This is my grandmothers recipe, veganized & healthed up!
These little cookie cakes are full of flavor, warm spices and a yummy icing that ties the whole cookie together. My grandma has been making these forrrrrever and it's a staple in our family gatherings. You can also freeze these cookies well and they thaw out perfectly! Even with the icing.
On Pure Vibrancy, I promote good quality ingredients. Organic and the least refined IS important and is valued here. I buy almost (about 85%) of everything in my kitchen and house organic.
So yes, we have cookies here that have some minimally processed ingredients in them, but it's important to take a step back and realize that it's okay to ENJOY life with little sweet pleasures such as these cookies. By being conscious with our ingredients and baking we can feel good about the sweet treats we gift ourselves.
Part of my spiritual journey has been learning to not be so hard on myself. Like danggg I can be SO critical. Don't let that mean voice in your head tell you anything. Listen to your intuition and if your intuition is telling you you need some sweet treats then dangit, just do it!
For the flour in these cookies I recommend using a non-genetically modified wheat flour. I've done some digging and found that Einkorn wheat hasn't been hybridized and remains just as pure as it was thousands of years ago. That is quite incredible to me. Maybe the reason we are becoming so sensitive to wheat is because of the very fact that we've manipulated it's genetics so incessantly. We hardly have any wheat on the market that hasn't been hybridized. Let's get back to what our earth originally provided for us! This Einkorn wheat doesn't seem to make me feel logged down like regular wheats on the market.
I buy the Jovial brand. It's 100% organic Einkorn flour. It's also unbleached and unbromated. This type of wheat is as pure as it was 12,000 years ago! It's highly nutritious and contains the antioxidant lutein, which helps improve vision.
If you need to stay away from gluten because of celiac disease, try using a 1 to 1 GF baking flour. These have added gums to assist in a better texture overall.
I've made the cookies with both the GF flour and the wheat flour. Both turned out perfect and delicious!
Let me know how the cookies turn out for you in the comments below!
Applesauce Raisin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing (V + GF)
Time: 20 minutes
Servings: about 24 cookies
Cookie Ingredients:
1/2 cup organic, sustainable vegetable shortening
1 cup coconut sugar
1 flax egg (1 TB ground flax + 3 TB water)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup organic flour or GF flour blend for baking
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder (no added aluminum!)
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. salt
1 cup organic, GF quick oats
1 cup organic black raisins
1 cup organic, unsweetened applesauce
Browned butter Icing:
1/2 cup vegan butter
1/2 cup coconut sugar or organic brown sugar
2 TB plant mylk
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup organic powdered sugar, sifted
Directions:
Put the raisins in warm water and set aside to soak.
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
For flax egg, mix the ground flaxseed and water together with a fork and set aside for a couple minutes.
In mixer or by hand mixer, cream shortening and sugar until nice and fluffy. Mix in the flax egg and vanilla.
In another medium bowl, sift your flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, clove and salt. Mix in your oats. Drain raisins and stir them into the mixture so they're all coated with the flour.
Add the flour mixture alternately with the applesauce starting & ending with dry ingredients until nicely combined, careful to not overmix.
Drop by the tablespoon onto your lined baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes in center of oven. Let cookies rest on the pan for a minute or two, then transfer to cool on a wire rack.
While they're cooling, make your icing.
Melt butter in saucepan with your coconut sugar. Bring to a boil for around 2 minutes, stirring to make sure it doesn't get too dark and burn.
Whisk in vanilla, mylk and sifted powdered sugar. Mix until smooth & let cool for 10 minutes.
Frost cookies with a dollop of your icing.
Let the icing dry before serving, if you can wait. :)
You can refrigerate or freeze these in between parchment paper.
Keeps in freezer for about 2 months.
Note:
The GF flour blends specifically curated for baking have added gums to help them perform better. I personally like the Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour.
The icing will be slightly different in color based on the brand of coconut sugar and the amount of time you cook it. Cooking for two minutes usually does the trick to get the perfect consistency after its dried on the cookie. If it's not setting up for you after drying on the cookie, you probably didn't cook it long enough (try adding extra powdered sugar!). Just make sure not to cook too long either or it will result in a burnt taste.
