Thursday, June 15, 2006

RECIPE ~ Psyllium Cookies


These little cookies are so full of fibre I should really be calling them "pookies". Psyllium is all fibre so it doesn't get absorbed by the body. Its calories are negligible and they add lots of bulk to help keep your digestive system moving (find psyllium at health food stores). The oatmeal and flax are also great for the gut! Choose a nut butter, sweetener and flour according to your dosha (see below) or to your taste. Makes around 2 dozen. Pictured here using molasses, walnut butter and spelt flour.

8 Tbsp seed or nut butter (almond, peanut, walnut, sunflower, tahini...)*
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch sea salt
8 Tbsp sweetener (maple syrup, molasses, rice syrup...)*
1 egg
1 cup whole grain flour (spelt, kamut, chick pea, rice, or a mixture of these)*
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup whole psyllium husks
1 Tbsp flax seeds


Preheat oven to 325°F and spray a cookie sheet with oil. In a food processor or large bowl, mix together the nut butter, oil, vanilla, cinnamon, salt and sweetener. Mix in the egg. Stir in flour, oatmeal,psyllium and flax seeds, and mix just enough to distribute them evenly throughout the mixture. You should end up with a stiff batter.

Make little balls of dough and press each cookie flat, to about 1cm high, with a fork. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool and store in an air-tight container. I recommend you have a glass of water with each cookie, since the psyllium absorbs lots of water and will expand in the belly, which is how it adds bulk to your system. Otherwise it could leach moisture from your intestines!

* FOR INDIVIDUAL DOSHAS
VATAS choose: any nut butter; whole wheat or brown rice flour; molasses or brown rice syrup as sweetener
PITTAS choose: almond butter; whole wheat or spelt flour; maple syrup or brown rice syrup as sweetener
KAPHAS choose: sunflower or pumpkin seed butters; millet or rye flour; brown rice syrup or fruit puree as sweetener

NOTE
~ Flax is a great fibre seed for all doshas, so feel free to substitute the psyllium husks with ground flax (also better for Vatas).
~ For a gluten-free cookie, replace oatmeal with dry cereal like kamut flakes or puffed rice
~ Cooking with honey goes against Ayurvedic recommendations because honey is a living food. Its nutritional benefits will be destroyed with heating, so in general, choose unpasteurized honey and do not use for baking or cooking.
~ I tried these with just molasses and find they need to be cut with some other sweetener as well, like maple or brown rice syrup (half and half). I also tried these with chick pea flour and they were surprisingly good (suitable for Pittas and Kaphas)!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
POOKIES REVISITED!



There's been some discussion about trying to replicate the Metamucil(TM) psyllium fibre cookies that are on the market. Using Jeniece's guidelines, I've baked them as seen here, with some success! They probably taste nothing like the ones you can buy (sorry, Jeniece!), but they're quite tasty and so full of goodness. Here is the recipe, with my modifications:

1 cup flour (I used barley)
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup psyllium
1/4 cup oats
1/4 cup oat bran
1/2 tsp corn starch
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 Tbsp molasses
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup mashed ripe banana or applesauce


Combine all dry ingredients, then liquids separately, and stir together to combine thoroughly. Spread the dough onto a non-stick cookie sheet and roll or press down to a 1/2 cm thickness. Cut with a sharp knife into 16 squares, and bake at 350F for 20 minutes (for a softer and chewier cookie, bake for only 15 minutes). Reinforce the cuts to separate the squares, and let cool. Enjoy each one with a glass of water and let the gut magic begin!

48 comments:

Anonymous said...

First "uckies", now "pookies". i love it! You are too funny! xo michelle

Claudia Davila (Fran) said...

Hi Michelle!! I haven't made a bonafide COOKIE in years -- never anything as devilishly scrumptious like the ones you make, sweet thing! : )

veronika said...

mmmmmmm pookies. I am so totally going to make these, the name alone is worth the adventure......and I'm sure it's an adventure.

Anonymous said...

Excellent. I asked my wife to make a double batch of Pookies. Wonderfull. My colon thanks you too. Next time I will ask he to add even more psyllium. Pookies is such a fun name too.

