For Valentine's Day I decided to make all kinds of cookies ! I've tested quite a few batches of blue corn cookies so they have become well loved in my house. I have two recipes I am sharing today that are a healthier version than your average cookie. It's important to me to not only include lots of indigenous plant foods into my recipes but to also offer recipes that are healthy.
Most foods like cookies are loaded with fat, have cholesterol, are made with dairy ( Native Americans are genetically prone to being lactose intolerant), are almost always made with refined flours and sugars ( which can cause blood sugar spikes). Most people will say it is ok to have food like this in moderation, but I wonder how one can eat blue corn cookies in moderation?
Blue corn is truly a super food and I wanted to honor its amazing nutritional value by
pairing it with other foods that contain numerous health benefits. Blue corn contains more protein than other corn varieties, has a lower glycemic index, and contains anthocyanins. Anthocyanins may be able to help the body reduce inflammation, contain tons of antioxidants, and could be helpful to people with cardiac/metabolic diseases.
I love eating food that nourishes my entire being and I can feel good about what I have eaten. My blue corn cookies are a good balance between healthy and delicious.
These recipes can also be altered to be more unhealthy if that is something you are set on ingesting. Because there is no oil or butter in these cookies they will not be exactly like a super rich cookie some people may be used to or expecting. They are chewy but not too sweet. You could switch out the purees and/or plant yogurt for 1/2 cup of butter alternative if you must have a fat filled cookie . You can also exchange the whole wheat flour for refined flour but you may need to add a couple more tablespoons of refined flour to get the right consistency, so the dough isn't too sticky. I used date sugar ( which is just ground up whole dates) but you can replace it with refined sugar 1:1. Date sugar gives the cookies more fiber, antioxidants, and minerals, which refined sugar has none of.
The blue corn, blueberry, & pinon were a huge hit with my family. The blueberry taste is very complimentary to the blue corn. If you are wanting more of a blue corn only taste, I suggest the second recipe made with plant yogurt.
Do not use these recipes for commercial use, they are intended for personal use only.
Please credit my blog when sharing this recipe with others.
Blue Corn, Blueberry, & Pinon Cookies
Ingredients
1 Cup Blue Corn Flour
1 Cup White Whole Wheat Flour Or Whole Wheat Pastry Flour ( can sub refined AP flour. Add 1-2 tablespoons extra refined flour to begin with)
3/4 Cup Date Sugar ( Or Refined Sugar)
1 Teaspoon Culinary Ash ( Like juniper ash. This is optional )
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
Pinch Of salt ( Optional)
1/2 Cup Rounded , Well Rinsed Fresh Blueberries ( Can Replace With Any Fruit Puree Like Applesauce Or Even Zucchini Would Work)
1/4 Cup Pinon Nuts ( Or sunflower seeds/ other type of nut like cashew)
2 Tablespoons Plant Milk Of Choice Or Water
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract ( Optional)
Directions
Add all dry ingredients together in a bowl and mix well with a whisk. Set aside.
Add blueberries, nuts, vanilla extract, and plant milk into a high powered blender. If you do not have a high powered blender you may need to soak your nuts in water for an hour. Blend all these ingredients together until you get a yogurt like texture. You should not have lumps.
3. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry. It will take a little bit to work it all together into a ball, about 5 minutes. It may be a little sticky, that is ok.
4. Set aside in the fridge for 30 minutes.
5. Warm oven to 350 degrees.
6. You will need to roll out your dough with a rolling pin. Have a little flour on the side to flour your workspace with. I like to use a parchment paper to roll my dough out onto (see picture). The dough may be a bit sticky, so you will need to flour your surface well. I like to cut my dough into 4ths, press one side into the floured surface then flip it over and begin to roll it. If you do it this way, you will get less stickiness on your rolling pin. If your rolling pin gets sticky after a while you can rub the flour on it to help prevent the pin sticking to the dough. Roll the dough out to about 1/2 inch thick. I like to run my hand across the dough to make sure its fairly even.
7. Cut your shapes out of the dough. You will need to gather the left over pieces, roll them into a ball, and then roll it out again. Don't worry about the added flour. The dough is meant to handle the extra flour needed to roll it out and prevent stickiness. Just don't do too much flour or else the cookies will come out with white flour still on the outside. If your cookies have too much flour on them after cutting you can either re-roll them or you can try to pat them down a bit to get the dough to absorb the flour.
8. Put your cut out cookies on to a baking sheet lined with a silpat or parchment paper.
9. Bake for 9-12 minutes at 350 degrees.
I cooked the medium ones for 10 minutes, the extra large hearts needed 12 minutes. They should not be brown on the outside at all! As you can see in this picture, they are a bright color with no brown color. The ones to the right are this recipe. The cookies on the left that are lighter in color are the second recipe.
10. Let cookies cool for at least 5 minutes.
Blue Corn & Juniper Ash Cookies
Ingredients
1 Cup Blue Corn Flour
1 Cup White Whole Wheat Flour Or Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
1 Teaspoon Juniper Ash ( Optional But Highly Suggested)
3/4 Cup Date Sugar ( Or Refined Sugar)
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1 Pinch Of Salt ( Optional)
2 Tablespoons Of Plant Milk Of Choice
1/2 Cup Plain Plant Yogurt ( Or You can Use Vanilla Plant Yogurt)
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract ( Optional)
Directions
Mix dry ingredients together in a glass bowl and stir well with a whisk.
Mix wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. It will seem a bit crumbly, just keep working it until it forms a dough. I used my hands, you could use a kitchen aid if you
have one.
3. Let the dough rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
4. Warm your oven to 350 degrees.
5. Roll your dough out to 1/2 inch thick. Use extra flour on each side to help the dough be less sticky and easier to roll out. Make sure not to use too much flour as your cookie will show the excess flour on the outside after it has been cooked. Look at the recipe above for reference, as the same suggestions apply to this recipe.
6. Cut your dough out with shapes.
7. Place your cut out cookies onto a baking sheet. Use a silpat or parchment paper to prevent your cookies sticking to the pan.
8. Bake Cookies for 9-12 minutes. The medium sized cookies needed 10 minutes, and the large thick hearts needed 12 minutes. The cookies should not be brown in color at all.
9. Let your cookies rest for at least 5 minutes so they hold their shape.
* If using a butter alternative with this recipe, you'll want to cream the sugar and butter together, then add to the dry ingredients.
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