Beet What?!

Beets are beautiful, a luscious red that makes my lips a little jealous.  They are filled with important vitamins!  The entire plant can be eaten - greens and roots.  But the most surprising thing about beets is that they make some pretty darn tasty cookies!  Yes COOKIES! :)   I found the recipe at Weelicious.

I was skeptical - ok, I'll admit it, I thought these were going to be a total flop.  But what else was I supposed to do with the free organic beets I got from Produce Guy the other day?  I want so badly to like beets.  As I mentioned earlier, they are so pretty and so good for you, and....they taste like actual dirt. Ugh.  But, I didn't want the free beets to go to waste (or I guess I kinda planned on them still going to waste, but I was going to give it a shot, darn-it!).  The entire family kept going back for more.  Te-Man wasn't satisfied unless he had one in each hand to snack on, Wolverine said he would definitely be eating more, and Ze-Ra had 2, then 2 more, then 5 before bed, and requested some in her lunch box tomorrow.  What do you think the other kids will say? I always ask her if the kids tease her for her weird lunches...but that's a whole other post.  Ha ha.
*Updated to say that the other kids were in fact very interested in her pink cookies, and ate them excitedly when she was kind enough to share!*

Alright, Beet Cookies...you ready?

Beet Cookies

What's In It:
1 c All Purpose Flour
1/2 t baking powder*
2 T sugar
1/2 t salt
1/2 c finely shredded raw beets (not canned/pickled)
2 T oil

What You Do With It:
Pre heat oven to 400 degrees F.

Wash and trim beets.

As as I was washing my beets, their icky little roots kept touching my hands/wrists - they look unnervingly like rat tails.  Ick.

If the skin is tough, peel the beets (I didn't have to).  Finely grate.

Combine first 4 ingredients in mixing bowl, stir to combine.

Add shredded beets.

Mix, ensuring to coat all shreds with flour mixture.  I used my spatula, but feel free to use your hands.

Add the oil and work the dough together.  I started with the spatula and quickly switched to my hands.  Be sure to use the sticky dough ball to grab the little bits of salt and sugar from the bowl.  Working on a clean counter, knead or really just continually fold the dough in on itself until uniformly combined and smooth.

It looks frighteningly like raw meat!

Using a rolling pin (or in case yours has been at Super Mom's house since June, feel free to use any large juice can.  I have found that pineapple and tomato work quite well), roll the dough out into a rectangle that is approximately 1/3-1/2" thick.

Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into 1" squares (use a cookie cutter for fun shapes).  I think I got about 35 and I rolled my dough about 1/3" thick.

Bake on a non stick mat or parchment lined cookie sheet for 11-17 min.  Mine baked for 11, but my oven is a little moody so who knows what temp she was really kickin' out today.  

Let them cool enough to touch and then taste your wonderful beet goodness!  Store any left overs (if there are any) in an air tight container on the counter.  

*As a side note, I have been making my own baking powder for about a year now. Most commercially produced baking powder contains sodium aluminum sulfate.  Making your own baking powder keeps your baked goods aluminum free!  I always make only what I'm using that day and I use the following recipe:  1 part Baking Soda and 2 parts Cream of Tartar.  Mix well and use just as you would Baking Powder.

Do you think you'll try these?