Happy way belated Thanksgiving!! Hope everyone enjoyed the holiday with their family and loved ones. I had such a great weekend hanging out with family and doing some Black Friday shopping. I think I shopped more for myself than for others…oops. I made a homemade green bean casserole that was much much better than canned beans and condensed soup. It turned out really good. No pictures though….I was too full to move from my chair to take any.
IT’S OFFICIALLY CHRISTMAS!!! I absolutely love Christmas. Everything about it puts me in a good mood. Does everyone have their decorations out? We got our tree last night……the pine-y freshness makes the house smell soo good!!
I wanted to kick off December with a new cookie recipe. I figured after all the food I ate over the weekend it would be nice to start the month with a “healthier” cookie. I was pleasantly surprised at how well these cookies turned out. They were slightly crisp on the outside but still chewy in the middle. And the vanilla glaze on top adds just a bit of sweetness to contrast the salty almonds.
HAPPY DECEMBER!!!!
Raisin and Almond Cookies
Recipe from Vegetarian Times
- 2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp flaxseeds
- 3/4 cup cold, strong coffee (I used instant coffee)
- 1/2 cup pitted prunes, chopped (3 oz)
- 1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled (I used Earth Balance)
- 1 tsp almond extract (I used vanilla – it was all I had)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup almonds , chopped
Glaze
- 2 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
- 2 tbsp lemon juice (all I had was skim milk)
- 1/2 tsp almond extract (again…used vanilla extract)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in bowl. Grind flaxseeds in food processor until reduced to a fine powder. In mixer, combine flaxseeds and 1/4 cup coffee and blend for 2 minutes.
Add prunes and remaining 1/2 cup coffee, blend for 1 minute or until combined. Add butter and almond extract, blend 30 seconds to combine. Add sugars and beat until well combined. Slowly add in flour mixture. Fold in raisins and almonds.
Place cookies 1 inch apart on baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool.
To make glaze: Whisk together all ingredients in bowl until smooth. Drizzle over cooled cookies.
