After School Snack: Almond and Hempseed Cookies with Sour Cherries

almond hemp cherry cookies raw

Hey all! Thanks so much for cheering on my involvement with the new sweetpress brand! I was really touched by the comments, and hope that those of you in the DC area will let me know what you think!

Today’s post—and the cookies in it—is small and sweet. As usual, school is keeping me mighty busy, and I confess that I’ve done very little cooking at all this week! On Monday I made a simple, nutrient dense salad with some leftovers from an exciting, incredible quinoa dish with hempseeds I’ll be sharing tomorrow (get excited!). Last night, I took a library break to scurry down to M street and grab a quick dinner at Le Pain Quotidien with Kathy, who was in town for one night only. So great to catch up with her! We chatted and laughed over giant lentil salads.

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Lunches, for the most part, have been salads, sprouted grain sandwiches, and kind of boring mixtures of fruit, veggies, snack bars, and vegan snack bars that can fit into my backpack. When I’m organized, I make grain salads (like the aforementioned quinoa dish) and pack them up as leftovers for lunch, along with snacks for the late afternoon. It’s my preference to go home after class and before the library for lunch, but I don’t always have time. When I do have time, that time is still short, so lunch prep is all about maximizing nutrition and taste quickly.

Sticking to simple, nutritious eats is keeping me satisfied and energetic, but it’s not lending much flair to Choosing Raw! Stick with me, friends: I’ll have more to share very soon (and I’ll also get better at documenting my uber-simple eats, per many readers’ requests! The reason I don’t do that more often is my simple aversion to taking photos when I’m in a rush). In the meantime, do you guys remember when I mentioned that snacks have become very important to me this year? I’ve always been a solid, 3-square-meal-a-day kinda gal, and I still am, but doing schoolwork all day makes me a lot hungrier than did my working life. When I come home from a spell of problem solving, or when I’m immersed in that solving (and seeking) in the library, I need to snack at fairly even intervals. Sometimes, I like savory snacks, like hummus and veggies, any one of my raw crackers, or blended salads.

And sometimes, I like a sweet treat.

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Those are almond and hempseed cookie with sour cherries. They’re easy to make, and it’s very delicious. In fact, I’m munching on one now; I like it when snacks can double as dessert!

I actually conceived of these cookies as dehydrator cookies, and realized right away that they really don’t demand dehydration at all. Lucky for me—and for all of you. With a little glass of almond milk, these cookies bring you right back to the after school treats you remember from childhood—but with a raw and vegan flair!

Almond Hempseed Cookies with Sour Cherries

Makes about 20 cookies

2 cups raw almonds
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup hempseeds
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp agave syrup
1/3 cup sour cherries (dried)

1. Grind almonds in a food processor till they’re a fine meal. Add raisins, agave, and vanilla, and process till the mixture is even and sticking together. Pulse in the hempseeds and sour cherries.

2. Roll mixture into 1 1/2 inch balls. Flatten into a cookie shape with your hand, and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. And you’re done!

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As you’ve probably noticed, I really love dried cherries in my sweet treats! The tart/sweet contrast sings to me. If you’re not into cherries, though, feel free to use goji berries, cacao nibs, dried mango, or whatever floats your boat.

Hope these little cookies add as much charm to your day as they added to mine. See you back here tomorrow with another quick, easy recipe!

xo

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Categories: Cookies
Dietary Preferences: Vegan

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    36 Comments
  1. Didn’t have cherries but wanted to make these, so I added small pieces of dark chocolate. Cookies were still really good but will make them with cherries next time..

  2. These sound great! One question: If I happen to have almond meal around, what amount would I use instead of the 2 cups of raw almonds? Seems like it should work since you’re making the almonds into meal anyway, but I’m not sure what the conversion would be. I’m guessing maybe one cup of almond meal?

  3. These were fabulous. We didn’t have sour cherries so we used the nibs. Nice choice although I have since picked up the cherries to try because we *are* making this again!

  4. Dearest Gena, Choosing Raw is just as invaluable, enjoyable, and magical to read now as it has ever been. Don’t even think for a second that it’s lost any oomph during your back-to-school adventure! You = amazing.

  5. These sound delectable! Can’t wait to make them! What dehydrator instructions do you recommend…I think I’d like to try have dehydrated and half fridge method, just ’cause. 🙂 Thanks!

  6. What is your opinion on a high raw diet focused on high amounts of plant based fats (nuts, seeds, coconut, avocados) vrs. Douglas Grahams 80/10/10?

  7. Gena, I love the way you never compromise and just put up a blog post for the sake of it… so don’t change!!! When you do post, everything is always content-rich and thoughtful, so it’s worth the wait.

    Question — do you think I could substitute dates for the raisins? I have always hated raisins (“humiliated grapes”) but wondered if this would make the cookies too sweet.

  8. Love how quick and easy these look! I’ll probably try them with chia since I have that on hand, but can’t wait. 🙂

  9. This looks great. Could I use dates in place of the raisins and if I do so should I adjust the amount of agave syrup? I prefer desserts and cookies and stuff to be on the not so sweet side.

  10. Do you use white hemp seed or the more crispy ones that are dark green?
    I’ve both at home and genereally prefer the cracked white ones, more subtle.

  11. These look amazing! And I love how easy they are to put together – adaptable too, if you want to use different dried fruit. I have only made raw fruit / nut balls but now I think I need to squish them out into cookies.

  12. Gena, these look so yum!
    Of course we will stick with you!
    It amazes me how you even get time to blog, so your daily blog if highly appreciated.
    Everyone’s lives are so busy these days that there really isn’t time to spend on difficult , time consuming dishes, so quick and easy is the way to go!
    And these cookies sound perfect for people on the run!

  13. Hi there

    Could you substitute hempseeds with something else? We don’t have access to hemp seeds where I live in Western Australia.

    Cheers

    • Hey Yolanda, do you live in Perth? I’ve found quite a few places that stock them now – Manna wholefoods in South Freo, The raw kitchen in Freo, Loose Produce in Como. If you’re not in Perth though I imagine it would be hard to find them. Personally, if I didn’t have hemp I would try subbing in sunflower seeds 🙂

      • Hey there, thanks for the replies
        I’m down south but will check those places out when next in Freo, thanks for the suggestions. Will try pepitas/sunflowers/chias in the meantime.

  14. Hey those look really good I might be making these regularly. 🙂

    PS I get that you’re really busy and everything and when things slow down a bit for you I was wondering if you could update your recipage because I’m having a hard time finding your more recent recipes. Thanks. 🙂

  15. I’m getting into dried cherries, too! At the store I work at we have a raw, dehydrated buckwheat granola with bing cherries that I just love.

    Don’t feel anxious about recipes on the blog, Gena – school comes first and it is very important!

  16. Glad you and Kathy could catch up and get some chitchat in…lifesaver to meet up with a good friend when life is crazy!

    Great looking cookies. I love cranberries and cherries…dried or fresh, love them both!