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– partly raw, vegan, gluten-free, grain-free –
My husband’s father spent his formative years in a boy’s school/ orphanage called Girard College. Here I will let Bob tell you the story: “My Dad always had a great deal of respect for the lessons learned during his years Girard College. That he wouldn’t have been half the man he was without that experience. But the part I really remember was the amazing Hum Mud cookies.
These were large hard gingerbread cookies, that the boys loved and were an integral part of the culture at the school. Once in a while, my Mom would make them, and on rare occasions, we would get a care package from a family that lived in Philadelphia with those amazing cookies. Amie even made some from my Mom’s recipe book a few years ago.
I am not sure what started this conversation the other day, but I asked if my resident chef could recreate this bit of joy from my childhood in a raw version. And of course, she could. :) So I dedicate, with more than a few tears in my eyes, a new raw version of this recipe to my dad, all the other boys who grew up on those delicious Hum Muds…”
The original ingredients include; water, 1 1/2 pints molasses, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 3/4 lbs all-purpose flour, 8 ounces brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ginger, 4 ounces lard – coconut oil, 1/2 teaspoon allspice, and 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves.
Amie Sue here… I will say, that we both decided to keep one key ingredient and that is the molasses. I bet it has been close to 20 years since I have last used that sticky, stringy, super-duper thick sweetener! It took a few tries using different types of molasses, who knew there was such a difference between them… not I.
Molasses is a byproduct of making sugar, it is the brown syrup leftover once the sugar crystals are removed. There is Fancy Molasses which is the sweetest and has a light color. Often used as a topping on bread, biscuits, and crackers. Light Molasses (made from the first boiling of the cane) contains 40% less sugar than Fancy Molasses, has a more subtle flavor, and is even lighter in color. Dark Molasses (made from the second boiling) is darker in color, thicker, and less sweet. I first started my experimentation with Blackstrap Molasses which is very dark and has a slightly bitter, robust flavor. This left our first batch with a really strange aftertaste, so we tried another.
Then we move onto Cooking Molasses which is a blend of Fancy and Blackstrap Molasses. It results in a darker, less sweet product. But wait, there’s more… Any of these can be Unsulphured Molasses (Sulphur dioxide is sometimes added as a preservative) which is said to have the best flavor, and I have to agree because this is what nailed it for Bob’s childhood memory.
To keep this recipe fully raw, you can use Yacon syrup or raw coconut nectar instead. The flavor isn’t as intense and rich, but still good. After testing four batches, Bob said I nailed it 99% of the way on this recipe. Shew! Enjoy. Blessings, amie sue
Ingredients:Yields 9 (1/4 cup) cookies
your nails are even perfect!!
u r THE BEST!
Awe thanks Dana :)
I love your work, thank you for the awesome recipes you provide. Love them…how long will this keep since its moist. Thank you Regina
No clue at this point Regina… my husband has been eating them too fast. hehe The inside of the cookie is moist but not a wet moist… so I am guessing they will keep for up to 1-2 weeks on the counter. amie sue :)
Thank you :-)
You betcha ;)
I was so touched by the beautiful story of these cookies. I can always sense the devotion that you and your husband have for each other through your stories and recipes. Thanks to you and Bob for such a well thought out recipe. I can’t wait to make these and feel the love!
Thank you Maureen… after writing this this post, we both sat on the couch and shared tears. It really touched me being able to re-create these for him. Have a wonderful week. Blessings, amie sue
Just read your new recipe. Very nice story with them. Like Dana, I scrolled down and took note of your beautiful nails! Ha ha
BTW, I wrote to let you know that I tried your truffle recipe and love it. I forgot to tell you I tweaked it a bit. I had some Deglet Noor dates on hand, so used those instead of the Medjools. Left out the spices, and used walnuts instead of hazelnuts. I have already made batch number two!
Oh thank you Gail. I have been on a long healing journey and I am now finally able to absorb nutrients… my nails and hair have been the outward sign. I cut them off in August… you should have seen how long and rock hard they were. hehe
Thanks for sharing your truffle tweaks. I bet they were yummy! Have a wonderful day, amie sue
You list coconut crystals in recipe, but coconut nectar in preparation. I don’t have either, so wondering which to purchase?
