Valentine’s Cookies

So, my son came home the other day asking if we could make Valentine’s cookies for his teacher (he has a bit of a crush on her I think). When I reminded him that we weren’t supposed to send shared food to school anymore because of allergies, he promptly informed me that this didn’t apply to the teachers…and that in fact bringing them food was strongly encouraged. And so, with raised eyebrows I agreed – mostly because I could see by his pleading look that this was really important to him.

Of course, when he handed me a written out list of HER allergies (including dairy – i.e. butter – and eggs!!!) my enthusiasm wavered. Is it just me or does this all seem a little ballsy of her? Hmm. Anyhow. I’d already agreed, so I decided that we’d whip up a batch of the “raw” cookies that I “discovered” a Christmas ago when I was invited to a cookie exchange, but couldn’t have dairy or eggs either. I figure we’ll send a couple off to school, and then I can enjoy the rest, so everybody wins. Here’s what they looked like in 2009 – I had made three different kinds (Cocoa Cranberry, Chai Spice, and Basic Pecan-Fig) and yes, they were all very delicious.

I asked my son to choose one to make, and he decided on the Cocoa Cranberry ones. So, I thought for today we’d share the recipe with you. Even if you’re not on a dairy/eggs restricted diet, they are a wonderful (and healthier) little treat and I highly encourage you to try them!

Cocoa Cranberry Cookies

• 3/4 C     cashews (unsalted, raw if possible)
• 1 tbsp     (heaping) cocoa powder
• 1 C           raisins
• 1 tbsp     agave syrup (or maple syrup)
• 1/2 C      dried cranberries
• 1/2 C      dried, shredded coconut
• water as needed

Soak the cashews in water for an hour and drain. Put cashews, raisins, and cocoa powder into a food processor and blend until fine. (I have tried this with Fry’s Cocoa, and it’s not nearly as yummy as if you go to the health food store and get some really nice organic cocoa, like Green & Black’s). Drizzle in the agave syrup (and perhaps some water) until the mixture gets sticky and clumps together. Put it into a bowl and mix in the cranberries by hand. Then, with slightly moistened hands, shape spoon fulls of the mixture into balls, or flatten these into discs, and then cover in the shredded coconut. Makes 10-12 ping-pong-ball-ish sized treats, no cooking required. Store in the refrigerator. Enjoy!

We made the Valentine’s ones a little larger than normal so we could sculpt them into hearts. Or rather, so that *I* could sculpt them, as Monkeyboy Junior was not at all a fan of how sticky the mix was to work with. I’ll package one or two nicely for his teacher (with the ingredients listed) and hope that she enjoys them as much as I do. He’d better be getting some good grades is all I’m sayin’… The other raw cookie recipes are very similar – nuts + sticky dried fruit + seasonings, and if you’re interested in getting the recipe for them, let me know. Mmm. I can hardly wait for dessert. 😉