Christmas Cut Out Cookies with Almonds, Honey and Spice
Counting down to Christmas. Who isn’t filling the pantry with tasty treats? These are the gluten free, grain free Christmas Cut Out Cookies that I make every year. The dough is based on ground almonds and cassava flour. It’s malleable and easy to roll. There’s honey for natural sweetness and warm, festive spice. They’re crisp, thin and buttery, and add a little touch of magic to the Christmas table.
Gluten Free, Grain Free Christmas Cookies
We do Christmas as low carb and as naturally as we can. Not because we’re obsessive, but because we know from experience that if we over indulge the consequences will be painful. Our digestive systems will become unbalanced, causing acid reflux, bloating and worse. Our immune systems will react to the gluten, lectins and food additives with unbearable inflammation. And our nervous systems will suffer from the stress.
We don’t buy the foods that trigger these reactions. Our home is our refuge of health. But it arrives: panettone, nougat, chocolates, prosecco, butter cookies, sweet mostarda, crafted beer, speciality pasta. We do our best to share it with friends and give it away. Some of it goes into the compost or is thrown away.
Our tin is filled, instead, with homemade Christmas Cut Out Cookies. I’ll make Chocolate, Almond and Date Balls. And an Orange and Coconut Cake. There’ll probably be sweet and savoury muffins, and a crispy granola spruced with Festive Spice. All good things for celebrating the solstice, while maintaining health and balance.
Find my most-cooked anti-inflammatory recipes in my book, Easy and Essential Paleo Recipes for Busy People.
On the Side
Sweet Treats for Celebrations.
Chocolate Slab with Macadamia and Almonds – Great to serve with coffee.
Festive Spice Mix and Midwinter Chai – Makes everything taste like Christmas.
Fresh Fig Dessert Cake – No figs? Use pears. And add some Festive Spice!
I hope these Christmas Cut Out Cookies fill your house with festive spirit. If you love them, please give the recipe a rating, and share it on your Social. And before you go, don’t forget to sign up for the Quality Life News and download the free Guide to Reset your Health.
Best Wishes, Good Health and Happiness!
Christmas Cut Out Cookies with Almonds, Honey and Spice
Ingredients
- 200 grams blanched almonds
- 2 cups cassava flour
- 1 teaspoon Paleo baking powder 2 parts cream of tartar, 1 part bicarbonate of soda, 1 part tapioca starch
- 1 tablespoon Festive Spice Mix see my recipe, or substitute with cinnamon
- 100 grams butter at room temperature
- 1/4 cup mild flavoured honey
- 1 egg lightly beaten
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160°C / 320°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or use a silicon matt.
- Grind the blanched almonds to a flour using an electrice coffee/spice grinder.
- Place the almond flour, cassava flour, baking powder and spice into the food processor. Pulse quickly to combine.
- Cut the butter into rough chunks. Pop into the processor and process until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
- With the processor running slowly, pour the honey and the egg into the hatch. Let the motor run until the dough forms a ball. This might take a couple of minutes, but be patient - don't add more liquid.
- Divide the ball of dough and form it into 2 flat discs. Roll one disc between 2 layers of parchment paper until ¼ cm. Cut out shapes using a cookie cutter. Slide the flat edge of a knife under each cookie and carefully trasfer them to the baking sheets. Repeat with the second disc of dough, then reform the scraps into another ball. Keep rolling, cutting and reforming until you've used up all the dough.
- Bake the cookies for 15 minutes, then watch them carefully for another couple of minutes, until they start to colour around the edges.
- Remove from the oven. Leave to cool completely before storing in an airtight tin or jar.
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