Paleo, grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, and soy-free

Hello friends!

I haven’t posted a recipe in a very long time. SO sorry about that! Life has been just a little crazy the past year, which I’ll write about when I get a minute to sit down and organize my thoughts. To make a long story extremely short, 2021 and the first half of 2022 consisted of a divorce, moving to a new farm, renovating an old farmhouse, quitting a part-time job as a health editor and starting a full-time job as a health writer. While learning to run a homestead as a single mom.

Thank God for His amazing grace, which has truly been the force that’s carried me through the exhausting whirlwind of the past year. He has surrounded me with incredible, supportive friends and family and a strength that I had no idea I possessed. Speaking of my amazing friends, one of them gave me this recipe I want to share with you.

She follows a diet similar to mine – basically a whole foods diet that’s low in sugar and free from gluten, grains, dairy, soy, corn, rice, and anything artificial. I have been on a journey with rheumatoid arthritis and Sjogren’s syndrome since I was 17 years old. Three years ago, I discovered the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) diet, which has literally changed my life. Since beginning AIP, I have discontinued four of the five medications that I used to take, and most days I feel better than I did when I was on all those meds.

The reason I say that my diet is more “whole foods” now and less strict AIP is that I’ve been able to reintroduce eggs, seeds, beans, peas, and some nuts. While it still takes a lot of prep work and cooking (and eating out is a challenge), just being able to add those foods to my diet without a return of symptoms has been a huge blessing! I’m currently trying out nightshades to see how I do. So far so good – which would be nice because I love to bake, and many gluten-free recipes would benefit from the addition of potato flour.

Anyway, on to the reason you’re here: a cookie recipe! These are called breakfast cookies because they are super healthy, but you can most definitely enjoy them any time of day! I’m not usually a cookie-dunker, but these are terrific dunked in a cup of hot tea.

You’ll notice that there are ranges for the sugar measurements. I use the lower amounts, but adjust those to suit your preference. I’ve made a few small changes from the original recipe to lower the fat content a bit and provide more elasticity (e.g. chewiness) with the addition of gelatin powder.

Ingredients:

2/3 c. nut or seed butter (I used pumpkin seed butter, but any variety will work)

1/3 c. unsweetened applesauce

2-4 Tbs. coconut sugar or sucanat (raw sugar)

2-4 Tbs. coconut nectar, honey, or maple syrup

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2-3/4 tsp. cinnamon

1 large egg, beaten

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. Himalayan salt

2/3-1 c. shredded coconut (or coconut flakes coarsely ground in a food processor)

1/2 c. ground mix of chia, hemp, and flax seeds

1 tsp. gelatin

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Mix all dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
3. Beat egg, coconut nectar, vanilla, and applesauce in a small bowl. Add nut/seed butter and beat well.
4. Stir wet ingredients into dry and mix until smooth. The batter will be very thick.
5. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
6. Bake for 7-8 minutes or until light golden brown.
7. Allow to cool for a few minutes before removing from cookie sheet. Gluten-free cookies tend to be soft and fragile right out of the oven, but they hold together much better after a few minutes of cooling time.

Yield: about 20 cookies