Naturally Moist: Red Currant Oat Cookies with No Added Sugar
Ingredients for about 20-23 cookies (depending on size, see example in the picture):
- 280g (10oz) fresh red currants (about 1 3/4 cups)
- 200g (7oz) rolled oats (about 2 1/4 cups) (fine or soft)
- 150ml (2/3 cup) oat milk
- 80g (2/3 cup) ground hazelnuts
- 1 egg
- 2 ripe bananas
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) top and bottom heat.
- Peel the bananas and mash them with a fork in a large bowl until smooth.
- Add the oat milk, ground hazelnuts, rolled oats, egg and red currants to the mashed bananas. Mix everything well until a moist, moldable dough forms.
- Use your hands or two spoons to shape small cookies and place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
- Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes until they are lightly browned.
- Remove from the oven, let cool and enjoy!
Sources:
Gacnik, S., Veberic, R., Hudina, M., & Mikulic-Petkovsek, M. (2024). Changes in Chemical Composition of Red and Black Currant Fruits and Leaves During Berry Ripening. International Journal of Fruit Science, 24(1), 73–84. Source
Gacnik et al. (2024) studied the chemical changes in the fruits and leaves of red and black currants during the last four weeks of berry ripening. During this period, the sugar content increased in red berries from 30.1 ± 1.10 to 45.12 g kg⁻¹ FW and in black berries from 47.38 ± 0.60 to 67.78 g kg⁻¹ FW, while the organic acids in red currants decreased from 45.11 ± 0.51 to 36.99 g kg⁻¹ FW, remaining stable in black currants. In red berries, total sugar was strongly negatively correlated with organic acids (R = −0.82; p < 0.05), and the sugar/acid ratio increased significantly in both species, positively affecting fruit ripeness and taste.