Generality
With the wording coconut biscuits we mean all the desserts of dry confectionery produced with the pulp of fresh fruit or its derivatives (coconut flour, coconut milk, coconut oil).
Some recipes are easy and quick, others more difficult and elaborate. Some contain ingredients of animal origin, while some meet the criteria of the vegan or even raw food diet (although in the latter case it would be better to talk about sweets than cookies).
Due to the chemical nature of the ingredients, coconut biscuits are generally high in calories and high in fat; the percentage of sugars varies according to the addition or not of sucrose / fructose.
Butter Coconut Cookies - Christmas Cookies
X Problems with video playback? Reload from YouTube Go to Video Page Go to Video Recipes Section Watch the video on youtubeCoconut
The coconut is the fruit of the Cocos nucifera plant or coconut palm.
It is oval in shape, weighing about 1.0kg.
The edible portion of the coconut is the pulp, contained within the woody endocarp (vulgarly called shell). This is not constituted by an almond or by kernels, as happens for the oil seeds, but by a real inner covering of fleshy consistency.
In the unripe fruit is consumed mainly the internal water, contained centrally to the walnut. This has the function of nourishing the pulp and allowing the fruit to ripen; when finished, it is completely absorbed by the walnut.
In addition to the fresh pulp and water, from the coconut you can get:
- Flour: pulp, dried and grated.
- Flakes: pulp, dried and reduced to small sheets.
- Fat milk: result of pulp pressing.
- Lean milk: result of the private pressing of the fat component.
- Coconut drink: made from milk and ground pulp.
- Oil: fat portion of the separated milk.
- Margarine: hydrogenated oil.
Nutritional aspects
The nutritional characteristics of coconut biscuits cannot be summarized in a few lines, as they vary greatly depending on the recipe.
In fact, certain formulas involve the use of freshly shredded coconut, others of flour or coconut flakes; it is not unusual to add coconut oil instead of butter or other fats (if present).
The most digestible and less caloric recipe of coconut biscuits is the one proposed by Alice in this video: Coconut Cookies without Butter - Christmas Cookies. On the other hand, it is still quite energetic foods and moderate consumption is recommended.
The caloric intake of coconut biscuits comes mainly from the lipid portion. This is mainly supplied by the coconut, whatever the specific ingredient used (pulp, flour, oil, etc.). The profile of fatty acids is in favor of the saturated, therefore it is unsuitable for the diet for hypercholesterolemia.
Carbohydrates can play a more or less fundamental role depending on the amount of sugar (more often icing) or possibly of flour (the latter rarely used) used.
The importance of proteins, on the other hand, depends above all on the presence of eggs or part of them (egg white).
Cholesterol is present only when butter and / or yolks are added. The fibers are abundant.
Regarding the saline and vitaminic aspect of coconut, noteworthy levels are not appreciated; only an excellent amount of potassium is observed.
