I love Christmas. I love spending time with family and friends, I love coming up with the perfect gift for everyone on my list, I love decorating every square inch of my apartment, and I LOVE Christmas baking.
The recipes my mom, sister and I make yearly call for a ton of white flour, heaps of butter, and a whole lot of sugar. I decided that I needed a few healthier options to indulge in given my penchant for eating half of my freshly baked creations straight off the cooling rack….
I used The Juicery Co.’s organic almond meal to make myself some gluten, refined sugar, and dairy-free* options.
*admittedly these recipes are MOSTLY dairy-free as some of them do contain eggs…
Lemon Snowballs
raw, vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar-free
1 & ½ c The Juicery Co.’s almond meal
1 T coconut flour
¼ c + 2 T fresh squeezed organic lemon juice
3 T organic maple syrup
2 t vanilla extract
¼ t sea salt
½ c unsweetened
organic coconut flakes
- Place all ingredients in food processor and combine well.
- Check consistency and add extra almond meal until dough is firm enough to form balls (they should be slightly sticky but easily rolled into shape).
- Roll freshly formed balls in coconut flakes.
- Place in refrigerator to firm for 10-15 minutes.
- Enjoy!
Ginger Snaps
gluten-free, refined sugar-free
2 & 1/3 c The Juicery Co.’s almond meal
½ c coconut flour
½ t baking powder
¼ t baking soda
¼ t salt
2 t cinnamon
1 & ½ t ginger
½ t allspice
½ t nutmeg
½ c honey
6 T organic coconut oil, melted
¼ c & 1 T molasses
2 t vanilla extract
1 organic free-range egg
granulated raw sugar for rolling (optional)
- Mix dry ingredients and set aside. Combine wet ingredients in large bowl then mix in the dry ingredients until just combined.
- Chill batter in the refrigerator for 30 minutes (or until it firms up like regular cookie dough).
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Form dough into 1 & ½ inch balls. Roll in raw sugar if desired, then place on baking sheet.
- Bake for 14 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- Enjoy!
Thumbprint Cookies
gluten-free, refined sugar-free (depending on the kind of jam you use)
2 c The Juicery Co.’s almond meal
1 T organic coconut oil, melted
2 T unsweetened, organic almond milk
2 T organic maple syrup or honey
2 t vanilla extract
1 organic free-range egg
¼ t salt
¼ t baking soda
2 T unsweetened organic coconut flakes for garnish
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Combine almond meal, salt and baking soda in mixing bowl. Add coconut oil, egg, almond milk, maple syrup or honey, and vanilla extract. Mix until dough forms.
- Scoop dough with a tablespoon and form balls. Place on greased/lined baking sheet 2 inches apart (cookies don’t spread much). Use your thumb to make an indent in the centre of each cookie.
- Bake cookies for 14 minutes. Allow them to cool on drying rack and then add ½ teaspoon of jam to the centre of each.
- Enjoy!
Lemon Almond Shortbread
gluten-fee, refined sugar-free
2 c The Juicery Co.’s almond meal
6 T grass fed organic butter
1/3 c granulated raw sugar
1 t organic lemon zest
- Melt butter in small saucepan.
- Combine with almond meal, granulated raw sugar and organic lemon zest.
- Form dough into a cylinder (it will be crumbly, don’t worry!) and secure tightly with plastic wrap.
- Chill in freezer for 30 minutes or in refrigerator for 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 35o degrees F.
- Use a sharp knife to slice cylinder into ½ inch thick cookies and place them on baking sheet.
- Bake 12-15 minutes (do not overbake!).
- Enjoy!
