Almond Flour Cookies with Cacao Nibs

GAPS Legal Almond Cookies

Adapted from The Paleo Plan Makes 24 Cookies GAPS Legal on Stage 4

Ingredients for gaps legal chocolate chip cookies

• 2 cups Almond Flour

• ¼ cup Whey

• 2 large eggs

• 1/3 cup Room Temperature Coconut Oil

• 1 tsp Baking Soda

• ½ tsp Vanilla

• ⅛ tsp Salt

• ¼ cup Honey (or ⅓ cup date syrup)

• ⅛-¼ cup Raw Cacao Nibs

Directions for chocolate chip cookies on the gaps diet

24 Hours in Advance

Add whey to almond flour. Stir to moisten.

Leave covered on counter for 24 hours to ferment.

The Next Day

Preheat oven to 350. Add your baking sheet to the oven to preheat. These cookies bake better on a hot dish.To fermented flour, add eggs and stir.

Add coconut oil to mixture. The coconut oil should be room temperature. If it is melted, you won’t have the right consistency.

Add the baking soda, vanilla, salt and honey (or date paste) to the mixture. Mix well.

Add cacao nibs to dough mixture.

Remove baking sheet from oven. Line with parchment paper.

Spoon approx. 1 tbsp size rounds of dough onto parchment paper.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes until edges are golden brown and cookies seem firm. Watch them closely after 8 minutes. They will go from raw to burnt quickly!

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Almond Flour Cookies with Cacao Nibs

Author: Amy Mihaly

prep time: cook time: total time:

ingredients:

• 2 cups Almond Flour
• ¼ cup Whey
• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup Room Temperature Coconut Oil
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• ½ tsp Vanilla
• ⅛ tsp Salt
• ¼ cup Honey (or ⅓ cup date syrup)
• ⅛-¼ cup Raw Cacao Nibs

instructions:

How to cook Almond Flour Cookies with Cacao Nibs

24 Hours in Advance

1. Add whey to almond flour. Stir to moisten.
2. Leave covered on counter for 24 hours to ferment.

The Next Day

1. Preheat oven to 350. Add your baking sheet to the oven to preheat. These cookies bake better on a hot dish.To fermented flour, add eggs and stir.
2. Add coconut oil to mixture. The coconut oil should be room temperature. If it is melted, you won’t have the right consistency.
3. Add the baking soda, vanilla, salt and honey (or date paste) to the mixture. Mix well.
4. Add cacao nibs to dough mixture.
5. Remove baking sheet from oven. Line with parchment paper.
6. Spoon approx. 1 tbsp size rounds of dough onto parchment paper.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes until edges are golden brown and cookies seem firm. Watch them closely after 8 minutes. They will go from raw to burnt quickly!

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Honey Roasted Chicken Recipe

I've been posting some of my ol' stand by recipes, and this cinnamon-toasted honey-roasted chicken is one of the first Paleo recipes I truly enjoyed. You can tell this is an old recipe because it uses honey... something I don't usually use anymore in my baking and cooking, but I can't give it up!

Roasting a chicken is a great and simple way to make a meal. This particular roasting recipe requires a little more attention than others, as you need to baste and adjust the temperature often, but it's definitely worth it! Just make sure to set the time or you might end up with a fried-to-a-crisp chicken! Also, I recommend doing this in as small of a dish as fits your chicken. As you can see from the final pictures if the juices get too spread out they will burn! This is a larger dish than I usually use (I thought it would be pretty for the photos), and I will never use it for this recipe again! I hope you enjoy!  

Recipe Adapted from The Paleo Project by Dr. Marc Bubbs

GAPS Legal Honey Roasted Chicken Recipe Ingredients

• 1/4 tsp ground cloves

• 1/8 tsp ground ginger

• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

• 1 tbsp salt

• 9 cloves of garlic

• 2 tbsp Raw Honey

Directions for gaps legal roasted chicken with honey

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Make your rub by mixing cloves, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl.

Crush 5 cloves with the flat of your knife, keep 4 cloves of garlic whole.

Remove the giblets. Wash and pat dry the chicken. Make sure you dry the chicken really well so the rub will stick.

Drizzle approx. 2 tbs of honey of the top of the chicken, rub both sides well.

