Raw Peanut Butter Cookies, Using Sacha Inchi and Hemp Seeds

Here is our raw peanut butter cookie recipe, not made using the traditional "peanut butter" ingredient, but utilizing a combination of different superfood nut and seed varieties to give it that familiar peanut butter cookie flavor.

These cookies are completely vegan and gluten-free, not made with flour, butter or eggs. They are also not heated, but do employ the use of a dehydrator to provide the best cookie-like texture. As you may know, we like to try to keep our desserts as raw and wholesome as possible so we get the best of both worlds, a delectable treat as well as a nutritious and energizing food.

We don't really find it necessary to add more fat content to this recipe as nuts and seeds contain high amounts of oil. Some of these seeds, like hemp seeds and sacha inchi are also rich in omega-3 fatty acids which help to balance the omega-6's found in other ingredients like almond butter and raw peanuts.

We like to also use sacha inchi seeds and hemp seeds because they have a very unique peanut-like flavor, probably the closest to peanuts than any other nut or seed we know of.

Sacha inchi seeds are more like a nut, rather than a seed, with a texture and crunch that is reminiscent of peeled and dehydrated almonds. When finely chopped they add the perfect crunchiness to this recipe.

Technically these cookies are not completely a "raw food" as the sacha inchi seed needs to be heat treated in order to make them edible.

You can, however, purchase slow-dried low-temperature processed seeds from various reputable companies if this is a concern. Sacha inchi protein powders by the brand Sunfood Superfoods use flash pasteurized seeds that have been exposed to 161°F (71°C) for 15 seconds.

For the white and brown sugar replacement we add in a number of other natural sweeteners, coconut sugar being an essential one that blends very well with the taste of peanuts.

Generally we try to limit the use of concentrated high glycemic sugars. This can often be achieved by integrating a mix of different low to high GI ratios. For example, we use coconut sugar, high quality agave and a touch of stevia to help balance the high sugar content found in raw honey. For those of you who don't prefer agave for its higher fructose content, maple syrup can also be used.

These cookies not only make a tasty mid-day snack, they are also a very filling protein-rich food; it usually only takes one or two of them to satisfy a sweet tooth as well as the appetite. Using a combination of hemp seed flour, sacha inchi flour and peanut flour these cookies contain a concentrated amount of digestible protein and balanced amino acid ratios.

In one university study conducted in Finland, it was demonstrated that hemp seeds, for example, contain the two main proteins "edestin and albumin." It was stated that, "Both of these high-quality storage proteins are easily digested and contain nutritionally significant amounts of all essential amino acids."

The peanuts we add are wild heirloom jungle peanuts, a new Amazonian selection available as an alternative to the customary Spanish peanut known to contain certain aflatoxins. Jungle peanuts have all nine essential amino acids making them a complete protein and are, in addition, a "raw" peanut not a roasted one. We peel and process them in a high speed blender to create a flour that imparts a "peanutty" flavor.

When almond butter is mixed with these nut and seed flours a perfect raw peanut butter cookie is in the making.

In this recipe we also add in the Chinese tonic called poria, a medicinal mushroom helpful for improving digestive functions with added spleen strengthening qualities. Other superfoods, like ashwagandha, lions mane or even maca, can also be used. Poria, however, has a very mild sweet taste and we feel it is the perfect addition to these raw peanut butter cookies.

You can purchase both hemp and sacha inchi in the form of a powder or flour, but can also create your own using fresh hemp and sacha inchi seeds. To do this you need a high speed blending device to grind them into a flour or meal. In this recipe we used freshly ground hemp seeds and a purchased sacha inchi flour.

This peanut butter cookie recipe makes a little over a dozen cookies (16 total) using a one tablespoon portion size.

Although we highly recommend this combination, some of the sweeteners or nuts and seeds can of course be substituted for other varieties if you prefer.

• 1/2C ground hemp seeds
  
• 1/2C sacha inchi flour
• 1/2C ground skinned jungle peanuts
  
• 1 1/2T almond butter
  
• 1/4C coconut sugar
• 3T raw honey
• 3T agave or maple syrup
• 2T finely chopped sacha inchi seeds
• 2T poria extract
• 1/8t pink salt
• 1 dropper vanilla stevia

1. In a bowl mix together almond butter, raw honey, stevia and agave.
2. Add in coconut sugar and salt to this mixture.
3. In a separate bowl thoroughly mix together nut and seed flours plus poria extract.
4. Add to other pre-mixed ingredients until a dough is formed. Sometimes we like to use clean hands for this process.
   
5. Using a measuring spoon, scoop out your cookie dough into 1T portion sizes.
6. Roll into rounded balls.
7. Place onto a dehydrator tray with a screen and teflex sheet on top to prevent the dough from sticking to the screen when you press it down.
8. For the traditional criss-cross imprint, take a fork and press down on your ball shape going one direction and then the other. Another option for this is to press your cookie and form into a nice rounded shape before you fork imprints. This provides for smoother edges.
9. Remove the teflex sheet, using just the screen for the dehydration process.
10. Dehydrate overnight or for 8-12 hours to produce a firm cookie-like consistency.
    

Eat straight from the dehydrator or store in an airtight container in a cool dry place or pantry location for later use. When stored appropriately they should keep for at least a week.

Visit our recipes for more raw vegan based desserts in the links below.