POWERFUL PECAN NUTS plus A PECAN NUT COOKIE RECIPE

We all know and love the classic nuts – a handful of peanuts + raisins during playtime at school, some yummy salted cashews around the braai, a good dollop of almond butter on your toast in the morning, but have you ever given enough love to the underrated Pecan Nut? This little brown beauty is packed with nutritional value that (in some experts’ opinions) blows all the other nuts out of the water!

Pecans have a couple of things that make them amazing:

1. Pecan Nuts are high in unsaturated fats that are known for keeping you feeling fuller for longer and therefore helping you to not snack continuously on other bad foods during the day.
2. They also have the incredible ability to impact your hunger hormone (ghrelin) – keeping its production at bay. Less hunger hormone equals less “hangry” moments (and all people agree that a “hangry” person is a bad person to be around!).
3. They are also strong antioxidant fighters – which basically means they help to combat compounds in your body that cause your body stress (compounds that could lead to cancer growth or heart disease for example). Not only that but does their antioxidant capacity fight the first signs of ageing! (Ladies everywhere rejoice! Eat more pecans and you could potentially get fewer wrinkles!).

We here at Capedry love celebrating our unsung heroes and we want you to get those Pecans in daily! We know it’s hard sometimes to eat nuts raw as they are – you might not be used to the flavour or texture and might find it difficult to get used to at first, but we promise, you will fall in love with it right after! We thought we’d make your introduction to Pecans easy and yummy.

Below is our favourite Pecan Cookie Recipe – a gluten free soft-baked cookie that is not only tasty, but also pretty high up the scale of healthy desserts! This cookie is moreish and has an absolutely unmistakable Pecan Nut flavour that is to die for. Its texture is soft, so don’t expect a crispy biscuit here. This is more of an American style soft-baked cookie – best eaten straight out of the oven (as most puddings are).

PECAN NUT COOKIE RECIPE

Makes around 30-35 cookies

4 cups Capedry Pecan Pieces + a handful extra to top the cookies with as decoration

2 tablespoons Capedry Almonds Ground

2 teaspoons olive oil, flax seed oil, or avocado oil

130g coconut sugar / brown sugar

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

a pinch of salt

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 180˚
2. Place the 4 cups of pecan nuts on a large baking tray and place in the oven for 2 minutes. Take them out and mix them around, then place back in the oven for another 3 minutes until golden brown and roasted.
3. Take the pecans out and reduce the oven temperature to 160˚
4. Now take the pecans and put them into a food processor with the oil. Blend until a very smooth nut butter forms. This should take around 5 – 10 minutes. Make sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl regularly.
5. Line two baking trays with non-stick baking paper.
6. Meanwhile, whisk the sugar, salt, and bicarbonate of soda in a large mixing bowl.
7. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and whisk until slightly frothy.
8. When the pecan butter is done, add it into the egg mixture along with the ground almonds. Mix until the cookie dough is smooth and forms a big ball.
9. Now, measure out about half a tablespoon and roll into a ball. The mixture should feel slightly oily. Place each ball onto the baking tray and press down well with your palm or the back of a fork or spoon.
10. Top each cookie with a piece of pecan nut and place in the oven to bake for around 12 – 13 minutes. The cookies should look golden brown. Don’t worry if they feel a bit soft – they will firm up as they cool down.
11. These cookies are best enjoyed immediately, but should keep for a few days in an airtight container.