3 healthy Christmas cookie recipes

Gingerbread cookies

Ingredients

• 40 g whole grain flour (e.g. oat flour)
• 100 g ground nuts or almonds (a mix works as well)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 – 1.5 tsp gingerbread spice
• 50 g dates
• 50 g applesauce
• 15 g coconut oil
• 1 organic orange
• 40 g dark chocolate

Makes 8 – 10 cookies.

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 175 °C (350 °F) for conventional heat and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Place the dates in a small bowl, cover with boiling water, and let them soak for 5–10 minutes.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, nuts, baking powder, cinnamon, and gingerbread spice. You can also add the zest of a quarter to half of the organic orange for extra flavour.
4. Pit the dates and blend them together with the applesauce and coconut oil until smooth.
5. Combine all ingredients in the mixing bowl. The dough should not be sticky; if it is, add a bit more flour.
6. Chill the dough in the freezer for about 15 minutes. This makes shaping the cookies easier.
7. Using a tablespoon, form balls of dough and flatten them on the baking sheet to about 5–10 mm thick.
8. Bake for 10 minutes and allow the cookies to cool until they firm up.
9. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler and dip the cookies halfway (or fully if you’d like) in the chocolate.

Coconut Macaroons

Ingredients

• 40 g oats
• 60 g shredded coconut
• 60 g coconut milk (the creamy part from the top) or coconut butter
• Pinch of salt
• 40 g maple syrup
• 40 g dark chocolate

Makes 10 – 12 macaroons.

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 175 °C (35 0°F) for conventional heat and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Combine all ingredients except for the chocolate and blend until a smooth mixture forms.
3. Using a tablespoon, form balls and place them on the baking sheet.
4. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the macaroons are lightly golden. Allow them to cool.
5. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler, then dip the macaroons in the chocolate. Let them harden upside down. If there's extra chocolate, drizzle it over the tops once the bottoms have set.

Tip: As canned coconut milk can sometimes contain unwanted additives, you can also use coconut butter from a glass jar. In this case, add a few tablespoons of water to prevent the mixture from becoming too dry.

Vanilla Crescents

Ingredients

• 70 g flour (e.g. a gluten-free flour blend)
• 30 g ground almonds
• 15 g coconut sugar or xylitol
• 2 tsp ground vanilla
• Pinch of salt
• 50 g nut butter (e.g. cashew butter)
• Coconut flour for dusting

Makes 8 – 10 crescents.

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 160 °C (320 °F) for fan-assisted baking and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Mix the flour, almonds, coconut sugar, vanilla, and salt together.
3. Add the nut butter to the dry ingredients and knead thoroughly. If the dough is too crumbly, add a small amount of water or plant-based milk.
4. Form the dough into a roll, then shape it into crescents.
5. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes.
6. While the crescents are still warm, dust them with vanilla and coconut flour. These cookies keep well in the fridge for several weeks and often taste even better a few days after baking.