“It’s hard to imagine a classic buttery sugar cookie without the butter, but trust us, it’s possible. Here, we use coconut oil instead of butter for dairy-free eggless cut-out cookies that taste delicious and are fun to make and eat. Decorate with a citrus glaze colored with a little food dye, sprinkles and/or sanding sugar as you wish.”
Ingredients
1 cup white whole-wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
⅛ teaspoon salt
½ cup coconut oil, at room temperature (not liquid)
¾ cup sugar
⅓ cup water
4 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
1Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
2Cream coconut oil and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add water, lemon zest and vanilla; beat until well combined. Gradually add the dry ingredients, beating at low speed until well combined. Divide the dough into 4 pieces and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
4Working with 1 piece of dough at a time (keep remaining dough refrigerated while you work), roll the dough between 2 pieces of parchment until about ¼-inch thick. Lift off the top sheet of parchment. Using 2- to 3-inch cookie cutters, cut out shapes. Using a metal spatula, transfer the cookies to a prepared baking sheet (see Tip). Reserve the scraps to reroll. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough and scraps.
5Bake cookies, one baking sheet at a time, until lightly browned around the edges, 10 to 16 minutes.
“Cold wind whipping outside? Grab a blanket and snuggle up with a serving of this warm fruit compote. The mixed fruit is slow-cooked with fresh ginger and served with toasted, flaked coconut making it the perfect after-dinner treat on cold night.”
Ingredients
3 medium pears, peeled if desired, cored and cubed
1 (15½ ounce) can pineapple chunks, undrained
¾ cup dried apricots, quartered
3 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate
1 tablespoon quick-cooking tapioca
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger or ½ teaspoon ground ginger
2 cups frozen unsweetened pitted dark sweet cherries
¼ cup flaked coconut, toasted (see Tip)
Directions
1In a 3½- or 4-quart slow cooker, combine pear, undrained pineapple, dried apricots orange juice concentrate, tapioca and ginger (see Tip).
2Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 6 to 8 hours or on high-heat setting for 3 to 4 hours. Stir in cherries at the end.
3To serve, spoon warm compote into dessert dishes. Top with coconut.
“The low acid and high sugar content make the golden variety of pineapple perfect for freezing. This extraordinarily refreshing 97-calorie dessert is perfect for serving guests as a dessert or light snack.”
Ingredients
1 large whole fresh pineapple
¼ cup fresh lime juice
¼ cup granulated sugar
Directions
1Halve pineapple lengthwise; remove fruit. Remove and discard pineapple core. Chop pineapple.
2Place chopped pineapple in a blender container with lime juice and sugar; cover. Blend for 2 minutes or until mixture is completely smooth. Press through a strainer; you should have about 3 cups puree.
3Transfer mixture to a 2-quart ice cream freezer; freeze according to manufacturer’s directions (see Tip). Allow to ripen for 4 hours. Freeze.
4To serve, scoop into chilled dessert dishes or frozen pineapple shells.
“This summer treat is anything but typical. You get a little sweet, savory, and zest in each bite.”
Ingredients
1 11.2-ounce bottle coconut water
3 tablespoons sugar (see Tip)
1 lime
4 cups cubed watermelon
Unsweetened flaked coconut, toasted (optional)
Directions
1In a small saucepan, bring coconut water and sugar just to boiling; cool.
2Remove ½ teaspoon zest, and squeeze 2 tablespoons juice from lime. In a blender or food processor combine coconut water mixture and watermelon; cover and blend or process until smooth. Strain into a bowl through a fine-mesh sieve. Stir lime zest and juice into pureed melon. Transfer to a 3-quart rectangular baking dish.
3Freeze 2 hours, stirring and scraping frozen mixture from sides of dish every 30 minutes. Cover and freeze, without stirring, 6 hours or until firm. Let stand at room temperature 5 minutes. To serve, scrape across surface with a metal spoon or fork. If desired, top servings with coconut and/or additional lime zest.
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