This is my submission to Kimi’s Nourishing Sweets and Treats event at her wonderful blog, The Nourishing Gourmet.
Exams are over and I’m back in Florida, where the mood is festive despite the 80 degree beach weather. I’ve planned a bit of Christmas baking for you guys, so stay tuned! In addition to attempting to make over classic holiday treats like chocolates and gingerbread cookies, I’ll be mixing it up with a few original healthful creations that will hopefully tantalize your tastebuds just as much as familiar favorites. Once you get the hang of working with almond flour and alternative sweeteners, non-traditional baking gets a lot easier. Make these upcoming weeks, filled with office parties and decadent meals, nourishing for your soul and your body, with good friends and healthful food.
This first recipe calls for a bit of honey as a sweetener, which works so well with stevia to achieve the perfect flavor in these gluten-free, low carb Honey Nut Cookies. These cookies are also, incidentally, egg-free! I’m still waiting for my erythritol to get here, and thought it would be good to share some recipes that don’t involve it. Erythritol is all natural and delicious, but it is so expensive that in these hard times, it’s nice to have a more reasonably priced healthy option. If I am using honey, I make sure to use as little as is necessary to sweeten adequately, and just count the carbs. If you’re worried about the fructose content, just know that per serving, you’re probably not ingesting enough to worry about. I feel much safer using a bit of honey and blackstrap molasses here and there than artificial sweeteners. It’s a personal decision!
In the pioneering footsteps (hah!) of Ree Drummond, I’m doing a step-by-step photo spread for making these cookies. They are so simple that this tutorial really isn’t necessary, but my sister and I had fun killing time this first afternoon back home, bumming around the house for the holidays!
Let’s make some cookies, shall we?
First things first: We need to make almond flour, the star ingredient in a low carb healthy baking arsenal. It’s so flippin’ easy.
Tutorial: How To Make Homemade Almond Flour
Step One: Add sliced, blanched almonds to food processor. Refrigerate or freeze the nuts beforehand for the best results.
Step Two: Whizz ’em up for a minute or two until finely ground.
Homemade almond flour
Pecans!
NuNaturals stevia
Cookie dough!
Cookie dough, patted and poked into cute rounds
Chewy Honey Nut Cookies
Makes eight to twelve cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup blanched almond flour
2 tablespoons organic unsalted butter
2 tablespoons honey (raw, if you can get it)
4 packets or 1/4 teaspoon good-tasting pure stevia extract
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1/16 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup chopped, toasted pecans
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 275 (yes, 275) degrees Fahrenheit.
Chop pecans, and toast them for 12 minutes. Melt butter. Stir together all ingredients except almond flour and pecans. Mix in almond flour until a smooth dough forms, then fold in nuts until dispersed throughout dough. Shape into flat cookie rounds on parchment paper. Bake for 12-18 minutes, or until slightly browned around the edges. Let cookies cool and harden for a full 10 minutes before removing from parchment.
~6g net carbs per 1/8 of a recipe, 4.5g net carbs per 1/10th, and 3.5g net carbs per 1/12th
Anonymous
December 14, 2008 at 4:48 pm (10 years ago)Lauren-
I am so looking forward to your 12 days of baking!! I can’t wait to get to your blog and see what you are up to. This step by step is wonderful- each picture perfect. These sound so wonderful and look fantastic. You are the bomb!! Thanks so much for sharing your skills and talents.
Mee-Lise
December 14, 2008 at 6:00 pm (10 years ago)Rock on! – and happy holiday (baking) season! I’ve been totally waiting for your cookie recipes with bated breath. Cookies and truffles are so going to be my holiday gifts this year. Thanks! 🙂
Kimberly
December 15, 2008 at 12:27 am (10 years ago)Lauren,
I have been dabbling in low-carb since the end of Sept. due to symptoms of sugar problems. I am also gluten free. I tried the Spec. Carbohydrate Diet for two months only to decide that it wasn’t working for me. Anyway, I just ordered my first bag of Erythritol and am very excited to try some of your recipes. I have been learning to use stevia as well. Can’t do ANY honey right now due to yeast problems but your cookies look realy yummy!
Viv
December 15, 2008 at 12:46 am (10 years ago)Lauren, thanks so much for this new cookie recipe. I plan to make them to take on the plane as my husband and I visit my daughter & SIL in South Korea this month. Perfect traveling food! I sent you a challenge (by email) for your 12 baking days. I am very excited about these things but have NO time to work on perfecting a recipe. Please consider it as a lot of people would LOVE the recipe! I love everything you make. The No Bake Bars & Ooey Gooey Pumpkin Cake are our favorites! Thank you, Thank you!!
