Peanut Butter Cup Macaroons (Low Sugar, Gluten and Grain Free!)

Last week, right before my birthday weekend, it occurred to me how different it is to be single and living in a studio apartment compared to my old life (the opposite of that). My college friend, Jenn, was coming to visit from Florida and I was really excited—we had a good chuckle over our dorm-style-living weekend here as I turned 35… Anyway, cooking for one is a challenge sometimes. I either make too much and have to eat the same thing for days on end, or I throw food away. Since I started the personal chef gig, it has been a lot easier. I’m so good at math that I can portion out the grocery bill according to what I use for my clients and what I consume myself (or, for example, I wouldn’t charge a client for a whole pound of ground beef if her portion was less than a quarter of it). What I’m getting at is that I have had a good system going on for the last few months… and then my clients both went on vacation and/or had a business trip at the same time. Right when that happened, I pretty much started showing off my kitchen prowess to Dave (oops, now you know his name)… and there has been lots and lots of food. Everywhere. (Let’s not talk about that space on the floor between the cupboard and the fridge… it’s on the To Do List, ok?).

Then Jenn visited, and I will tell you, it was amazing to be a kitchen slacker and eat out for an entire weekend! I did make a snack/dessert (breakfast?) for us before she showed up, and I was thrilled to have my samples of Krisda to try out in a brand new recipe. Sometimes I’m so surprised that my throw-stuff-together-because-it-might-work method works so well! These PB Cup Macaroons are so good–I want to make them again immediately… but I might eat them all in a day. Actually, I’d be fine with that—you’ll see why in a sec.

(Disclaimer: Krisda sent me samples of some of their products for free—obviously I was thrilled! Everything I say about Krisda is my own opinion).

Peanut Butter Cup Macaroons

2 cups finely shredded coconut (the tinier the shreds, the more fudge-y these will be)
1/4 cup peanut butter (I used Earth Balance Peanut Coconut Spread Crunchy, but use whatever you like)
1/4 cup coconut oil (melted)
1/3 cup maple syrup (I always use Grade B)
2 heaping Tbsp Krisda Baking Formulation
2 heaping Tbsp cocoa powder (unsweetened, unprocessed if you can get it)

For the dip:

equal parts peanut butter and coconut oil, melted
a dash of sweetener if you need it

Mix all ingredients very well. Use a mini scooper to form the macaroon shape, or just roll into balls (probably the messy method). I dehydrated these with my beloved new-ish stainless Excalibur dehydrator on 115 degrees F, for a few hours. You can bake these on the lowest oven temp with the door cracked open for a little while, or just leave them raw and put in the fridge or freezer. Dehydrating or baking them just firms the outside a bit, but is not necessary.

After they’ve cooled (if you dehydrated/baked them), dip them in the melted coconut oil/pb mixture. Put in the fridge or freezer in a sealed container. Eat them for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!

Note about sweetener: You can change the sweetener types and amounts–Just keep tasting the mixture until it is perfect for you! The type of pb and the type of cocoa powder you use will also impact the sweetness.

If you love peanut butter cups (or even just peanut butter and chocolate), I think you’ll like these. The coconut is the perfect chewy texture-maker.

Try them! Or come over, and you can sample some here! I need an excuse to make more…

News/Notes:

If you have just met me, I’ll spare you from the back story at the moment, but I can’t resist re-posting my facebook post from yesterday…

——-

It’s a big day… a really BIG day for the AFE community. Thanks Miranda Klassen for your effort over the last 5 years to make this happen–my family knows nothing can bring Jen back, but to even think there could be answers or the ability to prevent AFE in other women… well, it has practically stopped my heart–and it’s better than a hundred Christmases. To my friends, would you consider donating money to this research?
Find out more: www.afesupport.org/research

“IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT- AFE FOUNDATION RESEARCH IS NOW OPEN!

We hope this message finds you well. This week marks the 5th anniversary of the AFE Foundation. There is no better way to celebrate then to announce the official launch of our first research endeavor! In collaboration with world-renowned Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, we have designed and developed The AFE Foundation Patient Registry.

This registry is groundbreaking. It is the only national AFE registry in the US and the only international patient registry gathering cases (both fatal and non-fatal) from all over the world. It is also the only research endeavor to gather important and invaluable information from surviving AFE patients.

Our research team consists of the foremost experts in amniotic fluid embolism and will be led by Drs. Gary Dildy III, Steven Clark, Michael Belfort, Irene Stafford, Errol Norwitz and Miranda Klassen, the founder of the AFE Foundation. The study has obtained all federally (and internationally accepted) mandated ethical approvals to ensure the protection and privacy of all participants.

It has taken 5 years to make this dream a reality. From concept to funding to database development and IRB approval, we are thrilled to now begin accepting patient cases.

The trauma and pain of what our families have endured is real and life-changing. It is up to each of us to take that experience and do something to help families in the future. Since AFE occurrence is rare, each case holds important and valuable information. We are aiming for 100% participation in order to make this research impactful, meaningful, and ultimately, the basis for which all future studies of AFE will be used.

To learn more, please visit our website at www.afesupport.org/research

Follow the 3 simple steps below to include your, or that of a loved one’s, case.

1. Email aferegistry@bcm.edu and state you would like to submit a case (please specify if you are submitting your case or submitting on behalf of a loved one*).

2. You will receive an email from our research coordinator with 3 simple forms for you to sign and complete.

3. Email or mail those forms back to the research coordinator. The research coordinator will then request your medical records from the hospital(s) where you were cared for. You will then receive an email confirmation, and updates to let you know that your records have been received.

Thank you for helping us make a difference!”