I’m always on the lookout for new cookie recipes – especially recipes that are a different from the old stand-bys.  The inclusion of wild rice in this cookie recipe made me want to try it out right away – and I wasn’t disappointed.  The little bits of wild rice gives the cookies a nice crunch and the tartness of cherries is tempered by the nutty, sweet batter.  These bake up beautifully and remain soft even after they’re cool.

Wild Rice and Dried Cherry Cookies
Makes ~24 cookies

1 1/2 cups cooked wild rice
1 1/4 cups brown rice flour (or gluten-free flour mix)
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup smooth natural peanut butter
1/2 cup maple sugar
1 tsp. powdered stevia
1 tbsp. Bob Red Mill’s Egg Replacer + 3 tbsp. water (whisk until frothy, then set aside for a minute)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup dried tart cherries (or cranberries)
1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts

Preheat oven to 350F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Process (cooled) wild rice in food processor until coarsely chopped.  Set aside.

Whisk together the brown rice flour, cornstarch, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, stevia and salt in a large bowl.  Set aside.

Cream the peanut butter and the maple sugar until smooth, then beat in the egg and vanilla.  Add the flour mixture, beating until smooth, then stir in the wild rice, dried cherries and walnuts.

Scoop 2 tbsp. cookie dough onto sheets and bake for 8-12 minutes, rotating pans halfway through.  Cool for one minute on the pan before transferring cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

(The original recipe is from Vegetarian Times.  I replaced the regular sugar with a combination of maple sugar and stevia powder, used peanut butter instead of butter and switched out the eggs for egg replacer.  Oh, and they used dried cranberries in their recipe – I prefer dried tart cherries.)