Almond and Hazelnut Cookies

It's possible that in my recent attempt to cut back on sugar and white flour, I'm actually baking more. We're funny creatures, aren't we? Needing to fill some kind of self-imposed gap, I'm constantly thinking of ways to make cookies, cakes, loaves and others desserts with sugar and flour substitutes. My plan to cut back on sweets may be backfiring. Here's another no white sugar, (*almost) no white flour recipe. And in case you are one of those devotees of old fashioned baked goods who is thinking, "I'm not interested in some substitute for a real cookie", I shall include this short quote:

My tester/husband, always happy to taste and give his honest opinion, said, with unrestrained enthusiasm, the following: "This is possibly one of the best cookies I've ever eaten!"

I said, "Can I quote you on that?"

He said, "Yes, and you can also quote me as saying I'll have another one" as he turned and made his way back to the kitchen.

(He has to dilute with 'possibly' and 'one of' because his mom is a MASTER baker and he's a good son.)

Wanting follow up praise and fodder for the blog, I pushed for more compliments..."What do you like about them?"

His reply: "They're only as much of a cookie as they need to be to get the job done."

Well, I consider that a success, because "the job" was satisfying our sweet teeth in our "no sugar" universe. Mission accomplished.

Almond and Hazelnut Cookies     

(recipe inspired by Algerian Almond Cookies)

Makes 16 cookies

1/2 cup of ground hazelnuts (about 1 cup whole)

1 cup of ground almonds (about 2 cups whole)

2/3 cup of honey
2 tablespoons of lemon zest
1 egg white
1/2 cut of all-purpose flour for rolling out cookies (*almost flourless)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In batches, grind hazelnuts and almonds in a blender or food processor until you have the correct amount of ground nuts. In a medium bowl combine nuts, honey and lemon zest. Add slightly beaten egg white and mix well. If the mixture seems too wet, grind and add more nuts until you have a thick paste.

Generously sprinkle a work surface with the flour and roll the dough into two long thin logs (about 8-10 inches long and about an inch in diameter). Use just as much flour as you need to stop the dough from sticking. Press each log to about 1/2 inch flat. Cut cookies about 1 1/2 inch wide on the diagonal. (Your cookies will be roughly diamond shaped.)

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and lightly dust the cookies with flour.

Bake at 350 degrees F until just browned, about 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Your finished cookie will be chewy and can keep in an airtight container for up to one week.

 

Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Spelt Cookies

I'm trying to eat less white wheat flour and less refined sugar. But everyone needs a little treat now and then, so my challenge this week was to make a cookie that had neither.

Here's what I came up with...an almond, walnut, coconut, cinnamon, spelt flour and oatmeal cookie, sweetened with honey and maple syrup. No need to feel hard done by with these little numbers in the cookie jar...

I did a small batch because the more I bake the more I eat, but you could easily double the recipe for a more traditional sized batch.

Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Spelt Cookies

Makes 16 cookies

1/3 cup grapeseed oil

1/4 cup almond butter

1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon of Ceylon cinnamon* (read more below) or regular cinnamon
3/4 cup spelt flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 375 Fahrenheit. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl combine oil and almond butter until blended. Add honey, maple syrup, baking powder and baking soda. Beat with electric mixer until combined. Beat in egg, vanilla and cinnamon. Beat in the flour (keep mixer speed on low). Stir in oats, coconut and walnuts.

Drop by rounded teaspoon about 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes until edges are lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack. Makes about 16 delicious cookies.

Can someone please explain how cookies failed to make this list? C'mon!

* A bit about Ceylon cinnamon:

I recently learned that the cinnamon commonly sold in North American supermarkets is a variety known as Cassia cinnamon. It's dark reddish in colour and tastes like the cinnamon I've come to know. But there is another variety, native to Sri Lanka, the only place where cinnamon is a native plant, known as Ceylon cinnamon (sometimes called true cinnamon.) It is softer and lighter in colour, milder and sweeter, and tastes like a blend of cinnamon and cardamom. It's a bit more expensive and available at health and specialty stores.

A note about my new header:

It's a composite shot of some of my previous recipes, inspired by the creative stylings of ana at imadeitso.com. thanks for the idea, ana!

