coconut oil

apple cider + honeycrisp puffed pancake /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

i never realized that so much of what i do each day and night relies on my ability to smell and taste.  i was forced to come to this realization last week when i down and out with a wicked cold.  perhaps i was (and still am) a big baby about it, but i haven't been sick in quite some time.  i suppose not being able to breath, the coughing, congestion, sneezing, and sleepless nights will do that to you, yeah?  it's been super frustrating to cook and want to get all experimental in the kitchen only to have an end product that is only distinguishable by the contents of it's sugar, salt, or acid (i.e. the only things halfway distinguishable).  i guess my point is that until one of these senses is temporarily not working, it's not entirely clear how important a purpose they serve. because of my limited ability to smell  and taste, i have commissioned my unofficial taste-tester: my husband.   he has been happily testing my puffy pancakes in my attempt to get them just right.  he doubted his palette and his ability to distinguish flavors, but i found his feedback quite helpful these past few days.  i have come to rely on him in yet another way i never imagined i would have to.  so, here's to my husband, who brings you these fun, puffy pancakes.   

i was gifted a bottle of boiled cider by my mother.  when i asked her what to do with it, she said something along the lines of "i don't know, play with it."  the teacher in me decided to go with an apple theme with this recipe and i took to replacing some of the pancake's liquid with cider.  the cider is not sweetened and therefore lends a tanginess to the pancake much similar to baked goods with sour cream or buttermilk - yes!  frank and i love honeycrisp apples, and they're at their absolute finest this time of year, so in they went.  (i hear honeycrisps are not so easy to come by outside new york state, i would say that gala apples or pink lady apples would make great substitutes.)  dutch baby pancakes or puffed pancakes seem to really be making the rounds on the interwebs since autumn has come to.  so, i wanted to make a version that i could enjoy and eat, and of course also share with you all.  i had had my eye on a beautiful recipe from a publication i received last year, and it took me awhile, but i managed to swap most of the flour and dairy products with ingredients that i normally bake with to make a light and puffy pancake that's crisp in all the right places!

apple cider + honeycrisp puffed pancake | GF + V

the flour and arrowroot powder can be substituted with any other flour with the same amount.  i use coconut palm sugar because of its low glycemic index, but it can similarly be replaced by any other sugar - i'm not sure how liquid sweetener would be since the batter is essentially liquid to begin with

adapted from Fig & Fauna for Pure Green Magazine, Volume 4

| serves 2-3 | 

ingredients  

  • 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons almond flour (i prefer Honeyville brand)
  • 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder/flour
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons + 1/2 teaspoon coconut palm sugar 
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (plus a pinch for the apples)
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (plus a pinch for the apples)
  • 3 large organic eggs
  • 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut milk
  • 2 tablespoons boiled cider or unsweetened apple cider
  • 1/2 cup honeycrisp apples, sliced about an 1/8" thick
  • 2 teaspoons coconut oil
  • powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

directions

  • preheat the oven to 425°
  • heat your cast iron pan to medium-low on the stovetop.  when hot, add the coconut oil.  using a silicone pastry brush, brush up the sides and all around the pan to coat evenly with the oil (if you don't have a pastry brush, using a paper towel will work as well).  add the apples, stir in a 1/2 teaspoon of the coconut palm sugar and sprinkle with nutmeg and cinnamon to taste - stir.  cook the apples about 2-3 minutes on each side until they're lightly browned and soft.  arrange them to cover the bottom of the pan.  turn off the heat and set aside
  • in a blender or food processor, add the almond flour, arrowroot, salt, sugar and spices; pulse to combine.  then add the eggs, coconut milk, and cider.  blend for approximately 1 minute
  • pour the batter (it will be quite thin) into the pan to cover the apples.  very carefully, place the pan into the middle of the oven - bake for 15-20 minutes until pancake puffs up and lightly browned on top and around the edges 

dust with powdered sugar and serve immediately - enjoy!

spelt scones with baked stone fruit /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

these stone fruits were some of the last i had in my kitchen.  and while i could have easily eaten them as is, i decided to bake them up, and toss them into some simple scones.  stone fruits this summer, especially peaches, did not disappoint.  while i was out east on long island for our wedding, my family and i were fortunate enough to stay in a rental house that sat between a beautiful creek and a peach orchard (!) for the entire week my mom and i would jog through the path that lead through the peach orchard, past a growing corn field, up to what was called a "button tree", down a path lined with plum trees, nectarine trees and wildflowers.  on our way back we would point out the beautiful peaches, and help each other from not picking the superb fruit before us.  every other day or so, we would drive down the street to the farm stand, and buy our peaches that we had longed for that morning.  i'm never ready to say "see you next year" to such delicious fruit, but i've been lucky enough to have had so much this summer.

i really wanted the fruit to be super present in these scones so i cut them in rather large chunks, and paired them with a scone recipe that lets them shine.  i've had my fair share of baking-with-fruit experiences where the batter surrounding the fruit never cooks, and i was left with gooey, uncooked sections, so i pre-baked the fruit to let some of their juices out..  although this recipe is vegan, it is not gluten free.  i have been experimenting with spelt flour, as i know it's more nutritious than many other grain flours.  flours with gluten have a very limited presence in my diet, as their glycemic index is can be high.  therefore, i frequently bake with grain flours/meals such as almond flour, buckwheat, and oat flour as their glycemic index is way lower than that of grain flours. however, i look forward to mixing in spelt whenever i can with my grain free flours.  

