These easy spirulina cookies are a delicious way to pack some healthy greens into your diet!
My initial name for these was "Iron Woman Cookies." I can get a little iron deficient from time to time, and I read that spirulina is one of the best vegetarian sources or iron. They turned out so incredibly green that I thought, no, I should name them "Hulk Cookies." Which name to pick? Well, they do call spirulina a superfood, so how about the all encompassing "Superhero Spirulina Cookies"? Sold!
Now, a couple of disclaimers. First, even though I call these cookies, please don't make them if you're looking for a Mrs. Field's-style sweet tooth fix. They are cookies in that somewhat sweet, soft, munchy with nuts and raisins sense, but the object is to satisfy and get something very healthy into your belly. This is why I've filed them under "snacks" as opposed to "sweets."
Second, I just called spirulina a superfood. I don't really buy this. In sense I do, but I think the term is a little deceptive in that people think the food has magical powers that will make you live forever. What I do believe is that if you eat lots of foods like blueberries, broccoli, green tea and spirulina, odds are you're gonna be stronger and live longer than if you eat lots of foods like Big Macs and cheesecakes in lieu of said "superfoods." That's about it. What I've given you here is one convenient and tasty way of consuming something very good for you, though if you browse around a bit you will likely find that this blog and the entire internet are full of options for consuming all kinds of very good-for-you foods.
As for the spirulina, this stuff can be a bit scary. It is very green. When you cook with it, that green will get everywhere. It's a bit like cooking with beets. Also, it smells a bit like fish food. Not very appetizing. This is because it's actually a single cell blue-green algae. This is also why it needs to be cleverly incorporated into recipes such as this one, though you can also take it in capsule form. If you try to mix it with water and take it as a shot, as I did before engineering these cookies, you will probably be pretty sad. Don't do it! If you want to drink it try a smoothie instead. Maybe I'll send a recipe for one of those your way down the road. It's very potent, and I actually had to do a second take on this recipe due to spirulina's extreme potency. The first batch had four times the spirulina! I guess I was pretty serious about getting nutritious stuff into my body. Anyway, that batch was edible. Not terrible, and like I said, these were never intended to be an indulgent dessert. But really not enjoyable either, and can we really call food nutritious if we get no enjoyment out of it? Not if you ask me. You can taste the spirulina in this batch, but it is perfectly mild. Just a hint...enough to make you feel good about all of the nutrition you're downing, and spirulina is quite nutritious. High in protein, loaded with B vitamins, and a great source of iron. So basically, eat these cookies and you'll be set to save the city!
More Vegan Snacks
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Superhero Spirulina Cookies
These easy spirulina cookies are a delicious way to pack some healthy greens into your diet!
Ingredients
- 1 cup oat flour can be made by processing whole oats in food processor
- 2 cups oats
- 1 tbsp. cinnamon
- 2 tbsp. spirulina
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 2 tbsp. maple syrup
- 2 ripe bananas mashed
- ¼ cup coconut oil melted
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- ½ cup raisins
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350.
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Grease a couple of baking sheets.
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In large mixing bowl, mix oat flour, oats, cinnamon, spirulina and baking soda.
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In separate bowl, mix everything else except raisins and walnuts.
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Add to dry mixture and mix well.
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Now add the raisins and nuts.
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Drop rounded spoonfuls onto sheets.
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You can place them relatively close together, as they don't spread out much (as you can see from my pics).
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Bake for ten minutes.
I have to admit they LOOK a bit intimidating but when I read the ingredients they look YUM! Goes to show you we should never judge a book by its cover!
They definitely look greener than they taste...if that makes any sense. You can taste the spirulina just a bit, but if you ate them blindfolded you might just be fooled into thinking you were eating a regular old oatmeal raisin cookie :)
So green!!! But then looks healthy. Although I have read about spirulina, I haven't decided to try it yet. But maybe making these cookies will help me decide. Allow me complete the ingredients first. Thanks Alissa! :)
I think these cookies are a great way to introduce yourself to spirulina if you've never tried it. Just don't get scared when you first open the jar of spirulina - it's pretty intense in both color and smell. Much more palatable once mixed into the cookie dough!
This looks like an awesome, less expensive and easy alternative to any of the "power bars" out there. I'm looking at training for a ultra marathon on a vegan diet. I'm making theses and putting them in my snack pack for sure!
Oh perfect! I hope you enjoy them!!
Has anyone tried subbing applesauce for the banana? I don’t have any ripe bananas around and I’m dying to make these.