Raw Oreos

[Eddy Walker]

What is the difference between them and other dates?

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

Medjools are soft and sweet – and also big. Once you try them, you'll know why :-) Costco's are my favorite – in the produce section.

[Eddy Walker]

We were at Costco yesterday but they don't sell them so we had to buy them at Whole Foods. We did find organic Coconut Oil at Costco yesterday. It was only 16.00 for a huge jar of it. It is way cheaper than Whole Foods

The jar of Coconut Oil we bought was 54 ounces.

[BlackHatGuy]

This is becoming my favorite recipe to play around with! I'm finding I make a batch every weekend for the week – they are a primary fat source for me now! ;-)

So I made them with raw macadamia nuts this past weekend. Tasty as always. The taste difference is very subtle between the different nuts, but it's fun to vary them. I don't find much difference in the 'dough' consistency, slight but nothing bothersome.

My really fun variation this weekend was adding a bit of Williams Sonoma Ancho chili powder to the filling for a couple of cookies (I didn't want to add to the whole batch in case I didn't like it). Some folks like their chocolate with a bit of spice/bite, I'm one of them, so I decided to see how these would taste with a bit of spice. Wow, they really came out great. Just a hint of the chili-ness without being overpowering (I used 1/16 teaspoon for two large cookies worth batter). FWIW, like one of the earlier posters, beginning with my second batch on, I only use 1 tablespoon honey instead of 2 as I found 2 a bit too sweet in all the variations I've tried.

So if you're one of those folks who likes to order Mexican hot chocolate or buy the chocolate bars with chilis, try a bit of chili powder in the filling with these cookies, they're very tasty!

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

Woah….yum!

[Laurie Ann March]

I like the idea of ancho chili in bars. Cayenne works too. I have a date bar that has cocoa and chili in it. I know this sounds really strange but a small pinch of wasabi powder and a small pinch of cardamom (in combination) work really well in things that have chocolate or dates or maple.

[Eddy Walker]

We put the Coconut Butter in a jar and put it in hot water until it became a liquid. We then added the Agave and kept trying to mix it together. The coconut butter mixed with some of the agave but a lot of it still separated. It was a gob of mixture in a pool of liquid. No matter how long we stirred it the two never combined. any ideas what went wrong?

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

Did it set back up? It might have been too warm? I'd say if all else fails that run it through a mini-food chopper to or use a beater to mix. And worse case? Chill and get the butter to set back up a bit, then it should be able to beat.
But for me… I prefer locally sourced raw honey. Agave I find too sweet/bland – but that is my taste though!

[Laurie Ann March]

Maple syrup might work in this as well if it is a thicker grade. I just wanted to mention a little about the glycemic index of agave vs honey. Honey is somewhere between 65 and 85 while agave nectar between 11 and 30. The reason I mention this is that the honey will give you a much quicker energy spike where as the agave will be a bit slower. What that means is that you'll have a little bit longer lasting source of energy from the agave. Also, the fat from the coconut will also help slow the spike of both the honey and the agave. Just thought you might find it of interest. Maple also has a lower glycemic index than honey but not as low as agave. And, if you are making the bars for a vegan… don't use honey.

[Eddy Walker]

Sarah,

It never set back up. We just had it sitting in hot tap water and it took a while to melt down. We tried the hand mixer and it separated even more. I wonder if the agave was too thin. We are out of honey but we do have some sorghum molasses we might try..do you think that might work?

We wanted to use the Cacao Bliss but Whole Foods and Traders Joes doesn't carry it :(

[Eddy Walker]

I wonder what sorghum molasses would be??

[Kathleen B]

Eddy – in your first post you said you bought coconut oil, and in your next post you said the coconut butter didn't set up. Which did you use?

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

Ah yeah – cause the butter works different than oil. Big difference! The butter has pulp/fiber. Which btw, you can make coconut butter from unsweetened coconut…..

PS: As for the whole "vegans don't eat honey"….that is open to discussion. Some do, some don't. I have met plenty who do (I have attended some interesting conventions) I live a plant based life though and am not obsessed with bee rights……

Glycemic aside, I feel honey is the better choice – if raw and local. Agave has to be trucked in and why not support our hard working bees? It is also a way I can support local farmers. That and it just tastes better to me!

While maple syrup can stand in for honey in most recipes it has a taste (I know – I cook with very little sugar). So I save maple for items where it shines. With coconut? Not always…..

