Almond Cookies (with lots of variations)

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Almond Cookies (with lots of variations)

from Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon

(I will keep my own comments in parentheses. Before starting this

recipe, you need to make some crispy nuts. The procedure is slightly

different for different nuts, and as there are variations of this

recipe for pecans and cashews, I'll include those as well.)

Crispy Almonds

makes 4 cups

4 cups almonds, preferably skinless

1 tablespoon sea salt

filtered water

Mix almonds with salt and filtered water and leave in a warm place for

at least 7 hours or overnight. Drain in a colander. Spread on a

stainless steel baking pan and place in a warm oven (no more than 65

degrees C - if you have a dehydrator all the better) for 12 to 24

hours, stirring occasionally, until completely dry and crisp. Store in

an airtight container. (These make a great snack as-is, too.)

Crispy Pecans

makes 4 cups

4 cups pecan halves

2 teaspoons sea salt

filtered water

The procedure is exactly the same as for crispy almonds.

Crispy Cashews

Makes 4 cups

4 cups " raw " cashews

1 tablespoon sea salt

filtered water

Some care must be taken in preparing cashews. They will become slimy

and develop a disagreeable taste if allowed to soak too long or dry out

too slowly, perhaps because they come to us not completely raw but

having undergone two seperate heatings. You may dry them out in a 200

to 250 degree oven (she is using Farenheit - that would be approx. 95 -

120 degrees C) - the enzymes have already been destroyed during

processing.

Soak cashews in salt and filtered water for 6 hours (no longer). Drain

in a colander. Spread on a stainless steel pan and place in a warm

oven (about 95 degrees C) for 12 - 24 hours until completely dry and

crisp. Store in an airtight container.

Okay, on to the cookies!

Almond Cookies

makes about 18

1 1/2 cups crispy almonds

1/2 cup butter, softened, or coconut oil for casein-free

1 cup arrowroot flour

1/2 cup Rapadura (that is the brand name for a cane sugar that has not

been refined at all, you may be able to find other brands)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt (I find many of her recipes a bit salt-heavy, you

may want to try reducing the salt slightly)

grated rind of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

(I also add one egg - I think it holds things together better)

about 18 crispy almonds

Place almonds in food processor and process to a fine meal. Add

remaining ingredients, except 18 almonds. Form dough into walnut-sized

balls and place on greased cookie sheets. Press an almond into each.

Bake at 300 degrees F for about 20 minutes (that's about 150 degrees

C - these don't brown all that much IME, so you may want to go up as

high as 175 degrees C). After 5 minutes in the oven, press cookies

down lightly with a fork. Let cool completely before removing to an

airtight container. Store in refrigerator.

Variation: Raspberry Jam Cookies

Omit 18 almonds and use 1/4 cup naturally sweetened raspberry jam.

After 5 minutes in the oven, press cookies down slightly, make an

indentation and fill with raspberry jam.

Variation: Cashew Orange Cookies

Use 1 1/2 cups of crispy cashews instead of 1 1/2 cups crispy almonds

and grated rind of one orange instead of grated rind of one lemon.

Omit almond extract and 18 crispy almonds.

Variation: Carob Cookies

Add 1/2 cup carob powder, 1 teaspoon chocolate extract, and an

additional 1/4 cup coconut oil or softened butter. Omit lemon rind,

almond extract, and 18 almonds.

Variation: Pecan Cookies

Use 1 1/2 cups crispy pecans instead of almonds. Reduce butter or

coconut oil by 1/8 cup. (I guess you can exchange the 18 almonds for 18

crispy pecan halves.)

Rene's Variation (not in the book): Chocolate Chip Cookies

(because there is no way that my kid is going to eat carob!) ;-)

Omit lemon rind, almond extract, and 18 almonds. Press a few chocolate

chips on top of each cookie (I used a chopped up organic chocolate bar).