Coconut takes the cake in gluten-free cookbook

I have two close friends and a brother-in-law who are gluten sensitive, so the world of baked goods is a minefield for them. Any type of wheat or wheat byproduct lurking in a muffin or a cookie could touch off symptoms from a stuffy nose to serious indigestion.

Alternatives exist, as many commercial producers, from your basic Kellogg’s to artisan bakeshops, now provide gluten-free breads, cereals, pastas and pastries. Cruise the supermarket aisles and you’ll find a good number. Cruise a natural foods store and you’ll find a boatload.

Not that it’s easy to deal with this disorder, but it’s easier than it was a decade ago. 

Cookbooks have also risen to the challenge. One new edition combines gluten-free cooking with a favorite island ingredient, coconut.

"The Complete Coconut Cookbook," by Camilla V. Saulsbury (Robert Rose, $24.95), not only goes without gluten; its recipes are vegan and nut-free. Coconut oil, flour, sugar, milk, water and meat play a big role here; Saulsbury touts their healthfulness as well as their ability to stand in for wheat and meat products.

Among her recipes is one well suited to the approaching holidays, a dark, slightly sweet Spiced Pumpkin Bar that merges familiar pumpkin pie flavors with coconut.

Unless you have a well-stocked gluten-free pantry, making this will require a trip to a natural-food store. To replace all-purpose flour the author calls for a mix of chickpea and coconut flours; to replace eggs she uses psyllium husk, a high-fiber herb that serves to thicken batters. Saulsbury also suggests that you check the labels of your baking soda and vanilla, as some can contain trace amounts of gluten.

I found everything at Down to Earth, most of it in the bulk bins so I could get just what I needed for very little cash. Coconut oil was the exception, at $10.99 for a 

14-ounce jar. 

I served my bars with whipped cream, which I realize is not vegan, but nondairy whipped creams are available or you could stick with the theme and whip coconut cream.

GLUTEN-FREE SPICED PUMPKIN-COCONUT BARS
From "The Complete Coconut Cookbook" 
1 cup coconut sugar
3 tablespoons psyllium husk
3/4 cup pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
1/2 cup melted virgin coconut oil
1/3 cup well-stirred coconut milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup chickpea flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or foil.

Whisk sugar, psyllium, pumpkin, oil, coconut milk and vanilla until well blended. Let stand 5 minutes to thicken.

In separate bowl, whisk together flours, spice, baking powder and salt. 

Add pumpkin mixture and stir until just blended. Spread batter in pan. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. 

Cool in pan on wire rack. Use parchment to lift from pan. Cut into 12 bars.

Nutritional information unavailable.

Ingredient notes:Coconut sugar, also called palm sugar, and coconut oil are available in many supermarkets and at natural-food stores. Psyllium husk is available in natural foods stores along with coconut flour and chickpea flour, also called garbanzo flour. They are often found both packaged and in the bulk bins. 

What would you like for Thanksgiving? 

This column will go dark for three weeks while I’m on vacation, but in that time I’ll be compiling ideas for that ultimate eating and cooking holiday, Thanksgiving. Is there a dish you’ve always wanted to prepare for your table? Now’s the time to ask.

Write "By Request," Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, Honolulu 96813; or email requests to bshimabukuro@staradvertiser.com.