[Laurie Ann March]

Sarah wrote: "PS: As for the whole "vegans don't eat honey"….that is open to discussion. Some do, some don't. I have met plenty who do (I have attended some interesting conventions) I live a plant based life though and am not obsessed with bee rights."

If one eats honey they are a vegetarian and not a true vegan because of the belief that the bee is exploited. It's like dairy… if you consume dairy you are a lacto-vegetarian not a vegan. It's merely a matter of terminology.

About maple and coconut… they actually work surprisingly well together.

[Eddy Walker]

"Eddy – in your first post you said you bought coconut oil, and in your next post you said the coconut butter didn't set up. Which did you use?"

I mentioned buying Coconut Oil at Costco because it was such a bargin compared to Whole Foods. That was in the discussion about Mejdool dates. I mentioned Coconut butter in the we have a problem post.

[Laurie Ann March]

Here's the original recipe which also uses coconut butter No-Bake Oreos

Katie doesn't mention the hot water thing. Perhaps running the coconut butter, once warmed, through a food pro. might help to mix it? Food for thought?

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

She doesn't mention it because in warmer climates it is SOFT. In colder areas where it is below 70* or so coconut butter (and oil) are rock solid. I warm my butter under hot water becuase most times it IS too cold/hard. You can't get it out of the jar when it is cold…lol! I get maybe one week or two a year when I don't have to melt my coconut……

And coconut butter when softened becomes creamy – not clear like coconut oil. You don't want to microwave it as it toasts and then burns way too easily. It is delicate.

And Laurie…..methinks you are looking for a vegan argument. I suggest you attend Vida Vegan Con in 2013 in Portland, Or. You'd find that there are all sorts of folks with different views.

Again, it comes down to taste. Use what one wants to – in nuts and sweeteners. I do what I like, folks can do what they want.

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

PS: if you know your bees and who raises them, you know they are not being exploited thankyouverymuch. I know exactly where my honey comes from and have visited the hives. My honey comes from very well taken care of bees whose health is everything. The same is that I got over my issue/hangup of eggs once I started buying locally grown eggs from small farms – again I have seen the hens that lay them – heck my 2 year old has met them.
But again, I am not a "vegan". I live a plant-based unprocessed foods life.

[Laurie Ann March]

No… not looking for an argument. For me, as a writer, it is pretty black and white as I came across this issue when writing a cookbook that had a lot of recipes geared towards vegans. The vegan organizations in the USA and Canada that I consulted with were pretty clear (adamant) on the matter. I didn't say it was my view – it was the reality I was dealing with and I had to respect that there are many vegans who are so strict that honey is not part of the diet just like leather footwear or gloves would be completely unacceptable.

As for honey. Well Bryan helped his Uncle with the bees from time-to-time and we do have friends that are bee-keepers. Heck, we even had to have one of them come out and removed a swarm that was intending on making it's hive in our 140-year old soffits. It was cool in the evening and the entire swarm went to my neighbors tree. It was fascinating to watch my bee guy reach into the swarm, remove the queen to a hive and have the entire swarm follow. The whole relocation process took about 10 minutes. With feral bees on the decline our raised bees are more environmentally important than ever. Keepers often take their bees out to pollinate crops and many of the orchards here have nearby apiaries just for that reason.

I tend to be of the mind, which obviously you are too, of knowing where my food comes from. This includes knowing, when we eat meat in our family (wild game or farm raised), that an animal was killed for the luxury.

[Eddy Walker]

Can you two stop the dam arguing!!!!

[Laurie Ann March]

We aren't arguing… at least I am not. A difference of opinion is not an argument, it's a discussion.

Speaking of honey… flavor can vary greatly by region and what the bees are collecting, as you know. Some honey can have a bitterness to it that lingers on the palate and others are more floral. I live near orchard country so often get apple blossom honey. Clover honey is great too. The only honey I couldn't see working in this recipe is something like Chestnut honey which has a really unique flavor.

[Eddy Walker]

We made it again and this time we just let the coconut butter soften and not go to a liquid form. We added the agave and it stayed together. The cookies were great and we will be making more of them changing things up as we go

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

Nice to hear! :-)

[BlackHatGuy]

So, at it again this weekend. This time I added cinnamon to the filling. Delish.

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

Hah, keep at it!!

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