Just finishing up some of the sunflower seed-garlic kale chips! Yum!!
Oh sorry Lyn, typo. I used raw coconut crystals. :) I fixed it. Thanks for catching that. Blessings, amie sue
There is no way to make these without a dehydrator? I unfortunately don’t own one and these look so good
I haven’t tried baking them Debbie. You can always try it, just keep an eye on them for the first batch. Then document the time and temp that you used. Good luck, amie sue
Hello Amie Sue,
Thank you, always, for your amazing recipes (it is really more than the recipe itself what has me always reading completely every single email I receive from you: it is the care, the love, with which you create every of your wonderfully crafted recipes. You give us every explanation possible – well researched -of every single ingredient you use, and explain all the process as if we were right there with you, concocting a new delicacy, with you, in the intimate space of your kitchen).
I read that the Yukon Surup is made at 140 degrees, so that means it is not raw?
Thnk you so vey much!
Thank you so much Claudia… you message really ministered to my heart.
I do my best to share but more so to “teach” what I learn every day. I know my instructions can get lengthy, but I never want to miss an opportunity in teaching, instructing and helping each person create a successful recipe.
I long learned to never “assume” that everyone just knows certain things. I clench onto the days where I didn’t have anyone to guide or support me when I first went raw and I never want a person to be in the position. The Internet has allowed like-minded souls to come together and create amazing communities and I am ever so thankful for the one here.
Many blessings and enjoy! amie sue
Oh! Amie Sue, it is us, that love you, the ones that say thank you thousand times!
I was left with a doubt on your amazing cookie recipe, is the Yucon Syrup raw (it says it is processed at 140 degrees)?
Thank you so much again.
Oops, did I forget to answer that question… appears so. Gosh, you know… I haven’t done much reading on it as of late. I did years ago when I first started using it and I swear that I had found raw forms of it but now, since you asked, I have been reading and reading….It has blown up as this amazing weightless, cure-all! lol Gotta stay more up on things I guess.
I am now struggling to find ones that document what heat they are processed at. They do like to put the word “raw” in all of their headers. I did find low-heat- raw yacon powder, which I haven’t worked with yet.
If anyone else reads through all these comments and stumbles upon this… please share if you know of a brand that truly uses low heat to process. Until then, I will keep researching.
amie sue :)
Amie Sue,
What a beautiful story and it has a fabulous happy ending. I love cinnamon, cloves, ginger…. what’s not to like? Did you use almond flour made from almond pulp? Can’t wait to try these for my husband. He Loooves ginger cookies. Thanks so much for putting your heart and soul into these recipes which we all benefit from, and thanks to Bob for his wonderful story of a special childhood sentiment.
Thank you Linda… and I know, I think you could put cinnamon, cloves and ginger in just about darn near everything and it would taste good. hehe
I do one of two things when using a fine almond flour. I either make it from dehydrated almond pulp (sometimes skinning them if my flour needs to be white) or in rare occasions I have used store bought organic almond flour (not raw). You can always grind down soaked and dehydrated almonds but it never gets fine enough…in the end it really depends on what the end texture is of what you are creating.
I do hope you make these for you hubby, please keep me posted if you do. :) Stay warm and many blessings. amie sue
Dear Amie, an angel guide your hand every time you give us a recipe, no doubt… Thank you once again…
Thank you Cristina… you brought a tear to my eye. Everyday is such a gift for me and to share my passion… well shoot… what more could I ask for? Have a blessed day and thank you for giving me such a big smile. amie sue :)
How do you make your almond flour? Dehydrated pulp or finely ground almonds? Another way? I soak and dehydrate my almonds and prefer not to buy store bought almond flour. I’m guessing you do too. Thanks!
Good morning Leila,
I just answered this question to Linda so I hope that you don’t mind me “copy and pasting” it here.
