adventures with whole grains: almond oatmeal cookies with spelt

25 Wednesday Apr 2012

Posted by Delena Rose in cook, whole grains

Tags

almond, cookies, freshly milled flour, ground almonds, healthy snacks, oatmeal, oatmeal cookies, oats, spelt, spelt flour

I took my basic oatmeal almond cookie recipe and simply substituted freshly milled spelt flour for the all-purpose flour. The cookies turned out a bit darker in color but there was no other difference in taste or texture. They were just as yummier as the ‘unhealthier’ version (using white flour) only with the added benefits of a more nutritional flour that also has a lower Glycemic Index. Oh… I added half a cup of chocolate chips to this batch just for fun!

Oatmeal Almond Cookies with Spelt Flour

1/2 cup raw organic sugar (or maple syrup)

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

1/2 cup spelt flour

1/2 ground almonds, toasted

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 cups large-flake oats

1/2 cup sliced almonds

Heat oven to 350 degree (F). Mix together sugars, butter, vanilla and egg. Stir in oats, flour, ground almonds, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir in sliced almonds. Drop dough by rounded teaspoons about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes or until light brown. Cool for 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet. Enjoy!

almond lavender biscotti

23 Thursday Feb 2012

Posted by Delena Rose in cook, wild flowers

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

almond, almond lavender biscotti, biscotti, biscuit, cookie, lavender, organic lavender, twice-baked

These “twice-baked” fragrant little bites are perfect with coffee or tea. If you’ve never eaten or baked anything with lavender before, try using only half the amount for the first time, and remember to use organic lavender as non-organic will probably have been sprayed with chemicals.

Almond Lavender Biscotti

1-¼ cup whole unblanched almonds

1-½ cups all-purpose flour

1-½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

¾ cup lavender sugar or natural sweetener of your choice

1-½ teaspoon organic lavender (flowers)

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 large egg

½ teaspoon almond extract

½ teaspoon vanilla

In a food processor, finely grind 1/3 cup of almonds with ½ cup of the flour (or use your left over ground almonds from making almond milk). Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in the remaining 1 cup of flour, the baking powder and salt. Set aside. Coarsely chop the almonds.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Lightly grease a baking sheet (or place parchment paper over baking sheet). In a mortar and pestle hand-grind the lavender flowers (or use a food processor).

In a large bowl with electric mixer, cream the butter, sugar and lavender until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and almond extract. Stir in the nuts and flour mixture to make a soft dough.

Shape dough into 1 large rectangular log (or 2 smaller logs) on prepared baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 30-35 minutes. Remove from oven and reduce oven heat to 250 degrees (F). Allow log(s) to cool for 10 minutes, then, using a very sharp knife, slice the logs diagonally into ½-inch slices. Place slices on a wire cooling rack and return to the oven. Bake for an additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Store in an airtight container. Enjoy with coffee or tea.

For another cabinorganic biscotti recipe that is flavored with orange rind, almond, dried cranberry and chocolate chips, click here. Or, try some lavender shortbread (a variation of apricot shortbread recipe) and/or French bread with lavender.