Cashew Lemon Spritz Cookie
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~ raw, vegan, gluten-free ~
These divine Cashew Lemon Spritz Cookies just melt in your mouth due to their creamy texture. With a hint of lemon, they are light and refreshing in flavor.
Making every bite count
I try to be selective with the ingredients that I use in my recipes. Even if it is as small as a grain of salt or one drop of oil… it can all have an impact on your health. And speaking of oil, I added a few drops of Young Living Lemon oil, which is an essential oil that promotes clarity of thought and purpose. It also has a purifying citrus scent that is invigorating, enhancing, warming, and is known as one of the most fragrant essential oils.
Stop & smell the Lemons
I read that inhaling lemon can actually counteract occasional feelings of depression. This puts a whole new spin on “inhaling a dozen cookies.” hehe
Don’t confuse lemon oil and lemon extract. Oils are much more concentrated than extracts. The lemon oil is cold-pressed from the rinds of lemons, not the lemon fruit, and doesn’t contain alcohol. In many cases, you will only need a few drops of oil where you might have used a full teaspoon of an extract.
I mentioned above that this cookie has a creamy texture (thanks to the cashews), and it’s that wonderful texture that allowed me to use a piping bag and tip to create these fun shapes. I also testing out my Spritzer Cookie maker which did pretty good. Not all of the templates turned out so great but as you can see in the photos below… I was able to pump out some great shapes. It’s the small things in life that can bring such joy. :)
Ingredients:
- 2 cups raw cashews, soaked 2+ hours
- 3/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup shredded coconut
- 1/4 tsp Himalayan pink salt
- 1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 6 drops Young Living Lemon oil
Preparation:
- Place the cashews in a glass bowl, along with 4 cups of water.
- Soak for at least 2 hours. Read more about why (here).
- The soaking process will help reduce phytic acid, which will aid in digestion.
- The soaking also softens the cashews so they blend nice and creamy.
- After the cashews are through soaking, drain, and rinse.
- In a food processor, fitted with the “S” blade, combine the cashews, maple syrup, lemon juice, shredded coconut, salt, vanilla, and lemon oil. Process until the consistency is like thick oatmeal (1-2 minutes). You will need to stop the machine every once in a while to scrape the sides down.
- This can also be done in a high-powered blend such as the Vitamix. The plunger will be needed. I wouldn’t attempt this on a less powerful blender.
- Load the batter into a piping bag and pipe out the cookies onto the teflex sheets that comes with your dehydrator.
- Dehydrate at 145 degrees for 1 hour, then reduce the temp to 115 and dehydrate for 24 hours, or until the cookies are dry but chewy.
- Storage:
- Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 weeks.
- Store in the fridge to extend their shelf-life even more. Oh no! Have a stinky fridge? Place a few drops of lemon oil on a cotton ball and put in the refrigerator to help eliminate odors. :)
- These will freeze wonderfully as well!
Culinary Explanations:
- Why do I start the dehydrator at 145 degrees (F)? Click (here) to learn the reason behind this.
- When working with fresh ingredients it is important to taste test as you build a recipe. Learn why (here).
- Don’t own a dehydrator? Learn how to use your oven (here). I do however truly believe that it is a worthwhile investment. Click (here) to learn what I use.
After about 4-5 hours, I removed the cookies from the non-stick
sheet and placed them directly on the mesh sheet to speed things up.
I am showing you the bottom of the cookies so you can see the
color difference indicating that the cookies are not ready just
yet. See how the color in the center of each petal is darker?
They are still sticky in that area. Just something to use as a marker.
These were some that I just did freestyle with a star tip.
Selfie!
© AmieSue.com
Tags: Dairy Free, Dehydrated, Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free, Soy Free, Vegan
You have the best blog! I just love it!
Oh thank you Rowena! I hope you have a blessed holiday!! amie sue
I agree! I love the rich colors of your layout and the pics makes me want to try everything NOW!
I just tested one of your recipes for the first time last night… my husband feel back in love with me AGAIN… (LOL)
I am so happy that our paths have crossed!
