Saturday, November 26, 2011

Vegan Blackberry Pectin Cookies (& mom's guess)

I was going to make some kind of granola bar but came up with a cookie. I didn't plan on it. I tasted these oats that I fried in oil for the deer. Earlier today. They tasted just like pie crust so I was thinking of making a kind of crisp or pie substitute or something but I have few ingredients to work with right now. So I decided to use some of the frozen blackberries and I have no sugar and just a little honey. I tried one thing that was gross and decided to use pectin. I figured it would slightly sweeten the berries or mellow the acidity and also would hold the fried oats together.

So it's simple...I wouldn't say they're the best, but working with few ingredients.

1. Blackberries. Pour blackberries into pan or skillet, and cook with little water for consistency.

2. Pectin. Use jam pectin without the calcium part of it.

3. Pour mixture into bowl.

4. Fry oats in oil (I used olive oil)

5. Blackberry mixture will be just slightly setting, mix together with oats and either spread into pan for bars, or drop into cookies.

I was going to spread mine out across the pan and then cut into squares but I thought I would make cookies instead. I finally figured out that the oven side is to the left, and the timer is to the right...I'd wondered why the oven wasn't working and it was just "toasting" things for up to 15 minutes but I figured it out, instantly, tonight for some reason.

So I baked them at about 375 degrees and they hold up.

The pectin binds the oats and blackberries together. I used a very small amount of honey on the top, a tiny drop, but they would be just as good fully vegan, without even honey or another substitute. Just healthy snacks. I ate them all already. I think that I cooked them for about 15 minutes or more, just checked to see how the pectin cooks because I've never cooked this kind of thing before.

I just threw things together, but in amounts, I guess it was about 1 cup of blackberries and a little water. Then it was about 1 tsp of pectin dissolved after the blackberries were cooking and then cooked a little this way until thickened. Then after this I dropped them into 6 cookies on the tray and cooked.

I made a 1st batch and it was bad so I threw it out...I tried using lemon natural pectin that I'd ground up and it was too strong and I used veggie broth just for the corn syrup in it and it didn't taste good. So I threw it out and used blackberries with plain, organic, store-bought pectin.

I was thinking about making a pumpkin bar but decided blackberry would be easier to blend. I think I could use pectin for pumpkin though. Never thought of it before bc I've heard of blackberry jam but not pumpkin jam but I think I could add pectin to it and it should work the same way. I think I'll have to get more pectin and try it.

8. Mom's Guess on Tarberry Jam.
I think my mom guessed I would use some kind, or make some kind of jam. She had a little jar of "Tarberry Jam" sitting out on the right side of the sink. There is the sink and a lft side and rt side and she had "Tarberry" jam sitting out to the right and she wasn't using it. She knew I might make a jam apparently and the only kind of berry I have is blackberry right now.

I don't know what tarberry is actually. I'll have to look it up. I didn't have a choice--had to use blackberries and oats bc no flour and no other grain. It's not a symbolic decision, it's what you're forced to work with when others have forced you to be submerged for over 7 years and groceries are slim. Try to stick head up and look around? stomped down like a groundhog.
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Also, my ginko and yerba was totally dried out and I was able to grind it down to a flour almost. I almost used it in my cookies and decided not to. They look like 5 minute munchies but are sort of dark purple-black.
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The other things I made were marinara and cabbage fried with red pepper just because I don't have a lot left right now. And I had green beans, long string green beans and then sort of a saffron-raisin rice on the side and a little balsamic vinegar with it.
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