117 | Need a Tasty Plant-Based Snack or Treat? Try these Sweet Potato Tahini Cookies [Recipe Included]

Do you want to eat plant-based, but dread giving up your favorite treats and snacks? You know they contain dairy, egg and come with added refined sugars and saturated fat, so aren't the healthiest. So the question is, “What can you eat instead?”

 

I agree that it'll be helpful to have an alternative if those dreaded snack or sugar cravings hit. That’s why I’m excited for today’s episode. I want to share with you my newest favorite cookie to enjoy, and my daughter would agree! I often make these for my family and guests – and they’re so incredibly simple to make that my children help me make them too.

 

What’s more, these treats are naturally refined-sugar-free and make a tasty healthy snack for adults and children alike. Join me inside this episode and let me show you how tahini and sweet potatoes pair together to form delicious snackable cookies. You can even make these for Labor Day weekend celebration gatherings!

 

 

Get the recipe here: https://www.plantnourished.com/blog/chewy-vegan-sweet-potato-tahini-cookies

 

 

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Have a question about plant-based diets that you would like answered on the Plant Based Eating Made Easy Podcast? Send it by email ([e-mail]) or submit it by a voice message here: www.speakpipe.com/plantnourished

 

 

 

[Easy Recipes, Plant Based Diet, Plantbased Eating, Snack Ideas, Meal Ideas, Fast Recipes, Beginner Recipes, Cookie Recipe, Whole Foods, Plant-Based Recipes, Cravings]

Episode Transcript

(00:01):
Do you want to eat plant-based but dreadgiving up your favorite treats and snacks?
You know, they contain dairy, egg, andcome with added sugars and fat, but
you're still getting snack or sugarcravings and need an alternative.
So the question is, whatcan you eat instead?
That's why I'm excitedfor today's episode.

(00:24):
I want to share with you mynewest, favorite cookie to enjoy,
and my daughter would agree.
I often make these for my familyand guests, and they're so
incredibly simple to make that mychildren help me make them too.
What's more?
These trees are naturally refined,sugar free and make a tasty, healthy

(00:45):
snack for adults and children alike.
Join me inside this episode andlet me show you how tahini and
sweet potatoes pair together toform delicious, snackable cookies!
Welcome to the Plant BasedEating Made Easy Podcast.
I'm your host, Anna Tseng, plant-basedRegistered Dietitian and Transition Coach.

(01:10):
Hi Friend, do you want to regain yourhealth with plant-based eating but feel
overwhelmed and lost about how to do it?
Do you feel it'll be hard to changeyour meat-heavy diet and impossible
with working, running the home,or chasing after the grandkids?
If so, you're in the right place.
Here you'll find simple strategies,clear nutrition guidance and

(01:32):
practical tips to help you thriveplant-powered with more energy.
So, if you're ready to ditchthe guesswork and transform
your health the stress-free way.
Cozy up now with a hot cup of tea orlisten while you walk and let me show
you how doable plant-based eating can be.
Let's do this!

(01:53):
Hi, Friend, if you've struggledthis summer with food choices and
know your body has taken quitea hit with unwanted pounds and
more medical problems, don't getdiscouraged and give up on your health.
There is still time to make positivechanges and turn your health around.
Let's make Fall a time of reset.

(02:16):
I want to support you in this.
That's why I've decided to put togethera special resource bundle with the
Plant-Powered Life Transformation Courseto support those wanting to make a
positive change this Fall for the better.
But it will only be availablefor a very limited time.
Make sure to save the date forSeptember 9th, which is coming up

(02:40):
in two weeks as you'll hear all thedetails of the Back to Health Sale then.
When we're moving to a plant-based diet,it can be hard sometimes to say goodbye to
all the familiar dairy- and egg-containingtreats and foods we used to have.

You know what I mean (02:58):
milk chocolate cookies, Danish pastries, cheese puffs,
butter smothered popcorn and creamfilled doughnuts, just to name a few.
Sure.
There are plenty of vegan packagedoptions available now, such as
vegan cookies like Oreos, vegan icecream, biscuits, and other desserts.

