These paleo cookies are crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, and have notes of creamy almond butter and fall spices. You’ll never know they’re a gluten free, vegan, healthy Christmas cookie!
I don’t want to get you TOO excited but, umm, SPOILER ALERT, these are your newest favorite paleo cookies ever. Like probs even more than the orange cardamom paleo almond butter cookies that they’re based off of.
I don’t even feel too bold about a statement like that today.
I mean, I spent a WHOLE DAY making a video on these babies, that’s the kind of <3<3<3 I have for them.
Liiike, we’re talking the most perfectly crispy-on-the-outside-but-SO-soft-and-chewy-on-the-inside kind of D-LISH that just pulls your cookie-loving heart in nice and close with its spicy-sweet flavor and tasty-yumminess.
The texture of these underwhelmingly-thin-and-boring-cookies? ON POINT.
But, guys, don’t let the above mentioned flat, brown and not bursting with magical Christmas candies and chocolate and whatever-the-heck-else-goes-in-a-cookie-to-make-it-eye-catchingly-delicious fool you. Our seemingly-simple cookies are dancing to the Christmas cookie tune of almond butter. Think about it for a sec though: thick, creamy, smoooooth almond butter X-PLODING in your mouth with warm and cozy, nutty-cinnamon flavor as you munch through the crunchy –> chewy layers.
Side note: can’t do almond butter? Try these Molasses Cookies from Texanerin!
Doesn’t that just want to make you want to wrap a scarf around your neck 6 times, throw on some wooly mittens and go build a snowman?
Of course it doesn’t. Once you learn to drive…snow is DA WORST.
How I ever thought going outside in eleventy billion layers of clothes and getting cold was FUN as a child, I will never know.
E-S-P-E-C-I-A-L-L-Y when my snowmen-building-escapades took away from the moments of pure bliss that could have been happening if I stayed inside and ate spicy-sweet vegan (!!!) cookies, that are sort of like a healthy ginger snap, and sipped on a Ginger Snap Cookie Steamer. OR- OHMIGOSH –a cup of COFFEE. How perfect is that image guys?
I like adult-person life sometimes.
Also, the above mentioned coffee idea was SPECIFICALLY for those of you who received these paleo cookies in the Annual Food Blogger Cookie Swap – which was what these cookies were born for. Thasss right, these cookies have a purpose in life, and that is to spread healthy holiday cheer in the form of Christmas-food deliciousness ALL ACROSS THE WORLD.
Or at least the United States. Whatever.
Before you go running to your kitchen to beat rich and luscious almond butter into whippy, smooth, coconut-sugar-sweetened perfection, there are a few KEY points that we’re going to discuss like civilized adults. It’s only take 5 seconds, pinky promise.
Then I’ll let you run FREE to shove, stuff AND cram cookies into your faces until you fall into the happiest state of cookie-coma-bliss that ever was mmkay?
- Cardamom. You may be unfamiliar with this not-so-widely used spice. BUTTT it’s basically the most ultimate in terms of things you need to add into your spice cookies. Just try it. You’ll come to the cardamom side. Calling it right now.
- Freeze that cookie dough! Like, it says to do it in the instructions, which is NOT secret code for “maybe this is just a suggestion and Taylor won’t mind if my impatient self skips this part because cookies NOW please.”
I do mind. Because you won’t have crisp & tender bites of nutty-spiced YUM coming out of your oven.
It’ll be more like unrecognizable blobs of yuckiness. And, if you’re anything like me, you will cry.
Like a lot.
The heartbreak is real peeps. We could have some hashtags: #DidntFreezeMyCookies #CookiesArentPretty #ShouldHaveListenedToTaylor.
I like this plan.
Anyway,
IF you heed my words of loving advice and your paleo cookies-loving-heart will grow TWO sizes this day.
Too much Christmas reference?
Okay, just go already.
