I’m really enjoying experimenting with new recipes. So I’m loving all of your food posts Sarah!
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Hi Sarah,
Is it OK to substitute almond flour with ground sunflower/pumpkin seeds? I can’t send anything with nuts in it with my son to school. I’ve tried it with your coconut cheese biscuits and they worked out OK but not sure if it fits in with the paleo philosophy.
Thanks,
Sue
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[...] Coconut & Cheese Biscuits [...]
Hi everyone,
I’m only in Week 2 of quitting sugar and already I’m very unhappy. I tried to make the above cheesy coconut biscuits but they just don’t taste…good. They’re chewy, I can’t tell if they’re cooked enough, and the flavour just turns me off and I keep trying to eat them but end up spitting them out.
I also followed Sarah’s recipe for chia seed puddings with milk and the seeds didn’t soak up the milk like the picture in the book…they kind of all just sank to the bottom and tasted horrendous.
Has anyone had similar problems/can recommend solutions? I’m just getting tired of not enjoying the “substitute” food.
Jess
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