Milk and Cookies: Raw Edition

Homemade nut milks are much healthier, fresher and tastier than store-bought nondairy milk. Once you’ve enjoyed your own nut milk, you’ll definitely notice a difference. I still buy store-bought nondairy milk for convenience (especially for baking), but I make my own nut milk for a treat, especially when I’m drinking the milk plain or with chocolate, over granola or in smoothies.

There are a ton of recipes for nut milk out there, but this is my preferred way of making it. Straining the pulp out was always kind of a hassle (using a cheese cloth or a fine mesh strainer), but I recently obtained a nut milk bag, which makes it super easy! If you don’t have one and want one, here’s a tip: go to your nearby hardware store and get a package of paint straining bags. They’re really cheap (cheaper than fancy nut milk bags) and do the same thing. I got a pack of two for a few bucks.

Another tip: don’t throw the pulp away! It’s totally useable. The cookies in the photo up there were made out of the pulp and a few other ingredients. They are really rich, so enjoy ‘em with the almond milk you just made.

Almond Milk

-1/2 cup raw almonds, soaked overnight
-2 cups water
-1 date, pitted, soaked in hot water for a few minutes, or 1 tbsp. maple syrup
-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
-pinch of cinnamon
-pinch of salt
-(for chocolate milk, add 2 tbsp. cocoa powder)

1. Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender for several minutes.
2. Place nut milk bag in a wide-mouthed jar with the elastic/string wrapped around the mouth of the jar, like so:

3. Pour milk into nut milk bag and squeeze all of the milk out of the pulp like a sponge, being careful to not spill the milk outside of the jar (a little might; that’s fine).
4. Store milk in a glass jar with a lid in the fridge for up to 5 days or so (it never lasts that long in my house).
5. Save pulp for cookies!

Yield: 2 cups milk

Nut Pulp No-Bake Cookies

-1 cup of nut pulp (this will be the amount you’ll get from two of the above recipe; just cut everything in half if you’re only using pulp from one recipe.)
-1/4 cup almond butter (or your preferred nut butter)
-3 tbsp. maple syrup (or 3 dates, pitted, soaked in hot water first if dry)
-2 tbsp. cocoa powder
-2 tbsp. coconut butter (unsweetened shredded coconut will also work here.)
-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
-pinch of salt
-pinch of cinnamon
-1 cup rolled oats (technically these aren’t raw; leave ‘em out, if you prefer)

1. Blend pulp, nut butter, maple syrup, date, cocoa powder, coconut butter, vanilla, salt and cinnamon in a food processor for a few minutes until it forms a dough-like consistency and holds together. Add rolled oats and pulse several times until the oats are broken up a bit.
2. Form into balls a little bit smaller than a golf ball. Flatten with your hand, if you prefer, or leave as is.
3. To store: Place on a cookie sheet and let freeze, then keep in a container with a lid in the freezer. Remove however many you’re planning on eating from freezer and let defrost for a bit before enjoying. These are a great treat to have when you’re running to work or school and you need a quick snack to bring along with you.

Yield: 12 cookies

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