Gwyneth Paltrow leads an enviable and balanced life (her life is not a runaway train of tabloid fare). And she does everything….actress, blogger, mother, author, and (my personal fave) country western singer. She first won me over as “Young Wendy” in Steven Spielberg’s Hook and 20 years later she still reverberates charm, youth and innocence. I dream of having Gwyneth as my mom and a rock star meets quirk name a la Apple.

Gwyneth’s My Father’s Daughter: Delicious, Easy Recipes Celebrating Family & Togetherness is a beautiful book that won me over with the heavy use of fresh produce and natural products. Each recipe (of course) evolves from a story of love, history, or family…(and sometimes these three coalesce)…that should be annoying to read, but it is exactly the opposite. I couldn’t get enough of these head notes.

I called my grandma Bubby which seemed perfectly acceptable and sweet. Gwyneth’s kids call their grandma, Blythe Danner, Lalo – which is somehow polite and regal and sort of sweet. And like all good grandmas (sweet and otherwise) Lalo makes cookies for her grandkids. Lalo’s famous cookies are apparently a big hit in the Paltrow (er…Martin) household. And they are healthy-ish…they contain NO SUGAR. In fact, the main ingredient in this cookie is barley flour (which sounds awfully healthy when you say it). Barley flour is easy to find these days, but if not, you can find it online.

I can eat these maple-y, jam topped cookies for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And I did. They are hearty, nutty, and delicious. By the by, Gwyneth is/was slated to play Chef Gabrielle Hamilton in the film adaption of Blood, Bones, & Butter. I think she just might be able to pull it off.

Lalo’s Famous Cookies RECIPE ADAPTED FROM My Father’s Daughter: Delicious, Easy Recipes Celebrating Family & Togetherness

Yield- 50 cookies, about 25 min, total prep time- 45 min.

Ingredients:

4 cups barley flour
3 cups raw whole almonds crushed in a food processor ( about ten 2- sec pulses)
1- tsp. fine salt
1- tsp ground cinnamon
1- cup canola oil
1- cup real Vermont maple syrup
your favorite jam- (I used raspberry, mixed berry, peach, and pear ginger)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.
Combine all ingredients except for the jam together in large bowl with wooden spoon.
Form into tablespoon balls and space them evenly on cookie sheet.
Using index finger, make an indent in each cookie.
Fill each indent with small spoonful of jam.
Bake until cookies are evenly browned , about 20 minutes.
Let cool and serve and eat all day long.