Okay, I'm not terribly impressed with all the "superfoods." Many may be good, but not all meet the hype. Besides, I'm dubious that any one food can "do it all." You need a wide variety and balance of foods for good nutrition and health. Nonetheless, the advertisements for goji berries hooked me. Apparently the little berries are loaded with antioxidants, good for eyes (helping to protect against age-related diseases), loaded with vitamins A and C, contain beta-carotene, which helps promote healthy skin, may help balance blood sugar, and may improve depression, anxiety, and sleep. Okay, sounds good. I decided to try, not just a few, but a giant bag of goji berries from Costco. Why? Well, I was getting low on dried cranberries and figured my husband could always have the goji berries in his morning oatmeal in lieu of the cranberries. After trying the gojis, my husband ruled them okay and "sort of like raisins." I like them. They are chewy and a little tart, so they aren't up there with dark chocolate. Nonetheless, I decided the gojis might go nicely in a little, not-to-sweet cookie to enjoy with tea or coffee. Hence today's offering, Goji Berry Cookies. The cookies take only a few minutes to mix up. They are a little crispy on the outside (including from a sprinkling of turbinado sugar)
and soft and fluffy on the inside. They are nubby with a little cornmeal for texture. The gojis do function a bit like raisins but raisins with an attitude. Try the cookies with fresh fruit for dessert or as a not-too-bad-for you snack. The cookies also are good for breakfast with coffee and a piece of cheese, if you're in a hurry.
Superfood Goji Berry Cookies -- Makes about 18
Grated zest of an orange or 2 clementines
3/4 cup of sugar
1/3 cup of canola oil
2 tablespoons of milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 3/4 cup of flour
1/2 cup of cornmeal
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1 cup of dried goji berries
Turbinado (raw) sugar
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment. In a large bowl whisk together the zest, sugar, canola oil, milk, eggs, and vanilla well. Stir in the flour, cornmeal, salt, and baking powder until just combined. Stir in the goji berries. Drop 1 1/2 tablespoon portions of the batter two inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with a little turbinado sugar. Bake the cookies 12-15 minutes or until set and just barely browning on the edges. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes before removing them to cool completely.
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