Irresistibly crispy and rich, these delicate cookies are easy to make. So light and flavorful, you’d never guess they’re grain-free and Paleo. Enjoy them with a hot Chai Tea Latte, a Paleo Coffee, or just plain. This recipe is designed to allow you to sweeten to your own taste. For beginners, the sweetness level is high. Intermediate sweetness is medium, and for advanced folks, the sweetness is minimum. As your taste buds and body become more sensitized to the flavors of real food, you’ll need less and less sweetener. A food processor is helpful, but not required. You’ll need a rolling pin and a cookie cutter (or a jar lid). Yield: 18 2-inch yummy cookies.
Ingredients
- Sweetener: Level 1: 1/4 cup. Level 2: 6 tablespoons. Level 3: ½ cup. I used Just Like Sugar Table Top natural chicory root sweetener (not Baking), or use your favorite sweetener.
- 6 tablespoons almond meal
- 1/2 cup arrowroot powder
- 1/4 teaspoon unprocessed salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon nutritional yeast (optional, for a buttery flavor)
- 1 egg, chilled if possible
- 1/3 cup coconut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Zest of 1/2 lemon
- 1/4 teaspoon anise powder, optional
- 1/2 cup lightly toasted pecans, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper.
- In a dry food processor with the “S” blade, add the dry ingredients: sweetener, almond meal, arrowroot powder, salt, baking soda, and nutritional yeast, if using. Process well until it is a fine powder.
- To the dry ingredients in the food processor, add egg, coconut butter, vanilla, lemon zest, and anise, if using. Process well. It will become a thick dough.
- Add pecans and pulse briefly so they remain in large-ish pieces.
- Cut a piece of plastic wrap, parchment paper, or use a plastic bag. Dump the dough onto it and make a ball. Then flatten it to about 1 inch thick. Wrap the dough and chill about 15 minutes. This is optional, and it helps the dough to stay together when you’re rolling it out.
- Prepare 2 squares of parchment paper about 14 inches wide. On a flat cool surface, use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to about 1/4-inch thick. Cut the dough into rounds (or squares) and place on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper, about 1/8 inch apart. I used a 2-inch scalloped biscuit cutter
- Bake 16 to 18 minutes, until they just barely begin to show some color. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack.