Massage the rub on the chicken, making sure to rub both sides.

Add all garlic cloves to chicken cavity.

Cover chicken with parchment paper and aluminum foil to keep cinnamon from burning.

Roast at 500 degree for 15 min then decrease your oven to 450 for 15 minutes.

Remove chicken from oven. Baste chicken with juice drippings.

Reduce oven to 425. Recover chicken and bake for approx 30 - 45  minutes until chicken reaches internal temp of 165. Uncover chicken for five more minutes then remove from oven.

Let the chicken rest for 20 minutes.

Carve chicken and serve! Make sure you enjoy the skin while it’s crispy and hot!

Notes:If your chicken came with giblets, you can add them to your next batch of stock or make liver pate.

I don’t normally recommend baking with honey but for this delicious recipe I make an exception.

Save the gelatin and juices of this chicken! Once cooled, they are like candy because of the sweet honey and cinnamon.

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Honey Roasted Chicken

Author: Amy Mihaly, Be Well Clinic

prep time: cook time: total time:

ingredients:

• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/8 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp salt
• 9 cloves of garlic
• 2 tbsp Raw Honey

instructions:

How to cook Honey Roasted Chicken

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
2. Make your rub by mixing cloves, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl.
3. Crush 5 cloves with the flat of your knife, keep 4 cloves of garlic whole.
4. Remove the giblets. Wash and pat dry the chicken. Make sure you dry the chicken really well so the rub will stick.
5. Drizzle approx. 2 tbs of honey of the top of the chicken, rub both sides well.
6. Massage the rub on the chicken, making sure to rub both sides.
7. Add all garlic cloves to chicken cavity.
8. Cover chicken with parchment paper and aluminum foil to keep cinnamon from burning.
9. Roast at 500 degree for 15 min then decrease your oven to 450 for 15 minutes.
10. Remove chicken from oven. Baste chicken with juice drippings.
11. Reduce oven to 425. Recover chicken and bake for approx 30 - 45 minutes until chicken reaches internal temp of 165. Uncover chicken for five more minutes then remove from oven.
12. Let the chicken rest for 20 minutes.
13. Carve chicken and serve! Make sure you enjoy the skin while it’s crispy and hot!
14. Notes:If your chicken came with giblets, you can add them to your next batch of stock or make liver pate.
15. I don’t normally recommend baking with honey but for this delicious recipe I make an exception.
16. Save the gelatin and juices of this chicken! Once cooled, they are like candy because of the sweet honey and cinnamon.

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GAPS Friendly Waffle Recipe

Recently the idea struck me to try to make a GAPS waffle. I had made many GAPS pancakes, so I thought maybe it could be done. And it turns out... it can! It was not a simple task, however.

The ratios are fairly different than a GAPS pancake... for one thing, putting in too many eggs caused it to overflow and made quite a mess. But after some trial and error I found a recipe that is delicious, and delivered consistent results (which is a big deal when cooking without flour).

I was also excited to make this a dairy-free recipe (except for the whey). Unfortunately, I can't make it nut free, the almond butter is essential! I hope you enjoy them!

GAPS Friendly Waffles

(makes about 8 waffle squares or 2 full-size waffles)

GAPs legal waffle Batter Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked butternut squash

• 4 TBS fermented almond butter (see note)

• 1 TBS melted lard

• 2 eggs

• ¼ tsp sea salt

Additional Ingredients

• About ¼ cup melted lard or butter to grease the waffle iron

Tools for gaps legal waffles

• Food processor or high-powered blender

• Waffle iron

• Chopsticks (this is very helpful to get the waffles off in one piece)

Directions for gaps legal waffles

This recipe is quick to put together if you do a little prep work first!

Prep the Fermented Almond Butter:
At least 24 hours in advance, ferment the almond butter. Add 2 TBS whey to 1 cup almond butter. Stir. Leave at room temperature for 24 hours. This will keep in the fridge for at least 2 weeks.

Prep the Butternut Squash:
Cut the butternut squash in half and place face down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 min until soft. Remove the squash flesh and place in a bowl.

For the GAPS Waffles:
Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until very smooth and mixed.

I recommend pouring the mixture into a bag and using it like a pastry bag. The more quickly you can get the waffle batter on the iron and close the lid, the better it turns out!

