Back in the days when I was hosting students, each year always brought a last minute, fall out of bed and head out the door young man. Students that had all the time on the world for the latest video game at 3:00am but never enough for breakfast before class.
I get it. In my twenties, my body could also cope with not being cared for. So after some internal debate about whether I was aiding and abetting, I put together these breakfast “cookies” and one or two would usually end up in a hand before the back door slammed and footsteps trotted down the stairs.
Semi-sweetened by maple syrup, dried apricots and raisins, filled with nuts and seeds, this whole spelt shortbread like biscuit is a low gluten alternative with as much protein as an egg to get the day started. They also make a good pick me up snack for the office.
You will need:
1/3 cup butter
2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 Tbsp. maple syrup
7 dried apricots
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups whole spelt flour
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup nuts, chopped
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup flax seeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Take a deep breath and gather your focus back ot the present moment. Allow all the little nigglies to release through the warm soapy water dripping off your fingers as you prepare to begin. Hold gratitude for the ingredients, your skills and the work in front of you. Enjoy as you create and open to inspiration.
In a good food processor combine the butter, olive oil, maple syrup and apricots until smooth. I say good because the intention is to puree and blend the apricots into the butter mixture so some extra get up and go is helpful.
If the apricots are dry they can be soaked in apple juice, water or tea beforehand. It is also an option to add the raisins to this mixture rather than leaving them whole and mixing them in separately.
I choose dried apricots and raisins because they contain the highest protein percentages of dried fruits. Changing it up with cranberrires, prunes or dates is definitely an option.
The picture to the left is apricots only and almost finished.
Once pureed, transfer the butter/maple syrup mixture to a bowl and add the dry ingredients.
A couple of things to consider.
The benefit of seeds to the body is higher if they are chewed open before digestion. So if you think the likelihood is good, that just like a happy puppy, they will be swallowed whole, try pulsing the flax and sesame seeds through a spice/coffee mill before adding.
Protein levels in nuts vary from about 2.5 grams per 1/4 cup in pecans to 8 in almonds. If possible choose nuts at the higher end of the scale.
Combine all the ingredients and
mix.
I find getting my hands in at this point helps bring it all together.
The mixture needs to be moist enough to stay together when rolled and the amount of spelt flour will effect the texture.
I have also discovered that there are several mixtures known as whole spelt flour. They have varying degrees of spelt bran and the flour grains can be of varying sizes. For that reason I would recommend starting with 1 1/4 cups of flour and adding the extra 1/4 cup as needed to get the desired consistency.
Roll out the dough to about 3/8 inch and cut into two inch circles. One recipe should give about 20 cookies. I happened to place these on parchment paper but they can also go directly on a cookie sheet.
Bake at 325 degrees for about 15 minutes or until the bottoms are lightly browned. Watch to ensure the raisins do not burn. Cool and store in an airtight container.
On those days when time is running too fast, it is easy to look towards junk food for a quick pick me up. Try one of these instead. In your mouth will first be the melting of the not so sweet shortbread followed by a healthy little chew of nuts, seeds and fruits to feed your busy day.
Spelt Breakfast Cookies from My Kitchen Wand
