These irresistible cookies are so versatile. For something special, fill them with peanut butter and juice-sweetened jam to make a cookie sandwich. Dip half the sandwich in chocolate ganache and place on waxed paper–lined baking sheets to firm up the chocolate. There’s only one word for this—outrageous.

　　

Ingredients

makes 2 dozen cookies

　　1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

　　1/2 cup arrowroot powder

　　1 teaspoon baking powder

　　1/2 teaspoon sea salt

　　6 tablespoons canola oil

　　2 tablespoons vanilla extract

　　1/2 cup light agave nectar

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

　　

Step 2

In a bowl, mix together the flour, arrowroot powder, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the canola oil, vanilla extract, and agave nectar and whisk together thoroughly. Combine the 2 mixtures until just blended. Drop the batter by the teaspoonful onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 7 minutes, or until slightly golden. Do not overbake. Let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to cooling racks to cool completely. These cookies crisp up after cooling.

　　

VARIATIONS

Step 3

Lemon Crisps: Reduce the vanilla extract to 1 tablespoon and add 1 teaspoon lemon extract to the cookie batter.

　　

Step 4

Almond Crisps: Reduce the vanilla extract to 1 tablespoon and add 1 teaspoon almond extract and 1/3 cup sliced raw almonds to the cookie batter.

　　

Step 5

DIY Crisps: Create your own special combo by adding 1/3 cup of any (or all) of the following: chopped nuts, dried chopped fruit, or chocolate chips.

　　Reprinted with permission from Baking with Agave Nectar: Over 100 Recipes Using Nature's Ultimate Sweetener by Ania Catalano. Copyright © 2008 by Ania Catalano; photography © 2008 by Lara Hata. Published by Celestial Arts, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.Ania Catalano is a graduate of the Natural Gourmet School of Cooking in New York and the owner of the Gourmet Whole Foods Catering and Cooking School in Milford, Connecticut.