(03:20):
But the problem is these are highlyprocessed commercial foods and
often come with added salt oilsand lots of added refined sugar.
So they aren't exactly the healthiest.
Plus, they're not cheap either.
So what do you do when a snackor sugar craving kicks in?

(03:41):
In my work with clients, I alwaystroubleshoot first for possible reasons
behind a craving, because I think weall know that often our cravings can be
fueled by other reasons besides hunger.
For example, it could be relatedto not eating enough at main meals
or not having the right plant-basedfood components on your plate.

(04:03):
At other times there could be anemotional or habitual reason fueling
the sweet tooth attack or craving.
My husband would be the first to admitthat he has a longstanding habit of having
a little something with his cup of teain the evenings, be it tahini or hummus
on toast, a cookie or something else.

(04:25):
But we all know it's not due tohunger because sometimes that
evening cuppa and snack comeswithin 20 minutes of having dinner.
I say all this because it is important tobe mindful of not just what we're eating
daily, but also when we're eating and why.
That is, if you're really wanting to moveinto a healthier relationship with food, a

(04:48):
strong plant-powered lifestyle, and reachthose desired health and weight goals.
But for those times when you do needa healthy plant-based afternoon snack
or want to make a nutrient packedtreat for your children or grandkids,
then these sweet potato tahinicookies are just a thing to make.
So let's talk about these cookies.

(05:10):
What's so special about them?
Well, first of all, let me tellyou why I created this recipe.
A few months ago, it was my daughter'sbirthday and I wanted to make a special
new treat to commemorate her birthday.
But I also wanted it to be somethingthat would be super easy to make and
mostly allergen-free, so we couldmake a big batch to share with our

(05:34):
classmates and friends at church.
That meant these cookies neededto be nut-free, dairy-free, and
egg-free, so children with common foodallergies would be able to enjoy them.
Thankfully, vegan cookies arealready dairy- and egg-free.
But I needed to makethem nut-free as well.

(05:55):
I've also seen lots of onlinevegan cookie recipes with great
reviews, but which actually use ahefty amount of refined sugar, like
white sugar, maple syrup, or honey.
I definitely wanted a healthierplant-based version, and bananas
are such a common ingredient invegan baked recipes that I wanted

(06:16):
to make a cookie recipe without it.
I guess I've set myself up for apretty tough challenge, haven't I?
Well, that's how I came up in the endwith using sweet potatoes and raisins
to be natural sweeteners, and it worked.
These cookies turned out to be a success.
Now let me tell you how to makethese sweet potato tahini cookies.

(06:40):
You actually only need eightkey ingredients, and the
recipe makes 24 cookies.

Here are the main ingredients: raisins, oat flour, baking powder, (06:46):
undefined
sweet potato puree, tahini (which is aground sesame paste), ground cinnamon,
ground nutmeg, and ground cloves.
That's it.
It's unbelievably simple.
Now here's what you need to do.

(07:09):
First, cook a large sweet potato, if youdon't already have one pre-cooked to use.
The fastest way to do this is to usethe microwave, but you can cook it
using other methods too, like baking,roasting, steaming, or boiling.
When the sweet potato is cooked,remove the skin and mash the
flesh up to get one cup's worth.

(07:31):
Meanwhile, soak a half cup of raisinsin very hot water for 10 minutes.
Then move the drained raisins intoa blender or food processor bowl.
Now you'll want to blend togetherthe cup of sweet potato puree with
tahini, ground cloves, with groundnutmeg, ground cinnamon, and the
drained raisins until smooth.

