SALTED CASHEW HOLIDAY COOKIES




SALTED CASHEW HOLIDAY COOKIES
 Honestly, these gorgeous, large chunky cookies totally rival my famous chocolate chip cookies.  Great special occasion cookies!  These are worth making, trust me on this one.  Keep them in the refrigerator for the best texture, I think.

1 2/3  cups salted cashews* (400 mL)
21/cups Gluten-Free Bake Mix 2, (560 mL)
1 tsp baking soda (5 mL)
1/cup unsalted butter, softened (125 mL)
1 egg
Liquid sweetener (sucralose or stevia) to equal 11/cups sugar (300 mL)
  sugar
1/cup granulated erythritol (75 mL)
11/tsp unflavored gelatin (7 mL)
1 tsp vanilla extract (5 mL)
30 cashews for garnish

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).  Spread all the cashews out on a cookie sheet, including the ones reserved for garnish.  Bake 8 to 10 minutes. Reserve 30 cashews for the tops of the cookies.  When cooled, chop cashews finely in a food processor, using the pulse button. 

In medium bowl, combine Gluten-Free Bake Mix 2, page 149 190 and baking soda.

In food processor or mixer, process butter.  Add egg, liquid sweetener, erythritol, gelatin and vanilla extract.  Process well.  Add dry ingredients; process.  Stir in chopped cashews.  Make 1 tbsp (15 mL) balls of dough and place them on a lightly greased cookie sheet.  Press a cashew from reserved cashews in the top of each mound of cookie dough.  Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until cookies are golden brown underneath.

Variations:  *You can use 1 cup (250 mL) cashews (chopped after roasting) and 2/cup (150 mL) sugar-free white chocolate bar (Ross® bars) chopped up in this (fantastic!).  White chocolate goes beautifully with the cashews.  Or, use regular sugar-free chocolate chips Lily’s® at Netrition.com or Hershey’s Sugar-free Chocolate Chips from Wal-Mart.  If you prefer, you can use pecans in this recipe instead. They won’t be salted obviously, but it will still be a great cookie!  

Yield:  30 cookies
1 cookie
120.6 calories
3.1 g protein
10.1 g fat
0.0 g fiber
4.7 g net carbs