the original scone recipe called for a mix of unbleached flour and spelt; i used 100% whole grain spelt flour here.  feel free to substitute any grain flours, i would think substituting half the spelt with rye flour would taste pretty rad here.  (i'm not sure how grain free flours and meals would work.  i'm still working on the perfect grain free scone, definitely haven't found it yet!) i also substituted butter and heavy cream, with coconut oil and coconut cream, and both lent a sweet subtle scent.  these scones are delicious in their right; hearty but light, nutty but also slightly sweet, all with a delightful crumb.  

spelt scones with baked stone  

| makes 8 large or 16 small scones | 

| vegan | 

adapted from Kim Boyce's Good to the Grain and also inspired from  here  and  here 

ingredients

for the scones

  • 2 1/4 cups whole spelt flour
  • 2 tablespoons raw turbinado sugar or coconut palm sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil, solid
  • 1 cup chilled, unsweetened coconut cream (i like Native Forest Organic)

for the fruit

  • 1 cup mixed stone fruits (roughly 1/2 pound)
  • 1 teaspoon coconut oil, melted 
  • 2 teaspoons raw turbinado sugar (alternatively, you can use any sugar, agave nectar, maple syrup, or honey) 

instructions

preheat oven to 350°.  line a small rimmed baking sheet with parchment

make the baked fruit

  • slice and remove the stones from your fruit.  cut all fruit the same size and place in a medium sized bowl (i cut mine into about 1 inch cubes).  pour melted oil over fruit, and toss in the sugar.  gently, toss the fruit so that each piece is coated with oil and sugar
  • place in the middle of your oven and bake for 15 minutes - you want your fruit tender, but not mushy.  (this also depends on the ripeness of your fruit pre-bake.  if they are very ripe check after 10 minutes, if less ripe you may need to bake longer than 15 minutes.  you know they're finished when a sharp knife is inserted easily to the fruit.)
  • remove from the oven and let cool completely

make the scones

turn the oven temperature up to 400°  and line a baking sheet with parchment paper

  • place flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to mix.  (if using a liquid sweetener do not add yet.) next, add the hardened coconut oil and pulse until the mixture resembles fine cornmeal
  • turn out scone mixture into a large bowl and add the cooled fruit.  use a spatula to gently mix.  add the coconut cream a half cup at a time until the dough comes together 
  • place your parchment lined baking sheet on a work surface.  dust the parchment with some flour, and turn dough out onto the sheet.  using your hands, shape the the dough into a 1" inch thick, 9" circular disk.  using a sharp knife, cut in quarters and then in quarters again until you have 8 pieces
  • sprinkle tops of scones with a hint of sugar (optional)
  • bake in the middle of your oven for 17-20 minutes, rotating halfway through.  you know they are finished baking when the tops and bottoms are golden brown

enjoy! 

 

toasted oat + baby zucchini muffins /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

while these may not look the prettiest, they pack a tasty punch of flavor.  the baked goods i make often incorporate some combination of almond flour, oat flour, and coconut oil.  and while i'm not totally disappointed by the results, they usually end up having the same texture and density.  this is where arrowroot powder/starch comes into play.  as i have come to find out, arrowroot powder, an alternative to corn starch, is usually used as a thickener for puddings or soups.  however, it can be used for baking as well.  and after doing quite a bit of research i took to experimenting with this odorless, white, starchy powder.  the first time i baked with it, i used too much and was left with a gummy gooey muffin.  i kept adjusting and readjusting the ratio of dry to wet ingredients until i was happy with both the consistency and crumb.  arrowroot powder is a finicky ingredient, it absorbs more liquid than other starches, but if met with too much liquid, it will never bake off and you will be left with something too heavy.  another thing i came across while researching was that arrowroot powder has a longer bake time, as it allows the some of the starch to dry out.  do you have any experience baking with arrowroot powder?  i would love to hear any feedback you may have :)

toasted oat + baby zucchini muffins

| makes 12 minis | 

ingredients

| dry | 

  • 1 cup almond flour (Honeyville brand)
  • 3/4 cup gluten free rolled oats, toasted
  • 1/4 cup arrowroot powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/3 cup coconut palm sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

| wet | 

  • 2 tablespoons ground flax + 6 tablespoons water (or 2 eggs)
  • 1/2 cup grated zucchini (1 medium zucchini)
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon virgin coconut oil, softened

| streusel |  - optional

  • 1/4 cup oat flour (any flour just about works here)
  • 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
  • 2 tablespoons coconut palm sugar
  • pinch of fine grain sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons virgin coconut oil, hard

 

instructions

preheat the oven to 375°

oil a mini muffin pan, or use paper liners

 

| make the streusel |

  • in a small bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, ginger, and seeds.  with a fork, combine the coconut oil until the mix is crumbly.  let it harden in the refrigerator while you prepare the muffin batter

| make the batter |

 

  • spread rolled oats on a baking sheet, bake for 5-7 minutes, until they are fragrant and browned in spots.  remove from oven and let cool
  • prepare your flax eggs; combine the ground flax with 6 tablespoons of water.  let the mixture sit until it is absorbed - about 10 minutes.  *if using eggs, skip this step
  • in a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients with a whisk, making sure to break up any lumps - set aside
  • in a medium bowl, combine your flax eggs with the shredded zucchini, vanilla extract, and coconut oil.  using a spoon or spatula, combine the wet ingredients into the dry.  mix until combined - the batter will be quite thick, that's ok
  • remove the streusel from the refrigerator.  divide the batter into the muffin pan, filling it up to the top.  using your hands or a fork, break up the streusel and sprinkle on each muffin.  (if you have leftovers, they can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer.)
  • bake in the oven for 35-37 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.  let them cool a bit.  serve and enjoy!