RECIPE OF THE WEEK: Gluten-Free Black Garlic Chocolate Chunk Raisin Cookies by Craving4More

Raisins or no raisins?

When I was growing up there was a debate in my home regarding the use of raisins in sweet treats. Though I absolutely love raisins, I don’t much enjoy them when warm or baked (call me crazy). My father added raisins to his oatmeal, cookies, cakes, Irish soda breads, homemade pumpkin yogurt, and many other warm or baked creations. I, however, would eat room-temperature raisins on top of peanut butter sandwiches, yellow raisins sprinkled onto salads or any raisins straight out of the bag in large handfuls. For whatever reason, I still don’t like using raisins when I bake but I eat them out of the bag just as fast and furiously as if they were movie theater popcorn.

Many of you may be similar to my father and have no trouble adding raisins to your recipes, so I am excited to share this recipe from Craving4More that combines chocolate, raisins and black garlic! I am sure my father would be pleased.

“If a raisin wanted to be garlic, that’s black garlic.” - Craving4More

A raisin is just a whole grape that has been dried, whether by sun or air. When looking at a whole grape and a raisin side-by-side you will notice significant differences in texture, color, size, and taste. In addition, raisins are chewy whereas grapes are crisp.

Black Garlic, like a raisin, starts as one food and becomes another; through a process of aging and fermentation in the case of garlic. Fresh garlic is our only ingredient at Black Garlic North America (this cannot be said of all Black Garlic producers). The pretty white bulbs of garlic that you are accustomed to seeing on the shelf at your local market are aged and fermented right here in Wisconsin, and over time they become something very different! When you view black garlic and fresh garlic next to each other, differences will be noted in the texture, color, size and taste. Fresh garlic is crisp and “spicy” and adds strong garlic flavor to recipes while black garlic is more mild, umami and balsamic.

Black garlic has multitudes of uses in the kitchen because it is both savory and sweet. During the fermentation process, the stored carbohydrates are broken down into simple sugars rendering a sweet flavor that can easily be paired with other sweet ingredients like chocolate, syrup or honey. This is why you may see black garlic in cookies, cake, and even in hot chocolate!

Black Garlic is used in high-end restaurants around the world and also used in home kitchens to add flavor to just about any recipe or as a yummy vegan snack. My favorite uses for the yummy cloves are sauces, dips, egg dishes, cookies and straight out of the jar for those antioxidants.

So, how are you using Black Garlic in your kitchen? We’d like to see what you have made! Feel free to send us a picture of what you have whipped up with our black garlic so that we can share it on our social media pages! Email us at marketing@blackgarlicna.com! Until next time, enjoy the recipe below!

Stay hungry, black garlic fans!

Gluten Free Black Garlic Chocolate Chunk Raisin Cookies by Craving4More

See the original recipe with photos here.

INGREDIENTS

4 cups Pamela’s gluten-free flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. sea salt
1 cup butter (2 sticks), room temperature
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
12 oz. dark chocolate chunks
8 oz. flame raisins
8 cloves Black Garlic North America black garlic, chopped
2 tsp. Hamptons Salt Company Finishing Salt

DIRECTIONS

• In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, soda, and sea salt. Set aside.

• Using a stand mixer, beat together butter and sugar until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla extract, beat until fluffy.

• Add the flour mixture, 1 cup at a time, until mostly mixed.

• Fold in chocolate chunks, raisins, and black garlic.

• Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

• Form the chilled dough into 1″ balls and bake on parchment-lined baking sheets for 20 minutes, or so.

• Remove from the oven.

• Sprinkle with finishing salt and allow to cool before transferring.

• Enjoy!