When everything is ready, and the waffle iron is hot, use the pastry brush to spread fat on the upper and lower waffle irons. Do this as quickly as possible.

Add batter to the waffle iron, then close the lid.

There is a lot of moisture in this recipe, so expect a lot of steam!

Wait for the green light to go on, and then another 30 seconds or so.

Slowly open the waffle iron.

Remove the waffles from the iron, using the chopstick in the groves in any areas it is sticking.Top with fried eggs, honey, date syrup, berries, homemade whipped cream, or anything you want to!

Enjoy!

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GAPS Friendly Waffle Recipe

Author: Amy Mihaly, Be Well Clinic

prep time: cook time: total time:

ingredients:

Waffle Batter Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked butternut squash
• 4 TBS fermented almond butter (see note)
• 1 TBS melted lard
• 2 eggs
• ¼ tsp sea salt

Additional Ingredients

• About ¼ cup melted lard or butter to grease the waffle iron

Tools Needed

• Food processor or high-powered blender
• Waffle iron
• Chopsticks (this is very helpful to get the waffles off in one piece)

instructions:

How to cook GAPS Friendly Waffle Recipe

1. This recipe is quick to put together if you do a little prep work first!
2. Prep the Fermented Almond Butter:
3. At least 24 hours in advance, ferment the almond butter. Add 2 TBS whey to 1 cup almond butter. Stir. Leave at room temperature for 24 hours. This will keep in the fridge for at least 2 weeks.
4. Prep the Butternut Squash:
5. Cut the butternut squash in half and place face down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 min until soft. Remove the squash flesh and place in a bowl.
6. For the GAPS Waffles:
7. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until very smooth and mixed.
8. I recommend pouring the mixture into a bag and using it like a pastry bag. The more quickly you can get the waffle batter on the iron and close the lid, the better it turns out!
9. When everything is ready, and the waffle iron is hot, use the pastry brush to spread fat on the upper and lower waffle irons. Do this as quickly as possible.
10. Add batter to the waffle iron, then close the lid.
11. There is a lot of moisture in this recipe, so expect a lot of steam!
12. Wait for the green light to go on, and then another 30 seconds or so.
13. Slowly open the waffle iron.
14. Remove the waffles from the iron, using the chopstick in the groves in any areas it is sticking. Top with fried eggs, honey, date syrup, berries, homemade whipped cream, or anything you want to!

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GAPS Friendly Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Recipe

Strawberry rhubarb pie has always been one of my favorites! In the past I have modified recipes to make a strawberry rhubarb dessert, but this year I decided I wanted to use my growing knowledge and skill in the kitchen and make a delicious GAPS-legal pie. My added challenges? I wanted to make it with a fermented almond crust, and use a different sweetener than honey. Finally, I wanted to have a modification that made not only GAPS legal, but dairy-free, nut-free and egg-free.

Overall, I would call the experiment a success. But to get that success I had to make more multiples of this recipe than I ever have for any previous recipe I've posted. Because of the crust. Not that my "tester" friends and family complained.

Turns out almond flour crust doesn't play nice with a wetter pie filling. Actually, the problem is that it plays too nice! It wants to combine with the filling; get up close and personal. Not what a pie crust is supposed to do. I did not fully overcome the pie-crust conundrum, but every recipe I made turned out delicious. So instead of chocking it up as a "failed recipe," I decided to share with you what I made... a good pie that happens to have a crust with boundary issues! And, of course, I will share the modified recipe for egg-free, nut-free, dairy-free strawberry rhubarb dessert. Keep reading!

Ingredients FOr Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

For the Pie Crust:

• 2 1/2 cups almond flour

• 1/4 cup whey (enough to moisten)

• 1/2 cup room-temperature butter (or lard)

• 1/2 tsp sea salt

For the Filling:

• 3 1/2 cups rhubarb pieces

• 2 1/2 cups sliced strawberries

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1/2 cup date syrup (I use this one)

• 2 TBS gelatin dissolved in 1/4 cup hot water

• Optional: zest from 1/2 lemon

Directions for Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Mix almond flour and whey together. Cover and leave on the counter for 24 hours to ferment.

After 24 hours, this mixture keeps in the fridge for up to 1 week.

To the fermented flour mixture, add butter or lard and sea salt. Mix well, getting all clumps out.

