I always have a heap of egg whites in the freezer and use them regularly to make myself “nut” cookies … but not everyone in our family can eat nuts so it is nice to find alternatives for using egg whites other than meringue, Friands, biscotti, etc.
This is a recipe I developed a couple of years ago when I first got into doTerra oils … so if you use them too then you can certainly replace the orange zest with a few drops of the Wild Orange oil, but I must admit it is lovely seeing the threads of orange zest in the cookies.
To get even cookies I used my 20ml tablespoon measure to portion the cookies to roll into a ball before pressing down on them with my fingers to make a flattened shape. They will crack a little with all the coconut in them but it is easy enough to push the mix back together with your fingers before baking. And any little cracks will be ultimately covered up beautifully when you rub icing sugar into the exterior of the cookie which will make them look just perfect. You can also use a large fork to create marks in the top of the cookie instead of flattening them … just roll the cookie into a ball, dip your fork into some water and then press down on the cookie to create the lines.
As there is a lot of coconut in the cookies you will find the icing sugar will “melt” into the cookie within a couple of days, so if you have any left then you can simply dust a little more icing sugar around them before serving to guests (I would only do this if I was serving them to others as I don’t mind this at all).
These are a great gluten free, dairy free, and nut free cookie for school lunches, as well as for an afternoon snack when the “munchies” hit you.
RECIPE UPDATE 23/11/16:
A lovely follower has asked me if it is possible to use whole eggs instead of just egg whites in this recipe … I couldn’t see any reason why it would not work and suggested what she might do. However, I have just tried that alternation myself and the cookies are prefect … I also took the opportunity to use maple syrup instead of honey (as I know some people are not able to eat honey) and it is perfect too … and to be honest I like this alteration myself … the cookies are a touch chewier with these amendments, but that’s a good thing … isn’t it? I also “played” around with the finished look of the cookie and used a fork in some to create lines on top … please see last picture in this post for the look.
- 350g desiccated coconut
- 100g dried cranberries
- 50g honey or maple syrup
- 80g raw caster sugar
- zest of one large orange
- 2 x 60g whole eggs or 4 egg whites (140g), room temperature
- 20g coconut flour
- 1 tsp sea salt flakes, or ½ tsp fine sea salt
- icing sugar for dusting
- Line two baking trays with baking paper (use a little oil under paper to keep it in place)
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees fan forced
- Place coconut and cranberries into TM bowl and mill 10 seconds / speed 7
- Add honey or maple syrup, sugar, zest, whole eggs or egg whites, coconut flour and salt and mix 10 seconds / speed 5
- Scrape around bowl and repeat 10 seconds / speed 5
- Press the mix between your fingers and it should stick together … if not remix for a further 5 seconds / speed 5
- Remove mix to a separate bowl and allow to rest for 10 minutes so that the ingredients have a chance to bind together before shaping
- Have a glass of water ready to dip your tablespoon in to, then put the tablespoon directly into the coconut mix and press it against the side of the container to get the right amount before removing the mix from the spoon and rolling into a ball
- Place ball onto baking tray and continue until all the mix is done … you should get approximately 16 balls per tray
- Dip two fingers into the water, then press down onto each ball to flatten the cookies a little … use your fingers to tidy up around the edges if necessary (there may be some slight cracks appear but if they are little don’t worry too much as they will be covered by the icing sugar) ... or alternatively dip a fork into the water, and then press down on the cookies with the fork to create lines on top if you prefer
- Place one tray into the oven and bake for 10 minutes, turn tray around and bake for a further 5 to 6 minutes or until nicely golden brown (be careful as they can brown easily)
- Repeat with the second tray
- Allow cookies to rest for 5 minutes on the tray before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely
- Place the icing sugar into a small bowl and put each cookie into it, rub the icing sugar into the cookie and any splits so that it is totally covered … dust off excess as you go
- Store in an airtight container for up to a week (may need to reapply icing sugar after a couple of days)
As there is a lot of coconut in the cookies you will find the icing sugar will "melt" into the cookie within a couple of days, so if you have any left then you can simply dust a little more icing sugar around them before serving to guests (I would only do this if I was serving them to others as I don't mind this at all).
RECIPE UPDATE 23/11/16:
A lovely follower has asked me if it is possible to use whole eggs instead of just egg whites in this recipe ... I couldn't see any reason why it would not work and suggested what she might do. However, I have just tried that alternation myself and the cookies are prefect ... I also took the opportunity to use maple syrup instead of honey (as I know some people are not able to eat honey) and it is perfect too ... and to be honest I like this alteration myself ... the cookies are a touch chewier with these amendments, but that's a good thing ... isn't it?
Gina – those look and sound absolutely delishes and with Christmas coming very soon ……..I can not bake at all but I think I could try and make those – maybe they will turn out ok ?! 🙂 🙂 Will let you know. But for now, thank you.
Carina … I hope you do try them … they are really easy to put together and I feel sure they will be fine … if you are going to serve them Christmas Day then make sure you re-coat them with icing sugar so they look their best, or leave them plain and drizzle some white icing over them to “tissy” them up a little (just mix icing sugar with a very little lemon juice) … please let me know how you go … good luck with them Carina, and thanks for touching base xo
these look amazing Gina! Could I use whole eggs? and if so how many?
Hi Cath … I haven’t used whole eggs in the recipe as I was trying to use up egg whites, but I have done that sort of thing before with recipes that specify using egg whites and have used whole eggs so I don’t see any reason why these wouldn’t work … I would suggest you use two whole eggs (no more than 60g each) and when you press the mix between your fingers if you think it feels too wet (try and roll it into a ball to check) then before you take the mix out of the ™ bowl add in another tablespoon of coconut flour and remix for 5 seconds … allow the mix to rest before rolling like I suggest in the recipe and I am sure that will be fine … please let me know if you do this as I would love to find out myself … it’s always good to know these adaptions xo Gina
Thanks Gina….yes, will definitely let you know – hopefully will make them over the weekend sometime 🙂
Cath … I have made these with whole eggs and they are perfect … would love you to try them … see the updated post. Thank you so much for asking the question as I think the amendment makes them even more perfect! xo Gina
Oh you are such a gem! and I love the idea of maple syrup. I have had to put them on hold as I decided to do an elimination diet. BUT, they will one of the first things I will make! Thank you so much ♥x0