The beautiful thing about Ayurveda is how it can so easily be integrated into every aspect of your life, even the holidays. If you have a tradition of sharing cookies with your loved ones, here are three Ayurvedic cookie recipes that will make them feel even more loved. Each one is simple to make, lovely to eat and sweetened without even a dash of refined sugar.
There’s another benefit to these Ayurvedic cookies – they are based on foods that build ojas. Considering the role strong ojas plays in supporting health and immunity, these cookies couldn’t come at a better time as many of us are traveling during the holidays.
We had a lot of fun testing these recipes and hope that they bring as much joy to your home as they did to ours. As with any food, enjoy them in moderation, as too much of the sweet taste can create excess kapha and diminish ojas.
To make these with the most love possible, use a stainless steel, stone or glass baking pan to avoid chemicals in non-stick or aluminum surfaces. Also, try using your hands to mix and press the cookies flat to bring your love right into them.
Ayurvedic cookies (3 recipes below)
Serves 14
Preparation time: 30 - 40 minutes
Augmenting/extractive
Date cookies
You'll need
3 cups whole wheat flour, or 2 cups wheat and 1 cup brown rice or barley flour
3/4 tsp. mineral salt
1/4 tsp. ginger powder
1/4 tsp. clove
1/4 tsp. cardamom
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 cup chopped almonds (Keep a whole almond to place on each cookie)*
4 Tbsp. ghee
1/2 cup chopped dates
3/4 cup water or rooibos herbal tea
*To prepare the almonds, blanch them in boiling water for 1 minute. Let cool or rinse in cool water, and you can easily remove the skins. This will make the almonds easier to digest.
The complex sweetness of dates brings richness to these cookies that you just don’t get from refined sugar. Dates are considered the most concentrated natural sweetener on the planet, so a little bit goes a long way in baking.
Here’s how
Mix the flour, salt, spices and almonds. Stir in the ghee and dates and add the water or herbal tea to create a slightly sticky dough. Shape into small balls, pressing gently with your palm to flatten. Add an extra piece of shelled almond to the center and bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes or until golden and still soft.
Macadamia nut cookies
We love macadamia nuts for their rich oil content that supports skin health and builds ojas. Be sure to chew these well in order to properly digest the nuts.
You'll need
3 cups whole wheat flour or 2 cups wheat and 1 cup brown rice or barley flour
3/4 tsp. mineral salt
1/2 tsp. cardamom
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts (reserve a few larger pieces for decoration)
4 Tbsp. ghee or coconut oil
1/3 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup water or herbal tea (adjust as needed)
Here's how
Mix the flour, salt, spices and macadamia nuts. Stir in the ghee and maple syrup and add the water or herbal tea to create a slightly sticky dough. Shape into small balls, pressing gently with your palm to flatten. Add an extra piece of macadamia nut to the center and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until golden and still soft.
Honey pecan cookies
Honey is a wonderful sweetener filled with prana. But since it should not be cooked (it turns into a sticky toxic paste that your body can’t process) we’ve drizzled these cookies with raw honey after baking.
You’ll need
3 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cup chopped pecans (reserve a few pieces for decoration)
1/4 cup chia seeds soaked 10 to 15 minutes in 1/2 cup water (optional)
3/4 tsp. mineral salt
3 Tbsp. ghee
1/2 tsp. ginger powder or 1/2 tsp. fresh, finely grated ginger
4 Tbsp. honey
Here's how
Mix the flour, nuts and ginger. Stir in the ghee and chia seeds (if using) to create a slightly sticky dough, adding water if needed. Shape into small balls and press gently with your palm to flatten, adding a piece of pecan in the middle. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden and still soft. Remove from oven and drizzle honey over the cookies while they are still warm.
For two great variations, add ¼ cup soaked teff (we did this accidentally once and it turned out great) or mix 2 Tbsp. jaggery, a natural sugar, to the batter and decrease the honey.
Having fun in the kitchen? Here are some more sweet recipes. :)
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