Do you remember what it felt like when you were young, when it seemed everyone else had something you didn’t (but you wished you did)? As a gradeschooler, I watched from the sidelines as my friends zoomed around the neighborhood on their new banana-seat bicycles (my parents told me they couldn’t afford one). Then at age 14, I attended my first “social” (what boy-and-girl parties were called back then) and watched from the sidelines as my friends all spent the evening necking with boys (does anyone still say “necking” any more?!); I was perched on a folding chair shoving potato chips into my mouth and guzzling Diet Coke next to MS, the only other dateless girl in the group.
So, when I started the ACD back in 2009 and I had to watch from the sidelines at Christmas time as all my friends sipped wine and champagne, nibbled on pâtés and cheeses/cheezes, consumed obscene amounts of chocolate and sugar. . . well, it felt uncomfortably familiar, I’m afraid.
For you, dear readers, I wanted something better this holiday season. I’ve heard from several of you who’ve just recently embarked on the ACD yourselves, and I remember all too well how despondent one can feel when one wants goodies. . . but there just aren’t any appropriate goodies to be had (ie, without sugar, gluten, dairy, yeast, molds, alcohol. . . et cetera).
Well, here you are. I’ve brought some goodies for you.
And yes, the recipe is suitable, even if you’ve just started the diet and you’re barely into Stage One.*
These cookies are an adaptation of the Black Bean Chocolate Chili Cherry Cookies I saw (via Wellness Weekend last week) on The Taste Space, which were an adaptation of Sarah’s cookies on My New Roots. Now, those other cookies, it is true, contained cocoa powder. And cocoa powder in cookies translates to “CHOCOLATE! IN COOKIES!”–something I never turn down if given the opportunity. However, neither cocoa nor maple syrup are permitted in the first stage of the ACD; so I made some substitutions.
I’ve decided that my mission in 2012 will be to convince carob naysayers that the sepia pod is appealing and delicious in its own right, not merely a second-rate chocolate substitute. Sure, chocolate is my first love, my highschool sweetheart**, if you will; it’s like the guy that sets your heart fluttering whenever you see him, even years later, even after the romance fizzled and you’ve been divorced for decades, the intervening years traced like fine tributaries across your face. Carob, on the other hand, is a more solid, more placid lover; the one you meet in your 40s at the bridge club, the one you call “friend” before “lover,” the one that is consistent and reliable and steadfast. Fewer sparks, perhaps, but a connection that goes deeper, brings out the best in you, is more permanent. That’s the way I love my carob right about now.
I played a bit with the original recipe, adding almond butter to compensate for the lower fat content in the carob. These are not fudgy cookies, but still dense and soft; you’ll find them lovely, moist and almost cake-like. If you’re not a fan of coconut, you can add homemade dried cranberries for a contrast in color and added chewiness. If you happen to be following later stages of the diet, feel free to sub some/all of the liquid sweeteners with agave or coconut nectar, or use goji berries or other dried berries (sugarfree, of course) as your fruit of choice.
These little gems really do feel like a treat–something I think we all deserve about now!
Happy Holidays, Everyone! 😀
Other ACD-friendly favorites:
- Cinnamon-Spiced Coconut Bark (Stage 1 and beyond; but note that some diets don’t allow cashews; if so, use walnuts or almonds)
- Crimson Mousse (Stage 1 and beyond; but note that some diets don’t allow cashews; if so, use macadmia nuts)
- Raw Frosted Lemon Poppyseed Bars (Stage 1 and beyond; but some diets don’t allow cashews; if so, use other nuts, such as almonds or walnuts)
- Apple-Pumpkin Crumble Bars (Stage 2 and beyond)
- Raw Apricot Swirl Cheesecake Mini Pies (Stage 2 and beyond)
- Caramel Ice Cream with Apple-Cinnamon Topping (great with chocolate topping, too) (Stage 3 and beyond)
- Chocolate Whoopie Pies (Stage 3 and beyond)
- Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake (Stage 3 and beyond)
- Cookie Dough-Topped Brownies (Stage 3 and beyond)
- Date-Free Date Squares (Stage 3 and beyond)
- Pear and Cranberry Cornmeal Cake (Stage 3 and beyond)
*Please note that there are many versions of the anti-candida diet in existence, and yours may advocate something different. This recipe is suitable for the first stage of the diet I followed; please be sure to check with your healthcare provider to ensure that the recipe is compatible with your diet!
**Considering how early on I was addicted to chocolate, it really should be more like, “my kindergarten sweetheart.” But I couldn’t say that because, well, it just sounds creepy.
Mexican Spiced Black Bean Carob-Cranberry (or Goji Berry) Cookies (adapted from The Taste Space)
Suitable for ACD, all stages (yay!)
A little bit cakey, a little bit chewy, these cookies are a satisfying sweet. Don’t expect to confuse them with chocolate–they have a caroby taste all their own, which works extremely well with the spice mixture and sweet berries.
