HEALTHIER CHRISTMAS BAKING – Part II

HOLIDAY COOKIES
Christmas entertaining is over for the season. I thought it would be hard to mix up cookie recipes without sugar & grain flours, but I had purchased a good number of substitutes and it went quite well.

I chose recipes from “From Your House To Ours” cookbook & changed less healthy ingredients for ones that are healthier. I want to share these recipes with others who need to omit these ingredients.

This first recipe is on page 7. It was a recipe mom always made for us because we loved mixed fruits.
Now in our own family, only a few of us love this fruit so I made the following 1/2 recipe for us.
I realize glazed fruit has sugar, but I did exchange the margarine and flour for healthier choices.

FRUIT DROP COOKIES – 4 dozen

1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup avocado oil
1/2 cup monk fruit (sugar substitute)
1/2 teaspoon Himalayan salt
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 eggs
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup buckwheat flour
1 cup almond flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup raisins
2 cups chopped mixed fruit & cherries

Cream the oils; add & mix well with sugar, vanilla and eggs. Mix the dry ingredients together and add to the first. Fold in nuts & fruits.
Spoon to an oiled cookie sheet. Bake 12 – 14 minutes at 350 ° F. Cool and store in a cookie container.

SOUR CREAM COOKIES
This next recipe is also a favorite found on page 15 of From Your House To Ours cookbook. Instead of icing sugar spread on top I made the icing recipe to follow.
3/4 cup milk fruit (sugar substitute)
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup avocado oil
1 cup non-dairy yogurt
2 eggs
1/2 cup hemp milk
1 tablespoon vanilla.
1 cup quinoa flour
1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup oatmeal flour
2 Tablespoons baking powder
1/2 tablespoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Himalayan salt
Cream the oils with monk fruit. Add and mix in well the eggs, yogurt, hemp milk and vanilla. Add and mix in the dry ingredients. Refrigerate for several hours. Roll out 1/3 inch thick on a floured board, cut out circles. Bake at 350 ° F until edges begin to turn light brown. Remove from pans, let cool and ice with the following.

PEPPERMINT ICING
1/2 cup monk fruit ( powder fine in a coffee mill)
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 teaspoon peppermint flavoring
Mix the above. Add enough almond or hemp milk to spread the icing, adding 1 teaspoon at a time.
If you wish, add a few drops of green coloring. Spread very thinly on the cookies. If you are putting sprinkles on top do so as soon as you have spread the icing. Then let them dry. Place them in cookie canister with wax paper or foil between. Store in the freezer or fridge.

I just created this next great icing recipe today. It can be used on these sour cream cookies or on the gingerbread cookies. I shared the gingerbread cookie recipe in the previous post before Christmas.

EGG WHITE ICING
1/4 cup Monk Fruit – sugar sub. (blend really fine in a coffee grinder)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla flavoring
1/2 of an egg white (I beat 1 egg white frothy in a cup and then use 1/2 of it)
3 – 4 tablespoons tapioca flour (add 1 T. at a time, using only as needed)

Mix together monk fruit with 1/2 egg white and vanilla. Add tapioca flour until it is the right consistency to spread. Spread with a thin layer of icing. After that use a variety of sprinkles. If decorating gingerbread cookies use sprinkles for eyes, nose, mouth, buttons etc. Leave the cookies harden before putting away in a closed cookie canister.

CHOCOLATE DROPS – 8 dozen
We are told that a small amount of 70% dark chocolate is good for us so I decided to melt some and add healthy seeds. I gave some glass trays with 2 dozen of these on to some friends at Christmas and we also served plenty in our home.

450 grams 70% dark chocolate
1 1/2 cups hemp hearts
1 cup unsalted pumpkin seeds
1 cup unsalted roasted sunflower seeds
Melt chocolate gradually. Add remaining ingredients & stir. Drop on wax paper and chill.

I stored our cookies in the freezer as I want them to stay fresh into the coming weeks and even months as we are now eating more fruits or puddings made with non-dairy milks for dessert.

Over the past year I have written an update for EAT MORE WHOLE GRAINS cookbook with my new dairy-free, no sugar, no yeast and gluten free recipes. I will email this free to everyone who orders the EAT MORE WHOLE GRAINS cookbook.

Winnie