For step-by-step instruction of this recipe, watch my video tutorial below:
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Ingredients
- 1 Cup Natural creamy almond butter (make sure it's the no-stir kind!)
- 1/2 Cup Coconut sugar packed
- 2 Tbsp Unsweetened apple sauce
- 2 Tbsp Molasses
- 1 tsp Raw Apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp Baking soda
- 3/4 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Ground cardamom
- 1/4 tsp + 1/8 Ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp Ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp Sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat together the almond butter and coconut sugar. Add in the apple sauce, molasses and apple cider vinegar and beat on high speed until it forms a dough, and begins to stop sticking to the beaters, about 30 seconds.
- In a separate, small bowl, stir together the baking soda, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves and salt. Add into the dough and stir well. I like to get my hands in there to really make sure the spices are mixed.
- Roll the dough into lightly heaping tablespoon balls (don't flatten them out) and place onto the prepared cookie sheets. Place into the freezer for 30 minutes. *
- Once frozen, bake the cookies until the edges just begin to turn golden brown, about 14-15 minutes. Let them cool completely on the pan. Please note that the cookies firm up a lot once cooled. Note: if you can't fit two pans on the top rack of your oven, bake one at a time, leaving the other sheet in the freezer until ready to bake. These bake funny is you put them on a lower rack, closer to the heat.
- DEVOUR.
Tips & Notes:
Recipes written and produced on Food Faith Fitness are for informational purposes only.
FOR THIS RECIPE, I RECOMMEND:
IF YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE, PLEASE REMEMBER TO TAG @FOODFAITHFIT AND #FOODFAITHFITNESS ON INSTAGRAM! I LOVE SEEING YOUR RECIPE RECREATIONS! 
WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS PER SERVING: POINTS+: 4. OLD POINTS: 3
Want more healthy, gluten free Christmas cookies?
Gluten Free Shortbread Cookies with Balsamic Reduction
Whipped Gluten Free Shortbread Cookies
Vegan Christmas Cookie from around the web:
Vegan Danish Butter Cookies – Wallflower Girl
Lightened Up Snickerdoodles – Southern In Law
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Laura says
Can you replace the coconut sugar with maple syrup of stevia or a combo of the 2?
Taylor Kiser says
I really can’t tell you as the recipe was not developed that way. However, I can almost guarantee that maple syrup will not work as it is a liquid, and coconut sugar is a solid. Honestly, my gut tells me that the only thing that you can really replace it with is brown sugar – I’m sorry!
Sheena says
1. I make a pecan pie butter that I add cardamom to. It makes it!
2. Do these spread out on their own? I really want some flat crispy cookies!!
3. Do I need to make raw or roasted almond butter for this?
Taylor Kiser says
1. Yum!
2. Yes, they spread A LOT when you bake them
3. I think roasted – adds a lot of flavor! Hope that helps!
Teresa says
I have 1/2 a jar of almond butter left, can I use 1/2 almond butter and half cashew butter?
Taylor Kiser says
I wouldn’t recommend it, as I’ve not had good luck with cashew butter! Also note some readers are having issues using a kind of almond butter that requires stirring. Thanks!
Neela says
Ok to replace coconut sugar with honey?
Ok to replace molasses with maple syrup or honey?
Thx
Taylor Kiser says
Hi Nella,
Coconut sugar and honey are two completely different texture, so no this won’t work. Sorry!
You can TRY to replace the molasses but it will COMPLETELY change the flavor and I can’t guarantee it will work, as recipes are only tested as written. Hope you understand!
Jou says
Don’t use homemade almond butter that has added oil!! Or mix very minimally! Not sure which was my bigger error. I halved the sugar and added some stevia. They tasted great! But the darkness of the cookies made it impossible to know when they were done so I really overcooked them. Still good though as long as we don’t break a tooth! 😉
Taylor Kiser says
Oh no! Yep, that is why I specify the no stir kind! Glad you still liked them though!