View fullsize

View fullsize

do you ever have those moments where you're like, "holy sh*t i'm a genius"? i had that today. not for any sort of real epiphany or creation or idea, but for, you know, cookies. 

these are the perfect cookies. i even made my own chocolate chips to go with them because i'm bougie like that. carob chunks to be exact. sea salt. unbelievably crispy + crunchy on the outside and the perfect chew on the inside. the most optimal serving of 8 cookies. enough to fulfill the cravings for a few days without overdoing it with 2 cookies every day. 

holy sh*t, i'm a genius.

something that you may or may not know about me is that my digestion is god awful. i have trouble digesting the most basic and most small amount of food. it sucks and i've been dealing with it for a while now. 

foodies on instagram have presented new knowledge to me: for example, aiding and healing your gut with collagen powder, bone broth, gelatin, and digestive enzymes. it's slow but steady. i'm still figuring out what makes my stomach want to jump out the window. i haven't gotten very far in the past few months. 

i'm leaning towards a somewhat aip-type way of eating. aka no eggs, grains, legumes, nuts/seeds, dairy, nightshades, and chocolate. the chocolate really hit me here. (i can already confirm that nightshades mess me up). it looks more restrictive than it is... i've been eating a lot of carob powder, coconut butter, and a wider array of fruits than when i was on keto. i'm feeling better.

hopefully i figure out what's up. 

well, this spiel is really just an introduction to these cookies. they are aip-compliant and so freaking good i could cry. lately my aip creations have been garbage. 

these beg to differ. 

---

crispy + chewy chocolate chip cookies

makes 6 large cookies / 8 smaller cookies

-

what you do

1. first, make the chocolate chips (recipe below)

2. preheat oven to 350˚F. in a medium bowl, mix coconut flour, coconut oil, maple syrup, sea salt, and vanilla powder. 

3. add coconut milk, baking soda, and other 1 tablespoon of gelatin over cookie dough. don't stir in yet.

4. in another small bowl, mix together 1 tablespoon of gelatin with 1 room temp tablespoon of water. then add in 2 boiling tablespoons of water and whisk vigorously until smooth. 

5. add gelatin/water mixture over cookie dough and mix everything together.

6. wait at least 5 minutes for the dough to absorb liquid. stir in homemade chocolate chunks or carob chips.

8. using a small ice cream scooper, form 6-8 cookie dough balls (make sure there are chocolate chips on top for aesthetic purposes).

9. bake on parchment paper for 14 minutes, or until the outside of the cookies are verrrrry golden and crispy.

10. wait to cool and firm up before eating.

what you need

• 1/3 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 cup coconut oil (softened)
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup (maybe even a little less depending on your sweet tolerance)
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla powder
• 1 pinch of sea salt
• 2 tablespoons grass fed gelatin, separated
• 3 tablespoons water (1 room temp / 2 boiling) [***note: sub gelatin and water for 1 egg)
• 2 tablespoons coconut milk (i used canned)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3 cup homemade chocolate chunks (see recipe below)

---

homemade carob chunks

makes a bunch of carob chunks

what you do

1. in a double-broiler, melt cacao butter 

2. i used a muffin tin to make molds for my chocolate and then chopped them up (you can use a normal chocolate mold if you'd like). anyways, cut up strips of parchment thinner in width than the width of the muffin tin. place one in each muffin tin with one end sticking out. these will help you remove the chocolate afterwards.

3. make powdered coconut sugar by either blending or coffee-grinding coconut sugar for 30 seconds (or until very fine).

4. remove bowl with cacao butter from heat and add carob powder and coconut sugar until there are no lumps. the chocolate mixture will be quite thick. 

5. evenly distribute chocolate into 4-5 "lined" muffin tins depending on how thick you want the chunks to be.

6. freeze for 30 minutes. remove using the parchment "tabs" and take off the parchment from the chocolate. chop into large chunks and keep stored in the freezer.

what you need

• 3 tablespoons (42g) cacao butter
• 6 tablespoons carob powder
• 2 tablespoons coconut sugar

---

i love cookies

⌇

View fullsize

View fullsize

hey ho! 

it's muggy outside! it's gross outside! i hate walking outside! this is new york city at its finest: humid and hot summertime. it's cool though. i only have to deal with it a bit longer before having to deal with it every day in los angeles (hello, college). 

*sigh*

i question whether i was really born for sun. 

i realize i haven't done a link love-ish thing in a while-- where i share internet things that have piqued my interest and things. maybe i'll do that now. that sounds like a plan.

-

izzy's link love of july thus far

1. yesterday, me and my friend isla popped into this ~concept~ store in nolita, nyc called bulletin with the coolest shirts and jewelry and lapel pins and other things that celebrate females. a portion of all purchases goes directly to planned parenthood of nyc. yessssss.

2. as i'm slowly starting the process of figuring out what i need for college living (more specifically, in the heat of LA), i realized that what i really really really need in life is this handmade double-sided graphic quilt from cold picnic. get ready for my plant-filled/interior-designed dorm next year. 

3. yeah, it feels like summer.

4. jack harries's new short films never fail to amaze me. a narrative on the effects of technology, rawness, traveling, and connecting with others: headed east.

5. ever since i watched this video (living as a new yorker), i've never not noticed this thing that train conductors do.

6. you know i love james turrell.

[[[ end of link love ]]]

- 

now, onto that pancakes recipe. aka what this post is really about.

remember these? i don't even remember the last time i made those pancakes. (hint, it was actually over a year ago). i don't even remember the last time i had a banana.

so here, i give you an updated fluffy pancakes recipe. it involves fresh egg whites (leftover from making frozen custard) and coconut flour. easy peasy.

---

fluffy pancakes for one

serves 1

- 

what you do

1. in a small bowl, sift together coconut flour, coconut sugar, baking powder, and salt. mix until combined.

2. in another medium bowl, whip egg whites and vanilla until stiff peaks form.  

3. pour flour mixture and coconut yogurt into whipped egg whites. starting with 1 tablespoon, fold together almond milk with everything else using using a spatula until a thick batter forms. you might not need all 1/3 cup of the milk. 

4. spray a castiron skillet with coconut oil and set dollops of 1/4 cup of batter onto the pan. cook for 2-3 minutes on each side until the edges are brown. 

5. serve and drown in (very pure, very vermont) maple syrup.

what you need

• 3 tablespoons coconut flour
• 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
• pinch of baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 3 large egg whites
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon coconut yogurt (or applesauce) 
• 1/3 cup almond milk

---

you're welcome. 

⌇