I do one of two things when using a fine almond flour. I either make it from dehydrated almond pulp (sometimes skinning them if my flour needs to be white) or in rare occasions I have used store bought organic almond flour (not raw). You can always grind down soaked and dehydrated almonds but it never gets fine enough…in the end it really depends on what the end texture is of what you are creating. Always just do the best you can with what you have, your body will honor that.
Blessings and joy, amie sue
Thanks! What did you so for the cookies in these pictures? They seem a little courser than almond pulp. I like that.
I used a fine almond flour… nothing “nutty” texture-wise within the cookie :) Ground almond pulp gets pretty darn fine. :)
Just to be clear… you used a store bought fine almond flour. I might try that. I might like it better. Thanks for all your help! You are pretty amazing how you create all these recipes and help us be successful with them. Do you have a recipe book?
I have used both Leila and they were good. **update: oat flour doesn’t work with this recipe. Leaves a bitter aftertaste.***
I don’t have a recipe book… YET! I so want to some day. :) Have a wonderful day, amie sue
Thanks! I’ll keep my eye out for your recipe book!
Amy Sue, I have been following and enjoying your recipes for a couple years now. Thank you for such delicious creations! Due to discovering the high phytic acid content I now am faced with removing nuts, seeds, legumes, and grains from our diets. in an effort to improve our dental health I am looking for a replacement “flour” substitute since most raw recipes call for some sort of nut product. What can you reccomend? Thank you!
I am sorry to hear this Monica. It’s always tough to eliminate foods, I have been down this path myself. One thing that I have learned through all of that is… it teaches more and more how to be creative with foods. If you can eat grains, you learn how to use nuts. If you can eat nuts, you learn how to use grains. If you can’t eat dairy, you learn how to make dairy-free alternatives… you get my point. :)
I would look into tiger nut flour and coconut flour…. I don’t know what the rest of your diet looks like, if you eat cooked and if so what kind of foods. Replacements will always depend on the recipe, and what the outcome is. If you have any questions on my recipes, comment under the ones that you are looking to make. I can better help you that way.
amie sue
Thank you, I try to eat as much raw as possible. I purchased some coconut flour and some plantain flour. Iv’e never heard of tiger nut but will check it out! I’ll definitely ask you for a possible substitute on recipes I’m interested in. Our family loves raw cheesecake, wonder what I could substitute for the cashews? If you think of anything let me know!
Hello Monica,
You can always use Young Thai coconut meat instead of cashews but I recall that you said no coconut either? Avocados are sometimes used, but tricky because their flavor can be quite powerful (all depending on the cheesecake flavor profile).
Coconut flour is VERY drying as it likes to suck up moisture so you can’t just use that in place of any flour. I use it but in small qualities, along with other flours. I haven’t used plantain flour so not sure how it reacts in raw recipes. :)
Have a great weekend, amie sue
Hi Amie Sue
I am going to attempt making your cookies. Is Coconut Palm Sugar the same as the Coconut crystals? Thank you so much for all your hard work and wonderful stories.
Karen
Thank you Karen :) They taste the same but the raw coconut crystals are raw, the palm sugar isn’t. Keep me posted how it goes! Blessings, amie sue
Amie-Sue, My father was a Girard College alumnus, June ’38, and he had the same thankfulness towards Girard as your father-in-law. My brother and I also grew up on stories of the famous Girard Muds, and of occasional tastes if my Dad traveled back to Philadelphia. Delicious. Dad explained that the Muds started soft, but grew rock-hard as the boys tried to keep them as long as they could. Muds were currency, to be traded for other treats. You can still order the originals (admittedly non-vegan) from the Alumni Association – we gave them away as mementos at our memorial celebration when my Dad passed away a couple of years ago. Seeing this recipe brought back great memories! Thanks, Cathy
Thank you soon much Cathy for sharing this precious story with Bob and I. It really touched us. I never had the chance to meet Bob’s dad, as he passed before I came into his life. So being able to bring life to his memories just blesses my heart.
Have a glorious weekend and many blessings as we sail into the new year. amie sue