Macaroons For All

Macaroons for All!

Vegan, Gluten Free, Paleo

Adapted from beamingbaker.com by My Little Blue Heron Kitchen

These are the simplest and most delicious macaroons I’ve made. If you don’t have these ingredients, run and get them! Neither gummy nor cloying, these macaroons are so satisfyingly chewy and light, you’ll donate those awful cans of gooey lumps and make these your holiday and every day macaroons. Keep them between layers of wax paper or parchment, airtight, at room temperature for a week. Freeze them for months. 

You’ll need five ingredients (you can get away with four if you omit the vanilla extract.)

If you don’t have refined coconut oil, please buy this. For baking, refined coconut oil is preferred because the taste of coconut is undiscernible. I use it all the time, even in these coconut/almond cookies because I want to taste the ingredients, not the fat. Try Nutiva brand, 

Buy SHREDDED and unsweetened coconut. I like this brand. You can buy it in some stores or online at you know where. Bob's Red Mill is good, too. Whatever brand you buy, organic is always a great choice. Finely shredded isn't optional, it's a requirement. The same for blanched almond flour. Don’t use the ‘natural’ flour or meal with skins. Almond flour is different than almond meal. Almond meal is good for breading things. 

I just bought a large bag at Costco.  

 No need to use your best maple syrup for baking. I always use the darkest syrup I can find. Grade “b” is no longer a permissible “grade”, so look for “formerly grade b” or “dark amber” descriptions.

My vanilla extract is from Baldwin’s in West Stockbridge, Massachusetts. It’s a fortune. There’s also some sugar in it, so if you’re a strict paleo human, you won’t use this. If you’re strictly GF, add ¼ tsp. Authentic Foods, certified GF vanilla powder.  If you want vanilla flavor without sugar, if you’re feeling solvent, buy some vanilla beans. You can scrape the seeds from a vanilla bean into the batter (1/2 a bean will do). Throw the empty bean into some bourbon and vodka (keep throwing them in and hide them in the dark in a glass jar, sealed.) Eventually, you’ll have sugar-free vanilla extract!

With the Mueller report and all, I think I’ll ➖➖➖and then nickname these Redactaroons. I can market them in ➖➖ and in ➖and I'll send a batch over to ➖ ➖and see if they'd like me to do some food shows.

Spring is a season of renewal, rebirth and hope. Please try not to lose hope. Get out and breathe. Stay in and breathe. Check out the app Headspace (in the app store), or at headspace.com. You can explore this great resource on your own time and share it with your children, too. Find a local sangha. If you’re in NYC, head over to one of three MNDFL meditation studios, two in Manhattan and one in Brooklyn. Check it out! Vipassanistas: Head for NY Insight another great place with wonderful people, with sanghas all over the tri-state area. 

Enjoy these macaroons. Be happy, healthy, safe and may your life feel easy.

peace, love, hope and truth,

jane

Macaroons (with chocolate variation)

Equipment: Baking sheet, parchment paper, food processor, measuring cups and spoons, spatula, small 1” cookie scoop, cooling rack

Ingredients: 

1¼ c. unsweetened, shredded coconut, preferably organic

¼ c. finely ground blanched almond flour

3 Tbsp. refined coconut oil (SOLID, not melted!)

¼ c. maple syrup

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Procedure:

1.  Preheat oven to 350º F. and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

2.  Measure ingredients and put all into your food processor.

3.  Pulse until batter comes together.

4.  Using a spatula, remove from food processor bowl into another bowl. There will be some liquid under the blade. Scrape the liquid into the new bowl and mix together.

5.  Using a cookie scoop, place mounds on parchment lined cookie sheet, leaving 1 1/2 inches between mounds (they will spread just slightly).

6.  Bake until golden, about 12-15 minutes. 

7.  Cool completely before removing/optionally decorating/storing.

Yield: approximately 16 cookies and more for chocolate (about 22)

Chocolate variation: reduce almond flour to 3 Tbsp. + ½  tsp., add ¼ cup cacao or dark cocoa and 1½ additional Tbsp. maple syrup. DON’T OVERBAKE! 

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Banana Carrot Muffins

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Banana Carrot Muffins

Gluten/Dairy-free/Paleo

Adapted from DailyMeals by My Little Blue Heron

It’s back to school time, and for some, the end of summer is delicious. I haven't shared recipes for ages. I've shifted my diet from gluten and diary free to Paleo or "Palee-ish". I have a mess of famtastic recipes to share with you, and I hope to start churning them out on a regular basis (again.)

These easy and fun to make muffins will keep you happy and your pantry or freezer stocked with a delicious and healthful grab ‘n go breakfast, snack, dessert or teatime option. These may become your finest muffin accomplishment of the year. They're easily mine.

I am so happy to share this recipe and some MLBH trucs! Let's get crackin'!

My Little Blue Heron trucs:

My favorite almond flour is Wellbee’s. It’s ground super fine, and if you use almond

flour as a flour sub, it’s worth the price. I also use and like Anthony’s almond flour. It’s not

as super fine, but it’s excellent quality, and if you sift it, it’s beautiful. You can buy it for a

little (but not much) less. 

Buy organic bananas. I look for smaller and rounder/plumper fruit.

