Morning Puffballs for a special breakfast. I called them puffballs because they are extremely light, reminding me of the light puff of the dandelion. They are cookies that somehow remind us of childhood for my generation; people who had simple cookies homemade at breakfast. Now breakfasts largely rely on industrial products; fortunately many people are going back to read labels and realize that convenience can mean ingesting substances that are not always healthy for our bodies.
They are poor in essential nutrients, high in energy and sugars, and lack almost entirely natural elements such as vitamins, antioxidants and minerals. The flours used to keep dough workable are highly processed. What makes processed products appealing are additives, but they lose quality.
These are just my considerations, but from experience I know many processed foods don’t help me keep blood sugar under control because of their high sugar content, careless use of salt and fats. Ultra-processed foods give a wrong sense of satiety, so we often don’t realize how much we consume.
Our busy lives, family and work commitments seem to push us to hurry and eat ready-made food thinking we are doing ourselves a favor; we chase an ideological but not truthful sense of well-being. Returning to make simple food at home could be a positive change in every respect; above all, it could be healthier.
Back to my cookies: my breakfast fills me and satisfies my daily needs because I can better control my nutrition.
Very simple to prepare, and even easier if you have a stand mixer.
Other cookie recipes to make at home:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Budget-friendly
- Preparation time: 1 Hour
- Cooking time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: about 28 oz (1.76 lb) of cookies
- Cooking methods: Electric oven, Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients – Cookies “Morning Puffballs” for a Special Breakfast
- 2 cups (about 8.8 oz) cornstarch (Maizena)
- 2 3/4 cups (about 12.3 oz) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup (about 5.3 oz) granulated sugar
- 6 2/3 tbsp (about 3.4 fl oz) sunflower seed oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 zest of 1 lemon
- Half packet baker's ammonia (ammonia for baked goods)
Tools – Cookies “Morning Puffballs” for a Special Breakfast
All the tools I use can be found in my buying recommendations.
- Coffee machines
- Cups
Steps – Cookies “Morning Puffballs” for a Special Breakfast
There aren’t many actions to take; that’s the beauty of simplicity. You mix the dough and shape it.
In a bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, sugar and the ammonia; mix well and add the eggs, the milk and the oil. Start mixing with a fork and then finish kneading by hand.
A little sticky, but workable. Shape into a smooth dough ball, using a little flour if needed.
Roll the dough out to a thickness of about half a centimeter (about 1/4 inch) and cut into rectangles or doughnut shapes. These are the shapes I prefer.
Once all the pieces are shaped, roll the surface in granulated sugar and bake in a preheated oven at 190°C (about 374°F) for roughly 15-20 minutes. Check the baking, because every oven has its own characteristics. Make them well golden if you want a drier cookie.
Rustic, tasty and very dunkable. They keep well for at least one week.
A Few Extra Tips
Once thoroughly dried they can keep for up to two weeks. You can add chocolate chips or chopped hazelnuts or almonds. The surface granulated sugar can be replaced with brown sugar, or you can skip this step entirely. The cookie is not overly sweet and doesn’t contain many fats, which is also better for our health.