Green Eyed Monster Cookies

Guaranteed Smiles....

There is a place in Toronto that is guaranteed to put a smile on the face of anyone who visits.  We discovered it one evening in the middle of last winter. Looking for somewhere to grab a little dessert, we were sad to see that most of the little bakeries in the area had closed at 6 p.m. But then we saw the warm glow of a light on, a door opening onto the frozen street, and we ducked inside a little bake shop.

We were initially a bit disappointed. There seemed to be very little on offer, except a few cookies in the front showcase. But our sweet tooth needed satisfying, so we were mulling over the choices when an employee appeared and asked "Is this your first time here? Let me tell you how it works..."

Sweet Flour Bake Shop is a magical place. The concept is "bake your own cookie" and it's brilliantly executed. It seems so simple and yet so ingenius at the same time. You choose your cookie dough then you choose two mix-ins from a selection of brightly coloured candies, nuts, dried fruit, and chocolate pieces. And then the best part - the warm fresh cookie is baked and in your hands in only 2 minutes.

My first time there I chose what has since become my all time favourite cookie. I picked oatmeal dough with toffee bits (little pieces of Skor bar) and pistachios. I was even asked to name it for their wall, calling it "The Green Eyed Monster." The pistachios look like green eyes, the melted toffee gets really gooey and spread out - looks like a monster to me - and I like to think that everyone else is jealous of my delectable cookie :) It's a fantastic little shop. It's a great place to bring friends, the prices are reasonable and the whole experience is just a lot of fun. (Please note: Sweet Flour didn't offer me free cookies or anything to post this...I just like it there...)

That being said, sometimes you just need to bake some cookies at home. Which is why I ran out and bought a truck load of toffee bits from a bulk food store. I've made Green Eyed Monster cookies several times now, but to change it up I've also posted a slight variation on the recipe which I made recently (shelled unsalted pistachios are not always available at regular grocery stores). Toffee Almond Oatmeal Cookies are also delicious and they're the cookies pictured below. (Please note: This is my own regular oatmeal cookie recipe - I don't have Sweet Flour's...)

Green Eyed Monster Cookies
Makes about 30

1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup whole wheat flour
1 cup rolled oats
½ teaspoon of sea salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup lightly packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
½ cup plain yogurt
½ cup toffee bits
¾ cup shelled unsalted pistachios, chopped coarsly

Preheat oven to 350.
Combine flours, oats, salt and baking soda in a bowl. Set aside.

Put butter and sugar into large bowl and mix on medium speed of electric mixture until pale. Add egg and vanilla and beat until light and moussy. Fold in yogurt. Add flour mixture and stir until combined. Stir in toffee bits and pistachios.

Drop dough in 1 ½ inch balls onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake cookies until lightly golden brown and set, about 12-13 minutes. Cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a plate to cool completely. Store in air tight containers or freeze.

Or, you could just eat them.

Toffee Almond Oatmeal Cookies
Make the recipe as above, but substitute ¾ cup natural slivered almonds for pistachios.

Start with this...

Which turns into this...

Add some of this...

And you get these!

Ice Cream Sandwiches

Happy Summer Solstice!

The first day of the season was officially yesterday, but who needs an excuse to eat ice cream. Not me!

I was thinking back to my childhood summers today - ice cream figures prominently. There was an ice cream store just down the street so sometimes after dinner we'd walk down the street and get either a plain or dipped soft serve cone. Mom wouldn't let us get anything too big or too fancy. (Thanks mom, for keeping our sugar intake in check.) Holidays away from home were another matter...we pleaded for ice cream daily and I think we got it.

This is less of a recipe and more of an homage to an easy, delicious treat. Go get yourself one!

Ice Cream Sandwiches 

Take your favourite ice cream and your favourite cookies and make a sandwich. (So easy!) Pop the whole thing back in the freezer for about 5 minutes to firm up the ice cream. Pace back and forth in front of the freezer wondering why 5 minutes feels like a lifetime... Open freezer and admire your work. Now, sit back, relax, enjoy and remember that life doesn't have to be difficult.

Pictured here: Black Forest Ice Cream Sandwich
(Chocolate Cherry frozen yogurt + Peak Freans "Dark Chocolate with a hint of Cherry" cookies)