Gluten Free Vegan Strawberry Coconut Cookies

June 24, 2013

Friendship. It is one of the greatest things/responsibilities/privileges I have ever known. It takes a long time to figure out what a true friend is and how to be a true friend. I am still sorting things out. A lot of my adolescent and childhood friendships, I am sad to say, ended or didn’t survive due to stupid reasons. For example, one of my friends got mad at me for not driving her to a party because I wanted to read Harry Potter.

First off, I didn’t want to go to said party. Second, it wasn’t my fault you lost your car privileges. And thirdly, Harry Potter was a good effing series! It is laughable yes, but at the time, that ended a relationship with my first ever friend I made in high school. Seriously.

I look at pictures on Facebook of girls I was friends with in grade school and high school and see they are all still friends. Part of me feels sad for them. Like, why haven’t you moved on from grade school/high school? Really hanging on to those glory days, eh? But another part of me that I keep buried has a pang of regret. Why was letting go of those adolescent relationships part of becoming who I am and moving?

I am not saying I would change anything in the past. I mean, the past made me who I am today. It is just sometimes you can’t help but wonder; am I the only person with only one remaining good friend from her adolescence? Or is there a secret club of us “leave it all behind and move on” people? Maybe none of this would have been possible without letting go and moving forward—keeping your eyes on the prize, so to speak. Doesn’t Oprah say something about that related to the Secret? She’s so wise.

All this introspection made me realize that I feel like I am at a point in my life where the friendships I have cultivated are the ones I am going to have for life. I can say that pretty confidently, actually. No friendship I currently have is going to end over Harry Potter, that’s for sure. The friends I have now, you all included, support each other like crazy. I feel like we have all become cheerleaders for each other’s hopes and dreams. I love my real life friends and I love my internet friends.

I feel like everybody that comes here, whether you comment or not, reads along and is either moved to laughter or silently nods along to my wild ramblings out of understanding. Or maybe you just want me to get to the food…but still, we are all connected.

I am so grateful for every single one of you! To show my love and gratitude, cookies! Healthy cookies too!

Thank you all for reading, tweeting, pinning, and just being you!

Gluten Free Vegan Strawberry Coconut Cookies

Course Dessert
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 11 minutes
Total Time 21 minutes
Author Sarcastic Cooking

Ingredients

  • 1 Cup Almond Meal firmly packed
  • ¾ Cup Gluten Free Flour firmly packed
  • 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
  • ½ Teaspoon Salt
  • Zest of 1 Lime
  • ½ Cup Melted Coconut Oil
  • ½ Cup Grade B Maple Syrup
  • 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • ¾ Cup Diced Fresh Strawberries
  • ½ Cup Shredded Coconut

Instructions

  1. Whisk together the almond meal, flour, baking soda, salt, and zest in a medium mixing bowl.
  2. Pour the coconut oil, vanilla extract, and maple syrup into the bowl with the flour mixture. Mix using a spatula until just about combined. Add in the coconut and strawberries. Continue to mix until no more flour is visible.
  3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Refrigerate the bowl with the dough for at least the time it takes to preheat the oven.
  4. Lightly flour your hands with the gluten free flour, roll a tablespoon of dough into a ball and then place on to the baking sheet. Continue until the baking sheets are full. Return dough to fridge and bake the cookies in batches. Bake the cookies for 11 minutes. Transfer to cooling rack to finish cooling.

Recipe adapted from Gluten Free Fix and Cookie and Kate.

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  • Amelie
    October 1, 2013 at 2:32 pm

    makin these yummiest right now!!! smells amazin!!! so lokkin forward to my dessert this eve! thx for ur amazing words n loving recipes xo
    Amelie

  • Frankie
    July 1, 2013 at 12:24 pm

    I think many of those pals will resurface again. I’m close friends for life now with a couple of people I only knew peripherally in college. Facebook got us re-acquainted and the rest is herstory. 🙂

  • Phoebe @ Feed Me Phoebe
    June 27, 2013 at 9:51 am

    Stefanie!! These sound so so good. As if the gluten wasn’t enough, I’m on a new strict set of new diet rules – including no sugar, no corn, no soy. Translation: kill me. Organic maple syrup is ok, honey even better. Do you think that would be an okay substitution or too cloyingly sweet? I am DEFINITELY trying these. Thanks for the recipe! xoxo

    • Stefanie
      June 27, 2013 at 1:48 pm

      Oh wow! That’s a LOT of restrictions! The recipe works amazingly with honey instead of syrup.

