Coconut Bites

I made these delicious coconut cakes a couple of weeks ago when I fancied a sweet treat on a Sunday afternoon. I decided to have a go with some coconut flour which I had in typical fashion, bought a couple of months ago and then forgotten about. If you haven't tried coconut flour before it's a great alternative to regular grain based flours. Unlike regular flour coconut flour is high in fibre, protein and good fats.

Benefits of Coconut Flour:

• It boosts the metabolism thanks to medium chain fatty acids which are easily utilised by the body.
• It helps maintain healthy digestion thanks to it's high fibre content.
• It has a low glycemic index which means it won't spike blood sugar.
• It helps keep your heart healthy. Coconut flour lowers 'bad' LDL cholesterol and serum triglycerides in people with high cholesterol.

Coconut flour can also be a cost effective flour as thanks to it's highly absorbent quality a little goes a long way. These yummy little cakes are a great treat which can be whipped up quickly. The original recipe is by The Sugar Free Londener but I have made a few tweaks (as usual!). Here's how I made mine:

Ingredients:

1. 4oz Coconut Flour
2. 100ml of Melted Grass-Fed Butter (Use coconut oil if you prefer).
3. 6 Organic Eggs
4. 100ml of Unsweetened Almond Milk (you could use coconut if you like)
5. 1tbsp of Vanilla Bean Paste (We like this brand and I love the speckles).
6. 2tsp of Baking Powder.
7. 3oz Coconut Sugar
8. A Sprinkling of Dessicated Coconut.

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees (in a Fan oven, 180 conventional).
2. In a big bowl whisk the butter, eggs, milk and vanilla bean paste.
3. Add the flour, sugar and baking powder and mix until combined and the batter is smooth.
4. Pour mixture into a baking dish. I used a 21 x 21cm square Pyrex roaster similar to this. I like to use glass as it doesn't have any nasties in it.
5. Sprinkle with a handful of dessicated coconut.
6. Cook for 20-25 minutes until they are golden and a skewer comes out with a few crumbs on it. It may seem quite moist still but that's normal with coconut flour. Be careful not to over bake as you don't want to dry it out.
7. Leave to cool and then slice into 16 bite-size squares.

Enjoy with a lovely cup of Earl Grey and a sunny afternoon/best friend/good book. If you have a go please let us know how you get on.

If you would like to find out more about the benefits of coconuts feel free to pop into the shop to find out more. We have lovely organic coconut flour, oil and sugar in stock. :)

Harriette xx