So most of you know I like to use arrowroot in cookies. Why? Because I don't have to soak it like I do wheat and it can yield a really nice, light cookie. Here is my latest cookie recipe that resembles shortbread:
Arrowroot Shortbread Cookies
1 cup (two sticks) butter
1/2 to 1 cup sucanat (more or less depending on what you are going for- it works both ways, obviously the more you put in, the sweeter the cookie)
3 cups arrowroot
Optional add-ins: 1/2 cup chopped crispy pecans (recipe found in Nourishing Traditions) for Pecan Shortbread cookies, grated rind of one lemon for Lemon Shortbread Cookies, etc.
Preheat oven to 275º.
Whip butter and sucanat until fluffy. Add in 2 1/2 cups arrowroot, reserving 1/2 cup for later. Beat in gently until completely mixed in and a nice cookie dough consistency. My husband was helping me with this recently, and he was wondering what was wrong, but it just needed a little more mixing. Arrowroot does not behave like wheat flour, and takes a little getting used to, so you know what is "normal". If you are adding in lemon rind or pecans or any other add-in, do so at this time. For those of you who attended my class at Shauna's a few weeks ago, I added lemon rind in those cookies.
Get out your baking stone (I prefer my round pizza stone for this) if you have one and pour about half (1/4 cup) of the reserved arrowroot onto your stone. Pour your cookie dough onto the arrowroot and mix in. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin, using the remaining arrowroot when needed to prevent stickiness. Cut shapes with a cookie cutter of your choice and remove excess. Bake in preheated 275º oven for 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool and enjoy!
*Another thing I have done that is really fun is to make a filling out of homemade cream cheese, adding just a little lemon juice, honey and vanilla, whipping until smooth, and spreading between two lemon shortbread cookies. I like making the filling less sweet if the cookie is sweeter, and the filling more sweet if the cookie is less sweet. If you want exact instructions, let me know and I will be more specific when I have another minute.
P.S. For those of you who are not familiar with arrowroot, or would like to have a little background, I refer to the Nourishing Traditions, page 528:
"Arrowroot flour, the only starch with a calcium ash, is a nutritious food, obtained from the fleshy root stock of a tropical American plant. It is an easily digested food well fitted for infants and the convalescent.
"It resembles cornstarch in being white, fine and powdery. When heated in water in certain portions, it thickens to form a jelly, an excellent thickening agent. It is also considered more desirable for gravies, sauces and pastries than some of the more common starches and flours. It is used primarily for food in dietetic use, where it enjoys a reputation for smoothness and palatability.
"Arrowroot was once widely used in baby formulas as a superior carbohydrate, experience having shown it agreed with babies better than any other starch or sugar. We now find the reason. It is the only starch product with a calcium ash. In this regard, the calcium chloride, in the form of calcium found in arrowroot starch, is very important for the maintenance of proper acid and alkali balances in the human body.
"Arrowroot only thrives on tidal flats where the sea minerals are available. Its known health-building properties may be due to trace minerals from the sea, as well as from the calcium it gets from the sea water. It if is used in ice cream formulas in place of cornstarch, arrowroot imparts a vanilla-like flavor, a smooth texture. Arrowroot as it comes to you is not a refined product; it is simply the dried and powdered root." Royal Lee, DDS, Journal of the National Academy of Research Biochemists
I have been purchasing my arrowroot in 25 lb. bags from a co-op that recently went under. When I run out, I know it is available through Azure Standard. I am open to suggestions from any else that has found a great place to buy it for a great price. If you know, please share! I do not recommend purchasing arrowroot in small 1 lb. packages, except for maybe a one-time try-it-out- option. It's just too expensive that way!