Cathy katin-Grazzini
Cathy's Kitchen Prescription LLC
www.cathyskitchenprescription.com
 
Soft Cherry Peanut Cookies
 
If you’re looking for a cookie that’s low in fat and delivers a protein bump, look no further. This peanutty gluten-free treat even comes with a cherry on top.  Peanutty with a delightfully soft chew, it’s the perfect healthy pick-me-up after a workout, a hike, and a sweet treat for kids’ lunchboxes too.  
 
If you have chia pudding on hand, as I typically do as my daily omega-3 rich snack, these cookies take no time at all to make.
 
Climate Note
Peanut, a nitrogen-fixing legume, lessens the need for nitrogen fertilizers, and carries a low climate footprint.  Defatted peanut powder is a byproduct of peanut oil production. Its climate footprint information is not available but peanut oil, which can serve as a proxy, is a low 1.38 kg CO2e/kg. 
 
Notes
Choose a defatted peanut powder that is sugar and salt-free, made only from roasted peanuts. If should have about 2g of fat and 9g of protein per 2.4 tablespoon serving.  For this recipe, I used Naked PB.
Choose a vanilla powder that is simply made from ground vanilla seeds with no sweetener or fillers.
 
Prep 3 hours for chia pudding to thicken plus 10 minutes
Bakes 20 minutes
Makes 18 to 20 cookies
 
2 tablespoons chia pudding from warm ½ cup unsweetened soy milk, 1 tablespoon chia seeds, and 1 full teaspoon plain soy yogurt
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons dense date paste from ¾ cup pitted dates
1 cup peanut paste from 2/3 cup sodium and sugar-free defatted peanut powder, and 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons soy yogurt
20 fresh sweet cherries, pitted
¼ cup defatted peanut powder
1 teaspoon shiro (white) miso paste
¾ cup oat flour
¼ teaspoon potassium bicarbonate, a sodium-free baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla powder, made only from ground vanilla beans and pods
 
To create chia pudding, warm the soy milk in a small bowl for 15 seconds in a microwave oven. Add the chia seeds and soy yogurt, stirring well to saturate all the chia seeds. Set aside for a few hours on the counter, stirring occasionally. The pudding is ready when the seeds have all swelled and become gelatinous, and the pudding has thickened. 
To make date paste, place the pitted, chopped dates in a bowl, just cover with water, cover with a small silicone mat, and microwave for 3 minutes. Cool. Blend the dates and soaking water in food processor to create a smooth, dense paste.  Measure out ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons of date paste and set aside.
To make peanut paste mix 2/3 cup of peanut powder with 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened soy yogurt, stirring them until very smooth and without lumps.
Use a cherry or olive pitter to remove the stones from each cherry.
In a medium bowl add the oat flour, vanilla powder, potassium carbonate, and ¼ cup peanut powder, stirring them well to combine.
In a separate bowl, combine the chia pudding, peanut paste, date paste, and miso paste, stirring them until smooth.
Preheat the oven to 350°F and place a rack on the middle oven shelf.
Line a cookie sheet with silicone mats or parchment paper.
Use a silicone spatula to scrape the mix from the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients, stirring lightly to combine. The cookie dough will be quite sticky.
Use a small (1/8 cup) ice cream scoop to transfer the dough to the lined cookie sheet, spacing each cookie at least an inch apart. You should have dough for 18 to 20 cookies.
Push a cherry into each cookie, flattening it slightly.
Bake for about 20 minutes but begin checking on them after 17 minutes. The cookies are ready when they are somewhat firm and golden on their edges. 
Remove the tray from the oven and cool for about 15 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack with a metal spatula. 
Serve in the coming few hours or store them in a tightly covered container in the fridge, where Soft Cherry Peanut cookies will keep for a week.  They can also be frozen for up to 3 months.