(07:52):
That forms the wet mixture.
Next, create the dry mixture.
This is super easy.
Just mix together the oat flour withbaking powder in a large mixing bowl,
and you don't need to go out and buya commercial package of oat flour.
Save that money.
You can easily make oat flour athome yourself by directly blending

(08:16):
up oats in a food processor.
Now here are the final two steps.
Add the wet blended ingredientsinto the dry oat flour mixture
and mix well to combine all fully.
The combined cookie dough will remaina little sticky, and that's expected.
You can now use large spoons to scooplittle mounds of the cookie dough

(08:39):
onto a parchment-lined baking tray.
Use the back of one spoon to flattenthe top of each cookie slightly.
These cookies really don't haveto be perfect in size or shape.
They just need to taste good.
Then, bake them in a preheated ovenat 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 177

(09:00):
degrees Celsius for just 10 minutes.
That's right.
These cookies only need 10 minutes of baketime, so they are super fast to bake up.
Don't over bake them!
There are a few key things I wantyou to know about these cookies.
After baking, these cookies will have achewy texture instead of a crunchy one.

(09:23):
Also, if you need this recipe to begluten-free, be sure to use certified
gluten-free oats to make the oatflour instead of regular oats.
What I love about this recipe isthat it's simple to put together,
has a fast bake time, and thecookies keep really well frozen.
After we made that first batch ofcookies, we packaged them up into

(09:46):
little gift bundles to give to mydaughter's classmates and church friends.
They all enjoy them, and we'vesince made many more batches.
To get the full details for theSweet Potato Tahini Cookie recipe,
go to the link in the show notesfor this episode and it'll take
you to the recipe on my website.

(10:07):
You can also go to plantnourished.com/blogand search under the recipe category.
So today we looked at a simple,tasty snack or treat you can

make (10:18):
Sweet Potato Tahini Cookies.
Besides enjoying these cookies withinyour family, know that you can also
make them for class parties andsocial gatherings since they are
free from major common allergens.
But these cookies do containtahini, so just be aware that some
people may be allergic to sesame.

(10:39):
If you don't have any food allergies tothe ingredients in this recipe, I hope
you'll give these cookies a try and taste.
That will be your actionstep for this episode.
I hope you'll enjoy them!
Now, I want to leave youwith a fun cookie story.
Recently, our family invited some guestsover for tea and a chat after dinner.

(11:01):
When I served these Sweet Potato TahiniCookies, one guest was wary about
eating them because he had diabetes.
But when I told him that the cookiescontain no added refined sugar, he
immediately took a cookie and bit into it.
But he then told me that thecookies still tasted sweet.
He couldn't believe that the cookiesdidn't contain sweeteners like

(11:25):
white sugar, honey, or maple syrup.
So I explained why.
Now you know how these cookies could besweet too without any added refined sugar.
Yes, they're naturally sweetenedby sweet potato and raisins.
Friend today, I only shared one snack ortreat option with you in this episode,

(11:48):
but I want you to know that therecan be many other delicious snack and
dessert options on a plant-based diet.
That's one of the reasons why Iput together the Plant-Powered Life
Transformation Course, to be able to moreeasily share meal ideas and simple yet
tasty whole food plant-based recipes, formeals, snacks, breakfast, and dessert.

(12:11):
This six Module Online Course willalso give you practical strategies,
essential skills, kitchen prep hacks,and smart meal planning tips to help
you succeed in your new lifestyle.
Go to plantnourished.com/ppltcourseor see the link in the show
notes for more details.
And stay tuned to this podcast so youwon't miss the Back to Health Sale Bundle

(12:36):
coming up very soon on September 9th!
Thank you for listening to the PlantBased Eating Made Easy Podcast.
If this podcast has helped you,please take a moment to rate and
leave a written review on theApple Podcast app or on iTunes.
Knowing how this podcast hasmade a difference in your life

(12:57):
never fails to light me up.
I may also select your reviewto be read on this show.
Remember that moving to plant-basedeating can be simple and doable,
even with your existing healthchallenges and busy lifestyle.
If you have a plant-based diet questionyou'd like me to answer on this show,
share that question with me using thecontact options in the show notes.

(13:18):
Thanks for joining me today andI can't wait to connect with
you again in the next episode.
Until next time, keep plant-focusedand thriving, my Friend!