Holiday Cut-Out Cookies

The Holidays just aren't the Holidays without cut-out cookies! For over 30 years I've dedicated a day each December, to making them. I came up with this delicious SCD version of a family favorite, substituting legal ingredients for the sugar and wheat flour. I've included variations for both a nutmeg "sugar cookie", and a gingerbread version...  There's no need to frost these tender and crisp delicacies.

Cut-Out Cookies 
(makes 3- 4 doz. depending on the size of cookie cutters)

1/2 cup very soft butter
1/2 cup honey
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
Spices as desired- see below
3 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
Additional almond flour as needed for rolling pin and cutting surface.

For ginger cookies use:
1 1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. cinnamon

For "sugar " cookies use:
1 1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Cream together butter and honey. Add lightly beaten egg, salt, baking soda and the spices as desired. Add the almond flour and stir until well combined. Divide dough in thirds and scrape/dump onto three large sheets of plastic wrap. Fold the sides of the wrap loosely over the dough and press it down into a flat patty roughly 1/2" thick. Refrigerate dough 1 hour or more.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Flour both sides of one of the dough patties with almond flour. Lightly flour counter top or wooden pastry board too. Roll out to a thickness of 1/4" using additional almond flour as needed to prevent dough from sticking to rolling pin and board. You may need to lift dough while rolling and dust a little more almond flour underneath to prevent it from totally sticking to the work surface... a little sticking may be unavoidable. Cut dough with cookie cutters which have been dipped in the almond flour. With a spatula (silicone works the best) transfer the cut-outs carefully to a cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. Place cookies 1" apart. Gather dough scraps into a ball and re-roll. If dough becomes too warm, it may be returned to the refrigerator until workable. Repeat with remaining dough patties. Combine scraps from patties and continue to roll out and cut until finished.

Bake cookies one sheet at a time for 7-10 minutes at 325. They are done when they are lightly browned at tips and edges. When firm enough to handle, remove to cooling racks with spatula. Turn oven off and let cookies cool completely. Save parchment paper.

To crisp the cookies:

Preheat oven to 170 degrees. Arrange cookies on parchment paper lined cookie sheets (you can use the same ones).  Bake for 1 hour and then turn off the oven. Let the cookies cool in the oven. When the oven is cool, the cookies will be crisp. Store them in an airtight container for up to two weeks. If cookies loose their crispness you can"re-crisp" them by putting them back in a 170 degree oven for 15 minutes, letting them cool in the oven as before.

Click here for information on how you can get a copy of this beautiful Turtle Soup Cookbook Cover and a set of printer-friendly recipes.

"Keep it simple."

Comments

[Jill]

Cool! I will make these babies this weekend!

[Amy McKenna]

These cookies are delicious. Sophia and Grandma Beth made a batch of the "sugar" version, and I've been snacking on them all week!

[Erin]

These gingerbread cookies are the best in the whole world! Thanks so much for this recipe.

[Erin]

I made these and they are wonderful!
Thank you so much.