Unknown said...

these are my favorite. next time i make them i'm going to try using ground flax instead of psyllium because i heard that psyllium doesn't have the correct ratio of .. umm... soluble and unsoluable fiber? psyllium is mostly soluable so it doesn't clean out your colon as much as a fibre with the proper ratio. (like vegtable/legume fiber)

but thanks fran!! these are awesome.

Claudia Davila (Fran) said...

Thanks to the anonymous comment! I'm very glad you (and your bowels!) like these so much. :-)

And yay, Amanda! I'm glad you like them, too. And I'm with you, flax is better than psyllium sometimes, and I love flax in cookies. Thanks for your comment!

Anonymous said...

Yes, Yes, Love it. Making a double batch for the second time. Using a bit more Psyllium. Also use part Splenda to cut down on the sweetener.

Anonymous said...

Wow,these fantastic!! I made 2 batches,the first I used psylliun,flax,10 grain cereal,chick pea flour and blue agave for sweetner.
The 2nd batch I used the psylliun and flax instead of oatmeal,Millet flour and some pureed prunes...they were both delicious.What a great recipie collection,so glad I found it:)

Lisa

Anonymous said...

What about for vegans? Is there an egg substitute that would maintain the texture and other qualities of these cookies? Would Ener-G egg replacer work in this instance?

Claudia Davila (Fran) said...

For a vegan recipe you can use Ener-G egg replacer, or add 1 Tbsp ground flax blended with 1/4 cup water (mix and let sit 10 minutes so it gets gooey), or add 1/2 a mashed banana.

Enjoy! :-)

Jeniece said...

I was doubtful, but these are really tasty.. though I had to use Skippy (bad but yummy).
I used a little less flopur since I used part molasses and part Splenda, and it worked fine. Has anyone used more psyllium than 1/4 cup? there's actually only 3-4 g of fiber per cookie, which isn't as much as those metamucil wafers which are 6 per serving.

Claudia Davila (Fran) said...

Hi Jeniece! I'm glad you were pleasantly surprised :-) Feel free to increase the psyllium by 50%, I'm sure they'll still work fine but will be more fiber-y and you'll need to drink more water with each one so it can bulk up nicely in your intestines!

Jeniece said...

By the way, frannie, since you seem to be a genius with this psyllium stuff... do you happen to have or have an idea for a recipe that's similar to the metamucil cookie things? dunno if you've tried them but they have 120 calories, 6g fiber, 5g fat (which is fine if it's good fat) and are reeeeeeallly tasty. They are almost like cinnamon shortbread... crispy and crunchy and crumbly.

Claudia Davila (Fran) said...

I just checked out Metamucil's website and they list the ingredients of the cinnamon cookies. They look good!

Wheat Flour, Corn Oil, Sucrose, Psyllium Husk, Oats, Fructose, Oat Hull Fiber, Corn Starch, Soy Lecithin, Cinnamon, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Molasses, Sodium Bicarbonate, Ascorbic Acid (Preservative)

I'll try turning these ingredients into a crispy cookie recipe and post here if they work out... fingers crossed ;-)

Jeniece said...

Re: Metamucil cookies:
I did some calculations using the nutrition facts and the info they give about relative amount of ingredients. Came up with:
1 cup flour
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup Sugar/splenda
3/4 cup psyllium
1/4 cup oats
1/4 cup oat bran
1/4 to 1/2 tsp corn starch
1-2 tbsp molasses
I would eyeball the amounts of spices and put in 1/2 or so tsp of baking powder, bake at 350? I feel like this is going to be way too dry though. Maybe add water? though the package doesn't say it's added.
I haven't tried this yet, just tossing it out there as a base recipe.

Claudia Davila (Fran) said...

This looks excellent! I will try them out this week (adding 1/2 tsp cinnamon), and let you know if it needs adjusting. I don't think water is needed, usually cookies get their moisture from fat -- but applesauce could be added. I'll have some handy and add by the Tablespoon til it's the right consistency. This should be fun!

Anonymous said...

Hi. Did anyone work out the Metimucil cookie recipe? Thanx.

Claudia Davila (Fran) said...