  • Jennie @themessybakerblog
    June 26, 2013 at 7:20 am

    Adult friendships are the best kind of friendships. We’re older, wiser, and no longer shallow. I have very few friends, but the friends I do have will be there until I die. These cookies would be great to share with friends over tea. Love them!

  • Sarah
    June 26, 2013 at 1:05 am

    I am in the secret club! Leave it all behind and move on peeps. Don’t worry about it – we’re generally cool and creative types who didn’t peak too soon. But I would say that wouldn’t I? Haha. This is probably not helpful.

  • Susan
    June 25, 2013 at 11:50 am

    As someone who only keeps in touch with one high school friend (and in that case I see her only occasionally) I totally get your point. So you know I’m just going to read Harry Pottery for the umpteenth time and enjoy some cookies.

  • Ashley Bee (Quarter Life Crisis Cuisine)
    June 25, 2013 at 10:32 am

    Excellent, now I know what to do with all the local strawberries I’ll be picking up!

  • Stephie @ Eat Your Heart Out
    June 24, 2013 at 6:25 pm

    Let’s make these cookies and then eat them while reading Harry Potter. In the same room, but separately. 😉

    • Stefanie
      June 24, 2013 at 7:24 pm

      It’s a date!

  • Sadye
    June 24, 2013 at 3:10 pm

    I haven’t stayed close to anyone I knew before high school … so I also feel that little pang of regret you mentioned … but honestly as an introvert, I’m proud of myself for being able to make new friends in the meantime! Obviously I’m among those who silently nod at your ramblings 🙂

  • Stephanie @ Girl Versus Dough
    June 24, 2013 at 12:11 pm

    YUM to these cookies! So much goodness!

    And I totally hear you on the friends thing. I do have some friends from grade school and high school, but I am also so blessed to have such supportive relationships with friends I’ve met in other seasons of life (online and in real life). But all of them know how important reading Harry Potter is to me! 😉

  • Kayle (The Cooking Actress)
    June 24, 2013 at 11:26 am

    Yes. A hundred times yes. I relate so much to everything you’re saying about friendship-I have very few friends right now but I know they’re for life, and I sometimes look back at the friends I’ve had and lost (who are also all still friends with the same people…just sans me) and have very similar thoughts. So yeah, I RELATE! Lol

    And oh sweet heaven cookies.

    • Stefanie
      June 24, 2013 at 11:31 am

      I am so glad you have the same mixed feelings when creeping through Facebook pictures of old friends.

  • Jennifer
    June 24, 2013 at 8:43 am

    Nodding along, sometimes laughing, and always eager to get to the food. These look especially wonderful, thanks for sharing 🙂

    ¤´¨)
    ¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*¨)
    (¸.•´ (¸.•`¤… Jennifer
    Jenn’s Random Scraps

    • Stefanie
      June 24, 2013 at 11:28 am

      Thanks Jenn! I appreciate your nods and laughter!

  • Ashleigh
    June 24, 2013 at 8:32 am

    I left most of my HS friends behind when I went to a different state for college. Then, 2 years ago I moved back to MI and it seems I have picked up some of those old relationships again. Most of my college friends are caught up in their own lives, so we’ve sadly moved on. Relocating after college is so hard though…it’s so hard to meet new people!

    • Ashleigh
      June 24, 2013 at 8:37 am

      I am trying out some GF recipes, these look so tasty! I just found some coconut oil at Costco and I have no clue what to do with it!

      • Stefanie
        June 24, 2013 at 11:30 am

        GF baking can be so tricky! It’s like a science experiment sometimes. PS I also like to use coconut oil on the ends of my hair and for moisturizing my skin. It’s also awesome because you smell so good, kinda like a cookie! hahaha