Then butter a pie pan well. Press the crust mixture into the pan and form a crust using your fingers.

Bake at 400° for 5-8 minutes until a little dry and just turning brown.  

Combine all ingredients for the filling. Let sit for 5-10 minutes until the juices increase.

Add the filling to your pre-baked crust.

Bake at 400° for 30-35 minutes until light brown.

Directions for Strawberry Rhubarb Dessert

A delicious nut free alternative served hot or at room temperature!

Mix the filling the same, except add 2 additional TBS of gelatin and dissolve in 1/2 cup of hot water.

Let the filling sit for 5-10 minutes to let the flavors mix.

Line muffin tins.

Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes until the tops are just browning.

Serve warm or room temperature. These gooey treats are a bit messy, so eat with a spoon. They are delicious!  

Enjoy!

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Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Author: Amy Mihaly, Be Well Clinic

prep time: cook time: total time:

ingredients:

For the Pie Crust:

• 2 1/2 cups almond flour
• 1/4 cup whey (enough to moisten)
• 1/2 cup room-temperature butter (or lard)
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

For the Filling:

• 3 1/2 cups rhubarb pieces
• 2 1/2 cups sliced strawberries
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup date syrup (I use this one)
• 2 TBS gelatin dissolved in 1/4 cup hot water
• Optional: zest from 1/2 lemon

instructions:

How to cook Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

24 Hours Before

1. Mix almond flour and whey together. Cover and leave on the counter for 24 hours to ferment.
2. After 24 hours, this mixture keeps in the fridge for up to 1 week.

The Next Day

1. To the fermented flour mixture, add butter or lard and sea salt. Mix well, getting all clumps out.
2. Then butter a pie pan well. Press the crust mixture into the pan and form a crust using your fingers.
3. Bake at 400° for 5-8 minutes until a little dry and just turning brown.
4. Combine all ingredients for the filling. Let sit for 5-10 minutes until the juices increase.
5. Add the filling to your pre-baked crust.
6. Bake at 400° for 30-35 minutes until light brown.

Created using The Recipes Generator

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Strawberry Rhubarb Dessert

Author: Amy Mihaly, Be Well Clinic

prep time: cook time: total time:

ingredients:

• 3 1/2 cups rhubarb pieces
• 2 1/2 cups sliced strawberries
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup date syrup (I use this one)
• 2 TBS gelatin dissolved in 1/4 cup hot water
• Optional: zest from 1/2 lemon

instructions:

How to cook Strawberry Rhubarb Dessert

1. Mix the filling the same, except add 2 additional TBS of gelatin and dissolve in 1/2 cup of hot water.
2. Let the filling sit for 5-10 minutes to let the flavors mix.
3. Line muffin tins.
4. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes until the tops are just browning.
5. Serve warm or room temperature. These gooey treats are a bit messy, so eat with a spoon. They are delicious!

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Buckeye Cookies

Another one of my favorite Christmas cookies are Buckeyes. These delicious cookies are traditionally peanut butter and powder sugar balls dipped in chocolate, made to look like the buckeye nut. The buckeye nut is commonly found back East, like Ohio and Michigan, where my family is originally from.

The roots for this recipe go deep in our family. Much like the Force.  

Ok, maybe not the Force (although I am excited for the new Star Wars movie that comes out this week!)

But we do make Buckeye cookies a lot. Since powdered sugar is hardly GAPS legal, I haven't had these cookies for a while either. But all that is about the change!  

Introducing Buckeye cookies, made with real food!  

These no-bake cookies are egg free, and casein and lactose free (contains whey and butter). They are also coconut free!  

Please note that while cassava flour is not technically on the GAPS-illegal list, it is still quite starchy. These cookies should be a special treat, and consumed infrequently and in small amounts. Same with cocoa powder. And, as always, observe if YOUR body is okay with this particular food at this time. Just because something is "GAPS legal" does not give you a free pass to eat it! Pay attention to what your body is telling you. But if it's telling you that these cookies are okay for you, then by all means ENJOY THEM!!!

