Raw (ish) Cookie Assortment

Gluten Free, Vegan, Whole Plant Food, Raw (ish)
Cookie Assortment

As Christmas draws near, and my traditional cookie & bread making is done, I have a wee bit more to
do.

I have two friends who, like me, are Orthodox Christians - which means that this time of year they are keeping Vegan for Advent. But, they are also Gluten Free, and (as they put it) "Crunchy." So, it's time to whip up a few Christmas treats that are Vegan, Gluten Free, & based on Whole Plant Foods for their Christmas gift tins. These treats are mostly raw - with the possible exception of the spices or flavorings used.

I made an assortment of three varieties. If I was a little more familiar with their precise restrictions (and a little more artistic!), I would have decorated them in some way (drizzled chocolate, sprinkled coconut, cherry halves, etc), but I decided to be better safe than sorry.

I made all of these in my food processor - which is an inexpensive 2-cup capacity Sunbeam Oscar with an s-blade in a bowl. If you blend these too long, you can end up with nut butter (not good) but on the other hand, if they are too dry, a little longer blending will help the nuts release their oils and become moister.

With all of these, you will want to pulse/blend them in the food processor till fairly finely ground. When you are able to squeeze together a little ball of the mixture and have it hold its shape (rather like making a snowball from snow), it is ready to form into balls or discs.

I use cheap, grocery store pitted dates (which are usually the "Deglet Noor" variety). These little treats are supposed to hold their shape and have a somewhat firm bite, and fancier dates (like Medjool) not only drive up the production costs, but produce a less-desirable pasty consistency. Some raw treats must be kept in the freezer to keep a proper texture because they are made from Medjool dates rather than the firmer dates. Not these - they're ready to go as soon as they're made!

Here they are:

Chocolate Cherry Cordial Balls
Process
1/2 Cup Pecans
1/2 Cup Almonds
1 Cup Dates (packed)
1/4 Cup Cocoa Powder
1 teaspoon water if needed for moisture
Stir in
Dried Cherries
Shape into balls

Raw  (ish) Snickerdoodles
Process
1/2 Cup Almonds
1/2 Cup Pecans
1 1/2 Cup Dates, Packed
1 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
Shape into Balls

Raw (ish) Gingerbread Cookies
(This one is inspired by The Healthy Maven but I wanted to make it grain free, and more like my own Gingerbread Cookies for taste)
Process
1/2 Cup Pecans
1/2 Cup Coconut (unsweetened, grated or flaked)
1/2 Cup Dates, Packed
1 1/2 teaspoon Molasses
1/4 teaspoon Ground Ginger
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon Ground Cloves
Shape into Balls & Flatten into discs.

This is being shared on Gluten Free Fridays, Simple Lives Thursday, Happy, Healthy, Green & Natural, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Real Food Friday, Wonderful Wednesday, Home Acre Hop, Simple Saturdays, Thrive at Home, What'd You Do This Weekend, In & Out of the Kitchen, Teach Me Tuesdays

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