Nut Free Recipes

Pomegranate Molasses Sugar Cookies

Pomegranate Molasses is a unique product which is not commonly utilized and for that matter, not commonly attainable. It is my objective to encourage you to consider pomegranate molasses and provide you with some compelling reasons why you should try it. I will introduce you to an easy recipe on how to make your own pomegranate molasses and how to use it to make deliciously distinctive Pomegranate Molasses Sugar Cookies. The recipe incorporates pomegranate molasses into the cookie dough as well as into a garnish on top of the baked cookie. The cookies are lightly spiced to compliment the flavour of pomegranate molasses. The cookie dough is rolled in organic cane sugar before baking to give them a crunchy exterior and a tender center. The flavour and texture of these cookies make them a pleasure to eat.

Let’s start with the fundamentals. What exactly is pomegranate molasses? It is essentially pomegranate juice that is boiled down to a syrup (a reduction). The syrup has a concentrated flavour with a pleasant lingering taste of sweet and sour on the tongue – a very unique tang. You can use it in almost everything from beverages, salad dressings or drizzling on roasted vegetables, glazing ham and as a flavour enhancer to many varieties of food – both sweet and savoury.

Pomegranates/pomegranate molasses are classified as a super food having many health benefits. They are an excellent source of antioxidants, vitamins, and anthocyanins. You can read additional information about pomegranates in my post, “Fun With Pomegranates”.

Pomegranate Molasses is a very popular condiment and flavouring ingredient in Middle Eastern cooking. It can often be found in the international aisle of most major grocery stores or stores specializing in Middle Eastern food products. If you cannot find it in stores near you, pomegranate molasses can be easily made at home. (see recipe below).

I was amazed to learn that pomegranate molasses is also helpful in reducing your body temperature in the summer (see my note below under “What Else Can I Do with This Recipe” regarding a refreshing pomegranate molasses beverage).

I encourage you to explore how easy it is to incorporate pomegranate molasses into your food and beverage preparation. Its versatility is unique in the fact that it enhances both sweet and savoury dishes.

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Holiday Pinwheel Biscotti

By Denise Pare-Watson

Going into an Italian store is always an adventure for me. One of the many things that I am always fascinated by is the huge glass container filled with tall biscotti sitting upright in the jar. They are typically large enough to feed a family! As much as I like these huge cookies, they are just too big! I wanted a smaller biscotti that would be more suitable for a coffee gathering. I adapted a recipe that uses a filling in the biscotti dough to make them more distinctive. Biscotti are always a hit during the holiday season given their ease of storage and long shelf life, not to mention wonderful in texture and flavour.

A Stack of Biscotti with pinwheel filling | urbnspice.com — Holiday Pinwheel Biscotti | urbnspice.com

I had a little leftover cranberry sauce from my Dairy-Free White Chocolate Eggnog with Cranberry Coulis, so it was a great opportunity to utilise it as a filling in the biscotti. These Holiday Pinwheel Biscotti are a tender, not hard biscotti and they are much smaller in size than traditional biscotti – you’re going to love them! They also make excellent edible gifts.

Edible Gifts by Urbnspice — Holiday Pinwheel Biscotti make excellent edible gifts

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Petite Home Baked Kingston Biscuits

By Denise Pare-Watson

Gluten Free, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Nut-Free

If you love cookies that offer both chewiness and crunchiness in texture, you are going to love this recipe! These Australian favourites are irresistible chocolate cream filled sandwich cookies. They have not lost their popularity since their 1926 creation by the Arnott Biscuit Company. The cookies are similar to another popular Australian cookie called Anzac Cookies, which have similar ingredients and preparation methods to the Kingston biscuits. These Home Baked Kingston Biscuits adapt very well to gluten-free and dairy-free substitutions. Kingston Biscuits have always been egg-free and nut-free. For the purpose of this post, I am providing the gluten-free and dairy-free version of this recipe.