Check out the metamucil cookies experiment! I've posted a photo plus the recipe based on your amounts, Janiece, but it was really dry so it needed an egg and some mashed fruit. The weight of the final cookies in total was 540 grams -- approximately double the weight of a box of the biscuits, and they have 12 cookies per package (the above recipe makes 16). If the above recipe is cut into 12 large cookies instead, then 1 cookie is the equivalent of 2 Metamucil cookies. What do you think?

Jeniece said...

So I *finally* did this:
3/4 cups flour
2/3 cups Psyllium
5 Splenda packets
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons molasses
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup olive oil

Was a dry and crumbly dough but I wanted the cookies to be crunchy so I just mashed it together and smashed it into a thin huge pancake on a baking sheet. Baked for 10 mins at 350, took them out and cut the huge cookie into baby cookies so they'd brown better, turned off the oven and left them in for 8 minutes more. I think that they should have less molasses, more honey, but the molasses does help to hide the psyllium-ness. They are tastyyyyy!

Alexandra said...

Hello! I just stumbled across this site when looking for psyllium cookies.. well done & much appreciated! Following the posts, i see the lasted incarnation uses Splenda. Soo...if one wanted to use something other than splenda, what would you recommend, please? Thanks!

Yoyo's Ma said...

Hi Alexandra!

Yes, I don't recommend Splenda as it's an artificial sweetener. If you want a no-calorie sweetener, you can use stevia (a natural plant extract) and sometimes you can find it sold combined with some other substance so you can use it in equal amounts as sugar (ie. if a recipe calls for 1/2 cup sugar, you can use 1/2 cup of this stevia powder mixture). Otherwise, use stevia from packets according to the directions. Hope this helps!

Unknown said...

I buy a product called Yes cookies made with stevia and erythritol,butter, inulin, egg, whey prootein isolate,psyllium husk, gum acacia,natural flavors, cellulose, sodium bicarbonate, luo han guo and portions of salt they are carb free, sugar free, and gluten free does any one know how to make them they are delicious but exspensive thank you Bill

Anonymous said...

Can I simply grind up psyillium seeds rather than buying these psyillium husks all the recipes call for? What do you think?

Claudia said...

Hmm, I've never seen whole psyllium in stores. You can certainly try it though my guess would be that it's too light to grind properly. Also psyllium doesn't have oils that go rancid, so buying pre-ground or powdered psyllium does not take away health benefits.

Anonymous said...

1. You don't even want whole seeds, you want the husk, that is the valuable part, and you want it seperate from the the seed so it can do it's thing.
2. Excellent alternative sweetener: Wheylow. 4 calories per teaspoon, use just like sugar, tastes just like sugar. Comes in brown sugar, maple sugar flavors, and like confectioners sugar. Google it now!!

Anonymous said...

I just made these and they turned out great! I used maple syrup as my sweetener. The only liberty I took was to add cayenne pepper (which I add to everything that even looks like chocolate). To me, at least, it tastes great!

phxfreap said...

These look good, and I'm anxious to try these. Have you tried powder vs. whole husk? If so, what modifications to your recipe would need to be made?

Lynda B said...

These are absolutely wonderful. i found your recipe and realized i had all the ingredients and made them immediately! I used Agave for the sweetener. Thank you for posting this recipe! Can't wait for the family to try a couple! :-)

Chef Rachel said...

I Plan to try psyllium husk powder in meatballs to replace the oat flour I used to use; I will add unsweetened almond milk, which I used to soak the oats in

Chef Rachel said...

I Plan to try psyllium husk powder in meatballs to replace the rolled oats I used to use; I will include unsweetened almond milk that I used in previous recipes to moisten the oats and also the psyllium husk powder that I buy from a local natural foods store (Sprouts Market); you can also buy it online. Plan to serve them in red sauce with Kelp Noodles or No Oodles or Miracle Noodles for a ketogenic, low carb diet

Chef Rachel said...

I plan to try psyllium husk powder in meatballs tonight, mixed with unsweetened almond milk, herbs, spices, and unrefined sea salt; I used to use rolled oats to bind them.

