I enjoy helping others, so when a newer blogger asked to contribute a guest post I was happy to welcome her. Carly writes at My Well Being Journal and describes her site as one that “may cause irrational hunger pangs.” Her focus is on living with IBS, offering practical nutrition tips and compassionate support.
Carly explains that IBS affects a significant portion of the population—around one in five—and that symptoms and triggers vary widely from person to person. There is no single pill or universal cure, so sharing experiences, sensible advice and recipes can be very useful for people trying to manage symptoms.
Diagnosed at 19, Carly spent years feeling frustrated and betrayed by her body. That led her to restrict foods, which in turn sometimes triggered binge eating and regret. Writing about her experience has helped her identify which foods cause problems and which make her feel great. She hopes her blog connects and supports others living with IBS.
I encourage you to visit her well-presented blog, and in the meantime Carly has shared a recipe for a lighter gluten-free lemon and almond shortbread that sounds delicious. She adapted the traditional shortbread by swapping much of the butter for coconut oil and using coconut flour to keep the recipe gluten-free, aiming to reduce calories while keeping good flavor and texture.
Healthy Gluten-free Lemon & Almond Shortbread
Inspired by a favourite store-bought biscuit, Carly experimented over a holiday to create a gluten-free, reduced-butter version of lemon shortbread. By using coconut oil and coconut flour, plus ground almonds for texture, she managed a treat that’s still crisp and buttery-tasting but lighter in calories.
Ingredients
- 1 cup coconut flour
- ¼ cup caster sugar (or your preferred sweetener)
- ½ cup coconut oil
- Juice of a large lemon and/or lemon zest
- ¼ cup ground almonds
- ½ tsp vanilla extract (optional: a drop of almond extract if using ground almonds)
- ¼ cup icing sugar for dusting
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (392°F).
- Combine the caster sugar and coconut oil in a large mixing bowl until smooth.
- Add the coconut flour, ground almonds, lemon juice and zest, and vanilla. Mix until a cohesive paste forms.
- If the dough feels too dry, add a little water sparingly. The dough should remain slightly crumbly so the finished biscuits snap cleanly when baked.
- Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1 cm thickness.
- Cut into rounds or fingers and place on a greased or lined baking tray. Sprinkle a little caster sugar on top and chill in the fridge for about 20 minutes.
- Bake for 15–20 minutes, until the biscuits are a pale golden brown.
- Allow to cool, then dust with icing sugar and enjoy.
If you liked this recipe, see more on Carly’s blog where she also shares a popular healthy oatmeal raisin cookie recipe that readers and her family enjoy.
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