Kingston Biscuits stacked on a plate | urbnspice.com — Petite-sized Home Baked Kingston Biscuits

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Old Fashioned Golden Raisin Biscuit Cookies

By Denise Pare-Watson

I enjoy re-engineering vintage recipes. I recently came across a recipe for an Old Fashioned Biscuit Cookie that I remember enjoying in my childhood. We rarely had store bought baked goods in our large household, so the taste of these cookies is still entrenched in my memory. They were so different from the home baked Hermit cookies that my Mom typically made. Cookies that look like a cracker with a chewy texture and crunchy sugar topping were very appealing back then and are still today. Old Fashioned Golden Raisin Biscuit Cookies were originally known as Garibaldi Biscuits and were named after an Italian general named Giuseppe Garibaldi. The biscuit company Peek Freans first manufactured the cookie in 1861. They have been a popular snack for over 150 years in Britain, as well as Australia and New Zealand where they are known by different names such as “Fruitli” and “Full O’Fruit.”

Gluten Free Golden Raisin Biscuit Cookies | urbnspice.com — Old Fashioned Golden Raisin Biscuit Cookie

Originally, currants were used in Garibaldi Biscuit Cookies. In this Old Fashioned Golden Raisin Biscuit Cookies recipe, I have substituted Golden Raisins for the currants. The cookie dough is rolled into a thin layer and folded over a layer of golden raisins and firmly pressed flat with a rolling pin to create a thin sheet of fruit-studded dough. While currants were traditional in this distinctive cookie, I like the look of the golden raisins peeking through the dough and in the baked cookie. Golden raisins are also known as sultanas and are made from green seedless grapes that are dried. Golden raisins are the juiciest and lightest in colour of all raisins. Raisins (dark raisins, sultanas and currants) are highly nutritious, high in fibre, potassium and antioxidants. Due to their concentrated nature, they are also high in sugar and calories so it is advisable to eat them in moderate amounts.

“Everything in moderation, including moderation.”
Julia Child

I remember reading about a study that showed eating raisins may lower blood pressure, improve control of blood sugar and also increase the feelings of satiety. On a more romantic note, I remember reading the following quote from a dietician’s manual that has stuck with me for many years:

“Eat a handful of raisins, and you can kiss your husband for an hour! ” Anonymous

Golden Raisin Biscuit Cookies | urbnspice.com — Old Fashioned Golden Raisin Biscuit Cookie

I find it quite amusing that this style of cookie is today often referred to as ‘Boomer Cookies’. My husband refers to them as “Old Fart Favourites” – he is a boomer (#oldfart). You will want to try this old-fashioned recipe, which has been modernized to accommodate gluten-free/dairy-free options as well as maintaining the traditional recipe. Both versions are scrumptious.

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How to Make the Ultimate Date Oatmeal Squares

By Denise Pare-Watson

Urb’n’Spice Ultimate Recipes Series

In my family, Ultimate Date Oatmeal Squares have a long history. My father-in-law loved these squares and every time we visited, a batch of these squares was always a must-have.

Ultimate Date Oatmeal Squares | urbnspice.com — Ultimate Date Oatmeal Squares

My research indicates that this old-fashioned dessert has been popular for a very long time in Canada, particularly in Western Canada, Quebec and Newfoundland. Date squares are made using layers of oat crumb crust and a date purée filling. These delicious squares are also known as matrimonial cake. I thought that this was an unusual name until I understood the significance of the two layers of oat crumble holding the dates together. Apparently, these layers symbolize the couple courting and then completing that bond in marriage (I suppose it made sense back then).

I have made this recipe for The Ultimate Date Oatmeal Squares for many years. I have always used traditional ingredients such as all-purpose flour, brown sugar and unsalted butter, which always provided a delicious result! In this post, I made modifications to this old fashioned recipe and have adapted it to make a gluten-free and dairy-free version with no loss of flavour, texture or overall appearance. I have provided both recipe versions with the gluten-free and dairy-free ingredients listed first and the traditional ingredients following. Both deliver a great result.

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How to Make the Best Waldorf Salad

By Denise Pare-Watson

Food memories provide a vivid sense of fragrances and tastes as well as a clear reminder of the people that we shared them with. I was reminiscing about my Mom the other day. She had a very special gift that involved remembering every visitor’s favourite foods whenever they came over. For example, when Mom received a telephone call from my cousin that she was coming to see her, Mom would busy herself in the kitchen preparing a batch of her favourite coconut tarts. The aromas of the freshly baked tarts filled our home upon her arrival.

How to Make the Best Waldorf Salad | urbnspice.com — Waldorf Salad is a refreshing, flavourful and nutritious salad that generations have enjoyed ever since it was invented in 1896.

