I’ve been eating raw food lately. It has more nutritional value than cooked food and, as a result, I’ve been enjoying increased health & energy. But, carrots and apples don’t go well with the lightweight backpacking philosophy. So, I’ve been dehydrating. If you keep the temps down below 110 F food is still considered raw, retaining all it’s life force. Here’s an all-raw cookie recipe that I discovered as a result of making my own Almond Milk.
Almond Milk is just raw almonds and water (a little salt or vanilla if you want). After blending and straining of the milk there is a residue of almond pulp. I wondered what I could do with this stuff besides toss it. So it has become the basis of my cookies. They are great! (if I do say so myself). And super easy. But, you will need a dehydrator and a blender for this recipe. If you’re into raw food, you’ll need these two tools anyway.
2 cups Raw Almond Pulp (what’s left after making Almond Milk)
1 cup Raw Almond or Macadamia Nuts ground in a coffee grinder
1/2 cup Agave Syrup
1/4 cup Coconut Oil
2 t Sea Salt
2 T Maca Powder optional (a Peruvian Root, found at most health food stores)
3/4 cup whole Raw Sunflower Seeds
1/3 cup Raw Sesame Seeds ground in a coffee grinder
2 t Vanilla
Mix ingredients together in mixing bowl. Place on 2 Tel-flex sheets from dehydrator. Cover with wax paper and roll out to about 1/4 inch thick. Remove wax paper. Score with knife or other tool to make 1.5″ square cookies. Dry on 145 F for one hour. (the evaporation for the first hour keeps the cookies temp below 110 F) After an hour turn them down to 105 F overnight. Flip cookies onto mesh panel dryer tray without Tel-flex sheet by placing one dryer panel on top of the other and turning them over. Then remove top panel and carefully peal off Tel-flex sheet from back of cookies. Continue drying until ready to eat (about 15 more hours). Timing isn’t critical on these, except only an hour at 145 F.
I took them on a day hike yesterday. I think they’ll be a great Clif Bar substitute. I’m working on other ideas for trail food from the dehydrator.
Looks like Roxy has been eating raw dog cookies! Can she leap tall boulders at a single bound?
She’s just doing the crawl. Happy to be at the top in the sunshine!
Cool recipe, I’ve been eating raw lately and with a packbacking trip coming up I was looking for raw ideas. Thanks, and please keep posting!
I am going backpacking for a week, so I have been dehydrating tomatoes and zucchini and yellow squash (from my garden) for the trip. Dates are good for hiking! they are packed with carbohydrates and sugar for energy, and they are a no-fat food so they do not make you feel heavy afterwards.
I may dehydrate cucumbers from the garden as well. There are many raw food options.
-Cassie K, Vegans Living Off the Land