1 can (19 oz or 540 ml) black beans, rinsed very well and well drained (see Note 1 below)
2 Tbsp (30 ml) extra virgin coconut oil, preferably organic
2 Tbsp (30 ml) natural smooth almond butter (for nut-free, use tahini)
1/3 cup (80 ml) carob powder
2 Tbsp (30 ml) chia seeds, measured first and then ground in a coffee grinder (about 1/4 cup/60 ml pre-ground meal)
1/4 cup (60 ml) yacon syrup, plus enough food-grade vegetable glycerin to equal 1/3 cup (80 ml) (See Note 2 below)
1 Tbsp (15 ml) unsweetened soy, almond or help milk
1 tsp (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
50-60 drops (about 3/4 tsp or 4 ml) plain or vanilla stevia liquid, to your taste
1-1/2 tsp (7.5 ml) cinnamon
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) cardamom
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) smoked paprika
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) chili flakes
1/4 tsp (1 ml) fine sea salt
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) baking powder
1/3 cup (80 ml) unsweetened carob chips (for non-ACD, use chocolate chips)
1/4 cup (60 ml) homemade dried cranberries or shredded unsweetened coconut (for later stages/non-ACD, use goji berries, raisins, regular dried cranberries, etc.)
Preheat oven to 375F (190C). Line two cookie sheets with parchment or spray with nonstick spray.
Place beans, coconut oil, almond butter an carob powder in the bowl of a food processor and process until very smooth. Add remaining ingredients except for chips and cranberries and process again, scraping down sides if necessary (it will have the consistency of a muffin batter, soft but able to hold a shape if scooped). Remove the processor blade and stir in the chips and berries by hand.
Using a small ice cream scoop or tablespoon, scoop the dough onto the cookie sheets, leaving about 2 inches (5 cm) between them. Use the back of a spoon or a silicone spatula to spread the cookies out and flatten them to about 1/2 inch (1.5 cm) thick (they will not really spread during baking).
Bake for 20-30 minutes, rotating the pans about halfway through, until cookies are dry on top and browned on the edges and bottoms. Allow to cool completely before eating. Store, covered, in the refrigerator. Makes 22-25 cookies. May be frozen.
Note 1: You can certainly use dried beans that you soak overnight and then cook yourself; use about 1-1/2 cups (360 ml) cooked beans. In this case, however, you must be sure to cook the beans extremely well–almost overcooked–or they won’t blend as easily as the canned ones do.
Note 2: If you like the taste of yacon syrup, you can use a full 1/3 cup (80 ml) of yacon instead of adding the glycerin. Alternately, if you are at a later stage of the ACD or not on it at all, feel free to use a full 1/3 cup (80 ml) of coconut nectar or agave nectar.
This recipe is headed to Amy’s Slightly Indulgent Tuesday event.
Last Year at this Time: Last Minute Recipe Suggestions (list of holiday-appropriate recipes)
Two Years Ago: Warm Butternut Salad with Chickpeas and Tahini Dressing (gluten free; ACD All Stages)
Three Years Ago: Two-Toned Potato Latkes (pancakes) (not gluten free; ACD Maintenance)
Four Years Ago: Holiday Cranberry Chippers Cookies (not gluten free; ACD maintenance only)
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I am loving your version of the cookies, Ricki! Aren’t they awesome! Who would have thought beans would be so versatile? 😉
Thanks, Janet! I really enjoyed them. Totally guilt-free! 🙂
Thanks so much for this post! I have been tracking lots of online posts for holiday recipes, many of which I can make ACD compliant with a few substitutions. It is so much more gratifying to find recipes ACD specific, though. 😀
I’m so glad to hear that these will work for you! That was what I was hoping. 🙂
sounds lovely – unfortunately my friends who can’t have cocoa also can’t have spices but I must try some carob and spice cookies for sylvia who loves both – have a lovely christmas – must go and get sylvia who is swinging from the tv!
Johanna, you can certainly make these without the spices–peppermint (as the original recipe) would be great, too, or almond, or coconut. . . possibilities are endless! Hope you have a wonderful Christmas with E and Sylvia! xo
I love your description of carob v cocoa! I think you’re right; as long as you don’t expect carob to be chocolate but appreciate it for itself, it’s brilliant. The texture of these looks perfect too 🙂
Thanks, Eleanor! The texture was great. .. dense and moist without being too wet or grainy. 🙂
Oh Ricki, your stories in this post brought out so very many thoughts and memories and emotions for me, and I actually just wrote out a rather long comment and then deleted it because, while I didn’t mind you knowing and thought you’d understand, I suddenly remembered how public the internet is and I decided to keep it to myself for now. But rest assured that your words have comforted me, and it’s so comforting to know that I wasn’t the only one to spend all my schooling years dateless while the other girls were giggling knowingly during sex ed classes.
Thank you for the cookies, too. I, too, don’t believe carob is “merely” a version of chocolate, in fact I think of it as entirely separate to. And I love it for that. 🙂
I know what you mean–sometimes we forget that it’s all out there! But I’ve told stories about my life as a highschool social reject before, so for me it was nothing that my readers hadn’t already seen before ;-). Glad to know that it was comforting, of course! And cookies can be very comforting, too. . . 😀
We were on the same page about cookies 🙂 I love how you’ve made these ACD friendly! I really really need to get some yacon syrup so I can try it. I’m a carob naysayer so I’m looking forward to being convinced otherwise in 2012 🙂
Yum I have been meaning to make these cookies for weeks, ever since Janet first told me about them!