Rudolph's nose shines a little brighter when he's not weighed down with sugar. Make gorgeous sugar cookie cutouts without lectins and sugar. Get the recipe.
Reindeer cookies have been a part of my family's Christmas tradition as long as I can remember. In fact, the copper cookie cutter I use is older than I am. A good sugar cookie isn't complicated. It's buttery, has that cream of tartar tang, is easy to roll out, cut out, keeps its shape, and is sturdy enough to decorate. I've cracked the lectin free code for sugar cookies. You're going to want to make these for your holiday cookie tray.
For Rudolph's red nose, I use a Red Hot candy. I did the math, and each candy has .39 grams of sugar. So it's a very minute amount of sugar and shouldn't excite your bad gut enemies at all. Just don't eat more than three cookies if you want to keep it around 1 gram of refined sugar. You could substitute a cranberry speck or just dot Rudolph's nose with a bit of icing dyed with natural red food coloring. Natural food coloring utilizes beets for color, so the color is going to be more bright pink than red.
If you'd like, make just one Rudolph. After all, he's special. In my opinion, we should all strive to be more useful like Rudolph. So that's why I make all my reindeer cookies Rudolphs.
For the icing, I love almond extract. Everybody in my house loves it. But if you're not a fan, you can use a few vanilla stevia drops or just keep it simple and leave out the flavoring. And I use xylitol for a little extra "sugar" sparkle. If you have dogs, be careful with xylitol. It can be toxic for pets if they accidentally ingest too much.
To get the authentic sugar cookie taste, I use cream of tartar. It gives the cookies that distinct must-have tang. Additionally, a their rich sweetness comes from Lakanto Golden Monk Fruit sweetener. In addition to being just-right sweet without aftertaste, this sweetener has an additional layer of warmth that is perfect for these chai spice cookies.
Let's make these!
The Recipe
LFG Reindeer "Sugar" Cookies
1/2 C Blanched Almond Flour
1/2 C Millet Flour
1/4 C Arrowroot Flour
1 tsp Cream of Tartar
1 tsp Xanthan Gum
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 C French Butter
1/4 C Red Palm Shortening
1/3 C Powdered Lakanto Sweetener
1 Tbsp Raw Local Honey
1 Organic Pastured Egg
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
LFG Cookie Icing
2/3 C Confectioners Erythritol
2-3 Tbsp Aroy-D Coconut Milk
1/4 t Coconut Oil
1/2 t Almond Extract
For Cookie Decorating
Xylitol for sparkle
Red Hot Candies for Rudolph's Nose (optional)
Instructions:
Step 1: Whisk Dry Ingredients Together
In small bowl, add almond and millet flours, arrowroot starch, cream of tartar, xanthan gum, and salt. Whisk together and set aside.
Step 2: Cream Together Fats and Sweeteners
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, cream butter, shortening, powdered monk fruit sweetener, and honey with an electric hand mixer until very well blended and creamy.
Step 3: Add Egg and Extracts
To the creamed mixture, add egg, vanilla extract. Mix until very creamy.
Step 4: Add Dry Ingredients
Gradually add the dry mixture to the creamed mixture. Mix until well incorporated.
Step 4: Chill Dough
Form a ball with the dough and wrap in plastic. Chill in freezer for 10 minutes.
Step 5: Roll and Bake
Place the cold dough on a sheet of parchment paper. Dust a rolling pin with arrowroot starch and roll the cookie dough out to about a 9 x12 rectangle that is about 1/8 inch thick (very thin). With your favorite cookie cutter, cut out cookie shapes. With a butter knife, lift off the dough in the negative spaces. Re-roll the leftover dough and cut out remaining cookies. Lift or slide the parchment sheets with cut-out cookies onto cookies sheets. Bake for 10 minutes until slightly golden brown around edges. Remove from oven and let cool completely.
Step 6: Cool and Ice Cookies
While cookies cool completely, whisk together powdered erythritol, milk, extract, and coconut oil. Icing should be thin enough to run off the whisk, but thick enough to form "ribbons" in the bowl for a few seconds before melting into the icing. Adjust with a little more powder or milk for right consistency. With a butter knife, ice each cooking, then sprinkle with a pinch of xylitol "sparkles" and place a red nose on Rudolph.
ENJOY with a delicious glass of bubbly Champagne!