I tried out a new recipe today, based on the recipe for my favorite Almond Thumbprint Cookies, and it turned out great! If you like classic peanut butter cookies, you’ll love these.
Check it out:
Gluten-Free Peanut Cookies
1 1/2 cups peanuts (I used roasted/unsalted)
1/2 cup melted coconut oil or butter (I like to use 1/4 cup coconut oil & 1/4 cup yogurt or kefir to make these a little less rich for my tummy)
1 1/4 cups arrowroot powder* (start with 1 cup and add more if needed)
1/2 cup sucanat (or a little more if you like)
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
Place the peanuts into a food processor or blender and pulse to a fine meal (but not into peanut butter).
Transfer peanut meal into a bowl, add the rest of the ingredients, and mix well. As mentioned above, start with 1 cup of arrowroot and add more if needed; I always have to add the extra 1/4 cup. The dough should form a nice ball and not be overly sticky.
Form dough into tablespoon-sized balls and place on an oiled cookie sheet. On each cookie, make the classic crosshatch pattern with a fork.
Bake at 325° for 20-25 minutes, or until cookies are very lightly browned on the bottom and hold together when you lift them up with a metal spatula.
You’ll want to remove your cookies from the cookie sheet without too much delay. If they cool down and then seem to be glued to the cookie sheet, place them back into the oven to warm up again, and then they’ll be easier to remove.
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*Curious about arrowroot? It’s actually not a refined product despite the look of it. It’s the dried, powdered root of a tropical plant that only grows in tidal flats where sea minerals are available. It’s therefore rich in trace minerals and in calcium ash (calcium chloride), which makes it easily digestible. In addition, the calcium ash in arrowroot is very important for maintaining the proper acid-alkali balances in the human body. The downside is its price — $5.35 for a 1lb 4oz bag at our local health food store; however if you have a local Asian store, check with them — I’ve discovered that our local Asian store carries arrowroot for only $2.95/lb!
Thanks for the source info on arrowroot, but what is it’s purpose in baking? What quality does it add and is there any substitute, because yes, it is a pricey little ingredient.
A good question, Jane!
I’m not sure. But my guess would be that arrowroot’s advantage in cooking is its taste, texture, digestibility, and the fact that it’s not a grain and is therefore gluten free (which for some folks is an advantage…though makes no difference to me). Wikipedia has an article about arrowroot here. I would definitely think that any other type of flour, like regular whole wheat flour, could be subbed for the arrowroot…in fact I will try this next time I make these cookies. One advantage of using arrowroot instead of whole wheat flour — even if you’re not doing gluten-free — is that with arrowroot you don’t need to soak it first to break down phytic acid, as you might choose to do when using whole-grain flour.