holiday baking Archives - Amazing Health Advances

Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies

AHA Publisher — Tue, 22 Dec 2020 08:00:50 +0000

Dr. Josh Axe, DC, DMN, CNS – Gingerbread is a staple when it comes to holiday treats. The warm spices and sweetness from blackstrap molasses bring a delightful addition to your Christmas cookie collection. My gluten-free gingerbread cookies are perfect to add to your holiday traditions while packing some nutritional punch. What Is A Gingerbread Cookie? Gingerbread has been around as far back as 2400 B.C. in Greece. The recipes adapted from country to country, and gingerbread was traditionally decorated with animals or nature. Queen Elizabeth I is credited with the idea to decorate gingerbread cookies, which is why we see so many gingerbread man cookies these days. It was popular to make gingerbread men and other cookie shapes for fairs or dignitaries visiting the Queen’s court. When English colonists came to America, they brought their gingerbread recipes with them and typically baked gingerbread as soft loaves. (1) Key Ingredients These gluten-free gingerbread cookies wouldn’t be anything without fresh and ground ginger added to them. Ginger has been used for thousands of years as tonics for ailments and was a priceless commodity in the Roman empire around the time of Christ. It’s a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent, and I personally keep ginger essential oil stocked in my cabinet. Ginger can combat nausea, indigestion and even stroke and heart disease. I’ve included fresh ginger and ginger powder in my gingerbread cookie recipe to really pack in the powerful, healthful punch of ginger. If you have ginger essential oil on hand, this would be a perfect recipe to pour a drop or two in! Traditional gingerbread cookies have lots of flour, but I found a grain and gluten-free alternative to give these cookies a soft, chewy texture: cashew butter. How to Make Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. You’ll need to preheat your oven to 350 F. while preparing your cookies. This gluten-free gingerbread cookies recipe is super easy, because it only requires one bowl to mix it all up. I used cashew butter as the “flour” for this recipe. Cashews and cashew butter are rich in minerals like magnesium, copper and zinc. Cashews are full of healthy fats, protein and dietary fiber, making it a filling snack. Add cashew butter into a large mixing bowl, along with my favorite natural sweetener maple syrup. Next, pour in blackstrap molasses. Blackstrap molasses is a perfect pairing with ginger, and is a traditional sweetener for gingerbread recipes. Like other natural sweeteners, blackstrap molasses is loaded with vitamins and minerals not typically found in refined sugar. It is high in iron, which can help relieve PMS symptoms in women, and vitamin B6, which can help reduce stress. Take a knob of fresh ginger, peel, then grate about one tablespoon into the cashew butter mixture. The more fresh ginger, the spicier your gluten-free gingerbread cookies will be! I added one pastured egg to help bind the dough together. A teaspoon of vanilla extract rounds out the ginger flavor and adds another nice layer of antioxidant power. Top off the cashew butter mixture with cinnamon, ground ginger and sea salt. Mix all this together until well-combined. I also added in fiber-rich coconut flour to soak up some of the moisture of the dough, and keep these gingerbread cookies Paleo-friendly. Take a tablespoon and scoop out each cookie and place on the parchment lined baking sheet. The dough is sticky, so put water on your fingertips to help scoop the cookie dough onto the parchment paper. Bake in the oven for 12–15 minutes. *If you want to make a gingerbread man, roll out some of the dough onto the baking sheet and bake for 10–12 minutes. Remove from oven, use a gingerbread man cookie cutter to cut out the shape, and place back in the oven to bake for a couple more minutes. The dough is soft and easily crumbled, so handle him delicately! Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies DESCRIPTION Gingerbread is a staple when it comes to holiday treats. The warm spices and sweetness from blackstrap molasses bring a delightful addition to your Christmas cookie collection. INGREDIENTS 1 cup cashew butter ½ cup maple syrup ¼ cup blackstrap molasses 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground ginger ½ teaspoon sea salt ⅓ cup coconut flour arrowroot starch, for dusting (optional)* INSTRUCTIONS Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, add in cashew butter, maple syrup, blackstrap molasses, fresh ginger, egg, vanilla extract, cinnamon, ground ginger and sea salt. Stir until well combined. Add in coconut flour and mix well again. Use a tablespoon to measure out the dough for each cookie. Bake for 12–15 minutes. Remove from oven and dust cookies with arrowroot starch for added effect, if desired. To read the original article click here. For more articles from Dr. Axe click here.

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Christmas Spritz Cookies (With Homemade Food Coloring!)

AHA Publisher — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 08:00:50 +0000

