Teff Oatmeal Cookies with Whiskey Currants

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These cookies bake up thick and chunky, with moist centres. The malty taste of the teff flour is a good match for the whiskey-kissed currants.

Adapted from Alternative Baker: Reinventing Dessert With Gluten-Free Grains and Flours, by Alanna Taylor-Tobin (Page Street Publishing, 2016).

Teff Oatmeal Cookies with Whiskey Currants

Ingredients
75 grams (125 ml or 1/2 cup) currants
30 ml (2 tbsp) bourbon or gluten-free whiskey
80 g (60 ml or 1/4 cup plus 30 ml or 2 tbsp packed light brown sugar
50 g (60 ml or 1/4 cup) granulated cane sugar
113 g (120 ml or 8 tbsp or 1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg
2.5 ml (1/2 tsp) vanilla extract
100 g (180 ml or 3/4 cup) teff flour
27 g (60 ml or 1/4 cup) tapioca flour
4 ml (3/4 tsp) fine sea salt
1 ml (1/4 tsp) baking soda
5 ml (1 tsp) lightly packed, freshly grated nutmeg
90 g (250 ml or 1 cup) gluten-free old-fashioned rolled oats
90 g (180 ml or 3/4 cup) walnut halves, toasted (see note)

Combine the currants and bourbon in a jar; cover and let sit for at least three hours and up to several days, shaking the jar occasionally.

Position a rack in the upper third of the oven; preheat to 175 C (350 F). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.

Combine the light brown and cane sugars in a mixing bowl, then stir in the melted butter. Let it cool slightly, then whisk in the egg and vanilla extract.

Place a large fine-mesh strainer over the bowl and add the teff flour, tapioca flour, salt, baking soda and nutmeg. Sift this mixture into the butter mixture, then stir vigorously to combine thoroughly. Drain the currants of any excess bourbon (no need to squeeze them dry) and stir them into the dough along with the oats and nuts. The dough should be stiff; if it is soft, let it stand at room temperature to firm up, at least 15 minutes or up to two hours. The dough can be chilled for up to several days; bring it back to room temperature before proceeding to the next step.

Scoop the dough into balls four centimetres (1 1/2 inches) in diameter (about 50 ml or 3 1/2 tbsp) and place them on the baking sheets, spacing the balls five to seven centimetres (two to three inches) apart. Bake one sheet at a time for 12 to 15 minutes, until the edges of the cookies are golden and set and the tops have browned lightly but are still soft.

Let them cool completely on the sheet, where they will firm up.

Makes 12 to 15 cookies

Variation: To make Teff Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, omit the currants, bourbon and nutmeg. Fold in 170 g (310 ml or 6 oz or 1 1/4 cups) of coarsely chopped bittersweet chocolate along with the nuts.

Make ahead: The currants need to be soaked in whiskey for at least three hours and up to one week. These cookies are best the same day they are made, but they can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days. After that, they soften slightly and become increasingly fragile.

Note: Toast the walnuts by spreading them in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet; toast in a 175 C (350 F) oven for eight to 10 minutes, until golden brown and fragrant. Cool, then coarsely chop.

— Washington Post