Chestnut Flour Pistachio Cookies (grain-free)
Ever had a cookie that stopped you in your tracks? This one sure stopped me, and they're being eaten in celebration. To catch up anyone interested, I graduated from school in Boston and I'm moving to Denver at the end of January! In Colorado, I'll pursue a certification as a Nutrition Therapy Practitioner and Master Nutrition Therapist, then write my boards through the NANP. The excitement of moving somewhere to pursue what I'm passionate about and be surrounded by abundant nature is almost too much to bear.
It’s also worth celebrating that these Grain Free Chestnut Pistachio Cookies are everything I have been trying to create in a cookie made with functional food ingredients. Chewy at the center, crispy on the edges, and choked full of dates and sprouted pistachios. A sprinkle of Celtic sea salt on top balances out the sweetness and compliments the buttery flavor of ghee. I've made dozens of types of healthy-ish cookies and all they had some hint of their alternative ingredients that give it away. There are only so many miracles one can pull with a lack of refined sugar, unconventional flour textures, or poor binding from a lack of gluten.
I rediscovered using chestnuts in cooking this winter. When kept whole these starchy little nuts taste almost like a sweet potato when steamed. Unlike most nuts, though, chestnuts are low in fat and high in carbohydrates. When dried and made into a flour, it's superfine and makes the perfect cookie... AKA these. You can even do this process at home with some patience.
It took quite a bit of testing to get this one right, but I had ample time to figure it out while this new site was under construction with the enormous help of my stråla friend Erin at EM Workshop. For my longtime readers over at Blonde Herbivore, thank you for sticking by me as I navigate a new way to bring you functional food recipes and a whole lot more. After spending the summer of 2017 in California at Biodynamic Wellness, a huge shift happened in my beliefs on nutrition and healing the body.
My recipes will continue to be use functional foods educate readers on ingredients, their functional properties, and how to prepare them for optimal nutrition. Seasonality and sustainability will be emphasized, and I will do my best to provide resources for readers interested in achieving their own optimal health. This is a website for me to grow into, and in the coming months I will be publishing an ebook on meal prep of functional foods, so keep an eye out for that one! Additionally, Function of Well can (and likely will) eventually house the online section of a nutrition and wellness business once I earn the CNTP/MNT credentials. Anywho, back to cookies.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons of ghee or grass-fed butter, softened
1 egg
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup chestnut flour
1/4 cup arrowroot flour
1/3 cup sprouted pistachios, chopped
5 dates, chopped
optional: Celtic sea salt
Method
Whisk together the ghee or butter, egg, coconut sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Use a spatula to fold in chestnut flour, arrowroot flour, and baking soda until a smooth dough forms. Chop pistachios and dates, fold into the dough with a wooden spoon. Chill dough 15 - 20 minutes in the refrigerator.
Preheat oven to 375F. Prepare 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Use a 1 1/2 T size cookie scoop to portion dough onto baking sheets. Sprinkle the tops with Celtic sea salt if choosing to use. Bake 11 - 12 minutes for crisp edges and a chewy center.
