To celebrate (or commiserate) the end of summer and because today I need some happy brightness to counteract a sad loss...
Watermelon is in abundance in the summer months plus it's refreshing and cooling on hot days. Its high water content makes it unhelpful to bake with so this is raw and does need to be stored in the fridge (or even better, freezer then defrost briefly before eating).
Anyhow... I saw lots of pictures on the web of cookies shaped like watermelon slices. Only they were proper 'cookies' (ie refined sugar, gluten flour, artificial food dyes to achieve the requisite colours, covered in weird frosting etc) and had absolutely nothing to do with watermelon. And I thought, why shouldn't watermelon cookies actually taste like watermelon rather than just look like them?
And hence these were born!
The watermelon flesh (red bit) is watermelon flavoured (ie contains watermelon!) and is sweetened and bulked up by goji berries and coconut (to absorb some of the water). I cheated a bit to achieve the less orangey hue of gojis by adding a tablespoon of fresh beetroot to the blend (think of it like mixing paint colours!) but this is entirely optional. Don't add too much as it will make it soggy.
The white layer (that tasteless bit between the green skin and flesh) is almond meal blended with mulberries .
And the green skin is pistachios with mint leaves, mulberries and some coconut oil. Plenty good fats going on. The mint complements the flavour of the watermelon.
Feel free to roll the whole thing in a bit of matcha green tea powder if you fancy - it makes a nice finishing touch but fingers will go green when eating them.
Finally the seeds are black sesame seeds - that or choc chips. Enjoy.
Raw Watermelon Freezer 'Cookies'
Grain-free, Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Refined Sugar-free
Makes 18 'cookies'
Ingredients:
Red layer:
1/2 cup (85g) watermelon flesh, deseeded, roughly chopped
1/4 cup (25g) goji berries
1/2 cup (50g) unsweetened dessicated coconut
2 tbsp coconut flour
optional: 1 tbsp fresh beetroot, peeled
White layer:
1/2 cup (45g) almond meal
2 tbsp (10g) unsweetened dried white mulberries, soaked for 10mins and drained
Green layer:
1/2 cup (70g) raw unsalted pistachio kernels
1 tbsp (lightly packed) fresh mint leaves
2 tbsp (10g) unsweetened dried white mulberries, soaked for 10mins and drained
1 1/2 tbsp coconut oil
pinch salt
Black sesame seeds
Instructions:
1. Place all Red Layer ingredients except coconut flour in a food processor and blend until well combined and bright orange/red.
2. Mix through coconut flour, making sure there are no clumps and let it sit for a few minutes to absorb the wet ingredients. Mixture should be quite thick. If still too wet after 5minutes add another teaspoon of coconut flour.
3. Using hands, bring the dough mixture together into a ball and roll into a cylinder shape approx 4cm (1.5inch) diameter. Wrap firmly in cling film and refrigerate to set while making the next two layers.
4. In clean food processor, blend the white layer ingredients until well combined into a thick dough.
5. Using hands, bring the dough mixture into a ball and place between two large sheets of cling film.
6. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to a rectangular shape that will fit round the red cylinder. It will be less than 1/2cm thick and may need some manipulating to get it the right size and shape.
7. Remove red cylinder layer from fridge and carefully wrap the white layer firmly around the red, gently sealing the join by pressing the dough together.
8. Wrap the new double layered cylinder firmly in clingfilm and return to fridge to firm.
9. In clean food processor, blend all green layer ingredients except the coconut oil until well combined into a sticky dough.
10. Add coconut oil and continue to blend until smooth.
11. Again, use hands to bring dough mixture into a ball and place between two sheets of cling film.
12. Roll the green dough out to a rectangular shape that will fit round the double layer cylinder just made and wrap around the outside as before.
13. Wrap the new triple layered cylinder firmly in clingfilm and place in freezer for 30-60 minutes to firm. Check after 30 minutes that it is set hard but not frozen solid - it shouldn't be so solid that you can't get a knife through it but it also needs to be hard enough to hold its shape while being cut.
14. Unwrap the cylinder and carefully slice into discs approx 1cm thick.
15. Lay the discs on a parchment lined baking sheet and carefully sprinkle black sesame seeds onto the red part only of each disc to look like watermelon seeds. Gently press these down so they stick.
16. Place in fridge for an hour or so to firm slightly more before slicing each disc in half yielding adorable watermelon slices.
17. These need to be kept in the fridge or freezer and are not very robust in texture so best not used as a portable snack!