GAPS Legal Buckeye Cookies

Makes about 48 cookies

Ingredients:

Filling:

• 1 cup peanut butter

• 2 cups cassava flour

• 8 TBS whey

• 1/2-1 cup honey

• 8 oz butter

• 2 tsp vanilla

Coating:

• 1 1/2 cup cocoa butter chips

• 1/8 cup raw honey

• 1 TBS cocoa powder

Directions:

Prep time: Need to start this recipe 24 hours in advance, 5 minutes prep time. Then it takes about 30-45 minutes to finish on the following day.  

Filling:

Twenty-four hours in advance: mix 1/2 cup peanut butter, 4 TBS whey, and 1 cup cassava flour together until everything is moist and crumbly. Try to eliminate as many clumps as possible. Leave on the countertop in a glass container with a lid. This is to give the legumes and cassava flour a chance to lacto-ferment. This makes them more digestible and increase the nutritional value. For more on why we should only eat nuts and seeds that have been properly prepared, watch my video on this.

After 24 hours, the mixture should look something like this...just a little more moist than what you started with the day before.

Add to this the vanilla extract, honey and 8 oz of softened butter (it's not the end of the world if you melt it, but try not to).

I used 1 cup of honey for this recipe, and to my non-sugar eating palate they are very sweet (which is the point, I suppose)! I plan to reduce the honey by about half the next time I make this. The mixture just needs to be formed into balls.

Mix well, and smooth out as many clumps as possible. You should be able to easily for this mixture into little balls.

Form the dough into 1 inch balls and place on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper

Place the balls in the freezer to chill (about 10-15 minutes)   Next, make the coating   The most important part of making the coating is to heat things just hot enough to melt. Nothing should be cooked here! You are gently heating them up to mix. Then gradually cooling them back down again.  

Using a double boiler (or as I just discovered, my glass 2 cup measuring container fits perfectly into a medium saucepan) On low heat, melt the cacao butter chips.

When they are fully melted, turn off the heat and add the honey.

Next, stir in the cocoa powder (I recommend using a whisk to mix well.) 

Finally, remove the mixture in the top half of the double boiler to the coating is allowed to start cooling   Continue whisking the coating mixture occasionally. The honey cools faster than the cocoa butter, and you need to keep them mixed.

When the mixture is cool enough, remove the dough balls from the freezer. Stick a toothpick (or broken-off bamboo skewer in our case) into a ball and dip it into the coating. Depending on the temperature of the coating, you may need to dip more than once to achieve a satisfactory coating. After allowing the extra coating to drip off for a few moments, return the ball to the parchment paper.

Maintain the coating within a narow temperature margin. Keep the water from the lower part of your double-boiler ready. If your coating begins to cool too much, slip the top of the double-boiler back on top of the hot water for a minute or so to warm it back up (you probably don't need to turn on the heat). Do not let it cool too much or reheat it too quickly or too much—these can cause the chocolate to clump (this happened), and there's not going back from this. You would just need to start over making the coating.  

Traditionally the coating is darker than this recipe. I originally made a darker coating, but more cocoa powder required more honey, which seemed to throw everything off balance. I think this is part of why it clumped. Once you master the basics of temperature and consistency, you can try increasing the cocoa powder to darken the color. I will be doing that myself. In the meantime, even though this isn't as dark as traditional Buckeye cookies, the coating dries hard at room temperature. I'm calling that a win!

When they are all dipped to your satisfaction, use a toothpick to roll over the holes, filling them in.

There you have it! Rich, delicious Buckeye cookies.

Enjoy!

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Buckeye Cookies

Author: Amy Mihaly, Be Well Clinic

prep time: cook time: total time:

ingredients:

Filling:

• 1 cup peanut butter
• 2 cups cassava flour
• 8 TBS whey
• 1/2-1 cup honey
• 8 oz butter
• 2 tsp vanilla

Coating:

• 1 1/2 cup cocoa butter chips
• 1/8 cup raw honey
• 1 TBS cocoa powder

instructions:

How to cook Buckeye Cookies

24 Hours in Advance:

1. Twenty-four hours in advance: mix 1/2 cup peanut butter, 4 TBS whey, and 1 cup cassava flour together until everything is moist and crumbly. Try to eliminate as many clumps as possible. Leave on the countertop in a glass container with a lid. This is to give the legumes and cassava flour a chance to lacto-ferment. This makes them more digestible and increase the nutritional value. For more on why we should only eat nuts and seeds that have been properly prepared, watch my video onthis.

