For me, one of the most difficult parts of being on a gut healing diet, like GAPS, is the lack of pastries being made in my home. I’ve been a baker for most of my life…I can’t just shut that off. Many of the GAPS recipes for nut flour breads or treats require many eggs to hold it together. With my new found allergy to eggs, it’s been difficult to use typical GAPS recipes. The egg-free recipes I have found on the web are flavorless and have a gritty texture. Some people can tolerate these because, well, it’s better than nothing! I totally disagree. Which is why I have perfected this recipe for GAPS/SCD cookies. They are so yummy and a bit addictive (so be careful not to over do it!). I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
2 Cups Fresh Winter Squash (Pumpkin, Kabocha, Butternut, etc)
1 Cup Organic Raw Nut Butter (Cashew, Walnut, Almond, etc)
1/3 Cup Fat (Lard, Duck Fat, Ghee, etc)
2 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Unrefined Sea Salt
Preheat oven to 325. Remove seeds and skin of winter squash. Cut into cubes and pulse in a food processor until mostly pureed. Add nut butter, fat, cinnamon and salt. Process until smooth (about 2 minutes), scraping down the side of the bowl a couple times to make sure it’s well incorporated. Scoop about 1 tablespoon of batter per cookie onto baking sheet and press down slightly. Batter will spread just a bit. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Turn oven off and let cool in oven. Remove from baking sheet and enjoy. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. Makes about 3 dozen soft chewy cookies.
Occasionally, if I will be out of the house for a long period of time without cooler access, I will dry the cookies out a bit more to make a kind of shelf-stable product that I keep in my pocket! These cookies are baked for 10 minutes at 350 and then the oven is turned down to 250 for an additional hour. These will be a crunchy, but chewy cookie that keeps well at room temperature for a day or two. Just make sure to stay hydrated with bone broth or water with a bit of apple cider vinegar added when eating these dry cookies.