The name is a mouthful, and so are the cookies! I decided to create these after craving a spiced healthy treat. Originally these were going to be cardamom cookies - but after opening a newly purchased jar of ground cardamom, I wasn't sure cardamom was the ideal spice for this recipe. (Has anyone baked with cardamom? It smelled a bit too much like licorice for me). So instead of cardamom, I opted to combine cloves, cinnamon, vanilla + maca to create a yummy warm flavor.
These cookies are nutty, sweet and have a taste reminiscent of fall. They were a bit crunchy right out of the oven, and moist and chewy the next day. I found them to be delicious both ways! This recipe is vegan, gluten-free, grain-free, paleo, refined sugar-free + passes the boyfriend taste test with flying colors.
I love including maca in my recipes for the vast health benefits this peruvian root provides - it can help with balancing hormones, clearing skin, boosting energy + libido and even improving mood. The flavor goes so well with nut flours, so I knew it would be a perfect superfood adaptogen to include. When picking sweeteners, I almost always choose pure maple syrup. Not only does it have the yummiest flavor (in my opinion), but it has nutritional perks as well (contains antioxidants, good for skin health, etc.). My favorite maple syrup brand is Crown Maple - all of their products are certified organic, super high-quality and harvested locally on their farm in Dutchess County, New York. Crown Maple encompasses the true meaning of farm-to-table and I could not recommend their maple syrup more.
The white drizzle you see on the cookies is made from a mix of coconut butter, Katato + cashew milk - totally optional, but adds a nice hint of sweetness and prettiness. Kakato is an ingredient that I had not heard of until recently when it came in a package from Silver Fern. Silver Fern is an awesome company with lots of probiotic + prebiotic foods, supplements and mixes. Kakato is all-natural and made from monk fruit and natural prebiotic fiber. It has the appearance of very fine sugar and kind of tastes like the fun dip sugar stick (loved those growing up!). The good news is that unlike those sugar sticks, Kakato has 0 grams of sugar and no artificial ingredients. For this recipe, I decided to play it safe and only incorporate it into the drizzle. Now that I know it tastes good, I plan to experiment with using Kakato in more creations.
So... onto the recipe! It is very simple and only one bowl is needed. This recipe makes 10-12 small cookies.
Here's what to gather:
- 1 flax egg (1 Tablespoon flax meal + 3 Tablespoons hot water)
- 3/4 cup almond flour, fine ground (I like Bob's Red Mill brand)
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 1 tsp maca powder
- 1/4 tsp vanilla bean powder (ok to omit if you only have vanilla extract - use more extract in place)
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground clove
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp Himalayan sea salt
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1/8 - 1/4 cup pure maple syrup (adjust amount to your liking of sweetness)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
- Handful of almond slivers to decorate
- For the drizzle: coconut butter, Kakato (or another sweetener of choice), nut based milk (I used unsweetened cashew malk)
Here's what to do:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Make the flax egg by combining 1 Tablespoon flax meal + 3 Tablespoons hot water. Mix together and let sit while you prepare the rest of the recipe.
- Combine almond flour, coconut flour, maca, vanilla bean powder, cinnamon, clove, baking powder, Himalayan sea salt. Mix to combine well.
- Add in melted coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla extract, almond extract, flax egg. Mix to combine well.
- Place parchment paper on your baking sheet. Form 10-12 small round cookies and flatten. Place almond slivers on top to decorate.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly golden.
- Once cooled, make the drizzle: melt a little bit of coconut butter and stir in Kakato and a drop of nut based milk. Spoon this mixture into a little ziplock bag, and cut off a tiny piece of the corner (do-it-yourself pastry bag!). Squeeze the mixture out in a drizzle motion on top of the cookies.
- Store in an air-tight container for a few days (if they last you that long!) or store in freezer for as long as you need.
Feel free to play around with different spices - I think allspice or nutmeg would be a delicious addition! The base recipe is very versatile and you can definitely change things up. One of my colleagues even suggested throwing in come shredded carrot for a carrot cake type treat.
I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!
xx