Thanks!
Good afternoon Leslie,
I am happy to hear that the pictures are making you hungry. hehe We start eating with our eyes. My picture taking could use some fine tuning (classes would be great to take haha) Bless my husbands heart… I make him all this food, dish it up, hand it to him….then I am like…”ooops! honey, I need that back for a sec…forgot to snap a picture.” lol Then off I go with his meal for a short photo shoot. He is so patient with me and just laughs. I guess one good thing with raw food is that I don’t have to worry about it getting cold. haha
What recipe did you make for your husband? I am tickled that he enjoyed it! Merry Christmas Leslie…amie sue
Hello Amie:
If someone has one of the good ole Ronco Dehydrators instead of the excalibur, the trays are round and plastic, what can be used in place of the teflex? Love your site by the way, and have been sending many of my clients to your webpage. I am planning on making one of your veggie bouquets for Christmas centerpiece will let you know how it comes out. God bless you & your family you are offering wonderful help & ideas for better health.
Sincererly, Jodi
Hi Jodi,
Instead of using teflex you can use parchment paper. I don’t recommend wax paper because things tend to stick to it. It might be worth the investment to find some teflex sheets and cut them to fit the shape of your machine. This is a pretty good deal through Amazon for instance. http://www.amazon.com/Premium-Non-Stick-Dehydrator-Sheets–Excalibur/dp/B001PLE1O4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323836357&sr=8-1
I just peeked at your web-site. I have a gf who is interested in the GAP diet. I will forward your info to her. Thank you for sharing my site with others. It’s all about encouraging others to add healthy foods into their diets. :) Have a blessed holiday! amie sue
OOH! Veggie Bouquet! Awesome, please do keep me posted! I will be making one myself.
Hi amie-sue!
What size is the star piping tip you used for these cookies?
This is my first time using a piping bag and the kit I bought had super small tips. Oops!
;-)
Love,
Nancy
Hi Nancy,
Oh dear, what tip did I use? I will have to look tomorrow. It was a good enough size to squeeze the batter through, I know that. :P The super small tips are for decorating, as you just learned. In the meantime, you can use a ziplock bag to do the pipping. It won’t be decorative as it comes out but it would do the trick if you can’t get a hold of others tips in time. Oy! haha Off to bed I go for now. I will check back. amie sue
Hi amie-sue!
Thanks for your help…no rush though and I put the batter in the fridge to be able to roll it into a ball then flatten it a little.
I can try the Ziploc bag too!
Here’s a link from Amazon that has the large tips and I bet this is what I need! :-)
http://www.amazon.com/Ateco-Extra-Wide-Pastry-Decorating/dp/B000BVFYU4/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_3?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1326170691&sr=1-3-fkmr0
Thanks so much for all of your kind help, I appreciate it!
:-)
Nancy
Yes Nancy, those are more of the size of tips that I used. Do you have a Michael’s or Joanne Fabrics near by? They usually sell the tips. Let me know how things turn out. Have lots of fun!! amie sue
Can one just drop the batter by the spoonful instead of piping through the pastry-bag?
You bet Ben.
THESE R SOOO BEAUTIFUL N I CANT WIAT 2 MAKE UMM ~ I DONT HAVE A DEHYDRATOR YET AND IM BRAND NEW TO RAW/VEGAN LIFESTYLE ~CURRENTLY JUICING/CLEANSE BUTTERUMMMMMMMMM THESE COULD MAKE ME BREAK MY FAST IF ONLY I HAD A DEHYDRATOR!
Well Queen, they might be a little “heavy” to eat when breaking a fast..so maybe it’s a good thing. hehe
Do you know what we can substitute for the coconut? I can’t tolerate it.
Tystan, you can always try just replacing them with more cashews. I haven’t tested it, but worth a shot. Have a great day, amie sue
Hi Amie Sue,
Oh Yum, I have to go buy some lemon oil now, these look amazing. I can’t wait!! :] Lyn
If you need a place to order the lemon oil from, just let me know. I know this amazing woman who sells it. :) Blessings, amie sue