Peppermint Dream Almond Butter Cookies

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~ raw, vegan, gluten-free ~

There are three wonderful components to this recipe.  I thought it was silly to stop at one. The cookie itself is a delicious, chewy almond butter-based piece of heaven.  A person could just stop right there and call it good but I encourage you to keep the “ball” rolling and move onto the next two items.

Next up is the frosting.  The two different textures really complement one another and are quite special.  I provided a link below that will take you to my frosting recipe.  The first thing you will notice is that it makes a large volume of frosting… way more frosting than what is needed for these 12 cookies.

So you have a few options.  One, make more cookies to use up all the frosting. lol Two, cut the frosting recipe in half. And lastly, you could make the frosting but divide it up into several small batches. Each batch can be flavored and colored differently for other creations.

To top this creation off we are going to make peppermint leather.   It’s just like making fruit leather but no fruit is involved in this recipe.  This leather will be easy to handle, pliable, and perfect for cutting out shapes with.  They don’t have to be stars, you could create any shape, tailoring it to your needs.

P.S. I have included a baking option for those of you who don’t own a dehydrator.  You are still light years ahead of purchasing commercially processed cookies.  So I am proud of you for being here.  I do recommend in time that you invest in one as it will open up a whole new culinary world to you. :) I highly recommend the 9 tray Excalibur dehydrator.

Ingredients:

yields 12 (1/4 cup) cookies

• 3 cups gluten-free, rolled oats, soaked & dehydrated
• 1/2 tsp Himalayan pink salt
• 1 cup almond butter
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup raw honey or raw coconut nectar
• 2-4 Tbsp cold-pressed coconut oil, melted
• 1 1/2  tsp vanilla extract

Peppermint leather:

• 2 cups date paste
• 1/4 cup red beet juice
• 1 tsp peppermint extract
• 1/4 tsp Himalayan pink salt

Frosting:

• White frosting recipe

Preparation:

Cookie:

1. Place the dried oats and salt in the food processor and process until it becomes a fine powder.
2. Add the almond butter, sweeteners, coconut oil, and vanilla.  Process until it starts to form a ball as it spins around the food processor.
   • To melt the coconut oil – the best way to melt coconut oil is to boil some water in your tea kettle.  Set the coconut oil jar in a large bowl and pour the hot water over it.  It will take less than 5 minutes to get some of it melted.
   • You may use 2-4 Tbsp of coconut all depending on how moist the almond butter is that you are using.  Start with two and build up.  The dough should form a ball as it spins in the food processor and has a little glossy look to it.
3. With a 1/4 cup cookie scoop, level off a scoop of batter and place on a non-stick surface.  Flatten each ball of batter with the palm of your hands.  Do this until all the batter is used up.
4. Transfer to the mesh sheet that comes with the dehydrator.
5. Dehydrate them at 145 degrees (F) for 1 hour, then reduce to 115 degrees (F) and continue drying for up to 8 hours.  They won’t become crispy. But the outsides will firm up.
6. Store in single layers with plastic wrap in between in an airtight container.
7. Frost as needed

Baking option:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F).
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the cookies at least 1” apart.  These cookies won’t flatten while they cook, you will need to help them by slightly flattening them with your fingers.
3. Bake for about 15 minutes.  Often times ovens run at different temperatures regardless of what the dial says so please check in on the cookies about every 5 minutes for the first batch. Document the time it takes for the next tray or batch.

Peppermint leather:

1. Combine the date paste, beet juice, extract, and salt in a food processor.  Process until it forms a red creamy paste.
2. Line the dehydrator tray with a non-stick sheet.  I use the Excalibur dehydrator so it creates 1 full sheet of leather.
3. Spread the batter evenly to all edges of the tray.
4. Dehydrate at 145 degrees for 1 hour, then reduce to 115 degrees (F) for up to 24 hours.
   • Partway into the drying process, flip the sheet over on the mesh sheet and peel off the non-stick sheet.  Continue to dry.
5. Once cooled, cut out the star shapes with a cookie cutter.  The leather scraps are great for snacking or diced up and thrown into a trail mix.

Frosting:

• Pipe or spread the frosting onto the cookie and place a star on top.
• Enjoy right away or place in the fridge to firm up the frosting.
• Keep stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

The Institute of Culinary Ingredients™

• To learn more about maple syrup by clicking (here).
• Raw honey isn’t vegan but I still use now and again.  Read (here) why I like to.
• What is Himalayan pink salt and does it really matter?  Click (here) to read more about it.
• Is coconut butter the same as coconut oil?  Click (here) to find out.
• Learn how to make your own raw almond butter by clicking (here).
• Are oats gluten-free?  Yes, read more about that (here).
• Are oats raw?  Yes, they can be found.  Click (here) to learn more.
• Do I need to soak and dehydrate oats?  Not required but recommended.  Click (here) to see why.

Tags: Baked option, Dairy Free, Dehydrated, Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free, Vegan