Raw Chocolate Chip cookies!

These have been waiting a long time to make their debut. I have found a few really tasty sounding recipes online, but the one I used today was from Alissa Cohen's book. I had fun making them last night and tonight I had fun eating them! They smell like "real" cookies, and kinda look like them, but they have a taste that is all their own - a deliciously tasty taste! :)~

I'll have to experiment with more recipes to find the "perfect" cookie substitute!

Raw Chocolate Chip Cookies:

Dough:

1 C cashews

1 C walnuts

1 C dried apricots (soaked for 2 hrs)

1/2 C raisins (soaked for 2 hrs)

1 Tbs honey

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 C water - or less for thicker dough

Chocolate Chips:

1/2 C dried apricots (soaked for 4 hrs)

1/2 C carob powder

1/4 C water

1/2 Tbs honey

For Dough:

In a food processor blend the cashews and walnuts into a fine powder. Remove from food processor and set aside. In FP blend the remaining dough ingredients until smooth. Add in

cashew and walnut mixture and blend again until smooth. Remove dough from processor and form into cookies on a dehydrator screen.

For Chips:

In a blender add the ingredients and blend well until creamy. Place small bits of the chocolate chip batter onto the tops of the cookies and press into cookies. Dehydrate the chocolate chip cookies at 105 degrees for 6-12 hrs (more like 18 hrs in my case).

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Maybe I am doing something wrong but I swear I need to dehydrate things much longer than recipes call for, because they refuse to get "hard". Maybe they're not supposed to? Who knows. I am going to start my pizza dough tonight, because I'm seriously craving it. I can't wait till more foods come into season so I can make a greater variety of things.

Another thing I'm excited about is sharing my food creations/knowledge/experiences with people. My mom and sister are two of the only people who haven't thought I am crazy for eating this way. What I really want to do is get together with whoever wants to and have a "raw day"! It could start with breakfast and end with dinner, with snacks in between. I'd love to show my family how to prepare raw things and share recipes! I want people to be able to see how many things they'll actually like and how there are endless possibilities. Of course, I would never consider myself an expert, since I haven't even mastered the lifestyle myself, but I am still in the position to share what I know with whoever wants to listen! I've learned that eating raw can take more time and preperation than eating cooked, but I've decided that since it's my health on the line, it's time well invested.