As more and more people jump on the gluten-free bandwagon when it comes to their eating habits, more people are looking for creative ways to enjoy the little things in life - like cookies, those little jewels of the dessert world! Here, I will share with you my favorite and easy to make gluten free nut cookies.
These cookies are made entirely from nut flours and whole raw nuts along with just a few other ingredients. If you can't find the flours in a grocery store near you, try ordering online or just make your own by grinding raw whole nuts. If you do grind your own almond and cashew nuts for the flours listed below, be sure you grind them fairly well because you'll be using other nuts ground more roughly. I'm happy to report that Trader Joe's stores carry both almond and cashew flours at this time along with coconut sugar.
Now, if you're on a diet, you may wish to pass on these because they have a pretty high fat content but you'll find them quite satisfying so you won't need to eat a ton of them.
And through the use of coconut sugar and stevia, they will be far lower on the glycemic index than if you used other sweeteners. I've also made these using only stevia but I prefer combing the coconut sugar with stevia as I think it makes the cookies more crispy. Actually I call them "crumbly-crisp".
Honey will work if you don't mind the extra sugar but the recipe below is how I made my batch this morning. The yield was 15 cookies measuring approximately 1 and a half to 2 inches in diameter.
The directions are quite easy. Just be sure to check them in the oven so they don't burn. And remember, you're not making traditional cookie dough, so there's no harm in pilfering from the bowl as you prepare them. you'll just have fewer baked ones down the line.
As for the amount of sweetness, feel free to experiment. You may wish to add a bit more for your taste in which case you can add more of the coconut sugar and even an extra pack or two of stevia.
Okay, here goes.
Dry Ingredients:
1 cup unblanched almond flour
1/2 cup cashew flour
1/2 cup combined raw pecans and raw hazelnuts - ground roughly
1/2 cup raisins - I use organic
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon powder
1/4 cup coconut sugar
4 packets stevia
Wet Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter - melted
2 tablespoons extra virgin coconut oil - melted
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
Directions:
Heat oven to 350-degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients and mix well.
Separately, combine all of the wet ingredients.
Then add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix. The consistency you're looking for is sticky enough to hold the mixture together. Test the mixture by taking a spoonful and forming it into a small patty. If it won't hold then add more coconut oil and water, in equal amounts, no more than a tablespoon of each at a time. The cookie dough will look greasy.
Once your dough holds together well, form your patties, about 1 and a half inch to 2 inches in diameter. Press them in your hand to flatten a bit then place them carefully onto a non-stick cookie sheet. Handle carefully so they don't fall apart. There is absolutely no need to add anymore fat onto the sheet.
Depending upon the size of your sheet and oven you may have to make two batches.
Place cookies in oven (middle rack) and bake for 12-15-minutes, watching carefully that they do not burn. You'll notice that the raisins will plump up considerably. This is your cue that the cookies are nearly done. You want them just lightly browned and you'll be able to tell by looking closely at the edges.
Remove from oven and let cool on the cookie sheet or carefully remove them with a spatula onto paper towel-lined plates which is my preference. They're rather crumbly and may break apart. You can eat them while they're still warm or wait until completely cool.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Ginger_Marin/209137
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