My daughters have wonderful food memories of when they visited their grandmother. Mom would always make their favourite – Waldorf Salad. They remember the diced sweet red apple and crunchy celery in a creamy dressing, combined with thinly sliced red grapes and fragrant walnuts that the girls helped crack open with what they considered fascinating tools.

Waldorf Salad has been a family favourite for generations ever since it was first invented by the maître d’ of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City in 1896. You will love the simplicity, flavours and textures of this refreshing salad. I am confident that this easy-to-make tasty and nutritious salad with accessible ingredients will become your family favourite too!

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Crunchy Potato Chip Cookies

By Denise Pare-Watson

I have been making Crunchy Potato Chip Cookies for many years. These little cookies have a story behind them. When I was first married, we were snowed in for most of the winter in a little town called Ripley (believe it or not!). There was so much snow that it was as high as the power lines. The County had to add extensions onto the snow blowers in order to blow the snow up and over the top of the power lines. That winter went down in the history of Bruce County. There were even T-shirts made that were emblazoned with the slogan “I survived the winter of 1977”.

My Mom always said that a sign of a good cook is making something out of nothing. During that epic winter, the local grocery stores often ran a little low on supplies since deliveries were so disrupted. One had to get a little creative when you needed to make something for the local events in that very tight knit community. I still had a little flour, sugar and butter and the remnants from a bag of potato chips in my pantry, and that is how my Crunchy Potato Chip Cookie recipe came to be.

Nowadays, I make these cookies because they are unique and crispy with a not-too-sweet and somewhat savoury taste. They are a great addition to a cheese or dessert platter. The added bonus is that you can have that crunch without the use of nuts.

Crunchy Potato Chip Cookies

CHEF TALK: These cookies are fun to make with kids, as they are simple and easy to make, require very few ingredients, and are ready to bake right away. It seems that there are always enough chips left in the snack bowl to make these cookies. You only need 1/2 cup of crushed potato chips.

CHEF TIP: If you use gluten-free flour blend for these cookies, they will remain quite light in colour. If you are making the cookies for someone who is able to tolerate dairy, add 1 tablespoon of skim milk powder – this helps to brown the cookie dough in the oven. For dairy-free cookies, substitute coconut butter for the butter.

Yield: 22 – 24 cookies (15 g each) at 1 ½” diameter

INGREDIENTS:

¼ cup butter, softened
¼ cup shortening
¼ cup granulated sugar or organic cane sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1 cup all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour blend (I use Bob’s Red Mill 1 – 1 gluten-free Baking Flour)
½ cup well crushed potato chips

METHOD:

Preheat the oven to 350°F/325°F (if using a convection oven).
Cream the butter and shortening with sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the vanilla bean paste.
Add the flour and crushed potato chips.
Scoop onto a parchment lined baking sheet (small scoop = 1 tablespoon each). Alternatively, chill the dough and then roll into small balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart (the cookies will spread slightly).
Bake in the preheated oven for 12 – 15 minutes. Cool on the tray and then store in an airtight container for up to one week or freeze for longer storage.

Potato Chip Cookie nuggets | urbnspice.com

Do you Want More Urb’n’Spice Cookie Recipes?

Citrus Sand Cookies

Ricciarelli Cookies – An Italian Almond Cookie

Junior Chefs Best Cookies

Twice-Baked Nutty Meringue Cookie Crisps

Nut Butter Cookies

My Dee’s Old Fashioned Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

Vanilla Bean Poppers

Vanilla Bean Poppers – Holiday Food Fun Variation

Rainbow Poppers

How to Make Aquafaba Meringues

LEARNING TIPS:

Please CLICK the link above to access my Urb’n’Spice LEARNING TIPS, which are listed alphabetically on the Learning Tips blog post under the following subheadings:

Parchment Paper
Favourite Kitchen Tools: Spatula
Extracts: Vanilla Extract
Creaming
Oven Temperature Accuracy
__________

If you try my recipe for Crunchy Potato Chip Cookies, please leave me a comment below with your feedback. Don’t forget to pin this recipe for later!

Denise Paré-Watson

The Urb’n’Spice Chef

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Crunchy Potato Chip Cookies | urbnspice.com

Citrus Sand Cookies

By Denise Pare-Watson

Citrus Sand Cookies are one of my favourite cookies as they have an interesting sandy and crunchy texture. They are a sable type of cookie and are made with only a few ingredients: butter, sugar, flour and flavourings. I love these cookies because when time is limited, it only takes a few minutes to prepare the dough and chill it in logs until you are ready to bake them (this is an icebox style cookie). Once baked, they can be kept in an airtight tin and served with tea and coffee or as a compliment to a number of desserts such as crème brulée, panna cotta or ice cream. You must try these little cookies – they can be enjoyed for any number of occasions. They made great edible gifts, too.

