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Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Can Cookies Be Healthy?

I hope so because I've found a new use for some of the okara I have left-over every couple days when I make our soy milk or tofu. Okara is not to be confused with okra the veggie. Okara is the cooked ground pulp of the soy bean, created in abundance if you make soy milk or tofu. A couple years ago we bought a soy milk maker and it has become one of the most used small appliances in our kitchen, second only to the coffee maker. It is SO easy to use, simply add 1/2 cup soy beans and fill with water. Twenty minutes later you have soy milk. From there you can have tofu pressing in less than five minutes. I like to add a little rice or other grain when I'm making milk, and sometimes I'll make almond milk with the same maker. More about my beloved soy milk maker at another time, this started as a cookie entry so back to the recipe ......

 Mix together the following four ingredients:

1 cup okara (if you don't have okara, you can use tofu*)
1/2 cup maple syrup (my favorite sweetener)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Mix the following ingredients and then mix the wet and the dry together:

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup ground flax seeds (you can skip this if you like and add a bit more oats instead)
1/2 tsp salt
2tsp baking powder
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup raisins (you could add chocolate chips instead of or in addition to either the walnuts or raisins)

Drop by teaspoons onto greased cookie sheets. (I'm now using silicone baking sheets so no need to grease them) I press them down a little with a fork dipped in water.
Bake at 375 degrees F. for about 15-20 minutes. Makes about 30 cookies, fewer if you like big ones.
Enjoy!

* My okara has lots of liquid so if using tofu use about 1 1/2 cups of soft tofu)

5 comments:

  1. Hey Gina, those Cookies look delectable! What a nice way to use up okara. I put my okara in bread and chapathi doughs but after reading your recipe I've decided that the next batch is going into cookies. :)

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  2. Sounds like a great recipe...thank for sharing. P.S. I am going to look up soy machines now, you make it sound wonderful:D

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  3. oooh I'm going to try these - thanks Gina!

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