Merry Christmas to you and your family! Wishing all of you the best and lots of love 🙂
Chris and I are blessed to be able to spend the holidays with his family this year up in Montana. We are spending a week in Big Sky, hanging out, celebrating a birthday in the family and also working on a few yogurt shop errands for our upcoming store opening (hopefully mid or end of January).
Family is flying in this afternoon so Chris and I will be able to have our own little Christmas together and then continue to celebrate this evening with my inlaws. Instead of breaking out a roasted turkey and all the fixin’s, we will be enjoying a laid-back Tex-Mex meal for Christmas dinner (this is a tradition on his dad’s side)– Tamales, mexican rice, beans, chips and salsa and desserts are on the menu.
Just in case you needed a little more sweets this holiday season, I am here to share grain-free almond sugar cookies…and look how festive with Christmas trees! 🙂
Cut-out Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
1/3 cup butter, ghee, Earth balance or coconut oil, softened (use Earth balance or oil for vegan)
1/4 cup maple syrup, brown rice syrup, honey or agave (use any but honey for vegan) (can add another Tbsp for sweeter)
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 egg or 2 egg whites, whisked OR for vegan, omit and add 2 Tbsp more of oil/earth balance or you could try blended tofu
2 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
2 Tbsp coconut flour
1/4 to 1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
optional: 1/2 to 1 tsp ground cinnamon
melted coconut butter for “icing” or your favorite icing
raisins, dried fruit, sprinkles, nuts, coconut, chocolate chips etc for decorating
Directions
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients (almond flour through soda and cinnamon). In a smaller bowl, mix together butter/ oil though eggs and extracts.
2. Add wet ingredients to the dry mixture and combine until a dough forms. If it’s too wet, add more almond flour, it too dry add a teaspoon of milk or water until the dough comes together. Divide dough into three balls, wrap in plastic and chill dough in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 325F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
4. Working one ball of dough at a time (keep remaining dough in fridge, this helps keep the dough together and more workable), place ball of dough on top and lay another sheet of between 2 large pieces of parchment paper and roll out until ¼ inch thick.
5. Remove top piece of parchment paper and cut out cookies with cookie cutter of choice. Carefully place cut outs on a prepared baking sheet and bake about 8 minutes or until edges are golden brown*.
6. Cool completely and enjoy or top with melted coconut butter or icing and decorations and dig in!
Makes 22-30 cookies (depends on shape and size of cookie cutter)
*If dough is sticking, sprinkle a bit almond flour on one piece or parchment paper prior to rolling.
* If you are baking one batch of cookies at the same time, place the baking sheet and cut out cookies in the fridge while cutting the remaining cookies out to help best maintain their shape while baking.
And a cookie all dressed up! That’s all from me for now 🙂 Enjoy the holidays!
