FREE from REFINED SUGAR COOKIES

If you ever seen a professional cook or chef being interviewed they will frequently talk about ‘failures’ they have experienced in the kitchen. I’ve had many, which I will happily share; once I left rice boiling on the stove for not one but TWO hours (needless to say my pan was almost incinerated), another time I served hard as a rock spaghetti (how you screw pasta up I don’t even know) and on a few occasions I have made cookies for my fiancée only to burn them to an absolute crisp. All these failures have been imperative to my cooking journey, however, as I have learnt vital lessons, such as which ingredients never ever go together and that you should always watch the stove and not walk away and get absorbed in another task. All invaluable experiences and not always common sense to all.

 The reason why I bring up this topic is that these 'Free from Refined Sugar cookies' were my third attempt at making gluten-free, dairy-free cookies from scratch. First I tried a chia & poppy seed combination which was basically tasteless (although my gorgeous fiancée ate them all). Secondly I baked a cacao orange dough which was extremely dry and inedible (again they were consumed in a few days by Chris). Third times the charm!   I hope you enjoy these two cookie recipes  

And most importantly; don't sweat the failures in the kitchen. My beautiful friend Dani assured me after my second failed cookie attempt that the next batch would be a hit and it was. Keep experimenting with recipes and flavours - you will constantly be rewarded with new knowledge if not always edible dishes;)

INGREDIENTS

• 150g almond meal 
• 100g Medjool dates, roughly chopped & pips removed 
• 2 eggs, preferably free-range, lightly beaten 
• 2 tablespoons organic maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil, in liquid form

To make Date & Cinnamon cookies add:

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 heaped tablespoon coconut flour 

To make Date & Orange cookies add: 

• 1 heaped teaspoon of finely grated orange zest
• 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice 

BAKING 

1. Preheat a fan-forced oven to 160 degrees celsius. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. 

2. Process the dates in a food processor until smooth. You may need to add a splash of water for the dates to obtain a smooth consistency. 

3. Combine the almond meal and dates in a large bowl and mix well. Create a well in the middle of the bowl and pour in the remaining ingredients (the eggs, syrup, baking powder, oil, and either the cinnamon & coconut flour or the orange zest & juice) and stir with a wooden spoon to combine. 

4. With wet hands handle 1 tablespoon of the cookie mixture and roll into a ball. Place the ball onto the tray and then gently press the back of a fork into the batter so that the dough becomes a circle. Continue this until no dough remains, making sure to place the cookies a few centimetres apart on the tray. Place the tray in the oven for around 30 minutes or until the outsides of the cookies are lightly golden. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack before eating. 

Makes / around 15 

Total Preparation time / 10-15 minutes 

Total Baking time / 30 minutes 

x Emily 

DATE & ORANGE COOKIES

If you ever seen a professional cook or chef being interviewed they will frequently talk about ‘failures’ they have experienced in the kitchen. I’ve had many, which I will happily share; once I left rice boiling on the stove for not one but TWO hours (needless to say my pan was almost incinerated), another time I served hard as a rock spaghetti (how you screw pasta up I don’t even know) and on a few occasions I have made cookies for my fiancée only to burn them to an absolute crisp. All these failures have been imperative to my cooking journey, however, as I have learnt vital lessons, such as which ingredients never ever go together and that you should always watch the stove and not walk away and get absorbed in another task. All invaluable experiences and not always common sense to all.

 The reason why I bring up this topic is that these Date & Orange cookies were my third attempt at making gluten-free, dairy-free cookies from scratch. First I tried a chia & poppy seed combination which was basically tasteless (although my gorgeous fiancée ate them all). Secondly I baked a cacao orange dough which was extremely dry and inedible (again they were consumed in a few days by Chris). Lastly came the date & orange mixture. I hope you enjoy it. 

And most importantly; don't sweat the failures in the kitchen. My beautiful friend Dani assured me after my second failed cookie attempt that the next batch would be a hit and it was. Keep experimenting with recipes and flavours - you will constantly be rewarded with new knowledge if not always edible dishes;)

INGREDIENTS

•  2 cups almond meal (150g)
• 100g dried dates, processed finely
• 2 eggs, preferably free-range, lightly beaten 
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, in liquid form
• 1 heaped teaspoon of finely grated orange zest
• 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice 

BAKING 

1. Preheat a fan-forced oven to 160 degrees celsius. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. 

2. Combine the almond meal and dates in a large bowl and mix well. Create a well in the middle of the bowl and pour in the remaining ingredients (the eggs, syrup, baking powder, oil, orange zest and juice) and stir with a wooden spoon to combine. 

3. With wet hands handle about 2 tablespoons of the cookie mixture and roll into a ball. Place the ball onto the tray and then gently press your palm into the ball so that the dough becomes a circle. Continue this until no dough remains, making sure to place the cookies a few centimetres apart on the tray. Place the tray in the oven for around 25 minutes or until the outsides of the cookies are lightly golden. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack before eating. 

Makes / around 15 

Total Preparation time / 20 minutes 

Total Baking time / 25 minutes 

x Emily 

ZESTY LEMON & POPPY SEED COOKIES

It is high time that Soulful Sandwiches saw a sweet blog post. I was in luck today as I was craving something sweet and had recently purchased Sarah Wilson’s ‘I Quit Sugar’ cookbook. This adapted cookie recipe came from the ‘Sugar-free Kids section of her book, which has some remarkable sweet recipes, such as Sweet Potato Casserole, Sugar-free Nutella and Fluffy Carrot Mousse. I imagine that making this recipe with orange zest would taste great too and add some more tang to the cookies. I used vanilla bean paste instead of vanilla powder, as my dear friend educated me today that the paste is less processed. Granulated stevia I substituted for organic maple syrup, as some of the ingredients in stevia make me think it is slightly more processed than it cares to admit. Saying that, if you have vanilla powder and stevia in your cupboard, by all means use them, as it was good enough for Sarah. These cookies tasted deliciously light, moreish and guilt-free. I must say I am very excited to delve into her book more closely and try my hand at making ‘Foolproof Fennel Soup’  and ‘Pumpkin Pie Porridge.'

P.s- you could get really inventive and use Easter cookie cutters or heart-shaped ones...

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil (in liquid form)
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup (organic is best, no maple 'favoured' syrup) or 1 tablespoon granulated stevia
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
• 1 3/4 cups almond meal
• sea salt 
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten 

COOKING 

1. Preheat a fan-forced oven to 180 degrees celsius. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Pour the oil, syrup, vanilla and lemon zest in a large bowl and combine. Add the poppy seeds, almond meal and a pinch of sea salt and stir. Mould the cookie mixture with your fingers for 4-5 minutes, squeezing out the oil and forming a big ball of dough. Find a clean surface and roll out the dough to about 1.5 - 2cm (15- 22mm) thick, then cut into shapes with a cookie cutter. Place cookies on the prepared baking tray and brush gently with egg white. Bake for only 6-7 minutes or until the cookies are just golden brown around the edges. Remove from the oven and leave to cool before serving. 

Makes / 10 - 12

Total Preparation time / 20 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 6 - 7 minutes (plus cooling time)

x Emily