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Dark Cherry Vanilla Dairy-Free Ice (Nice) Cream with Dark Cherry Vanilla Compote

By Denise Pare-Watson

Kids in the Kitchen Series

Cherries are in season in the Okanagan and there are so many ways to enjoy them. I could only eat so many raw cherries, and I needed to expand my repertoire of ways how to use these beautiful cherries. With that in mind, I have been playing with recipes for cherry compote, cherry cordial, cherry Danish and the featured recipe, Dark Cherry Vanilla Dairy-Free Ice (Nice) Cream.

Dark Cherry Vanilla Dairy-Free Ice (Nice) Cream | urbnspice.com

Dark Cherry Vanilla Dairy-Free Ice (Nice) Cream and Dark Cherry Vanilla Compote

There are members of my family who are dairy intolerant; so I developed my own version of a dairy-free dark cherry ice cream. One option is to use coconut milk for a dairy free alternative because it provides the same texture and creamy mouthfeel that an ice cream base made with cream would provide. Full Fat Coconut milk is quite expensive when compared to the cream that is used in regular ice cream. Therefore, for a number of reasons, I have used bananas to supplement the base mixture. Bananas add flavour and a natural sweetness to the base and are a more economical way to make dairy-free ice cream rather than using only coconut milk.

Dark Cherry Vanilla Dairy-Free Ice (Nice) Cream

It is interesting to note that when bananas are utilized as a major ingredient in dairy-free ice cream, it is called “Nice Cream.” The term ‘Nice Cream’ has become a common culinary term. “Nice Cream” is defined by the process of puréeing or blending chunks of frozen bananas into a soft style ice cream. While I enjoy the smoothness of this frozen dessert, it does not hold up well when you serve it. The addition of coconut milk creates a much more stable velvety texture with a delicious creamy flavour. When chopped dark cherries are added, this dairy-free frozen treat is taken to a new level. I have included almond extract in the ingredients because it pairs so well with cherries (omit for nut allergies).

There is one ingredient that you might not expect in this dairy-free ice cream and that is gelatine powder. Gelatine helps with the texture of this dairy-free ice cream, which can often be as hard as a puck due to the lack of fat and sugar. CHEF’S NOTE: Granulated sugar is often used in ice cream recipes because it does not freeze and keeps the ice cream from over crystalizing. You can use any type of sugar (granulated, liquid sugar such as maple syrup, honey, etc.). Sugar unquestionably gives the ice cream a more familiar texture. As Julia Child said, “Everything in moderation – including moderation.” It is really all about balance in everything that you eat. As frozen desserts go, a small portion of this ice cream treat is a healthier and enjoyable dairy-free option. Dark Cherry Vanilla Dairy-Free Ice (Nice) Cream is also gluten-free, egg-free, refined sugar-free and nut-free (if you omit the almond extract).

Typically, I will have lots of cherries left over, so I also want to share with you a recipe on how to make a delicious Dark Cherry & Vanilla Compote that is ready in less than five minutes. Dollop a spoonful of this compote on top of a serving of Dark Cherry Vanilla Dairy-Free Ice (Nice) Cream and you will have your guests and family coming back for seconds as this delicious compote goes so well with the Nice Cream….

Greek Yogurt Lemon and Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta

By Denise Pare-Watson

Planning a menu for a pure white dessert can be a challenge. Having said that, I created a Greek Yogurt Lemon and Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta for Canada Day. Panna Cotta is a natural choice for its purity of white colour and its simplicity to make. I love the fresh look of panna cotta, a gelatine set custard made from dairy products which often include cream and/or milk. In this recipe, Greek yogurt is used because of its tangy taste.

Creating a pure white dessert requires eliminating vanilla bean paste because it would tint the custard to an ivory colour. To solve this problem, I added just a smidgeon of vanilla bean powder, which will show only the tiny specks of the vanilla bean seeds in the dessert while retaining the purity of the white colour. As well, I used lemon in two ways (juice and zest) as a flavouring ingredient, which compliments the tangy Greek yogurt.

Skip to Panna Cotta Recipe

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