Sunday, 5 June 2011

Italian Pine Nut and Agave Cookies


Agave can be used as part of a raw diet and these cookies are actually dehydrated rather than baked.  A really healthy alternative to the usual.  First off make a batch of the Almond Paste and then go on to make the cookies with this as follows:

Almond Paste

1 cup almonds, soaked, skin removed, and dried

Using a food processor, grind almonds into a powder. Add ½ cup agave and 1 teaspoon almond extract [adjust more or less to taste], and process into a paste. Knead the mixture a bit using a mortar and pestle or by hand.

Yields 1 ¼ cup almond paste

Almond Cookies
1 cup almond paste
1/2 cup pine nuts, reserve half
1/4 teaspoon Himalayan crystal salt or sea salt
1/4 cup agave

Combine the ingredients

In a food processor, process 1/4-cup pine nuts and sea salt into a fine meal like consistency. Add almond paste and agave, process into a smooth paste. Using a rubber spatula, scrape out dough from the food processor bowl and transfer to a bowl or container. Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hours.

Shape the cookies

Scoop out about a tablespoon of cookie dough and roll the dough between the palms of your hands to form a round ball. Place macaroons on a cutting board, you should have about 18 macaroons. Take reserved pine nuts and lightly yet with firm pressure; press 6-8 pine nuts into each macaroon while simultaneously flattening it a bit. Use a spatula to gently lift macaroons from the cutting board and place on the dehydrator tray. Place in dehydrator. Remember to turn the macaroons midway through dehydrating.

Dehydrate at 115 for 6 hours.
 
Yield 18 macaroons

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