These cookies are good, simple to make, and lightly sweet, not cloyingly decadent. Instead of from refined sugar, the cookies get their sweetness from mango puree, which is easy to make. You barely cover dried mango pieces in boiling water, let the mixture cool, and process the mango pieces and any leftover water in the food processor. The cookies are a bit crispy on the edges and soft in the centers. Chopped pistachio nuts stud the cookies and give them more flavor and a slight crunch. With extra protein from chickpea (besan) flour and plenty of fiber, the cookies are less likely to cause blood sugar spikes than many other types of cookies, so the cookies are great (in moderation, as always) if you're on a diabetic diet or want to "eat healthy." You can find besan flour at larger grocery stores or on line, but I buy it at Asian markets, where it is less expensive. Besan flour also can be used as a substitute for eggs in some recipes, so it's useful to have around (eggs in my area are about $15 for a carton of 18 eggs!) I usually make the cookies in the air fryer in 10-15 minutes, and you can also bake them in a regular oven. We like the cookies for dessert alongside a cup of tea or coffee, and the cookies also make nice after school treats with a glass of milk. Enjoy!
Fruit-Sweetened Mango and Pistachio Cookies (Diabetic Friendly) -- Makes 12
1/2 cup of mango puree (see above for how to make it)
1/4 cup of canola oil
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/4 cup of milk
1/2 cup of besan flour (chickpea flour)
1/2 cup of oat flour (just grind oats to a flour in a food processor)
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/3-1/2 cup of chopped, toasted pistachio nuts
In a large bowl mix the mango puree, oil, vanilla, and milk together. Add the besan flour, oat flour, baking powder, salt, and pistachio nuts to the wet ingredients and mix everything until combined. Set the mixture aside for at least an hour, then stir it again.
Air Fryer: Cut pieces of baking parchment to fit your air fryer basket. Drop 1 1/2-2 tablespoon scoops of dough onto the parchment, leaving a couple of inches between the dough mounds. With damp fingers, press the dough mounds into rounds about 1/2-inch thick. Air fry the dough at 300 degrees for 10-13 minutes or until just brown on the edges and a light golden brown in the middle. Let the cookies cool on their parchment for a few minutes before trying to remove them.
Oven: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line a baking sheet with baking parchment. Drop 1 1/2-2 tablespoon scoops of dough onto the parchment, leaving at least a couple of inches between the dough mounds. With damp fingers, press the dough mounds into rounds about 1/2-inch thick. Bake the dough for 10-15 minutes or until just brown on the edges and a light golden brown in the middle. Let the cookies cool on their parchment for a few minutes before trying to remove them.
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