     

Buy organic carrots. Think about it: these are hanging out in the dirt where they could

be bathing in pesticides that will be inside of you. Organic carrots seem to taste sweeter.

Buy the biggest, fattest ones available. For this recipe, if you can manage it, shred the

carrots by hand. That way they won’t be soggy.

 I cop to Trader Joe’s walnuts. Fresh, inexpensive and delicious.

Diamond Crystal is the best kosher salt. It doesn’t have other stuff in it.

Use Ceylon Cinnamon. It’s supposed to be healthier because it doesn’t contain large

amounts of coumarin. Coumarin is an anti-coagulant (If you're of un certain age, you've

heard of the drug, coumadin) and it (like it seems just about everything) can mess with

your liver. This health warning is only if you eat cinnamon in bulk (I do). But another good

reason is that real Ceylon cinnamon is delicious and more delicate and finer. It's sweeter

than the 'other' cinnamons. Look at the label: it should come from Sri Lanka! Don't 

freak out if you're using Cassia or Korintje: you won’t get sick. This is just the current

buzz.

Maple syrup is personal. I like mine both dark and light. It depends on what I'm using it 

for. Paleo diets use NO refined sugar, so pretty much, we use maple syrup, honey, dates

and I use coconut sugar, too. Back to maple syrup: For baking, dark seems to work very

well. Grade “B” is no longer a grade, so you'll read descriptions that say, “formerly grade

b”. I found a wonderful Canadian brand that’s dark and delicious called Escuminac. It’s

so fine. A more economical option: NOW brand is organic and really delicious.

By now you probably know that when a banana is beyond recognition, you should

freeze it. Remove its skin and put it into a Ziploc freezer bag and smash it up (fun). Label

how many are in the bag. Use them for baking, in smoothies, or add to your hot (or cold)

cereal.

 I think buying already ground flax seed should not be your first choice. I think

buying whole seeds and grinding them in your spice grinder is what you should do. I

keep my flax seeds (I like golden ones, but after reading about it, I don’t think there’s any

significant nutritional difference between dark or golden) in the fridge. I add them to my

smoothies and grind ‘em in small quantities to add the ground flax to salads and cereal.

BTW: Did you ever think you'd eat linseed (in bulk)? 

Make these muffins on a rainy day or when the subway is messed up (both almost any day in NYC). Make them when you have too many bananas that are overripe, or when you want your kitchen to smell like carrot cake. If you're a teacher or you work in the schools or your child is returning to school, and you want to start getting it all together for the upcoming school year, start grating your carrots. 

For whatever reason you may choose to make these muffins, I hope you love making them and enjoy eating them.

With love and मेत्ता,

jane

Maple Syrup from Canada 🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁

Banana Carrot Muffins

Equipment:

Muffin tin (12), silicone, non-stick, or old-fashioned muffin liners. Box grater, liquid measure cup, measuring spoons, whisk, measuring cups, large bowls, mixing spoons, spatula, optional Vitamix, optional electric stand or hand mixer.

Ingredients:

2 cups almond flour, finely ground, blanched

3 ripe bananas (from the freezer is great!)

3 eggs, size large, room temp.

3 medium organic carrots shredded (about 1 ½-2 cups)

¾ c. walnuts (or ‘other’ nuts of choice), chopped

2 Tbsp. flavorless oil (Canola, Grapeseed, Avocado, Sunflower)

1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. kosher salt

2 tsp. ground cinnamon powder

¼ tsp. vanilla powder or 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

2 Tbsp. maple syrup

¼ c. dried currents or other dried fruit of choice

            (may use fresh berries or diced apple)

2 tsp. ground flax (flax meal) or chia seeds

variation for fall!: try a combination of diced dried apples and raisins, cinnamon, 1/4 tsp of freshly grated nutmeg, 1/4-1/2 tsp. ground allspice .. and the leaves'll start changing as you take a bite. 

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 350º F. and put rack in the middle of the oven. Prepare muffin tins.

Shred carrots and set aside.

ORANGE!

Measure and chop walnuts and set aside.

Measure currents or ‘other’ dried or fresh fruit and set aside.

In a LARGE bowl: Measure almond flour, flax meal, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

Whisk together and set aside.

a whiskit (for my daughter)

In the container of a Vitamix (or with a hand mixer, electric stand mixer or you can do this by hand!), mix together: banana, eggs, oil, vinegar, vanilla powder (or extract) and maple syrup. (If doing by hand, first mash the banana and then add the rest of the ingredients).

Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and mix well, until fully combined.

Fold in grated carrots.

Add walnuts and currents 'other add-ins' and mix until incorporated. (Don't be alarmed: this batter is wet!)

Fill muffin tins (they won’t rise much), and bake for 25-35 minutes, depending on size of muffin, how wet the batter, how accurate your oven is, and how firm you want the muffin to be. If you're finding it's not firm enough, bake a little longer. This is a MOIST (but not mushy) muffin.

Remove from oven and cool on rack. As soon as you can handle, remove from muffin tin so they won't steam. 

Cool completely and enjoy! Store in fridge for up to a week. Or, wrap in waxed paper and store in Ziploc freezer bags and pull from freezer. This may be politically incorrect, but they nuke really well.