Cocoa Cherry Biscuits W/ Meyer Lemon Marmalade (Grain & Dairy Free)

Ah Valentine's: It's blissfully edging it's way closer. I can feel it's pull, like gravity; irresistible....drawing me in. If Christmas is all 'sugar plums dancing in my head', then Valentines is all chocolate, cherries and Meyer lemons dancing pretty much everywhere. In the past, I was all about the chocolate and cherries. Somehow lately though, Meyer lemons have taken up permanent residence on the list, as well they should have because they are AWESOME! The two recipes that follow highlight all of these wondrous flavors; Combining them in one sweeping whirlwind of flavor.

On their own, these biscuits are a decadent treat worth indulging in. They are slightly sweetened, with a gentle accent of dark cocoa and pockets of sweet fresh cherries. But the real flavor kicks in when you top it off with the tart Meyer Lemon Marmalade (honey sweetened of course). This is my new FAVORITE flavor combination. This Valentines treat, is destined to impress!

Try using organic fresh cherries whenever possible. This is one of those fruits that is heavily pesticided.

Cocoa Cherry Biscuits

2  3/4  cups  blanched almond flour, plus another 1/4 cup as bench flour

3 Tbls organic cocoa

1/2  tsp salt

1/2  tsp baking soda (not encouraged for baking on GAPS, we do fine with small amounts)

1/4  coconut oil 

2  eggs

3  tbsp  honey

1  tsp vanilla

1/4  cup diced fresh cherries

Combine and sift together: blanched almond flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda in a bowl. If you are not using Honeyville blanched almond flour, sifting may not be possible. If you are using another brand, I recommend blending all the dry ingredients together. Pulse the blender a few times then stir and pulse again. Repeat till the mixture is fine but still dry, then sift.

Add the oil, rubbing it into the flour mixture until it is evenly distributed. 

Add the chopped cherries, tossing  and coating them in the flour mixture. 

In a separate bowl, blend together the eggs, honey, and vanilla.

Add your wet ingredients into the dry, mixing till a nice dough forms (add about 1/4 cup of the bench flour as needed till it forms a loose ball).  

Wrap and chill the dough for about 30 min. in the fridge.

Roll the dough out between two sheets of parchment paper or wax paper, using the bench flour to keep the dough from sticking. For large biscuits, roll the dough to about 1 1/2 inch thick. Then cut the dough with a biscuit cutter or mason jar top. For small biscuits, roll the dough to about 1/2 inch thick. Gently combine left over dough and re roll.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, then place the biscuits a few inches apart from each other. Bake at 350°F for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown on the outside.

Remove from oven and cool slightly. Best served warm.

Serve with Meyer Lemon Marmalade (recipe below)

Makes 4-6 biscuits, depending on size and thickness.

Meyer Lemon Marmalade

Ingredients:

About seven medium sized Meyer lemons

1 cup honey (You could lesson the honey by 1/2 cup if you don't mind a tart marmalade)

Directions:

Boil 6 of the lemons whole for about 8 min. in a large pot of water. Remove from heat, strain the water, and let the lemons cool completely.

Once cooled, cut each lemon in half. Remove the seeds. Do this over a bowl to save all the juice that drips out. Pull out the center 'meat' of the lemon, removing it from the rind. This will be quite easy as the lemons should be very soft. Set aside the rind for later.

Take a knife and cut away all the flesh around the the center part of the lemon (the white part that runs down the middle (you can also leave this in if you like your marmalade with an authentic bitter quality to it). This should yield at least 1/2 cup between the flesh and the juice. Set aside.

Take the rinds and dice them up into very small pieces. (Again , you can remove some of the bitterness by cutting away some of the white inside the peel if you like)

Put the lemon juice, flesh and diced rind into you blender. It should come to at least the 2 cup mark. Pulse a few times to combine and distribute the ingredients.

Bring the mixture to a low boil in a pot, allowing it to simmer and cook down for a few min. Add the honey, stirring well to combine. Continue to simmer the mixture for about 15-25 min, stirring everyone once in awhile to keep it from burning.

You want to bring the mixture to about 220 degrees (if you are using a candy thermometer), but I prefer doing this kind of jam by feel. This may seem daunting but here is how to do that:  Toward the end of the 15 min, keep a close eye on the mixture, stirring more frequently. It will begin to thicken pretty quickly and as you are stirring, draw a rubber spatula through the mixture. Before it is ready, you will notice that the mixture fills in the space created by the spatula very quickly. As it becomes ready, it will fill the space in more slowly, leaving an open space for a few seconds as it slowly fills in. Also, keep in mind that the mixture WILL thicken even more after it cools.

Remove from heat. Juice the last remaining lemon, adding it to the marmalade. Let cool. If you feel that you overcooked the jam and it is too thick for your liking, just add a little more water, tea or lemon juice to the mixture. It is pretty versatile stuff!

This recipe makes about 1 cup of jam. Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or jar and freeze for up to one month. I prefer to make this in small batches, as this is not our everyday fare.