Ginger Pumpkin Spice Waffle Sandwich Cookies

This cookie is so much fun to make.  It doesn’t take much to excite me.  All I need is a mini-waffle machine, cookie dough and a piping bag!  A few weeks ago I made some full-sized raw waffles which I just loved.  Of course this sparked my interest in checking out other waffle makers.  And what did I find?  Mini Waffles!  I found an adorable mini-waffle machine on Amazon.  If you are interested in one,  you can find it here.  I also recommend checking out your local used stores for different waffle machines.  I usually don’t purchase used electric items but in this case, if the cord is missing ~ who cares, if the machine doesn’t work ~ who cares,  if the power goes out ~ who cares!  We’re making raw here!

Now, you don’t have to have this waffle machine in order to make these sandwich cookies.  You can roll the dough into small balls and flatten them into small round discs.  I also used my Fat Daddios piping bag and tips, which is made out of silicone.  I love it, and I am no stranger to piping bags.  Over the years, I have owned many different ones and I love this one the most.  It is strong, it stretches,  it is easy to handle and best of all…  it washes up very easily!  If you don’t have a piping bag,  I recommend this small investment. But as always,  you can make these cookies without a piping bag simply by using a Zip-lock bag with s snipped off corner.

Ok, so enough about all that.  The real question that you’re wanting to ask it is what is the texture and flavor like?!  First and foremost,  it is scrupulous!  The cookie is firm and chewy, not hard and crunchy.  If using the mini-waffle machine,  the imprinted pattern on both sides of the cookie  is a great look and texture.  The little divots create small pockets that lock onto the Maple Pumpkin Butter Spread and make it the perfect sandwich cookie!  The flavor is surely that of a true ginger cookie, spicy and sweet but not over-powering.  The butter spread in the center is devilishly good.  Did you grow up eating Oreo cookies?  Where you pull the chocolate cookies apart and expose the sugary cream in the center?  Same concept here but oh so much better!  Pull those cookies apart and lick the butter spread right off, then dip the cookies in nut milk.  Oh yum!  If you are new to this concept, let me help you out…

How to successfully eat a sandwich cookie.

Part 1 ~ Dip your Ginger Pumpkin Spice Waffle Sandwich Cookie in ice-cold nut milk. This will soften the cookie outside so that when you bite off a piece, the whole thing will melt in your mouth. New to dunking cookies?  No fear, I will support you 100% throughout the process.  If you have patience and wish to separate your sandwich, skip the following steps and move on to Part 2.  There is a technique for everyone!

1. Once you have made the cookies,  place them on the table. Grab a glass from the cupboard and fill the glass with nut milk to about a half an inch from the top. This is the optimal height for dunking cookies.
2. Lower the cookie gently into the milk until about half of the cookie is submerged.  If you submerge the whole cookie at once, air will become trapped inside the cookie and will not allow the milk to soak in.  There is a science to this!
3. Be patient! Do not swirl or move the cookie around in the milk. You could risk breaking the cookie and losing it forever in the depths of your glass of milk. After exactly 9 1/2  seconds have elapsed, slowly remove the cookie from the milk.
4. Once the cookie has been removed from the milk, gingerly (pun intended) raise the cookie to your mouth, wait for it…. Place the cookie on your tongue, allow your teeth to slowly sink in,  close your eyes and moan… bite, chew, and enjoy!!

 

Part 2 ~ Twist it gently to open it and hold the two pieces in your hands.

1. Make sure you have a glass of cold nut milk next to you for more pleasure in eating.
2. Lick the creamy insides with your tongue, one side at a time.  Savor it as you eat, experience all the textures.
3. Lick or rake the remaining creamy filling off with your teeth, allowing it to dissolve in your mouth.  This will fill your mouth with a sweet, pleasant sensation.  Let the “warmth” of spices warm the cockles of your heart.

 

Part 3 ~  Feeling adventurous?  Dip your cookie in ice cream...to be more precise… Raw Pecan Cranberry Pumpkin Ice Cream!

1. Use them to scoop up ice cream, while they are still closed or open (your choice), until you have finished it entirely.
2. Put some ice cream on the cookie and bite in it. Let the flavors and textures melt on your tongue. Eat until finished.
3. As an alternative, you can open the cookie, then eat the inside and replace with ice cream.

 

______________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Ingredients:

yields 34 (1 Tbsp) sized cookies

Dry Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw almond four
• 2 cups rolled, gluten-free oats, ground
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 2 Tbsp pumpkin spice
• 1 tsp ground ginger

Wet Ingredients:

• 1 cup almond butter, softened
• 1/2 cup raw agave nectar
• 2 Tbsp raw honey
• 2 Tbsp cold pressed coconut oil, melted
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract

Preparation:

1. Make almond and oat flour by processing it in the food processor with the “S” blade until it becomes a fine powder.
2. Add; salt, cloves, pumpkin spice and ginger.  Pulse a few times to mix.
3. Add; almond butter, agave, honey, coconut oil and vanilla and process until the dough rolls into a ball in the machine.
4. Place plastic wrap over the waffle form.  Using the 1 Tbsp cookie scoop, create cookie balls in the palm of your hand and press them in the waffle form.   Cover with a second piece of plastic wrap and press the lid down, leaving the waffle imprint.  Gently lift out and trim the excess off from around the edges and place on the mesh screen from the dehydrator.
5. Dehydrate at 145 degrees for 1 hour, decrease to 105 degrees continue drying for 6-10 hours.  This all depends on how dry you want your cookie to be.  Allow to cool to room temperature.
6. Fill the piping bag with the Maple Pumpkin Butter Spread,  place a dollop in the center of one cookie,  press a second cookie on top.  Use just enough pressure so the spread creates an even layer with the cookies.
7. Store in an airtight container once they have cooled.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I apologize for the blurry photos.  I was really struggling with shooting around the plastic wrap.  No matter what I did, the glare got the best of me.
I almost didn’t use them but I really wanted you see what I did so if you back up about 5 feet from your computer screen,
squint your eyes and hop on you left foot,  it will come into focus. haha

Photo above ~ Place plastic wrap over the waffle form.  Using the 1 Tbsp cookie scoop, create cookie balls in the palm of your hand and press
them in the waffle form.   Cover with a second piece of plastic wrap and press the lid down, leaving the waffle imprint.

Gently lift out and trim the excess off from around the edges and place on the mesh screen from the dehydrator.

Posted on Saturday, October 20th, 2012 at 7:52 pm. Filed under: Cookies / Nuggets / Balls Tags: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free, Soy Free RSS 2.0 feed.