Hopefully some of you are swinging in for the title recipe, as I tried to promulgate it as much as possible without losing my dignity. My brother-in-law (whose amusing YouTube video can be seen here) is a hardcore junk food enthusiast with a penchant for Oreos. One day, when a mild lunacy set in, I was led to believe I could healthify (not a word, I know) the dastardly sphere. Somehow, this mindset led to raw which led to this:

While I love love love cashews, my tummy does not, so these are made with the all-mighty pine nut. Pine nuts, while high in fat, contain an omega-6 fatty acid called pinolenic acid, which has been shown to increase satiety, keeping you fuller longer. They are also touted as a hunger suppressant because they stimulate the release of the hormone CCK, or cholecystokinin, which, in turn, can aid weight loss. And because pine nuts are high in fat, they lend a delicious richness to the cookie component of this dessert.

RAW ORE-O COOKIE SANDWICHES

Cookie Layer:

1/4 c. almond meal

1/4 c. pine nuts

1/2 c. oats

2 T. cocoa powder

2 T. carob powder

1/4 t. salt

1 t. vanilla

1/2 c. dates

Filling Layer:

1 avocado

1/2 t. lemon juice

1 t. vanilla

2 T. coconut oil

2 T. maple syrup

2 pinches of salt

For the cookie layer:

Process oats into a flour. Remove. Process almond meal and pine nuts until powdery. Add back oat flour and the rest of the ingredients for the cookie layer. Remove. Make about 8-10 discs from the dough. Shape them into cookies. Put the discs on a plate covered with wax paper and set in the fridge while you make the filling.

For the filling:

Use room temperature ingredients. Process all.

To assemble the cookies:

Place a dollop of the mix on top of a cookie disc. Top with another cookie disc and pinch it together, trying not to squeeze the filling out. Repeat with remaining cookies and filling.

FREEZE! These are good at room temperature, but they are GREAT frozen! The filling tastes reminiscent of vanilla avocado ice cream!

A note about the almond meal: I recently started making my own almond milk and make my own almond meal from the leftover pulp. Here’s what I do:

VANILLA ALMOND MILK

1 c. almonds, soaked for at  least 12 hours (I like to remove the skins as this creates the CREAMIEST almond milk imaginable, but this step is optional)

4 c. water

1/2 t. salt

2 t. vanilla

1 T. honey, maple syrup, or 4 soft dates, optional (honey acts as a natural emulsifier)

Blend the soaked almonds with the remaining ingredients until the milk is smooth. Then pour the mix through a sieve or nut milk bag, and press/squeeze out the liquid. Pour your milk into a container (I use an old glass apple juice bottle) and set it in the fridge.

Set your oven on the lowest setting (mine is 170 degrees). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and spread the almond pulp out on the paper. Set the sheet in the oven and leave it in there for about 6 hours. The pulp should be dry to the touch.

This is the dried pulp. The clumps are easily dispersed by squeezing them between your fingers.

While this takes time, it’s worth it! The purest almond milk I’ve found in the store still has a lot of other additives that, frankly, I don’t want or need, and this tastes a million times better! Also, the almond meal I usually buy is about 5 bucks a bag, so not only do I get the luscious milk, I save money by drying out the pulp and making my own almond meal, which I use frequently in baking and in raw desserts, such as the above.

Did you know that June is #icecreamlove month?! Stop by http://juniakk.blogspot.com/ and check out the bloghop!

Do you make your own nut milk?