Today, I would like to share my mother’s recipe for date and walnut cookies. She often substitutes cashew nuts for the walnuts when we run out of walnuts.
I also wanted to mention a start-up that came to my attention recently and thought it might be of interest to those planning travels around Asia. Withlocals.com is a venture, currently covering 7 countries including Sri Lanka, initiated by a group of self-labelled ‘digital geeks with a combined passion for travelling, food and people.’ The interesting part of their services is ‘Eat with locals,’ where local hosts register to offer home-cooked meals. I might take up the offer of Martin (a staff at Withlocals.com) to try one of the eating experiences listed, next time a non-Sri Lankan friend visits me, provided the host is willing to share one of the recipes on this blog.
Mix all the ingredients. Add a little water if the mixture is too dry.
Place the cookie dough on a lightly greased tray tablespoon at a time leaving an inch of space between them.
Bake for about 20 mins at 170⁰C/338⁰F.
Since there were still some fresh walnuts left at home, my mother decided to bake some of her heart healthy cookies. So, here’s the recipe for her raisins and walnut cookies.
Heat the margarine and sugar in a saucepan over low heat and melt the margarine.
Add ¼ cup of milk or water to the sauce pan and stir well.
Add 1 tsp baking powder to the flour and oats. Mix.
Add the flour and oats mix, vanilla essence, raisins and chopped walnuts to the slightly cooled melted margarine sauce. Mix well to ensure that the mixture comes together as cookie dough. Add a little more flour, if the batter is still slightly watery.
Divide the dough into 22 balls and flatten slightly before placing on baking tray.
Bake at 220⁰C/428⁰F for 20 mins.
Another cookie recipe, of my mother, for those looking for diabetic friendly snacks.
Heat the margarine and sugar in a saucepan till the margarine melts and the mixture thickens. Remove saucepan from stove.
Stir in the oats and coarsely ground peanuts into the sugar and margarine mixture in the saucepan. Add a few drops of vanilla essence.
Sift the flour with baking powder and cocoa powder. Add the flour to the rest of the ingredients. Add a little water so that it is easier to bring the cookie dough together.
Divide the dough into 28 balls.
Bake at 220⁰C/428⁰F for 15 mins.
Given that lots of people in my family have diabetes, my mother has taken to making her own sugar-free cookies or cookies with minimum sugar. Today’s recipe is her recipe for chocolate chip and cashew nut cookies.
Whisk the brown sugar and margarine till it is creamy and smooth.
Add the oats to the creamed sugar and margarine and mix.
Sift the wheat flour together with the baking powder and soda and add to the cookie mix.
Add the milk gradually, kneading the cookie mix into a slightly batter-like dough, not too firm and easy to mold into little balls.
Fold in the chocolate chips and chopped cashew nuts.
Divide the dough into little balls and leave them on the baking tray, for about 5 – 10 mins, before putting them in the oven.
Bake the cookies for about 15 – 20 mins at 220⁰C/ 428⁰F.
Remove the baking tray from oven when the cookies are golden brown and let them cool before serving.