I’ve always loved shortbread cookies. But I really don’t know the difference between shortbread and butter cookies because they are very similar. In any case I’m one of those folks who can’t resist getting those Danish cookies that come in that tin box every year during the holidays. And then the cookie game went up several notches when my husband made his grandma’s recipe for an anise flavored shortbread. But all of that was before we changed our nutrition to being mostly grain free and low carb. So as with anything else I was relentless in trying to engineer a cookie that came close to those grandma cookies. I finally came up with a combination of grain free flours with just the right ratio to get just the right balance between crumbly, tender and crispiness. The next thing to figure out was how to get it sweet enough but still relatively low in carbs. I used a combination of maple sugar along with mostly a zero carb sweetener such as xylitol which has absolutely not weird after taste. But you can use any sugar or sweetener you like if carb content is not a major concern. Just don’t use coconut palm sure which is not suitable because it will make the color of the cookie too dark and give it a heavy taste like brown sugar.
Of course, I couldn’t leave good enough alone so to make them even more next level and festive I wanted to dress them up with a variety of toppings. Because why not. I dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with chopped pistachios, crystalized ginger and shredded coconut. These cookies are amazing and addictive. You can and should make these cookies anytime of the year, but you absolutely should make them during the holidays. I think you won’t miss those tin boxes of Danish cookies at all.
The recipe below makes 18 to 20 cookies and are about 3.4 carbs each. So you can have several.
Dry ingredients
1 1/2 cup sifted almond flour
3 TBS arrowroot flour
2 TBS coconut flour
2 TBS cassava flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
3 TBS maple sugar
3 TBS xylitol
Dash salt
1 tsp crushed anise seed
Wet ingredients
1/3 cup oil (half coconut oil, half butter) melted
2 egg whites beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract
Directions
Sift into a large bowl all of the flours. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix well. Beat until stiff the egg whites. Melt the coconut oil/butter in the microwave for 30 seconds. Add vanilla and almond extract to the melted oil. Use a fork to mix in the oil to the dry ingredients until crumbly. Add in the beaten egg white, mix with a fork until well incorporated. Cover and chill for 15 minutes. Spoon the cookie dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Form into a log and use one end to roll into a log about 1 3/4 inch in diameter. Refrigerate for at least an hour for it to firm up enough to slice.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
When firm slice into 1/3 in slices and arrange on parchment lined baking sheet. Let the dough come to room temp. About 10 minutes. Bake for 25 minutes. Turn oven down to 200 degrees and bake another 10 minutes until pale golden color. Firm but not brown on the bottom. Remove from oven and transfer to a cooling rack. They will be delicate while warm, so handle with care. Allow them to cool completely before serving or applying any icing/frosting. Makes about 18 to 20 cookies. Plain is fantastic but toppings are next level.
Optional toppings
Dipped in chocolate. Or dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with chopped nuts, dried fruit, coconut flakes. Or drizzle in icing (1/4 cup powdered xylitol or other zero carb sweetener that you pulverize in a mixer and mixed with 2 tbs heavy cream or coconut milk)
