Gluten Free Currant and Coconut Cookies

These are really delicious, and are so easy to make. They use a combination of besan, or chick pea flour, arrowroot flour and fine yellow cornmeal,  sesame seeds and coconut, which makes a very nourishing mix, rich in protein and calcium.  Sesame seeds contain good amounts of both calcium and magnesium.

The high protein and calcium content makes these cookies a great addition for school lunches.  These bikkies are very high in sugar, though which  should be removed from the teeth.  So remember to put in that stick of celery in the lunch box,  or an apple,  or a carrot for the children to eat afterwards.

Check nothing is in the oven.  Turn the oven on to 160 C to pre-heat, and grease the oven tray you’re going to use for the cookies.

• Prepare the gluten free flour: Put 100 gm of besan flour or chick pea flour into a bowl.  Add 50 gm of arrowroot flour or tapioca flour and 50 gm of fine yellow cornmeal.
• Add 150gm of dessicated coconut to the  dry flour mix,  125 gm of currants and two desertspoons of sesame seeds.  Lightly mix all these flours, seeds and currants together.
• Place another clean bowl over a saucepan which has boiling water in it. Put three good sized eggs into the bowl with 300 gms of caster sugar, and beat up with a whisk until the eggs and sugar have frothed up a little.
• Remove the bowl from the hot water and continue to beat the eggs for about three minutes more.
• Carefully fold the dry flour mix into the egg and sugar.
• Using a teaspoon, drop dollops of the cookie mixture onto a greased oven tray.  These cookies will spread out, so leave room for spreading between each cookie.

Bake for about 20 minutes, checking that they do not burn. All ovens are a bit different, so check the temperature and moderate the heat if necessary.  Turn off the oven when the cookies begin to brown, which should be after 20 minutes or so, and leave in the cooling oven for five more minutes to set.

Run a sharp knife underneath the cookies while they are still warm.  Put onto a cooling tray for the children to see when they come home from school.

Here is a recipe  for Anzac Cookies which uses rice flakes instead of the usual cornflakes. Rice Flakes are generally not contaminated with  malt.

Gluten Free Anzac Rice-Flake  Cookies

• Chick  Pea Flour 40 gm
• Potato Flour 40 gm
• Arrowroot or Tapioca Flour 30 gm
• Rice Flour 20 gm
• Soy Flour 20 gm
• Rolled Rice Flakes 60 gm
• 125 ml boiling water
• 65 ml or olive oil or grapeseed oil
• 200 gm sugar
• 2 tbsp golden syrup
• 2 teaspoons of ginger
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 100 gm dessicated coconut
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

 Method: 

• Turn the oven on to 170 C.
• Put the rice flakes into a saucepan and pour over the boiling water. Put on the stove and heat  until the water is just boiling. Let cool for a minute, then add the sugar, golden syrup and  oil. Stir well.  
• Next, add the coconut, the spices and the flours. Mix in lightly.
•  Lastly, dissolve the baking soda in a tablespoon of boiling water, and add to the cookie mixture. Stir in well, but quickly.
• Put spoonful lots onto a greased tray. Press down with a fork.
• Turn the oven down to 150C and put in the cookies.
• Cook for 15 minutes, or until you can smell that they are done, and the color is that lovely golden brown characteristic of the anzac cookie.
• Wait for the cookies to cool for one minute after taking them out of the oven. Then run  a sharp knife underneath. Leave to cool on the tray.

Now – to enjoy eating your gluten free Anzac Cookies with Rice Flakes.

• 150g butter
• 2 tbsps golden syrup
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup coconut
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1/3 cup rice flour
• 1/3 cup chick pea flour

Melt butter, golden syrup and brown sugar over gentle heat in large saucepan. Take off the heat and add all dry ingredients. Mix well and roll into balls. Place on greased tray. Allow room to spread. Flatten with a fork. Bake 180C fot 10-12 minutes.Watch that the cookies do not burn, as golden syrup and brown sugar burns very quickly. Cool on a wire cooling rack.