Mee-Lise
December 15, 2008 at 2:46 am (10 years ago)Update: Whew! It being Sunday, I tried these out (substituting toasted almonds for the pecans I didn’t have on hand). They were delicious, sturdy (good for packing in gift boxes!), and a HUGE hit with the family.
I’m thinking a version might also be good with some orange zest and fruitcake-y spices, but maybe I’m getting ahead of myself.
Lauren
December 15, 2008 at 3:35 pm (10 years ago)Anon – Thank you! I am glad you enjoyed the step by step photo spread! Will continue to try to do this.
Mee-Lise – Yay, you tried the cookies! Good to know they work well with toasted almonds. Spicy fruit cookies sound like a great idea. I’d use dried apricots and perhaps a pinch of cloves. What is your truffle recipe?
Kimberly – I hope you are feeling better on your new diet plan! Should be getting my erythritol in the mail to post more recipes with it. 🙂
Viv – I got your email! Thanks for the suggestion.
Anonymous
December 15, 2008 at 6:33 pm (10 years ago)The Honey nut cookies are wonderful… Thanks.
Happy Holidays
janelle
December 16, 2008 at 2:35 am (10 years ago)OMG those look amazing. I guarantee I could only wait… like 6 minutes max.
Sarah
December 16, 2008 at 4:51 pm (10 years ago)Yum! Looks great! We don’t have to do gluten free, but we do try to go low-carb and this might be the perfect sweet treat the next time my husband decides to be strict with his low-carbiness! I also see this as a great hiking treat . . . full of energy and protein!
Have you ever considered adding in unsweetened cocoa too? Mmmmm . . . .
Best,
Sarah
Sophie
December 18, 2008 at 3:47 am (10 years ago)Yum, I can easily see these as an early morning snack! Can’t wait to see what other goodies you’ll be baking during your time off :). I really like those step by step photos!
Lauren
December 19, 2008 at 2:31 am (10 years ago)Anon – Glad you enjoyed the cookies!
Janelle – These cookies are worth the wait! 🙂
Sarah – Taking these cookies hiking is a great idea! Unsweetened cocoa powder might make a good chocolate cookie. Will have to try it!
Sophie – The cookies DO make a great breakfast. Healthy, too! 😉
Michele @ Frugal Granola
December 21, 2008 at 8:42 pm (10 years ago)I love Greern & Black chocolate! 🙂 Your recipes look so fun!
Blessings,
Michele
Anonymous
December 23, 2008 at 2:48 am (10 years ago)Excellent recipe!!!!! However, not a pretty as yours, but a very good cookie
Julie
November 21, 2009 at 7:32 pm (9 years ago)Hi Lauren – I'm new to your cooking & am so excited to try some of your recipes… I do have a couple of requests & if you have any info for me I would be very grateful. I'm not supposed to eat honey, cinnamon, peanuts (in any form), or dairy milk. I would love to have some recipes that don't use these ingredients… desserts, snacks, whatever! THANKS!! 🙂 julie1shane@yahoo.com
charlene
April 13, 2010 at 11:59 pm (9 years ago)what can I use in place of the honey?
JK
May 12, 2010 at 2:15 pm (9 years ago)HI
Thanks for this wonderful recipe.
How do you prepare blanched almonds?
I know it's preferable that the almonds are organic but is it necessary? Is almond a heavily sprayed nut?
Tks !
Ann Katherine
November 20, 2010 at 6:32 pm (8 years ago)These were really good! Love 'em! I traded the honey for light agave nectar and I think they were the best low carb cookies I have ever eaten. I hope you will get back in the kitchen soon. I am kind of hoping for a good sugar cookie recipe for Christmas. You know, the kind you cut out in fun shapes and ice. MMMMM! Have a great day!
Ann Katherine
November 20, 2010 at 6:32 pm (8 years ago)This comment has been removed by the author.
Selina@CreativeJuicesDecor
December 13, 2010 at 3:09 am (8 years ago)Your pictures are fantastic and I will definately try these out. I really enjoy reading your blog! I mostly have decor stuff on my blog but I manage some great GF SF recipes too!
Sara
December 22, 2010 at 1:19 am (8 years ago)Hi, thank you for the recipe! I have the cookies in the oven as I'm writing this comment! Love the recipe! 🙂
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