There’s no getting away from it, I have a sweet tooth. Even now, when I’ve cut out so many ultra processed foods full of refined sugar and fats, I’ll always look at the dessert options on a menu before anything else. And if I’m planning or cooking for guests, guess which dish is decided on first….? Yup – dessert!
Fortunately, as my tastebuds have changed so has my yearning for those super, tooth jangling sweet desserts. In fact, nowadays the taste of sweet treats I would have wolfed down in the past are just not enjoyable, which means I don’t feel like I’m missing out. And I’m definitely not, as you can see by the array of cake and dessert recipes you can find on this website 😉
Eating a low saturated diet, I’ve come to realise I’m not going to be able to replicate the flavour and texture of certain foods like butter based shortbread, something I used to love at Christmas (and any other time of the year to be honest). Does that mean I can never eat a biscuit again? Of course not. I just need to accept the difference, and see what I can create instead.
These tasty Christmas spiced cookies are the perfect sweet treat for the festive season. Using warming spices like ginger and cinnamon, they’re packed full of seasonal flavour. And instead of butter, I use tahini or nut butter as the fat component. This results in a softer cookie – there’s definitely not much of a crunch to them – but flavoursome all the same.
The best flour to use is wholegrain wheat or barley flour. This natural barley flour from Hodmedods makes fab cookies. However, if you’re gluten free, buckwheat flour is a good alternative. The gluten helps the cookie stay together, but I find buckwheat, which is a seed rather than a wheat, still holds well. What you do need to be aware of is the mix goes from super dry to sticky and unmanageable in a matter of moments, so extra care needs to be taken when adding fluid.
As this meant as a sweet treat, you do want to add some sugar to the mix. Coconut sugar or molasses are a good option, but not particularly sweet so you may wish to add extra maple or date syrup if you’re going for minimally processed. Alternatively, use whatever brown sugar you have and like. Compared to most recipes, there’s very little sugar once it’s broken down to per cookie (this recipe makes around 20).
Decorating however is a different thing altogether when it comes to sugar. If you don’t want to have any white sugar then just eat them as they come. However, it’s fun to have some decoration for festive fun, and in all honesty, only icing sugar will work how you want it to.
I’m not a whizz at icing, so my decor is somewhat childlike. But it doesn’t matter what they look like – the taste is key. Adding a little lemon or orange juice instead of water when making the icing adds another contrasting flavour that works really well.
A word of warning though. When decorated, these cookies seem to ‘sweat’ whilst being stored in an air-tight container. I realise that sounds a bit weird – it is! This happens more when a gluten free flour is used. So if you want to decorate, do a few at a time just before eating so you don’t get damp cookies. They still taste fine, it’s just not so appealing!
These Christmas spiced cookies are the perfect treat for anyone in the family or visiting with dietary needs as they can be free from most allergens and saturated fats. They’re dairy free, egg free, can be gluten and nut free and low in saturated fat. Plus they still contain gut loving fibre and healthy fats.
I hope you manage to spice up your Christmas treats with these tasty cookies. Don’t forget to let me know how you get on.
Christmas spiced cookies
Ingredients
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 170℃. Cover a baking tray with non-stick baking paper
- Place the flour, cornflour, baking powder, salt and spices in a large bowl and mix together well (if you are using barley flour, sift it in as it contains lots of bits!)
- Place the tahini or nut butter of choice in a separate bowl with the sugar and maple syrup (if using). Beat together with a wooden spoon until creamed and the sugar is combined with the fat.
- Gently add the flour mix to the blended sugar and fat, stirring well to combine with a large spoon. Add 3 tablespoons of dairy free milk and stir again, bringing the mix together. Keep adding dairy free milk a little at a time until the mix forms a soft dough - you will need to use your fingers to bring everything together at the end. Don't add too much fluid or it will become sticking and impossible to roll.
- Leave to rest in the fridge for 5 minutes or so.
- Lay a sheet of non-stick baking paper on the worktop. Cut the dough in half, Place one half on the paper and flatten slightly with the heel of your hand. If the dough is a bit sticky, sprinkle a little flour on top and cover with another sheet of paper.
- Grab a rolling pin and roll the dough out so it's approx. 2.5 cm thick. Grab a large cookie cutter and cut out circles of dough, carefully peeling them off the baking paper onto the prepare baking tray.
- Repeat the process with both balls of dough, bringing and scraps of dough together, then rolling and cutting out again. You should get around 20 cookies.
- Place the baking tray(s) in the middle of the oven and bake for 8 minutes. Turn over and bake for another 2-3 minutes until the cookies are firm.
- Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooking rack.
- Once completely cooled, decorate or store in an air-tight container. They keep for up to 5 days
- Sift the icing sugar into a small bowl. Add a little water or juice and stir well with a spoon. Keep adding a little bit of fluid at a time until you have a thick icing that drips slowly off the spoon.
- Transfer to an icing bag with thin nozzle. If you don't have an icing bag, use a small plastic bag with a flat bottom. Fill with the icing, twist the top of the bag to create pressure then snip of a tiny bit of the corner to create a small hole the icing can be squeezed through.
- Leave the icing to dry then store in an air-tight container as above.
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