One smart, hip cookie

My proudest kitchen moments are the ones where I'm the most resourceful and righteous at the same time. That's the way I feel when I prepare these flax seed cookies. It's a very easy recipe that doesn't heat up the kitchen or have a whole lot of frills. There are no eggs, no flour and no sugar.

These cookies are made from nothing more than flax seeds, pureed apples, pure maple syrup and an optional handful of raw nuts — and maybe a sprinkle of cinnamon. Mix the ingredients together and drop spoonfuls onto a mesh dehydrator sheet. Plug in the dehydrator and then forget about them for 12 hours!

How often can one feel righteous about eating cookies?




I've been making them on-and-off for almost 10 years. When I'm in my "healthier" eating modes, they are perfect with a strawberry-banana smoothie in the morning or a snack during the day when I'm craving something sweet.

The recipe is from a favorite cookbook of mine called "Raw The UNcook Book: New Vegetarian Food for Life" by Juliano.

When the price of pure maple syrup skyrocketed, I started substituting agave syrup in place of the maple. The recipe also says it makes 12 cookies. I prefer to make smaller cookies and usually end up with between 20 to 24 cookies or more. I also like to add dried cranberries.

Crunchy Flax Seed Cookies

2 cups flax seeds

1 cup maple syrup

4 cups coarsely pureed apples (preferably Fuji or Braeburn)

1/2 cup chopped raw walnuts (optional)

dash of cinnamon

Put the flax seeds, 1/2 cup at a time, in a coffee grinder or food processor and coarsely grind. If you don't have a food processor, use a blender. Transfer the ground flax seeds into a mixing bowl, add the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly. Spoon the flax seed dough into desired cookie shapes on a mesh dehydrator sheet and dehydrate at 90 degrees for 12 hours or until the cookies are crisp on the outside and gooey on the inside.