Cooookies!!!

Who doesn't love cookies? I do...but most store bought varieties are filled with partially hydrogenated oils and other ingredients that I don't want to put into my body. I have a tasty little cookie recipe for you here, however, that doesn't do so much damage. They have olive oil in them as well as other wholesome additions like chopped almonds and they taste really good!

Stacy Alexander's Almond Sesame Drops

Ingredients:
3/4 cup whole-grain pastry flour (wheat, spelt, brown rice...any flour you want)

3/4 cup unbleached white flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup organic sesame seeds, toasted

3/4 cup raw almonds, coarsely chopped

4 ounces soft Silken-brand or Trader Joe's brand tofu

1/2 cup light olive oil

3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed (I like the sugar from Madagascar)

1 tablespoon almond extract

seeds from 1 vanilla bean

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a bowl, stir together the flours, baking powder, and salt. Mix in the sesame seeds and chopped almonds.

3. In another bowl, mash the tofu and combine with the olive oil, sugar, vanilla bean seeds, cinnamon, and almond extract. Mix well.

4. Using a rubber spatula, fold the wet ingredients into the flour mixture. Roll the mixture into one-inch balls, flatten between your palms, and place them on ungreased baking sheets. Bake the cookies about 10 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Remove from the cookie sheet and cool on a rack.

Nutritional Information:

Per serving:
86 calories
6 g total fat (1 g sat)
0 mg cholesterol
7 g carbohydrate
1 g protein
1 g fiber