Rainy Afternoon Cookies with a Twist
Autumn suddenly arrived with a vengeance last weekend and it was cold for the first time in a long time in Sydney
And while yes, I’m complaining about the temperature, I’m doing my best not to whinge about the rain as I realise the countryside needs it so much
So instead, I decided to make the most of being stuck indoors and do some baking
I’ve had the idea of making cookies like these in my head for a while now, but couldn’t quite decide how to execute it
So I got to it and just started experimenting
If you’ve been following my blog for any time you would know by now just how much I love legumes
So much so, I wrote a whole book on how to cook with and use them to make super tasty dishes
Despite including 8 sweet recipes, the bulk of the book is savoury recipes – around 100 of them
So lets balance things up with some sweet legume-containing recipes
It’s time for the big reveal – there’s lentils in these cookies!
Perhaps that sounds a little weird? But you would never know if I didn’t tell you
Bursting with protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals, lentils are incredibly healthy
They are good for your heart, blood sugars, immune system (rather vital right now!) bowels and they help to keep you full for a good amount of time
Plus lentils, actually all legumes, are tremendously versatile. I love adding them to just about everything – soups, salads, main dishes, side dishes, breakfast, dessert and even cookies….
These cookies are bursting with goodness from my beloved lentils
That’s right, I stirred some cooked lentil purée into the mix. You can’t even tell. Nobody will be able to tell. I promise!
What a great way to sneak a little lentil action into your or your family’s food without anyone knowing
And because this lentil purée adds extra protein and fibre, these cookies are practically a health food!
Go ahead and have two. Enjoy them for breakfast…..I did 🙂
When cooked, these cookies are golden brown on the edges and have a slightly soft centre, dotted with chopped pecans, raisins (and goji berries if you fancy), loads of seeds and chewy coconut – or use any other nut of choice and choc chips instead of raisins
These cookies are utterly delicious
Best of all, my husband (who is quite the connoisseur of sweet things) agrees
My work for the day was done!
- ¼ cup (60 grams) butter or coconut oil, softened
- ½ cup honey or maple syrup
- ½ cup red lentil puree*
- 2 teaspoons vanilla paste or pure essence
- 1 cup whole rolled oat
- ½ cup buckwheat or plain flour
- ½ teaspoon bicarb soda
- 2 tablespoons linseeds
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- 1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
- ½ cup walnuts or pecans, chopped
- ½ cup raisins, goji berries or chocolate chips
- ⅓ cup shredded coconut
- Heat oven to 160 degrees and line two baking trays with greaseproof paper.
- In a large bowl, mix the butter or coconut oil and honey or maple syrup together well. Add in the lentil puree and vanilla and again, mix well.
- In a separate bowl sift together the flour and bicarb soda, then add the oats, linseeds, chia seeds, walnuts or pecans, raisins or chocolate chips and shredded coconut.
- Pour dry ingredients into ‘wet’ ingredients and mix together well.
- Using a dessert or soup spoon, scoop out even amounts of mix and place on the tray leaving some room between.
- Bake for 16 minutes, or until lightly golden.
- When cool, store in an airtight glass jar
- *Red lentil puree
- Place ½ cup split red lentils in a saucepan with about 2 cups of water. Bring to the boil, then turn down and simmer for 10 minutes exactly. Drain well and allow to cool. Then whizz in food processor or with a hand blender to make the lentils ultra smooth. This will make about 1½ cups of lentil puree which can be used to make hommus or frozen to use in my next recipe!