The Next Day:

1. After 24 hours, the mixture should look something like this...just a little more moist than what you started with the day before.
2. Add to this the vanilla extract, honey and 8 oz of softened butter (it's not the end of the world if you melt it, but try not to).
3. I used 1 cup of honey for this recipe, and to my non-sugar eating palate they are very sweet (which is the point, I suppose)! I plan to reduce the honey by about half the next time I make this. The mixture just needs to be formed into balls.
4. Mix well, and smooth out as many clumps as possible. You should be able to easily for this mixture into little balls.
5. Form the dough into 1 inch balls and place on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper
6. Place the balls in the freezer to chill (about 10-15 minutes) Next, make the coating The most important part of making the coating is to heat things just hot enough to melt. Nothing should be cooked here! You are gently heating them up to mix. Then gradually cooling them back down again.
7. Using a double boiler (or as I just discovered, my glass 2 cup measuring container fits perfectly into a medium saucepan) On low heat, melt the cacao butter chips.
8. When they are fully melted, turn off the heat and add the honey.
9. Next, stir in the cocoa powder (I recommend using a whisk to mix well.)
10. Finally, remove the mixture in the top half of the double boiler to the coating is allowed to start cooling Continue whisking the coating mixture occasionally. The honey cools faster than the cocoa butter, and you need to keep them mixed.
11. When the mixture is cool enough, remove the dough balls from the freezer. Stick a toothpick (or broken-off bamboo skewer in our case) into a ball and dip it into the coating. Depending on the temperature of the coating, you may need to dip more than once to achieve a satisfactory coating. After allowing the extra coating to drip off for a few moments, return the ball to the parchment paper.
12. Maintain the coating within a narow temperature margin. Keep the water from the lower part of your double-boiler ready. If your coating begins to cool too much, slip the top of the double-boiler back on top of the hot water for a minute or so to warm it back up (you probably don't need to turn on the heat). Do not let it cool too much or reheat it too quickly or too much—these can cause the chocolate to clump (this happened), and there's not going back from this. You would just need to start over making the coating.
13. Traditionally the coating is darker than this recipe. I originally made a darker coating, but more cocoa powder required more honey, which seemed to throw everything off balance. I think this is part of why it clumped. Once you master the basics of temperature and consistency, you can try increasing the cocoa powder to darken the color. I will be doing that myself. In the meantime, even though this isn't as dark as traditional Buckeye cookies, the coating dries hard at room temperature. I'm calling that a win!
14. When they are all dipped to your satisfaction, use a toothpick to roll over the holes, filling them in.
15. There you have it! Rich, delicious Buckeye cookies.

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Christmas Wreath Cookies {GAPS Legal}

It's the holiday season! More specifically, it's cookie season!   I love making, giving away (and eating) Christmas cookies. But it's been a long time since I have enjoyed many of the cookies I grew up making, so this year I decided I wanted to create real-food versions of some of my favorite Christmas cookie recipes.  

First up, Christmas Wreath cookies!

  This cookie is traditionally a mix of corn flakes, marshmallows, and butter. So let's look at the ingredients...

• The butter is already a real food!

• Marshmallows I have made before, modified from Mommypotamus' marshmallow recipe.

So all I had to do was figure out a substitution for the corn flakes (and see if the marshmallows actually work the same as the commercial variety).   Challenge accepted!

Christmas Wreath Cookies

Makes about 36 cookies (recipe can be halved)

Ingredients

For Marshmallows

• 2 cups honey

• 1 cup of filtered water

• 2 tsp vanilla

• 1 tsp sea salt

• 6 TBS grass-fed beef gelatin

• 1 cup of filtered water

For Wreath Cookies

• Marshmallow paste (above)

• 8 ounces organic butter

• 14 cups coconut flakes (approximately 20 ounces)

• Red hots (my homemade recipe)

• Natural food coloring, blue and yellow packets (I used this one)

Directions

Place the coconut flakes in the oven at 200°

Toast the coconut until they are light brown—this makes the cookies crispier! When done, remove them from the oven Place in a large bowl, set aside.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat When melted, remove from heat and set aside   Next, make the marshmallow paste. See recipe here.

