As we are approaching the Holiday Season... Christmas cookies are everywhere... in the supermarket, at work, at parties, etc.
If you want to enjoy Christmas cookies without having to deal with the energy crash that are caused by white sugar and flour, which is found in most commercial cookies...
...this recipe is for you! It is based on a popular Dutch 'pepernoten' recipe, which is a beloved treat during the 'Sinterklaas' (Saint Nicholas) fest on the 5th of December in the Netherlands.
The flavour of the cookies is a mix of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cardamon!
They are easy to make... only contain a few ingredients... and taste just so yummy!
The good news is… this healthy version of the popular Dutch 'pepernoten' is free from refined sugar, dairy, eggs, gluten, and soy!
Hence this recipe is suitable for people with intolerances or allergies for these ingredients. Additionally, since there is no added sugar, we avoid feeling sluggish afterwards as well as the negative impacts that too much sugar can have on our health.
This recipe only contains 5 ingredients & are ready to enjoy in less than 30 minutes!
Ingredients
(makes one oven tray full of cookies)
120 gram of spelt flour
80 gram of almond flour
5 tablespoons of (melted) coconut oil
2 tablespoons of almond milk
5 teaspoons of 'speculaas' / 'Lebkuchen' store-bought spice mix, or make your own:
>> 5 teaspoons of cinnamon + 1 teaspoon of nutmeg + 1 teaspoon of ground cloves + 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper + 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger + 1/2 teaspoon of cardamon <<
HOW TO MAKE IT?
1) Pre-heat the oven to 175 degrees. Cover an oven tray with baking sheets.
2) Mix the spelt & almond flour together with the spices.
3) Then add the coconut oil and almond milk. Whisk the mixture until smooth.
4) Optional: add more almond milk if the mixture is too dry / add more flour when it is too wet (sticky).
5) When the mixture is smooth and not too sticky, roll little balls of mixture (around thumbnail size).
6) Cut the little balls of the mixture in halves and put them on the baking sheet (with 1cm room in between each little cookie.
7) Bake the 'pepernoten' cookies for about 15-20 minutes in the oven - or until the crust is golden brown and the inside is still slightly soft.
8) When they are ready, remove them from the oven to cool them before enjoying! :-)
Enjoy, guten appetit, buon appetito, eet smakelijk!
Once you have tried them... tell us, how do you like these cookies? We would love to hear from you in the comments below! :-)
Love,
Marco & Sabine