Uncookie Cookies (과자)

Gluten-free, nutty, flax-seed cookies that you mix & shape, not bake

When is a cookie not a cookie? When it's an uncookie! Dubbed "uncookies" because they are not baked, these flavorful cookies, mixed and pressed into shape, are more at home in your fridge than the oven. So, satiate your sweet tooth in a guilt-free way with flourless, gluten-free, sugar-free Uncookie Cookies. Packed primarily with fresh ground flax seeds, walnuts and almonds and naturally sweetened with honey and maple syrup, omega-3 fatty acids charge this cookie with power to preserve and promote healthy bones and protect against heart disease, cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure.

The coolest crumb bit about Uncookie Cookies is that the recipe may be tailored to fit your favorite cut of cookie. Choose from chocolate chip chocolate to cinnamon raisin and peanut butter. This cookie crumbles your way!

Uncookie Cookie Recipe

~ Yields 2 dozen 2 ½ - 3 inch cookies

Roast
The nuts should, ideally, be roasted, but if you subscribe to the raw foods faith, you may also choose to only warm them up to 116 F°. For the full raw version of this recipe, please see the recipe variations below.

2 cups walnuts
1 cups almonds

1. Set oven for 160-170 degree F°. Roast nuts on cookie sheet for 10-15 minutes. Alternately, you may also toast them on a heavy-bottomed pan over low heat.
2. Set aside to cool.
3. Finely grind the nuts using a food processor.

Note: A blender has too small of a base to properly grind large quantities of nuts.

Grind
This recipe relies heavily on a heavy duty blender and food processor. I opt for mostly whole spices because they keep fresh longer than pre-ground store-bought spices, which after a time, taste like dust.

1 whole nutmeg
1 tsp whole allspice
1 tsp whole cloves
2 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp sea salt
4 cups flax seeds

1. Use a very powerful blender to grind the spices and salt.
2. Sweep the spices into a big, non-metallic mixing bowl, and do not rinse the blender.
3. Pour flax seeds into the blender and grind them into a fine meal.
4. Combine flax seed meal with ground spices and salt.

Mix
When purchasing maple syrup, grade B is better than grade A because it is less processed and has a full maple flavor and thicker consistency. If you like molasses and spice cookies like Joe Joes or ginger snaps, feel free to ante-up the spices, kick in some ginger, and substitute molasses for honey. Do keep in mind, however, that molasses is not as healthy as honey or maple syrup. See below for cookie variations.

3 tbs melted butter
3/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp peanut butter

1. Drizzle the melted butter over the cookie mixture, and mixing with a wooden spoon, make sure the butter is evenly distributed and integrated into the mixture.
2. Add maple syrup, honey and peanut butter and mix well.

Shape
I use plastic saran wrap to shape the cookies and then vacuum seal and refrigerate them. You may also use silicon molds, but these cookies, when first shaped, are very delicate, so they must firm-up in the refrigerator before being served.

1. Cut a 12" by 12" piece of saran wrap.
2. Scoop two to two and a half heaping tablespoons of cookie mix onto the saran wrap.
3. Press the cookie into shape.
4. Vacuum seal the cookie. You will notice that as the cookie compresses, some of the liquids pull away, which allows the cookie to better retain shape.

Serve
If you used a silicon mold to shape the cookies, place them in a paper towel lined tupperware container and refrigerate for 2-3 hours before serving. If you vacuum-sealed the cookies, snip the edge of the plastic bag, without breaking the seal, so the freshness of the cookie is retained till the cookie is torn and ravaged from its protective casing.

Variations

For raw uncookie cookies....

1. Do not heat the nuts above 116 F°.
2. Omit butter and peanut butter.
3. Increase honey to 1/2 cup.

For chocolate chip chocolate uncookie cookies...

1. Add 1 cup unsweeted cocoa powder.
2. Increase the 1/4 cup honey to 1/2 cup
3. Add either raw cacao nibs or your favorite dark chocolate bar cut into chunks. I prefer Valrhona 's extra dark chocolate with 85% cacao.

For spicy raisin cookies...

1. Add 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2. Increase the cinnamon to 3 teaspoons and nutmeg to 2 whole pieces.
3. Substitute 1/8 cup of honey for 1/8 cup of molasses.
4. When shaping the cookies, scoop a heaping tablespoon and half of the cookie mixture onto saran wrap, rest a few raisins on top of the pile, and then scoop another heaping tablespoon of cookie mix atop the raisins, sandwiching the raisins in between the cookie mix before compressing the cookie.

For peanut butter raisin cookies...

1. Omit 2 tablespoons of the melted butter.
2. Increase the peanut butter to 3 tablespoons.
3. Follow the spicy raisin cookie instructions above for adding raisins.

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Black Sesame Panna Cotta (검은깨파나코타)

An Italian dessert with an Asian twist

Lighter and healthier than crème brûlée, yet more decadent and creamy than typical Asian desserts featuring black sesame, black sesame panna cotta is a happy marriage between the Northern Italian specialty and Asia's favorite seed. Indispensable in Asian cooking, black sesame is mixed in both sweet and savory dishes. Koreans use black sesame in cold salads, such as oi muchim, or to season soups, meats, and noodles.

Black sesame is also used as a garnish in desserts or as the main ingredient, bound by corn syrup and served with other nut and seed candies. In addition, black sesame frequently assumes the starring role in Korean misutgaru, mixed-grain gruels, which I will feature in another post. Mitsugaru is composed of some combination of ground nuts, seeds, and/or grains stirred with enough water to make a gruel. Similarly, the Cantonese have a dessert, which features nothing but liquefied black sesame sweetened with sugar. But, in my opinion, those gruels are more like breakfast foods than desserts. Black sesame panna cotta, on the other hand, is like a fancy cookies and cream with Asian fusion flair.

Black Sesame Panna Cotta Recipe

~ Serves 3-4 people

Black Sesame Panna Cotta
I used Yung's Food 100% black sesame powder, but you can grind your own sesame seeds. If the sesame seeds are not roasted, soak them in water for about an hour and then lightly roast them in a pan until you hear them start to pop.

1 cup whipping cream
1 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 tsp agar agar
2 tbs black sesame powder
1/4 cup honey

To combine
Make sure you do not bring the milk and cream to a boil. Keep the heat low.

1. Bring milk and cream to a simmer.
2. Add sugar and stir a few minutes till sugar dissolves.
3. Sprinkle agar agar into milk mixture and stir until dissolved.
4. Add black sesame powder and continue stirring for two-three minutes.
5. Remove from heat and let stand five minutes.

To set
If you are using the silicone mold, steps 1 and 2 are unnecessary.

1. Rinse glass ramekins in cold water and do not dry. Or, you can use silicone molds to produce either standard-sized panna cottas or tiny bite-sized panna cottas.
2. Pour the black sesame cream mixture into the ramekins or molds.
3. Chill in the refrigerator for at least four hours or overnight.

To serve
You can garnish the black sesame panna cotta with a simple green herb in addition to the melted honey, or you can choose to dress it with fresh fruits or even liquor-soaked fruits.

1. Place the bottom of the ramekins in hot water.
2. Run a knife along the edge of the panna cotta to loosen it.
3. Flip the panna cotta out on a plate. If you are using the silicone mold, you can just pop the panna cottas out.
4. Melt the honey and drizzle over the panna cottas.

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