Kasha, or toasted buckwheat, is one of those items that comes across as very hippie-health-food-coop-bulk-bin, but is really way more flexible than you'd think.  It's ridiculously good for you (like all whole grains), cooks in 20 minutes (which beats brown rice by quite a margin) or can be soaked overnight for breakfast porridge, can be eaten cooked OR raw, and it has a flavor that reminds me of eating Sugar Smacks when i was a kid.  They're called Honey Smacks now and they certainly don't contain buckwheat, so I'm not sure if that makes any sense. 

The point is that kasha has a distinct flavor that, if you like it, will make you really love these cookies and, if you don't, will make you hate them.  (Hey, it's another opportunity for me to use parenthesis! And tell you that-- if you do hate kasha --you can use 3/4 cup chopped walnuts instead.)

For buckwheat lovers, these are dense, lemony and delicious with tea.  The uncooked kasha creates a surprising little crunch, like a Rice Crispy but more nutritious.  I should really go find a bowl of old-school cereal, because apparently that's what's on my mind.     

And as an FYI:  This recipe contains the ubiquitous whole wheat pastry flour and is therefore not for the gluten-intolerant, but buckwheat itself is not a type of wheat and therefore contains no gluten.      

Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cooking Time: 10 Minutes
Yield:  About 30 Cookies
Ingredients:
3 Cups Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
1 Tsp Baking Powder
½ Tsp Sea Salt
1 ¼ Cups Maple Syrup or Agave Nectar
1 Large Egg
¼ Cup Lemon Juice
2 Tbsp Finely Grated Lemon Peel
½ Cup Whole Kasha (otherwise known as buckwheat)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda and sea salt.  In a separate bowl, beat together sweetener, egg, lemon juice and lemon zest.  Stir in the kasha.  Stir in the flour mixture, in two batches, until well combined.  Roll the dough into 1” balls and then press down with your thumb to create a fat little disk.  Place these onto a greased cookie sheet and cook for 10 minutes.  Cool, then store in an air-tight container.