P.S. If anyone is in posession of a dehydrator, I would LOVE to know what happens to these after being dried out! I wonder if they will actually crisp up like a real cookie - answers on a postcard please!
 |
| Raw Watermelon Freezer 'Cookies' |
Watermelon is in abundance in the summer months plus it's refreshing and cooling on hot days. Its high water content makes it unhelpful to bake with so this is raw and does need to be stored in the fridge (or even better, freezer then defrost briefly before eating).
Anyhow... I saw lots of pictures on the web of cookies shaped like watermelon slices. Only they were proper 'cookies' (ie refined sugar, gluten flour, artificial food dyes to achieve the requisite colours, covered in weird frosting etc) and had absolutely nothing to do with watermelon. And I thought, why shouldn't watermelon cookies actually taste like watermelon rather than just look like them?
And hence these were born!
The watermelon flesh (red bit) is watermelon flavoured (ie contains watermelon!) and is sweetened and bulked up by goji berries and coconut (to absorb some of the water). I cheated a bit to achieve the less orangey hue of gojis by adding a tablespoon of fresh beetroot to the blend (think of it like mixing paint colours!) but this is entirely optional. Don't add too much as it will make it soggy.
The white layer (that tasteless bit between the green skin and flesh) is almond meal blended with mulberries .
And the green skin is pistachios with mint leaves, mulberries and some coconut oil. Plenty good fats going on. The mint complements the flavour of the watermelon.
Feel free to roll the whole thing in a bit of matcha green tea powder if you fancy - it makes a nice finishing touch but fingers will go green when eating them.
Finally the seeds are black sesame seeds - that or choc chips. Enjoy.
Raw Watermelon Freezer 'Cookies'
Grain-free, Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Refined Sugar-free
Makes 18 'cookies'
Ingredients:
Red layer:
1/2 cup (85g) watermelon flesh, deseeded, roughly chopped
1/4 cup (25g) goji berries
1/2 cup (50g) unsweetened dessicated coconut
2 tbsp coconut flour
optional: 1 tbsp fresh beetroot, peeled
White layer:
1/2 cup (45g) almond meal
2 tbsp (10g) unsweetened dried white mulberries, soaked for 10mins and drained
Green layer:
1/2 cup (70g) raw unsalted pistachio kernels
1 tbsp (lightly packed) fresh mint leaves
2 tbsp (10g) unsweetened dried white mulberries, soaked for 10mins and drained
1 1/2 tbsp coconut oil
pinch salt
Black sesame seeds
Instructions:
1. Place all Red Layer ingredients except coconut flour in a food processor and blend until well combined and bright orange/red.
2. Mix through coconut flour, making sure there are no clumps and let it sit for a few minutes to absorb the wet ingredients. Mixture should be quite thick. If still too wet after 5minutes add another teaspoon of coconut flour.
3. Using hands, bring the dough mixture together into a ball and roll into a cylinder shape approx 4cm (1.5inch) diameter. Wrap firmly in cling film and refrigerate to set while making the next two layers.
4. In clean food processor, blend the white layer ingredients until well combined into a thick dough.
5. Using hands, bring the dough mixture into a ball and place between two large sheets of cling film.
6. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to a rectangular shape that will fit round the red cylinder. It will be less than 1/2cm thick and may need some manipulating to get it the right size and shape.
7. Remove red cylinder layer from fridge and carefully wrap the white layer firmly around the red, gently sealing the join by pressing the dough together.
8. Wrap the new double layered cylinder firmly in clingfilm and return to fridge to firm.
9. In clean food processor, blend all green layer ingredients except the coconut oil until well combined into a sticky dough.
10. Add coconut oil and continue to blend until smooth.
11. Again, use hands to bring dough mixture into a ball and place between two sheets of cling film.
12. Roll the green dough out to a rectangular shape that will fit round the double layer cylinder just made and wrap around the outside as before.
13. Wrap the new triple layered cylinder firmly in clingfilm and place in freezer for 30-60 minutes to firm. Check after 30 minutes that it is set hard but not frozen solid - it shouldn't be so solid that you can't get a knife through it but it also needs to be hard enough to hold its shape while being cut.
14. Unwrap the cylinder and carefully slice into discs approx 1cm thick.
15. Lay the discs on a parchment lined baking sheet and carefully sprinkle black sesame seeds onto the red part only of each disc to look like watermelon seeds. Gently press these down so they stick.
16. Place in fridge for an hour or so to firm slightly more before slicing each disc in half yielding adorable watermelon slices.
17. These need to be kept in the fridge or freezer and are not very robust in texture so best not used as a portable snack!
P.S. If anyone is in posession of a dehydrator, I would LOVE to know what happens to these after being dried out! I wonder if they will actually crisp up like a real cookie - answers on a postcard please!
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