It's the week before Christmas, (ok, its like 3 days away, but who's counting?!) and we might as well call it Cookie Week. I have made upwards of six or seven dozen cookies in the past week alone. I know, I know, some of you probably make me look like an amateur with your pristine Gingerbread houses and pretty cookies that would land you a spot on the Great British Baking Show, or the like. It's cool. I like my little corner of healthy baking heaven, so I will stay in my lane.

I get looks now when I go to parties. People expect me to bring healthy things, but the definitely don't expect them to taste good--unless they've known me for a while then they totally know better. Most of the time, the fact that my treats are "healthy" are enough to scare away all the men in the room, until they get a good look (or whiff) of the dessert, and then they succumb to all the gluten free/paleo/keto goodness. It's inevitable, trust me.

It's not that I'm awesome in any sense, its just what happens when you combine delicious ingredients--its magic! Believe it or not, these lovely grain-free, gluten free, paleo, clean eating Christmas cookies are so delicious, you won't miss the ones your mom used to make.

I don't know about you, but I am not one for wordy posts on a recipe I am trying to recreate. So without further ado, let's make some clean cookies!

Almond Flour Christmas Cookies with Vanilla Coconut Cream

What You Need:

Cookies

1/3 c coconut oil (melted and cooled)

1/4 c organic cane sugar (coconut sugar would work here as well)

1 1/2 c organic blanched almond flour, packed

3 tbsp organic coconut flour

1 organic egg (room temperature)

2 tbsp organic maple sugar

1 tsp organic almond extract

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp Himalayan sea salt

Vanilla Coconut Cream

1 c organic coconut butter

1/4c organic maple syrup (or agave)

1/2 tsp organic vanilla extract

1 scoop Bulletproof Vanilla Collagen Powder (trust me here)

**OR use Wholesome brand organic vanilla frosting. I love that stuff when time is of the essence!

Make it Work:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F then line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a food processor, place coconut oil, sugar, maple, egg and almond extract. Process for 30 seconds, until thoroughly combined.

To the wet mixture in the food processor, add all your dry ingredients (almond and coconut flour, baking soda, and salt). Process slowly until dough forms.

I like to put the dough in the fridge for 10-15 minutes at this point, but that's entirely up to you. I do recommend you let the dough rest for at least 5 minutes before forming. your cookies.

Take a tablespoon and scoop your dough to create uniform balls. Use a glass or your hand to flatten and create equal cookies.

Bake in the oven at 350 degrees F for 8-10 minutes. Test for doneness as ovens may vary.

For the Frosting:

Beat coconut butter, protein powder, maple and vanilla with a hand mixer until smooth and fluffy. Allow the frosting to rest/cool and make sure cookies are completely cooled before frosting.

PRO TIP: Use quality powdered matcha tea to color your clean frosting green!

I didn't get a pic of ours because our four boys got a huge kick out of having colorful frosting (a rare unicorn in our house). I also tinted some coconut shavings, had mini chocolate chips, and dried cranberries for decor. We used traditional tinted sugar and candy pearls for the ones they passed out at school.

These cookies came out better than anticipated and are slightly cakey, with a fantastic holiday almond flavor.

#christmascookies #sugarcookies #glutenfree #paleo #grainfree #holidaydessert #almondflourcookies