Cinnamon, nutmeg and rosemary make for some very good cookies. Packed with health benefits, these cookies taste wonderful and a little like toffee cookies.
Your Roundup of Healthy Herbs and Spices…
Cinnamon
An anti-inflammatory, cinnamon helps promote healthy bacteria in your gut (those good guys that help you digest and assimilate your food) and will keep your blood sugar stable (which helps give you willpower!). It can also help with heart health and can prevent diabetes.
Nutmeg
More benefits that you can count. Some of them are: protecting your skin from wrinkles due to the breakdown of elastin in the skin and skin-damaging UVB sun rays. It also has anti-anxiety and anti-depression benefits. Nutmeg has also been found to inhibit the viral cause of diarrhea. And…some studies have found that nutmeg has aphrodisiac activity and increases libido.
Rosemary
Another wonderful addition to these cookies, has been shown to reduce anxiety, reduce pain in arthritis and help lower blood sugar. Rosemary also helps improve your memory and protect your skin from the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
Preparation Time
- Optional, for easier digestion: Soak nuts for 8 – 12 hours
- Hands On Preparation Time: 20 minutes
- Dehydrator/Oven Time: 18 hours in the food dehydrator (or 30 minutes – 2 hours in your oven).
Ingredients
- 2 cups Brazil nuts
- 4 cups unhulled sesame seeds
- 4 TBL vanilla extract
- 2 TBL ground cinnamon
- 2 TBL dried rosemary
- 2 TBL unrefined virgin coconut oil
- 7 – 10 medjool dates
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
Directions
- Soak Brazil nuts and sesame seeds in separate glass containers for 8 – 12 hours. To soak the nuts and seeds, you can put them in separate glass containers and fill with filtered water until the water just covers the top of the nuts and seeds. Add 2 tsp of sea salt to the water in each container, mix it in and then put a top over the bowls. Leave these on your countertop to soak overnight.
- Drain and rinse the nuts and seeds in a fine mesh strainer (separately). Reserve the Brazil nuts for now. You can dehydrate the sesame seeds by spreading them out flat on a silicone baking sheet and dehydrating for 4 – 6 hours at 115 degrees F. If you don’t have a dehydrator, put the sesame seeds into a glass baking dish. Make sure they are spread out in a thin layer (you may need 2 pans). Put your oven on the lowest temperature and heat until dry and slightly brown. Set them aside until you are ready to make the cookies.
- In a food processor with an S-blade, put in the dates and blend the up until they are mushy. Now add the nuts and seeds and blend it up again. Add the rest of the ingredients and keep blending until the mixture is completely smooth. Add a little filtered water as needed to keep everything blending up properly. Taste the mixture and see if you like it. You can add more dates if you like a sweeter cookie. Start with 2 dates at a time and taste again if you decide to add more sweetness. You may need to add a little water to get them fully blended. Scrape the sides with a rubber spatula to keep things moving.
- If your food processor or blender is small, you can cut this recipe in half and mix things up separately, then combine in a bowl afterwards.
- Scoop out the mixture with a tablespoon and flatten it out onto silicone baking sheets. Put the baking sheets into your food dehydrator at 115 degrees F and dehydrate for about 18 hours or longer if you like a drier cookie. I like these a little moist and chewy, so I take then out before they get too dry or hard (about 18 hours).
- If you do not have a food dehydrator, put these on a coconut oil greased glass or stainless steel baking sheet, or on a silicone baking sheet (the silicone baking sheet does not need to be greased) and put it in your oven at the lowest temperature. Watch the oven for when you want to take them out. It should be anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the lowest temperature of your oven and how dry you want them to be. Keeping your oven on the lowest temperature will be gentler to the nut oils.
- Store in your refrigerator for a week or in your freezer for a couple of months. They will thaw quickly if you want to make more and freeze them for convenient snacks.
Pull a few ‘toffee cookies’ out of the freezer, put into a baggie and take on the go for a healthy snack or dessert on the run!
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As a coach, writer and recovered former executive, I understand the challenges of creating a balanced, healthy lifestyle when over-scheduled. In my journey to radiant health, I created a whole health system of eating, exercise, renewal and recharging -- a roadmap toward health & vitality. I empower clients to create their own whole health systems, in their own unique ways. I have seen amazing results in working with my clients!
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