Alyssa Lowery via Dr. Axe – ‘Tis the season for cookies! The holidays are one of my favorite times for baking, and spritz cookies are the perfect treat to make. These yummy cookies are perfect for serving at Christmas parties, leaving out for Santa or giving as gifts. Gluten-free and delicious? I’m in. What Are Spritz Cookies? Spritz cookies are available year-round, but they tend to be most popular during the Christmas season. Spritz cookies most likely originated from Germany; Spritz comes from spritzgebäck, which means “to squirt” in German. It sounds weird, but since a cookie press is used to “squirt” the dough on to a baking sheet, it makes sense. Spritz cookies come in all sorts of shapes thanks to the cookie press discs that are used. If you’re lucky enough to be in Germany during the holidays, you’ll find this cookie all over the Christmas markets. But luckily, you can also make a healthy version right at home. Nutrition Facts Traditionally, spritz cookies are made with just a few ingredients: butter, sugar, vanilla, eggs, flour and salt. That would be fine if you just had one, but, trust me, no one has ever had just one spritz cookie! So, I set out to get the same great spritz cookie taste with healthier ingredients, and these gluten-free spritz cookies definitely fit the bill. I’ve replaced plain, all-purpose flour with Paleo flour, making this safe for gluten-free cookie lovers. Instead of butter, I’ve used coconut oil, which adds that smooth, buttery taste without any dairy. It’s great for raising good cholesterol levels and helping keep your heart healthy. (1) Using coconut oil in place of butter also keeps these cookies vegan. This spritz cookies recipe also lightens up the sugar load. Table sugar is tough on the body; it can send blood sugar levels out of whack, which increases your risk of type 2 diabetes and spells disaster if you’re trying to maintain normal blood sugar. (2) So instead, we’re sweetening up this spritz cookie recipe with maple syrup. It ranks lower on the glycemic index and contains extra nutrients, like antioxidants, that regular sugar doesn’t have. When you’re purchasing your syrup, be sure to read the ingredients list. You want to purchase one, ideally organic, that’s only got “pure maple syrup” listed. That means it’s not mixed with high fructose corn syrup or other added sugars. Hint: the pancake syrup sold in most supermarkets is not maple syrup! For extra fiber and protein, I’ve added flaxseed meal, which is just ground-up flax seeds. These small seeds are packed with omega-3 fatty acids, improve digestive health and help you feel full. (3, 4) Finally, you might wonder why you need beet juice and spirulina for this spritz cookie recipe. Well, we’re using these as natural food coloring. Traditional food coloring can be really harmful to your health, so I steer clear of them. Some studies have even linked food dyes to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. (5) They can also cause allergic reactions. (6) In fact, one study found that in people with chronic hives, more than half were allergic to food dyes. (7) While the Food and Drug Administration maintains that food dyes aren’t anything to worry about, I’d rather not risk it. Instead, we can give these spritz cookies gorgeous holiday colors with no scary additives. We’ll use nature’s own vibrant ingredients for a much better-for-you alternative. The green from spirulina and red from beet juice are perfect for baking festive cookies. I think you’ll agree, when it comes to cookie nutrition, this spritz recipe is pretty awesome! Here’s what you’ll get in one cookie: 75 calories 2.06 grams protein 2.26 grams fat 12.69 grams carbohydrates 1.7 grams fiber 4.3 grams sugar 0.667 milligrams manganese (37 percent DV) 0.128 milligrams vitamin B2 (12 percent DV) 0.104 milligrams copper (12 percent DV) 6.7 micrograms selenium (12 percent DV) 0.098 milligrams vitamin B1 (9 percent DV) 0.647 milligrams vitamin B3 (5 percent DV) 0.053 milligrams vitamin B6 (4 percent DV) How to Make Spritz Cookies Spritz cookies might look complicated, but they’re actually fairly straightforward. You do need a cookie press to make these. Most cookie presses are manual and feature a cylinder with a plunger on one end, and a disc on the other, which gives the cookies the different shapes and a professional look. Your cookies will look like they came straight from the bakery! If you’re still getting the hang of your cookie press, you might want to do a few practice runs so your cookies look as good as possible before serving to company — you likely won’t have trouble getting help eating the “duds.” Once you’ve got the cookie press nailed down, these spritz cookies are smooth sailing. Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium-sized bowl, combine 1 cup Paleo flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ cup maple syrup, 1 tablespoon coconut oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 2 teaspoons almond extract, 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal, ½ cup water and beet juice. Mix the ingredients together using either a hand-held mixer or manually. Once the dough is mixed up, choose your cookie shape for the cookie press. Spoon the mixture into the cookie press. Use the cookie press to spritz the cookies onto a lined baking sheet. In a separate bowl, mix 1 cup flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ cup maple syrup, 1 tablespoon coconut oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 2 teaspoons almond extract, 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal, remaining water and spirulina. Repeat steps 3–5 with the green dough. Bake the cookies for 8–10 minutes. And you’re done! How easy was that? TOTAL TIME: 30 minutes SERVES: 24 cookies INGREDIENTS: 2 cups Paleo flour 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ cup maple syrup 2 tablespoon coconut oil 2 teaspoon vanilla extract 4 teaspoons almond extract 4 tablespoon flaxseed meal 1⅓ cup water 1 tablespoons powdered spirulina (for green coloring) ½ cup + 1 tablespoon red beet juice (for red coloring) Spritz cookie press DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350 F. RED SPRITZ COOKIES In a medium-sized bowl, combine 1 cup flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ cup maple syrup, 1 tablespoon coconut oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 2 teaspoons almond extract, 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal, ½ cup water and beet juice. Mix thoroughly until well-combined. Choose cookie shape and then spoon mixture into the cookie press. Use the cookie press to spritz cookies onto a lined baking sheet. GREEN SPRITZ COOKIES In a separate medium-sized bowl, combine 1 cup flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ cup maple syrup, 1 tablespoon coconut oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 2 teaspoons almond extract, 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal, remaining water and spirulina. Repeat steps 3–5 with green dough. Bake for 8–10 minutes. To read the original article click here. For more articles from Dr. Axe click here.

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