I have been on a gluten and grain free diet for quite some time now, so I am constantly trying to create new recipes that not only I can eat, but that my guests will enjoy as well. These two treats are delicious and nutritious. They will require a small extra effort to roll out the cookies because the nut flour will be much more sticky than regular flours, making it almost impossible to use a cookie cutter. If you have the patience to make these scrumptious treats I am sure you will find your efforts rewarding. Ours received clean plates and many compliments.
If you are tight on time you can also make these cookies as thumbprints which would require a bit less labor.
Hazelnut/Chocolate
For the cookie:
3 1/2 cups Hazelnut meal (we used Bob’s Red Mill)
1/2 tsp. sea salt
6 Tbl. coconut oil
4 Tbl. honey (We used Honey Pacifica Sage honey)
Combine the dry ingredients in a food processor. Add in the wet ingredients and process until a dough is formed. Wrap the dough in wax paper and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator but leave it in the wax paper and use your hands to roll it into a log shape about 2 and 1/2 inches in diameter. Cut the log into even slices and lay them out onto your cookie sheet. Press them flat with the bottom of a glass cup. Take half of your cookies and use a small cookie cutter to remove a small hole in the center (we used a heart shape cutter). Again these are super sticky so the faster you can press your cookie cutter into the dough and remove it, the easier it will come out. Take the excess dough and reshape it into an extra cookie or two.
Bake the cookies for 15 to 17 minutes until they start to look slightly brown and crisp on top. A note about cooking with nut flour is that it will still be somewhat soft when you remove it from the oven, but will set after about 10 to 15 minutes.
Let the cookies cool while you are making the filling.
For the chocolate filling:
2 Tbl. coconut sugar
1 cup raw cacao (We used Navitas Naturals)
3 Tbl. Coconut
4 Tbl. Honey
Combine all ingredients with an immersion blender or food processor.
*Do not cook this filling.* When the cookies are cool and firm, spoon a small amount of the chocolate mixture onto the bottom half and cover with the top half of the cookie (with the hole in the center). You can serve and eat these immediately.
Store cookies in refrigerator for up to a week (or longer in the freezer). Serve at room temperature. Makes 20 to 22 cookies.
Almond/Raspberry
For the cookie:
4 cups Almond meal (We used Bob’s Red Mill)
1/2 tsp. sea salt
6 Tbl. coconut oil
5 Tbl. honey
Combine the dry ingredients in a food processor. Add in the wet ingredients and process until a dough is formed. Wrap the dough in wax paper and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator but leave it in the wax paper and use your hands to roll it into a log shape about 2 and 1/2 inches in diameter. Cut the log into even slices and lay them out onto your cookie sheet. Press them flat with the bottom of a glass cup. Take half of your cookies and use a small cookie cutter to remove a small hole in the center (we used a heart shape cutter). Again these are super sticky so the faster you can press your cookie cutter into the dough and remove it, the easier it will come out. Take the excess dough and reshape it into an extra cookie or two.
Bake the cookies for 13 to 15 minutes until they start to look slightly brown and crisp on top. A note about cooking with nut flour is that it will still be somewhat soft when you remove it from the oven, but will set after about 10 to 15 minutes.
For the filling:
All natural Raspberry jam (or jam of your choice). We used St. Dalfour France red raspberry.
Let the cookies set and cool for a few minutes. Spoon the jam onto the bottom half and cover with the top half of the cookie (with the whole in the center).
Return cookie sandwiches to oven and cook for an additional 3 to 5 minutes. Let the cookies cool and set for about 10 minutes before serving.
Store cookies in refrigerator for up to a week (or longer in the freezer). Serve at room temperature. Makes 20 to 22 cookies.
Recipes by Lisa Valerie Morgan. Photos by Jamie Walsh.
xoxo,
Lisa
