08.06.2008 Booze it up Cookies

Is there anything booze can’t do, in baked goods? I didn’t think so.
These are wonderful made with tahini, too, but be sure not to add oil if your paste is rather thin, the way tahini is known to be, otherwise it would make for a greasy mess.

1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons (105 ml) canola oil
3/4 cup (144 g) raw sugar
1 1/2 cups (384 g) creamy nut butter of choice (peanut, almond, cashew…)
1 tablespoon (15 ml) pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup (180 ml) coffee liqueur, such as Kahlua
1 1/2 tablespoons (12 g) cornstarch
3/4 cup (120 g) brown rice flour
3/4 cup (90 g) light spelt flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
Handful nondairy semisweet chocolate chips, optional

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4). Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats, such as Silpat.
In a medium bowl, whisk together oil, sugar, peanut butter, vanilla, and coffee liqueur until emulsified.
Add cornstarch, flours, baking powder, and salt. Stir until well combined.
Divide dough into 20 equal portions, using about 2 tablespoons (50 g) worth of dough.
Flatten on prepared cookie sheets: the cookies don’t spread much while baking. Decorate with a crosshatch pattern if desired, using a fork. Press a few optional chocolate chips on top.
Bake for 14 minutes or until nicely colored around the edges. Wait 15 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Yield: 20 cookies