ALMOND COOKIES
Recipe & Photo by Emily Von Euw THIS RAWSOME VEGAN LIFE
AUTHOR NOTES
When I started making the cookies I decided to use almonds for the base because that’s what was in the cupboard. I didn’t have any dates or raisins – what I usually use as the wet ingredient for my raw vegan cookie doughs – so instead I used coconut oil and agave syrup (not as nutritious as dried fruit but damn so decadent). I ground the almonds into flour, stirred in the coco oil and syrup, and let the dough harden up in the fridge. When I took it out a couple hours later and was nibbling around the edges, I realized that I had accidentally accomplished the goal of this Family Favourites series. The cookie dough tasted just like cookies my mum used to make around Christmas. She would make the dough, roll it into a log and then keep it in the freezer until she wanted to bake some, then she’d just cut off a few slices of the log and put them in the oven. She called them Grandma Cookies. Probably because she got the recipe from Grandma. They were your basic cookie: white flour, sugar, eggs and lots of butter. But somehow they had their own special flavour and place in my heart. I think it was a texture thing.
SERVES: Makes apron 4 -8.
PREP TIME: 20 Minutes plus setting time
DIETARY CONSIDERATION: Raw, Vegan, Vegetarian, Paleo, Sugar Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free, Gluten Free
INGREDIENTS
Spiced apples:
1 Cup Thinly sliced apples
1/2 Tsp Cinnamon powder
1/4 Tsp Nutmeg powder
1/4 Tsp Ginger powder
2 Tbsp Maple syrup
1/2 Tsp Vanilla extract
Cookies:
1 Cup Almonds
3 Tbsp Maple syrup
3 Tbsp Melted coconut oil
DIRECTIONS
Roughly chop your dates, then add everything but the almond meal to a food processor and blitz till a paste Spiced Apples: Toss them with the spices and maple syrup. Put them in your oven at a very low temperature, or in a dehydrator, for an hour or until they have softened. Check often to make sure they don’t dry out or burn – you want them warm, soft and gooey.
Cookies: Grind the almonds into flour in a food processor or blender. Throw the almond flour into a bowl and stir in the maple syrup and coconut oil until you get a sticky, crumbly mixture. If it’s not sticking together, add some more maple syrup. If it’s too wet, add some ground flax seeds or more almond flour. Spread this the cookie dough evenly onto a cookie sheet, about 1/2 inch thick, and put in the fridge or freezer until solid, an hour or two. Cut into cookies.
Spoon some warm apple slices onto your cookies and dig in!