Chunky Chestnut Cookies

GLUTEN FREE · VEGAN · PALEO

This may sound silly, but chestnuts feel like the most ‘winter-y’ of nuts! Maybe it’s that they’re in season during the colder half of the year, maybe it’s that the smell of roasted chestnuts wafts through the air as you walk around any number of city streets from those chestnut-centric stands/trucks, or maybe it’s because they’re what’s “roasting on an open fire” just before Jack Frost starts nipping at your nose in that Christmas carol. Either way, come wintertime, the chestnut deserves to be celebrated.

Often relegated to simply one of the many ingredients making up some kind of stuffing during the Christmas season, chestnuts really are a hero ingredient in their own right, and I wanted to make something to showcase their unique flavour. Enter these soft and chewy cookies, that make chestnuts their star and come with no other flavour distractions!

While the flavour of chestnuts can sometimes be an acquired taste, I have always loved the rich, earthy and comforting taste, and could pretty much eat a vat of chestnut purée all too easily. I spent a lot of time in Switzerland over the years (mainly for medical reasons), and if my visit coincided with chestnut season, I would always seek out as much “vermicelles” (sweetened, and often rum-spiked, chestnut purée ‘spaghetti’) as I could find, to take the sting out of an otherwise doctor- and needle-filled day. It never disappointed. However, this is not a dish for frequent consumption, as it is laden with ingredients that I avoid – let me be clear, there’s no way I could go to Switzerland in winter and NOT eat some, but that’s not my everyday – so I came up with something simple to satisfy the chestnut craving, with entirely me-approved ingredients!

Here, I make my own from-scratch version of chestnut purée. Now, you can often find pre-made chestnut purée, and you can certainly use that in place of the chestnut, coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla combination in this recipe, but just be mindful of the ingredients, as these purées often have added sugars and other extra unwanted add-ins. Certainly, when you make your own from scratch, a major plus is that you have total control over what goes in and what doesn’t!

INGREDIENTS

Chestnut flour

I feel like chestnut flour is possibly one of the most underrated of the alternative, gluten-free flours, which is such a shame, because its unique taste and rather awesome nutrient profile really deserve more featuring.

These little guys pack a nutritional punch when it comes to their vitamin, mineral and antioxidant content, as well as providing high quality protein and essential amino acids. They are also low in fat and high in fibre, providing a whopping 15% of the daily fibre requirement in just one serving! This makes them great for digestion, as they provide optimum nourishment for the good bacteria living in your gut. Their high fibre content also means that they are helpful when it comes to blood sugar balance.

Chestnut flour is a little on the coarser side, which is why I recommend sifting, to reduce the risk of a lumpy cookie! Depending on how fine your sieve is, it’s a process that could take a few minutes, but try to stick with it, as it will improve the resulting texture of the cookies.

Bicarbonate of soda (gluten free)

Cooked chestnuts (vacuum-packed)

Vacuum-packed cooked chestnuts are a great shortcut that make incorporating chestnuts into your diet so much easier as you can skip the roasting/boiling step as they’re ready to go! They’re great to add to salads or soups just as they are.

These little nuggets of super nutritious deliciousness are the heart of this recipe. Their unique, rich flavour, and oh-so-satisfying soft and chewy texture are what make these cookies so unique.

(See the info in the chestnut flour section above for details on the nutrition and health benefits of chestnuts.)

Coconut oil

Semi-soft or melted coconut oil works best for this recipe, so if yours is solid at room temperature, warm it up so it softens before using.

Coconut oil is a great oil option for sweeter dishes. You can also opt for an odourless version if you don’t want any coconut taste coming through whatsoever. I opted for odourless here as I didn’t want any competition for that rich chestnut flavour!

Coconut oil is high in lauric acid, which has anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties, helpful for fighting pathogens. For more on coconut oil, check out this post.

Maple syrup

A good natural sugar alternative, very versatile, and with a lovely and unique taste.

Start with 1/3 cup and taste the mixture. If you would like it sweeter, then add in a little more.

Vanilla essence

Dairy-free chocolate (optional)

TIPS

If you want to try an alternative kind of ‘cookie dough’, you can skip the baking step altogether and just roll the mix into balls for a chestnut cookie dough snack. If you want to try this, leave out the bicarbonate though, as there’s no point in using it if there will be no baking involved!