Special to The Hillsdale Daily News Home for the Holidays Series: This year, local reporters and editors are using Thanksgiving week to share our favorite holiday traditions and recipes with you, our readers. Christmas cutout cookies are a seasonal classic, but these citrus cutouts are a tradition for my […]
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Special to The Hillsdale Daily News
Home for the Holidays Series: This year, local reporters and editors are using Thanksgiving week to share our favorite holiday traditions and recipes with you, our readers.
Christmas cutout cookies are a seasonal classic, but these citrus cutouts are a tradition for my family — it’s just not Christmas without them!
With the addition of orange and lemon peel and freshly grated nutmeg, these cookies set themselves apart. This recipe originated from my husband’s grandmother, but I changed some of the ingredients to fit our lifestyle by omitting grains, gluten and soy.
Don’t let this hinder you from trying a new twist this holiday season. The cookies are bright, soft, slightly crunchy and topped with a traditional cookie frosting that complements the citrus and spice. You can find many of the ingredients at your local grocery store, health food store or Amazon.
I hope your family loves them as much as mine!
Ingredients:
Cookies
- 2 ½ cups blanched almond flour
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 1 tablespoon coconut flour
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot flour
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon fresh orange zest
- 1 teaspoon palm shortening or butter
- ¼ cup real maple syrup or honey
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Arrowroot flour, for dusting
Frosting
- 2 cups organic powdered sugar
- ½ cup palm shortening
- 3 tablespoons dairy free milk (regular will work, too)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Natural food coloring
Directions:
- Add cookie ingredients to a mixing bowl and combine until a dough ball forms. Wrap dough in plastic wrap, and chill at least 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Dust cutout surface and rolling pin with arrowroot flour. The dough will feel slightly wet. I like to sprinkle it with arrowroot flour. Don’t be afraid to add more arrowroot, if needed.
- Roll the dough out to a ¼ inch thickness.
- Take cookie cutters and dip the edges in arrowroot. Cut your cookies!
- Place cutouts on the baking sheet. Don’t worry about spacing them out too much.
- Bake cookies 8-10 minutes until slightly golden (time will vary between ovens).
- While cookies cool, mix frosting ingredients and add desired food coloring.
- Frost cooled cookies and let frosting dry, uncovered, for a few hours.
- Cookies can sit at room temperature for seven days.
Makes about 20 cookies, depending on cookie cutter size.
— Stephanie Gordon is a blogger residing in Hillsdale, her hometown, with her husband, Matt, and three children.
