(cliccate qui per la versione italiana)
For my ongoing partnership with Italian family-run business SteVia’s, this week I have created these sugar-free and stevia-sweetened vegan shortbread cookies filled with a stevia-sweetened apple and cinnamon compote.
If you’ve read my previous post on the subject, or if you’ve had the chance to try stevia, you will know that it is fully natural and comes from a plant (the stevia plant!), and also that it has a licorice aftertaste. This is why I decided to add a few natural flavorings to my cookies: lots of cinnamon, carob (you can also use cocoa), vanilla and lemon zest. I paired them with a wonderfully fresh apple compote, which is not too sweet, in fact I think it’s just perfect. This is a lot coming from me, a jam/marmalade/compote non-lover generally! I give it a big thumbs up.
Note: these cookies are not too sweet, so feel free to add 1 whole scoop of stevia instead of ½, if you’d like.
The good folks at SteVia’s gave me a code that all of you can use when you purchase on their website. Enter code “01.0.06.B.A.” and you will be gifted a bag of sugar-free candies with your first order!
STEVIA-SWEETENED CAROB SHORTBREAD COOKIES WITH APPLE COMPOTE {vegan + sugar free}
by Marta Giaccone
Recipe
8 sandwich cookies (16 cookies total)
prep time: 20 mins, cooking time: 13 mins, total time: 33 mins + 30 mins rest time
¾ cup / 125 gr flour of choice (I used whole buckwheat and spelt)
2 tbsp / 15 gr carob or cocoa powder
1 tbsp / 4 gr baking powder
½ scoop powdered Stevia Sweet
pinch salt
seeds from 1 vanilla bean/extract/paste
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp lemon zest, finely grated
3 tbsp /45 ml light vegetable oil
3 tbsp /45 ml plant-based milk or water
1 small 140 gr jar of Stevia-sweetened Apple and Cinnamon Compote by SteVia’s
Method
- In a large bowl sift all dry ingredients and stir well.
- Pour oil and milk over the dry ingredients and mix to incorporate.
- Knead dough until smooth, inside the bowl, or transfer to a floured work surface. Form into a ball, wrap in plastic and let rest in the fridge for 30 mins or more.
- When you’re ready to proceed, set oven to 375°F/180°C.
- Transfer the dough back onto the work surface and roll it out between two sheets of parchment paper to about 3mm thick. With a cookie cutter cut out as many discs as you can. Then, cut out smaller discs in half of the cookies. You should be left with about 7-8 larger discs and just as many discs with holes (+ just as many tiny cookies!)
- Bake for 13 minutes, flipping tray after the first 10 minutes (I placed the tray on the top rack or else they’ll burn quickly). The top will still be quite soft and that’s ok, it will firm up after cooling. Let cool completely before filling with the apple compote. Add about 1 tbsp of compote to each disc, then top with a “holey” disc. Only add the compote before serving or else they’ll get mushy.
- Store plain cookies and in an airtight container at room temperature.
