Cashew Rosewater Cookies (gluten free, vegan, ACD)

I have a great cookbook by Najmieh Batmanglij called Silk Road Cooking: A Vegetarian Journey. The recipes call for all sorts of wonderful, exotic ingredients, like rosewater and pomegranate seeds and saffron and dates. this recipes are wonderful, and always inspire me to try out new flavors and combinations and make me daydream of future trips to new lands.

Unfortunely, many of the recipes include gobs of dried fruit, which isn't on my list of allowed foods right now. And middle eastern baking uses GOBS of sugar, so many of the baked goods in the book are also out the window. But I wanted to use rosewater, and thought it would be divine combined with cashews, and wanted to make a cookie. Holiday baking is my favorite, and this year, I miss it big time. So, I was bound and determined to make something out of this idea.

I found a recipe for almond rosewater cookies here, and adapted it to fit my cashew desires. My kitchen was filled with the scent of roses while the cookies baked. These tasty, aromatic little grain-free shortbreads have just a hint of sweetness and a flowery twist. I'm excited to serve them up to my family for the holidays.

 

CASHEW ROSEWATER COOKIES

Adapted from Cheryl’s kitchen.

yield: 46 1 1/2 inch cookies

1 3/4 cup cashews, finely ground
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 Tbsp coconut oil, warmed to liquid
1 1/2 Tbsp agave nectar, or other natural liquid sweetener like honey, yacon, or maple syrup
1 t roseflower water

Blitz cashews in food processor or blender until finely ground. Make sure to stir often between pulsing, and not overgrind, or nuts will turn into a paste!

Mix ground nuts, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl. In seperate bowl, mix warm coconut oil, agave and rosewater. Mix oil mixture into dry ingredients and stir.

Briefly knead dough until well mixed, then roll into two 1 1/2 inch diameter logs. If desired, roll log in finely chopped/ground cashews or finely shredded coconut. Wrap each log tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for a few hours, or until dough has becomes firm.

Preheat oven to 350º F, and line a baking sheet with parchment. Slice logs into 1/8-1/4 inch slices. Bake 6-8 minutes or until cookies start to brown.

Cool on pan for 10-15 minutes, then transfer whole parchment sheet to cooling rack to cool completely. The cookies are fragile, especially when they are warm, so moving the whole parchment sheet is a safer way to transfer them.

Leftover cookies can be frozen for later - just wrap tightly, and place in a freezer-safe bag or container!  They are tasty grabbed right out of the freezer, or allowed to cool to room temperature.

Enjoy!