1 food 5 ways, Cashews, Way #5: Cashew-Apricot Shortbread

Take a look at this picture.

Do you know what it is? My first cookie recipe! Yep. I've deglutenized lots of other people's cookies. But this is the first cookie I've made with my own "flavor profile". (I did learn the general ratios of shortbread from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar's Choc-chip Chai Shortbread...you can use the same flour ratios here to deglutenize those...yum!)

The best description I can come up with for that flavor profile is Turkish...Not quite Mediterranean...not quite European, but a nice blend of the two. They look like a hard, crunchy biscotti. But they aren't. They are delicate, lightly sweet, perfectly buttery and have the tiniest hint of lemon and spice. But they still pair just right with a cup of black coffee or even mint tea.

Oh wait, you want a recipe? Well, here ya go.

Cashew-Apricot Shortbread Cookies (yields about 28)

Group 1:

1/2 cup vegan shortening (Like Spectrum)

1/2 cup soy-free vegan margarine (like Soy-free Earth Balance - if you're not soy free, this doesn't have to be)

3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp Lemon juice

1 Tsp lemon zest

Group 2:
1 cup sorghum flour

1/4 cup arrowroot

1/4 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup garfava flour

3/4 tsp xanthan gum

1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

Group 3:

1/2 cup chopped roasted cashews

1/4 cup chopped dried apricot

Preheat oven to 350 and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and margarine with electric beaters until smooth. Add the rest of Group 1 ingredients and beat until creamy.

Over the bowl, put the ingredients for group 2 in a large wire-mesh strainer and "sift" half of the mixture into the bowl with the shortening mixture. You can do this by shaking the strainer, tapping the side of it, or "stirring" the ingredients inside of the strainer with your finger. Once 1/2 the flour/spice mixture is in the bowl, mix well with a wood

en spoon (don't use beaters). Add the remaining flour/spice mixture and mix into a thick, smooth dough. You might need to use your hands at this point. (You could use a real sifter, but those are a pain to clean once it's had xanthan in it. I find the strainer much easier. In fact, once after I had xanthan in a sifter I just ended up throwing away because it was all gummy inside)

Add the cashews and apricots. Mix with your hands until evenly distributed.

Divide the dough in two equal portions and make logs about 1/2" thick (mine ended up being approximately 3.5x7). Wax paper is a good surface for this.

With a thin knife, slice logs into slices about 1/2" thick and place them on the baking sheet. If the blade of your knife is wide enough and you're careful, you can use the knife blade to transfer them to the sheet (that's how I do it), otherwise use a thin metal spatula. If they crumble in the slicing you can just press the pieces back into the cookie.

Bake for 12-14 mins until edges are golden brown. Leave on cookie sheet for 5 minutes to cool. If you try to remove them from the sheet immediately from the oven, the WILL fall apart. Believe me, I tried. After the five minutes, move the cookies to wire cooling racks until fully cool.

Now start brewing the coffee...

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I hope you enjoy these as much as I and the people who tested them for me did. The only negative reactions I got were from a couple children under the age of ten who live by the chocolate chip/oatmeal raisin only rule. And, after all, these are a little bit of a grown-up cookie. Even my dad, who thinks chocolate should be in everything, said that he really liked them. If/when you try them, please report back and let me know how they go.