RECIPE: raw lemon poppy seed cookies

I have a serious devotion to chocolate and so whenever I’m dreaming up sweets it usually involves chocolate. Then I draw a little picture of what I’m thinking about making and stare at the pages of doodles until I decide that-is-the-chocolate-I-must-have-right-now. Right before I head to the kitchen I usually show my doodles to my SO and ask a casual, “whaddya think??”. The supportive man that he is, he usually just says “looks good!”

When he said this I retracted my doodles into my chest and looked at him, feeling deeply insulted. How dare he?? He, of course, laughed and explained himself, stating that I make so many desserts and most of them involve chocolate that he’s afraid he’s going to turn into a piece of chocolate!

After thinking about it for a minute I realized he was right. I needed to open up my repertoire and play with some other, lighter, flavors. Almost immediately the idea for these guys popped into my mind.

I love lemon and I love when it’s used in sweet dishes. It is a star ingredient in any dish it’s used but anytime it’s a dessert it just tickles the taste buds in a way that makes you feel good, not guilty.

This recipe uses nut mylk pulp and a dehydrator. I realize not everyone makes their own nut mylk and not everyone has a dehydrator, so I’ve offered alternatives at the very bottom of this post. I haven’t made the alternative version so be sure to follow your instincts and adjust as needed!!

Combine the wet ingredients in one bowl and mix thoroughly.  Place the dry ingredients in another bowl and mix together. Dump the contents of one bowl into another and mix with a spatula until thoroughly combined and a dough is formed.

• Scoop out about a tablespoon of cookie batter and place on a dehydrator sheet. Flatten, if desired.
• Dehydrate at 105 degrees overnight, up to 12 hours, until the desired consistency is achieved.
• When you’re ready to frost the cookies, make the frosting (recipe below).
• Spread the frosting on the cookies, or if making balls, dip the balls in the frosting.
• Sprinkle with poppy seeds, if desired.
• Lay on a flat surface and place in the fridge until the frosting hardens.
• Serve!

Lemon Frosting:

2 T coconut butter, melted

1 T coconut oil, melted

1/2 lemon, juiced

poppy seeds for garnish (optional)

Make sure all your utensils (fork, bowl, etc) are completely dry. Any moisture added to this frosting will cause the mix to cease and it will results in a lumpy mixture instead of frosting. Mix ingredients, except the poppy seeds, in a bowl until the frosting is formed. Use the poppy seeds as garnish, if desired.

• If you do not have a dehydrator but you’d like to make this, you could try replacing the nut pulp with fresh nuts, chopped in a food processor. Replace the maple syrup with date paste and mix everything as normal. Place in the freezer for a few hours to set and move to the fridge to keep. Also equally delicious and no dehydrator needed!
• When making the frosting, add every ingredient a little bit at a time until the desired consistency is achieved. It can be quite runny if you’re in a warm location, so cut back on the coconut oil and lemon juice if you like a thicker frosting.