On March 1, 2011, the New York Times published an article, Once a Villain, Coconut Oil Charms the Health Food World, written by Melissa Clark. In this article Ms. Clark wrote about the new found benefits of cooking with coconut oil. “I quickly learned that virgin coconut oil has a haunting, nutty, vanilla flavor. It’s even milder and richer tasting than butter, sweeter and lighter textured than lard, and without any of the bitterness you sometimes get in olive oil.” But she didn’t use just any coconut oil in her cooking; it had to be the virgin, unrefined coconut oil. She tried it for sautéing vegetables, especially onions, and in baking her favorite pound cake. Her shrimp dish with scallions sautéed in coconut oil with some garlic, ginger, and coriander sounded scrumptious.

Ms. Clark also expounded on the saturated fat in coconut oil called lauric acid. Normally, when you hear saturated fat, it’s a bad thing. But lauric acid is a medium chain fatty acid which is known to increase HDL (good cholesterol). It’s also been called “a wonder substance with possible antibacterial, antimicrobial, antiviral properties that could also, in theory, combat H.I.V., clear up acne and speed up your metabolism.” She added that some researches are skeptical of these claims.

At Perfect Supplements we have known about the health benefits of extra virgin, unrefined, cold-pressed organically grown coconut oil and we call it Perfect Coconut Oil. This 16 oz. jar of pure coconut oil is ideal for so many recipes that call for olive oil, canola oil, or any vegetable oil. We also have our Perfect Coconut Oil in a convenient softgel with all the same benefits.

Here is a wonderful recipe to try using Perfect Coconut Oil. As a huge fan of coconut, these might be the best chocolate chip cookies I ever tasted. The texture was amazing…so light and crispy…just Perfect!

Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 C coconut oil (melted)

1/2 C sugar

2 eggs

1½C flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/3-1/2C mini semi-sweet chocolate chips (Ghirardelli are great)

½ C shredded coconut

1/2 C chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Beat together the coconut oil, sugar and eggs in a large bowl until creamy (about 3 minutes)
3. In a separate bowl stir together the dry ingredients except the chocolate chips, coconut and optional walnuts. Add to the wet mixture and mix on slow speed to combine.
4. Stir in the chocolate chips, coconut and optional walnuts.
5. Scoop out heaped tablespoon sized balls onto a baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
6. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden. Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies. ENJOY!