Soften the gelatin

• Add gelatin to 1 cup hot water

• Stir and allow to to sit, keep warm (not on stove)

While gelatin is softening... Heat honey and water in a medium saucepan (medium to high heat), stirring frequently, until it reaches the soft ball candy stage (about 235°F).

If you don't have a thermometer, you can check by dripping the heated honey into a glass of cold water. When the candy forms a ball, it is ready!

When the honey has reached the soft ball stage, remove from heat. Add the heated mixture to the softened gelatin in a large bowl. Add vanilla.

Do these steps quickly, you don't want honey mixture to cool off too much!

Whisk the mixture using an electric mixer or stand mixer for about 10 minutes.

When the mixture is thick and looks like marshmallow paste, it's done!  

If you want marshmallows, you can stop here. Put the marshmallow paste in a greased glass 9x11 dish and allow to cool and dry for a 24-36 hrs. Then cut up and serve.  

But we are not stopping here! To make traditional Christmas wreath cookies you melt the marshmallows and turn them back into paste-which is what you just created!  

Next, stir the melted butter into the mixture. It will deflate the mixture somewhat, this is normal.

Mix in the blue and yellow food coloring packets. This will turn it green (not neon green—that's an artificial color). But when it's made into wreathes it does look green—although you're going to have to take my word for it!

Pour the marshmallow mixture into the bowl with the toasted coconut flakes. Mix until the flakes are coated.

Finally, form the warm mixture into wreath-shaped cookies on parchment paper.

Add decorative red hots as berries (see my homemade recipe) Allow to cool.

See, I told you they look green!

All that's left is to share and enjoy these delicious treats!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Your trust is important. I only recommend products I trust. 

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Christmas Wreath Cookies

Author: Amy Mihaly, Be Well Clinic

prep time: cook time: total time:

ingredients:

For Marshmallows

• 2 cups honey
• 1 cup of filtered water
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 6 TBS grass-fed beef gelatin
• 1 cup of filtered water

For Wreath Cookies

• Marshmallow paste (above)
• 8 ounces organic butter
• 14 cups coconut flakes (approximately 20 ounces)
• Red hots (my homemaderecipe)
• Natural food coloring, blue and yellow packets (I used this one)

instructions:

How to cook Christmas Wreath Cookies

1. Place the coconut flakes in the oven at 200°
2. Toast the coconut until they are light brown—this makes the cookies crispier! When done, remove them from the oven Place in a large bowl, set aside.
3. Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat When melted, remove from heat and set aside Next, make the marshmallow paste. See recipe here.
4. Soften the gelatin
5. Add gelatin to 1 cup hot water
6. Stir and allow to to sit, keep warm (not on stove)
7. While gelatin is softening... Heat honey and water in a medium saucepan (medium to high heat), stirring frequently, until it reaches the soft ball candy stage (about 235°F).
8. If you don't have a thermometer, you can check by dripping the heated honey into a glass of cold water. When the candy forms a ball, it is ready!
9. When the honey has reached the soft ball stage, remove from heat. Add the heated mixture to the softened gelatin in a large bowl. Add vanilla.
10. Do these steps quickly, you don't want honey mixture to cool off too much!
11. Whisk the mixture using an electric mixer or stand mixer for about 10 minutes.
12. When the mixture is thick and looks like marshmallow paste, it's done!
13. If you want marshmallows, you can stop here. Put the marshmallow paste in a greased glass 9x11 dish and allow to cool and dry for a 24-36 hrs. Then cut up and serve.
14. But we are not stopping here! To make traditional Christmas wreath cookies you melt the marshmallows and turn them back into paste-which is what you just created!
15. Next, stir the melted butter into the mixture. It will deflate the mixture somewhat, this is normal.
16. Mix in the blue and yellow food coloring packets. This will turn it green (not neon green—that's an artificial color). But when it's made into wreathes it does look green—although you're going to have to take my word for it!
17. Pour the marshmallow mixture into the bowl with the toasted coconut flakes. Mix until the flakes are coated.
18. Finally, form the warm mixture into wreath-shaped cookies on parchment paper.
19. Add decorative red hots as berries (see my homemade recipe) Allow to cool.
20. See, I told you they look green!
21. All that's left is to share and enjoy these delicious treats!

