The Christmas holidays are fast approaching, so to keep you busy (and feeling festive!) over the coming weeks, we're delighted to bring you another recipe from top nutritionist Lucinda Miller. Happy cooking...
These are scrumptious crunchy Christmas cookies with a soft squidgy orangey spice sensation inside. Oranges, allspice, and almonds will fill your kitchen with all the wonderful smells of Christmas!
Full of Magnesium, Vitamin C and tummy soothing spices, these cookies bring all the joy and taste of a delicious treat without the hit of refined sugar and white flour.
Naturally egg-free, soya-free and dairy-free, easy to make gluten-free. Suitable for all ages, even weaning babies from 6 months.
Makes: 15 cookies
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10-12 minutes
Ingredients:
100 g ground almonds
100 g spelt flour
1 tsp allspice
0.5 tsp baking powder
25 g coconut sugar
2 oranges (just the zest)
30 ml maple syrup
0.5 tsp orange blossom water (optional)
0.5 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp coconut oil (can use butter)
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 180°C, 160°C fan or gas mark 4, and line a baking tray.
Mix together all the dry ingredients and the orange zest.
Add maple syrup, melted coconut oil, vanilla extract and orange blossom water and stir.
Using clean hands create a big compact dough ball.
Flour the work surface and roll out the dough to roughly 3mm thick. If the dough is too sticky, sprinkle more spelt flour over before rolling.
Cut out the cookies, using Christmas cookie cutters and place on the lined baking tray.
Pop in the oven for 10 minutes until they are lightly golden. 12 minutes to make them crunchier.
Cool before eating or decorating – if you can wait!
Recipe Notes:
Gluten-free: substitute the spelt flour for sorghum or ground-up gluten-free oats (oat flour).
Nut-free: swap ground almonds for ground sunflower seeds.
Store in a cookie tin for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.