Acorns from the Oregon White Oak are often sweeter than other species, and once leached, have a mild potato-like flavor, and can be used whole or ground in a gluten-free baking flour for breads, pastries, and more. Acorns are rich in complex carbohydrates, minerals, oils, fiber, and vitamins, and are lower in fat than most other nuts. Learn more, and plant your own here:
'Tis the season for sweets and delicacies. So, our wild foods chef, Rebekah Albert, is sharing a delicious recipe for Acorn Cookies! Enjoy!
passive leaching whole acorns passive leaching acorn meal
(mixing up ingredients)
(preparing cookies to bake) (delicious acorn cookies)
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Greetings fellow native food lovers!
I am writing today to share about a super simple, delicious way to eat acorns!! There are many super simple, delicious ways to eat acorns actually— at least once they have been processed to the point of being edible (leached of tannins).
The acorns I used in today’s ‘cookies’ are white oak nuts harvested from oak trees here in Eugene, Oregon. They were harvested and dried in September, cracked and shelled in October, and then leached and ground. Today is December 07 (but the process does not have to take this long...more about this process in another blog post, hopefully*!)!
When I have wet, leached ground acorn meal and a craving for something sweet and nutritious, I like to make acorn cookies! Because I prioritize cooking with what I have around, I usually sweeten them with seasonal fruit (figs, apples), or in this case Persimmons (one of my most beloved favorite favorite fruits, that I only have the pleasure to eat fresh for about a month or two each fall).
These cookies have a little bit of everything in them...I am headed to a dance and potluck this evening, so these cookies are particularly festive. Sometimes they are as simple as 4 ingredients (acorn meal, salt, coconut oil, sweet—mashed fruit or maple syrup). Today’s cookie recipe is as follows…
I did not measure so all measurements are approximate...done by ‘feel’...
5 fuyu persimmons, inners only, no skins or seeds
1 c. wet, leached acorn meal
⅔ c. oats (ground into flour)
2 pinches fine ground salt
½ tsp. baking soda
splash apple cider vinegar
½ c. dried apples, pears, grapes chopped
1 T. whole flax seeds (ground and mixed with 1 ½ T. water)
Cinnamon and ground cloves
1 tsp. vanilla extract
⅓ c. coconut oil (soft but not melted, butter could be substituted)
Mix and mash all ingredients together. Form into balls and place on a baking sheet. Using a fork squish the cookies to a flatter shape, and then bake at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes. Allow to cool before transferring!
Enjoy!