Created using The Recipes Generator

Homemade Red Hots {GAPS Legal}

I have been getting more bold in the kitchen, and this December I decided to create alternative recipes featuring some of my favorite Christmas cookies. To enjoy.

I decided on my first cookie to make, Christmas Wreath cookies. And as I was running through my ingredients and working out substitutions I came to the decorative red hots.

And I was faced with a dilemma... could I create a red hot, or should I simply bite the bullet and just use traditional red hots. Maybe I could even find a healthy brand...

But my all-or-nothing attitude kicked in. If I was going to do this, I was going to do it right.

And that meant making red hots. From scratch. A quick search revealed that it was possible... in essence red hots are a sugar brittle flavored with spices, like cinnamon.

I knew how to make candy out of honey. This could work.

It did work. But I'll admit that when I make the Christmas Wreaths in the future I may use boughten red hots... and tell people they are just for decoration and to pick them off.  

Because making homemade red hots is a labor of love. There is no other way to put it. But being able to put healthy, three ingredient red hots on your Christmas cookies is amazing! And if you don't care if they are rounded into tiny, holly-berry decorative balls, then this is a really easy candy to make!  

GAPS Legal Homemade Red Hots / Cinnamon Hard Candy

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup water

• 1 cup honey

• 1/4-1/2 tsp cinnamon

• 1 package natural red coloring (I used this one)

Directions:

Combine the honey and water on the stovetop in a medium saucepan, stirring frequently.

You want to heat it at a temperature that is not too hot that it burns, but if it's too low it will take forever to get to temperature.

You're going to have to find your heat sweet spot. It should take between 5-10 minutes to get to soft ball stage, if it's taking longer, turn it up!

Soft ball stage occurs around 235°. If you don't have a thermometer available, you can drip some into a clear glass of cold water. It will form into a little ball upon hitting the water. For a little harder candy (I recommend this), let it go a minute or two after you hit the soft-ball stage.  

After whisking thoroughly, pour the liquid onto some parchment paper to cool When it has cooled enough to touch (doesn't take very long), then use well buttered fingers to form tiny little balls

Not tolerating butter? Any fat will do—the key is to prevent sticking!

Roll those little suckers quickly... after a while the candy will get too hard to work with. You can reheat it to soften in up, but believe me, you will be ready to stop rolling balls. Better yet, recruit a friend (or two) to roll with you!

Set the balls in a cold place (outside works for us right now!) When they are hard, gather them up and store them in a container in the fridge. This prevents the balls from clumping.   This candy could be made into any size (I only chose red hot size because of the Christmas wreath cookies)... or simply cooled and broken into pieces. It is a delicious treat!

Enjoy!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Your trust is important. I only recommend products I trust. 

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Homemade Red Hots

Author: Amy Mihaly, Be Well Clinic

prep time: cook time: total time:

ingredients:

• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup honey
• 1/4-1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 package natural red coloring (I usedthis one)

instructions:

How to cook Homemade Red Hots

1. Combine the honey and water on the stovetop in a medium saucepan, stirring frequently.
2. You want to heat it at a temperature that is not too hot that it burns, but if it's too low it will take forever to get to temperature.
3. You're going to have to find your heat sweet spot. It should take between 5-10 minutes to get to soft ball stage, if it's taking longer, turn it up!
4. Soft ball stage occurs around 235°. If you don't have a thermometer available, you can drip some into a clear glass of cold water. It will form into a little ball upon hitting the water. For a little harder candy (I recommend this), let it go a minute or two after you hit the soft-ball stage.
5. After whisking thoroughly, pour the liquid onto some parchment paper to cool When it has cooled enough to touch (doesn't take very long), then use well buttered fingers to form tiny little balls
6. Not tolerating butter? Any fat will do—the key is to prevent sticking!
7. Roll those little suckers quickly... after a while the candy will get too hard to work with. You can reheat it to soften in up, but believe me, you will be ready to stop rolling balls. Better yet, recruit a friend (or two) to roll with you!
8. Set the balls in a cold place (outside works for us right now!) When they are hard, gather them up and store them in a container in the fridge. This prevents the balls from clumping. This candy could be made into any size (I only chose red hot size because of the Christmas wreath cookies)... or simply cooled and broken into pieces. It is a delicious treat!
9. Enjoy!

Created using The Recipes Generator