Tag Archives: Cookie

recipe, treats

Paleo Thumbprint Cookies

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Happy Monday everyone! I hope you had a nice Valentine’s Day. Colby and I went out to Cantina Laredo in Tivoli Village on Friday night. We loved their chips and salsa, margaritas, fajitas, and my chicken dish that I was a little too buzzed to remember the name of. We enjoyed sizzling apple pie with cinnamon ice cream and brandy butter for dessert… mmm.. you’d think I’d be tired of sweets after that! Definitely not. Some Girl Scouts knocked on our door Sunday while we were sipping on mimosas in the backyard. You can’t NOT buy cookies from a Girl Scout. Colby’s favorite are the thin mints, but I don’t like feeling like I’m brushing my teeth while eating cookies. My favorite are the shortbread cookies, but they have a weird chemical aftertaste. Instead of buying cookies for myself, I got in the kitchen and made these:

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Grain free thumbprint cookies! Here’s how:

Ingredients:
-1 cup almond or pecan flour
-3/4 cup coconut flour
-1 cup maple syrup
-1/4 cup melted coconut oil
-1 egg
-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1/8 teaspoon almond extract
-4 squares extra dark chocolate

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. In a large bowl, whisk together the eg, maple syrup, and almond extract.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the almond or pecan flour with the melted coconut oil. Stir it with a spatula to distribute. Stir in coconut flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
3. Allow the mixture to soak in for a minute or until thickened. Don’t freak out if it seems thin at first- coconut flour is very absorbent.
4. Form 1 inch balls with the dough, make an indentation with your thumb, and place on a Silicone baking mat or baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
5. Bake for 12-15 minutes. While baking, melt the dark chocolate by microwaving for 10 second intervals and stirring frequently to keep it from burning.
6. Allow the cookies to cool slightly before spooning chocolate into each cookie. Place them in the freezer for 10-30 minutes to allow the chocolate to harden (or eat gooey!).

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No artificial aftertaste with these, that’s for sure! They’re rich, chocolatey, and nutty.

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recipe, treats

Gluten Free Russian Tea Cookies

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Happy new year! These buttery, crumbly cookies are known as Italian wedding cookies, Mexican wedding cookies, and Russian tea cookies. This version uses protein-packed buckwheat flour as part of the gluten free flour blend.

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Ingredients:
1 stick + 2 tbs butter
1/3 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup ground almonds or pecans
1/2 tsp salt
1.5 cups all purpose flour (or gluten free flour blend: 50 g brown rice flour, 50 g white rice flour, 50 g buckwheat flour, 25 g tapioca starch, 30 g potato starch, 5 g xanthan gum)
Extra powdered sugar for dusting

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cream butter and sugar in a stand mixer.
2. Blend in vanilla extract, almonds, and salt.
3. Blend in flour.
4. Roll dough into 1″ balls using your hands. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet.
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes until fragrant but not browned.
6. Allow to cool slightly, then sprinkle with additional sifted powdered sugar. Makes about 24 cookies.

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Delicious with a cup of coffee or milk!

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My mom and I made the regular flour version yesterday with ground pecans. Today I made the gluten free variation with ground almonds. Both versions are tasty! Next time I’ll figure out a paleo modification.

recipe, treats

Paleo Christmas Cookies

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My sister lovingly pointed out that it’s been a MONTH since my last blog post! She also said I shouldn’t call these cookies “paleo” because cavemen didn’t bake meringues. Fair enough! These are grain free and refined sugar free cookies then.

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This recipe is adapted from gourmandeinthekitchen.com. Her photos are beautiful! These cookies are light, airy, and amazing. The pecans and maple syrup are a fantastic flavor combination for meringues!

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ingredients:
120 g egg whites (4 large)
3/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped, toasted pecans

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Bring 1-2 inches water to a simmer in a small/medium saucepan.

2. Combine egg whites, maple syrup, cream of tartar, and sea salt in a mixer bowl using a spatula. Place the mixing bowl over the simmering water and stir ingredients until the steam has warmed them from below (2-3 minutes).

3. Whip the mixture on medium-high in a stand mixer until smooth, glossy peaks form and the mixture looks like hair mousse (5-7 minutes).

4. Using 2 spoons, drop the batter onto parchment lined cookie sheets. Space them about an inch apart. You’ll have about 2 dozen large cookies.

5. Bake at 200 degrees for 2 hours, turning the baking sheets midway. Turn the oven off and let the meringues dry out and cool down overnight.

6. Store in the fridge and eat within a week!

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These cookies make pretty Christmas gifts! Wrap them up in a box and tie with string. I found these gift boxes at World Market:

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Enjoy!

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recipe, treats

GF Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

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Don’t question it, just make these cookies and let them blow your mind. Perfect. Moist. Soft. Chewy. Vegan… Gluten free… Paleo-ish.

Ingredients:
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup almond butter
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
Additional stevia or brown sugar to adjust sweetness
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
As many carob chips (or chocolate chips) as you like

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Purée the beans in a food processor or blender. Transfer to a mixing bowl.

2. Fold in remaining ingredients and combine well. Spoon onto lightly greased baking sheet to make about 10-12 cookies. Bake for 10 mins or until bottoms are golden.

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Please make these! They’re amazing.

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recipe, treats

Chickpea chocolate chip cookies

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These are too good to keep to myself!

Ingredients:
-1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
-1/2 cup almond butter (or cashew butter)
-1/2 cup light brown sugar
-2 tsp vanilla extract
-1/4 tsp salt
-1/4 tsp baking powder
-1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Purée chickpeas in a blender (magic bullet) until smooth. Add all ingredients (except chocolate chips) and stir to thoroughly combine. **i used the blender to combine everything, but it gets very sticky and the blades struggle with it.
3. Drop cookie batter onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper by the spoonful. Stick some chocolate chips in ’em.
4. Bake for 15-20 mins until chocolate chips start to melt and the cookies are golden.
5. Allow to cool, then prepare to be amazed!

These are REALLY tasty! Try them, you won’t regret it!

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Recipe adapted from here