Chickpea flour: My holiday baking saviour
I realize the title of this post may seem a little overblown, but when you're a glycemically-aware family (sure, that's a word ;) the holidays become a mine field of sugar highs and subsequent lows. As such, this year I decided to make a holiday cookie that is not only tasty and healthy, but will have minimal effect on my little lady's blood sugar. It took a few tries (which the girls were more than happy to test) but I think I finally got something worth sharing.
Chickpea flour (aka gram flour, garbanzo flour, besan) is an amazing, gluten free, glycemic-friendly flour that's gained a lot of popularity over the last year. If you've not used it yet, I strongly recommend you give it a whirl!
Chickpea Gingersnap
1 1/2 cups chickpea/garbanzo flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground clove
1 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp allspice
1/3 cup coconut oil (melted or very soft)
1/3-1/2 cup coconut sugar
2 tbsp blackstrap molasses
2 tbsp nut milk
1 tbsp agave or maple syrup (optional)
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, sift together dry ingredients.
3. In another bowl, cream together coconut oil, sugar, molasses, milk and optional syrup.
4. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet (over a minute or so). This part is done best with a mixer and paddle attachment, but I (and the girls) find kneading it by hand works as well too ;)
5. Cover formed dough in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes or so to firm up a bit (you can leave it in the fridge for a couple days, but you'll have to let it thaw before rolling).
NB - Raw chickpea flour isn't the tastiest, so sampling the dough is not highly recommended.
6. Place dough on a dry countertop
7. Roll dough to about 1/4" thick. (I like rolling the dough between two pieces of parchment paper, but that's just how I....er...roll).
8. Use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes and transfer to your prepared baking sheet with a spatula or similar cookie-lifting apparatus. Space cookies at least an inch apart.
9. If cookie cutting isn't your thing, you can also roll a tablespoon or so into balls and flatten with a fork. If you're feeling extra fancy, sprinkle the flattened cookies with a 1:1 mix of true cinnamon and coconut sugar.
10. Bake for 10-11 minutes.
11. Remove from oven and let cool on the pan for at least a few minutes. These cookies will harden considerably as they cool, so don't sweat it if the warm, chewy wonderfulness before you is not what you're after.
12. Refrigerate what you haven't already devoured in an air-tight container.
Now, if you'd like to add a little bling to your cookies, I highly recommend trying the following icing. The roasted nuts and dried coconut provide a natural sweetness, so you'll need a surprisingly little amount of additional sweetener to make this stuff super satisfying. The yield is quite large, so you could try halfing the recipe as long as your processor can manage the smaller amount. Rest assured, what little leftovers you have left (you know, after quality control ;) will store more-or-less indefinitely in the freezer.
Rather amazing icing:
1 3/4 cups cashews (or macadamias if you're feeling luxurious)
2 1/4 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
2-4 tbsp agave (or maple syrup)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place the nuts on a baking sheet
2. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the nuts or slightly golden and fragrant. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes
3. Add nuts to a food processor and grind into a meal. Remove and set aside.
4. Add coconut flakes to food processor and blend until smooth and creamy (aka coconut butter). This takes from 5-10 minutes depending on the voracity of your processor. Be sure to scrape down the sides as needed.
5. Once butter is formed, add nut meal and vanilla and continue to blend until smooth
6. Add sweetener a bit at a time until desired sweetness is achieved. Two tablespoons worked well for us, but if serving to folks without glycemic concerns, go nuts (within reason).
7. Once everything is thouroughly combined and smooth, you can now add the mix to a piping bag or squeeze bottle and decorate to your heart's content.
NB - The icing will harden as it cools, so keep that in mind when finding your desired consistency. I usually pop the bag/bowl into the fridge for 30 minutes or so before using.
Happy baking!
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