Note: If you wish to avoid the oatmeal in this recipe, then try rice flakes in this recipe instead. Alternatively, you could look at our recipe entitled ‘Gluten Free Anzac Cookies With Rice Flakes’.

Oatmeal is tolerated by many people sensitive to the gluten in wheat, rye and barley flours, as it is slightly different in its composition. If in any doublt as to whether you can tolerate oatmeal gluten, then use the alternative instead – rice flakes.

Melt butter. Cool. Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff. Add sugar gradually, beating well. Stir in softened butter. Add sifted flour, ground almonds, zest and cinnamon. to egg white mixture.

Grease some grease-proof paper with a little olive oil or butter or margerine. Put the greased paper onto a baking slide. Put teaspoon lots of the mixture onto the paper. Flatten out to about 7 cm rounds. Bake 160C for 8-10 minutes. Let cool before removing from the paper

In the beginning of treatment, it is a good idea to also exclude sugar and dairy foods from the diet. However, many people who are sensitive to gluten do not have a problem with dairy foods and sugar in moderation.  

Once you have noted improvement after following a gluten-free diet, dairy-free, sugar-free diet,  you could try our gluten free cookies for a treat.

The main groups  of gluten-free foods which you can freely use unless you have another food intolerance, or specific dietary needs, are:

DAIRY PRODUCTS : These are gluten-free. Cheddar cheese, colby cheese, pure butter, cream and milk are all gluten-free. Avoid processed cheeses which may contain wheat.

SOY MILK should be gluten-free, but check for additives to make sure.

MEATS, FISH, CHICKEN AND EGGS:

All animal protein is gluten free. Of course, it is preferable to eat chemical-free, free-range meats if you can: this is better for your own health, and it should mean that the animal has had a better existence compared to the one which has been caged-up all its life.

Beef, chicken, pork, lamb, mutton and fish are all gluten-free.

 All fish is gluten free, whether it be from fresh water or from the sea. All shell-fish, crab, lobster, shrimp, mussels, oysters, abalone, are all gluten-free.

AVOID sausage-meat and other processed meats and cheeses, as these usually are bulked out with wheat and other grains.

EGGS are gluten free. Eat free-range, preferably organic eggs.

ALL GREEN VEGETABLES, whether cooked or raw, are gluten-free, but avoid jerusalem artichokes, as these contain some gluten, according to one source.

Leafy greens are all o.k. That means that you can eat any amounts of:

Broccoli

Brussels sprouts

Cabbage

Kale

Silver beet (not too much at a time, because silver beet contains oxalic acid, which can deplete the body of calcium)

Spinach (again – not too much at a time, as spinach is high in oxalic acid)

All the following green vegetables are   gluten-free:

Artichokes  (globe artichoke):

Asparagus

Green beans

Green peas

ROOT VEGETABLES are gluten-free

Beetroot

Carrot

Kumara (sweet potato)

Parsnip

Potato

Salsify

Swede

Taro

Turnip

Yam 

VEGETABLE-FRUITS such as avocado and tomato are gluten free. Avocado is a useful protein and fat source, especially good for the vegetarian.

PUMPKIN AND SQUASH are gluten free. All types of MELON are gluten- free.

NUTS and SEEDS: All nuts and seeds such as sunflower seeds and sesame seeds are gluten free. Almonds are especially good for the person recovering their health. Almonds are also good for people on vegetarian diets. Hazelnuts contain high amounts of selenium and are therefore a healthy addition to a diet.

Almond flour is very useful in baking: combined with other flours such as rice and soy or buckwheat, it is a great substitute for wheat or rye flour.

ALL FRUITS  are gluten free: This means all PIP fruits such as apples and pears, and STONE  fruit such as plums, nectarines, peaches and apricots. Paw paw, mango, pomegranate, grapes, passionfruit, tamarillos, and kiwifruit are all gluten free.

