Friday, June 7, 2013

Fresh - Frozen Cranberry Cookies

I love stumbling onto recipes that look like they'd never work out in the end, yet for some inexplicable reason the ratios are all in line to create something not just edible, but delicious. Take into account fresh or frozen berries. Logical to stick into cake or muffins, where their moisture is a welcome addition and the bursts of juice are easily contained. But folded into something as dependent on a certain texture as a cookie, and you can easily go from hopeful anticipation to disappointment in the 10 minutes or so the dough is cooking. I've had my own set of trials with fresh fruit in cookies - finally succeeding to a decent degree with last week's Chocolate-Raspberry Yoghurt Cookies (which were already super-moist), but these cranberry-stuffed gems that I found on just blither blather took the cake (or cookie, as it were).

I wound up using the original recipe as more of a general guideline, since I had to make a good deal of alterations for the assorted dietary restrictions of the prospective eaters they'd be going to. First (and most significantly), I de-glutened and de-nutted the whole batch, then veganized the mixture with virgin coconut oil and flaxseed. To make up for some of the texture I removed, naturally gluten free, slightly sweet polenta fit the bill nicely. Amazingly, the dough behaved exactly like "normal" cookie batter (some GF recipes don't, especially if they're vegan too), and nobody who ate them could believe they were "special diet" safe! Mind you, just because they were made without gluten, nuts, eggs or dairy doesn't mean they were "missing" anything - rather, these babies were packed full of flavour, texture and the potential to be shared with everyone!

Shared with Wellness Weekend and Gluten Free Fridays


Fresh-Frozen Cranberry Cookies

Fresh - Frozen Cranberry Cookies
Makes 28
½ cup coconut oil
¾ cup coconut sugar (or light brown sugar)
1 tsp orange extract
¼ cup orange juice
¼ cup warm water
¼ cup ground flaxseed
¾ cup brown rice flour
¼ cup corn flour
½ cup gluten free all-purpose flour
½ tsp guar gum
1 cup gluten free rolled oats
½ cup corn grits (or polenta)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 ½ cups fresh (or frozen, unthawed) cranberries, chopped
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Cream the coconut oil and coconut sugar together.
  3. Add the orange extract, orange juice, water and flax, mixing well.
  4. Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the butter mixture.
  5. Fold the cranberries into the dough.
  6. Roll the dough into walnut-sized balls and place on a lined cookie sheet.
  7. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 350°F, until golden brown.
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 109.5
Total Fat: 4.8 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 14.2 mg
Total Carbs: 16.1 g
Dietary Fiber: 1.5 g
Protein: 1.5 g

No comments :

Post a Comment

Thanks for the feedback!