I plan to serve them over kelp noodles or zero carb no OOdles or Miracle Noodles with a side of green salad or cooked brussels sprouts or broccoli with mushrooms and coconut oil or avocado oil

Chef Rachel said...

I plan to try psyllium husk powder in meatballs tonight, mixed with unsweetened almond milk, herbs, spices, and unrefined sea salt; I used to use rolled oats to bind them.

I plan to serve them over kelp noodles or zero carb no OOdles or Miracle Noodles with a side of green salad or cooked brussels sprouts or broccoli with mushrooms and coconut oil or avocado oil

Chef Rachel said...

I plan to try psyllium husk powder in meatballs tonight, mixed with unsweetened almond milk, herbs, spices, and unrefined sea salt; I used to use rolled oats to bind them.

I plan to serve them over kelp noodles or zero carb no OOdles or Miracle Noodles with a side of green salad or cooked brussels sprouts or broccoli with mushrooms and coconut oil or avocado oil

dkj said...

Can you tell us how many gms of fiber these cookies have approx per cookie. And, how many gms are solutable vs insoluable? TIA

John said...

Hi,

I'm planning on making the Metamucil-type cookies and would like to know if you cut them into 16 pieces at 1/2 cm thick each, how big should each cookie be? Also, how many cookies equal 2 of the Metamucil wafers?

Thanks.

Anonymous said...

I'm planning on making the Metamucil cookies, and would like to know what size cookie sheet to use.

Anonymous said...

Hello, I have made the pookies as written but added 1.5 cups psyllium. I think the key is to make these very thin- achieved success by rolling into balls and using a tortilla press before baking!

kellie0530 said...

I had a portion of my bowel and most of my rectum removed due to colorectal cancer so I eat metamucil wafers every morning to help with the after effects of my surgery. This is my second time making pookies as a meta wafer replacement and I love them so much more! I feel that they are healthier, tastier, and definitely cheaper! I also love the recipe is hard to mess up, which is important for people like me! Today I accidentally added a 1/2 cup of oats instead of 1/4 so I just added a little more butter and applesauce, I used maple syrup because I didn't have molasses, and I added melted almond butter because they say that eating tree nuts regularly can help prevent the cancer from coming back! So good!

kellie0530 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Melissa said...

These cookies are amazing and I've made them countless times. I'll be brutally honest here: I am on several different medications and I've had trouble pooping for years until I made these. Not only am I completely regular now, these cookies taste AMAZING! I eat one along with my morning cup of tea and it is the perfect accompaniment.

Renerthedietitian said...

Amanda...... The soluble fiber in the psyllium husk’s is specifically there because it helps lower cholesterol whereas flaxseed does not have that same effect��..... by the way I made the Pookie’s but I added a couple tablespoons of Chia seeds and they came out fantastic thank you to the author for the wonderful recipe much cheaper and more delicious and healthier than the store-bought ones!

Renerthedietitian said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Renerthedietitian said...

Fran could I replace the flower in this recipe without flour ?

Anne MacAlpin said...

The recipe didn't say how to cool these, so I left them on the baking sheet so they would be crispier. Thoughts? I didn't have any flour but white wheat berry so I used that. They got kind of puffy. Is this why? What are the advantages of these other flours. I have no dietary restrictions. Thanks!

donnaj edwards said...

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Guillermo M. said...

the more soluble fiber the better.. I would stay away from unsoluble fiber. Check out Karen Hurd work. Soluble fiber is what gets rid of your toxic bile. Cheers.

Anonymous said...

I have been making my own version of morning cookies in following MM’s morning cleanse -
Easy and fool proof!

Mix together
4c. Wild frozen blueberries
Ic. Chopped frozen cranberries or cherries
1/2c. Maple syrup/molasses combo
1/4 c. Ground flax soaked in syrup mixture
1 large banana smashed

In separate bowl:
4 c. Rolled oats
(or replace some w/oat pulp from making oat creamer)
1c. Millet
1/4 to 1/2 c. physillium husk powder

Mix together and place large Tbsp . Cookie dough on cookie sheets
Bake at 375 for 30 min
I left them baking an hour one time and they were still edible!!!
Makes 3-4 dozen

Anonymous said...

Anyone making these cookies?