GLUTEN FREE  GRAINS, and FLOURS for baking:

Almond flour

Arrowroot Flour

Cornmeal groats

Cornflour – make sure that this is the real thing and not wheat flour disguised as white cornflour.

Linseed, whole or ground

Millet

Oats: oats actually contain a small amount of a type of gluten – this is tolerated by many people who are sensitive to  the gluten found in wheat, rye and barley; however, if you are unsure, it is better to be safe and avoid oats, especially in the beginning of treatment)

Rice, both brown and white. The whole grain or the flour is used. Brown rice is more healthy, because it contains the nutrient-rich outer part of the grain. But white rice has its uses for people who are gluten sensitive, as it can be used as a flour.

Sunflower seed

Sunflower-seed flower

Soy, both beans and the flour are gluten free.

Potato, which is not a grain, can be made into a flour for use in cooking. It is especially useful in scone and muffin baking.

VEGETABLE OILS are gluten-free. You can use any of these oils:

Avocado oil

Grape-seed oil

Olive oil

Safflower oil

Sunflower oil

Note: The original post used cornflakes  in the recipe. However, it has been pointed out by a reader that cornflakes  often have malt extract added to flavor them:  malt has gluten in it. If you can  find a brand  of cornflakes which has  pure and unadulterated corn in it, then you could use cornflakes instead of rice flakes.

Gently melt butter, sugar, golden syrup and cocoa together. Remove from heat and stir in the various flours, using a wooden spoon. Mix and shape into balls. Pat out spoonfuls of the gluten free cookies mixture onto a greased baking tray (use olive oil or butter smeared thinly over the tray).

Bake 180C for 15 minutes. Run a sharp knife under the cookies and let cool on the tray for 5 minutes before removing onto a wire cooling tray. Ice with chocolate icing and put a walnut, or a cherry,  in the center of each.

• 175g butter
• ¼ cup golden syrup
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 egg
• ¾ cup rice flour
• ¾ cup fine yellow cornmeal
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Melt butter and golden syrup gently in a large saucepan. Take off the heat and stir in the sugar. Add the egg and beat well with wooden spoon. Add rice flour, cornmeal, and spices. Form into balls. Roll each ball in sugar which you will have in a saucer nearby. Place on greased baking tray, and flatten with a fork. Bake at 180C for 12 minutes.

You can add sugar, if you wish, and other ingredients to this basic mixture to make a variety of cookies.

• 90 ml  water (3 1/2 fl. oz)
• 25 gm butter (1 oz)
• 90 gm ground almonds (4 oz)
• 2 large eggs

METHOD:  Simmer the water and butter for a minute. Remove from the heat and add the ground almonds. Using a wooden spoon, lightly beat the eggs in a small bowl, then beat these into the butter and almond mixture. Mix well.  Mould into balls on a greased baking tray and press down with a fork.

Bake at 180′C, or 350′F, Gas at 4, until lightly browned.

Leave to cool a little on the tray before you slice underneath with a sharp, thin bladed knife to loosen. Let cool completely before you put into an air-tight container.

• 2 large egg whites
• ¾ cup caster sugar
• 1 cup ground almonds
• 1 tbsp rice flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1 tsp almond essence
• Icing sugar to dust

Beat egg white until stiff. Gradually beat in half the amount of sugar until thick glossy peaks form. Sift flour, spice, and rest of sugar into mixture. Add ground almonds, essence, and fold altogether until mixed. On a greased paper, which is seated on the oven tray, drop tablespoon lots of the mixture. Sit for half an hour before cooking. Sprinkle icing sugar over the Amaretti and bake 180C for 15-20 minutes. Be careful not to burn.

• 150g butter
• ¾ sugar
• 1 tsp almond essence
• ¾ cup rice flour
• ¾ cup fine yellow cornmeal
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¼ cup of chopped almonds

Melt butter and sugar gently. Remove from heat. Add essence, rice flour, cornmeal, and baking powder. Mix well. Roll into balls place on greased baking tray. Flatten with a fork. Press chopped almonds onto each cookie. Bake 190C 12-15 minutes.