KATHRIN DI LAURO TRAVEL BLOG

3 Homemade Superfood Cookie Recipes for Christmas Baking

The holiday season has officially arrived, and you know what that means. It’s time for the scent of warm, fresh-baked cookies to fill your home! Today, I’ll be sharing three of my favorite recipes for Christmas baking.

Not only are the flavors absolutely DIVINE, but every cookie contains at least one superfood. (So you can actually feel good about indulging!)

The Power of Superfoods

Though you may know the word “superfood” means something healthy, do you really know how powerful superfoods are for your body? I’m sharing the power behind the cookie within each recipe, so you don’t have to feel guilty about this pleasure!

These unique cookies contain nutrient-rich Goji, Buckwheat, or Teff, all three of which have major health benefits.

Read on for three of my absolute favorite homemade cookies that are perfect for Christmas baking.

Coconut Macaroons Recipe for Christmas Baking
These coconut macaroons are the perfect balance of chewy and crunchy.

Superfood Cookie Recipes for Christmas Baking

Recipe #1: Chewy coconut macaroons

Ground pumpkin seeds give the macaroons the crunchiness, cranberries and goji berries provide splashes of color, the former for fresh acidity, the latter for a superfood kick.

The amount given is for one baking sheet.

Coconut Macaroons Christmas Cookies
These super scrumptious coconut macaroons feature superfood Goji!

Preparation:

  •   Preheat the oven to 125 degrees Celsius (no convection)
  •   Finely grind 80 g pumpkin seeds in a blitz chopper and mix with 200 g coconut flakes.
  •   Roughly chop 50 g dried cranberries (unsweetened) and 50 g dried goji berries and mix with the pumpkin seed-coconut mixture.
  •   Beat 4 small egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff, adding 150 g coconut blossom sugar (100 g if you can live with a little less sweetness and want to save some sugar). Stir the finely grated zest of 1 organic lemon into the pumpkin seed and coconut mixture.
  •   Gently fold in the beaten egg mixture.
  •   Cover the baking tray with baking paper.
  •   Use your fingers to form small balls of the mixture and flatten them slightly on the baking sheet. This also works well with the back of a tablespoon repeatedly dipped in a glass of cold water.
  •   Bake the macaroons in the oven (center rack) for 30 to 40 minutes until golden brown. Turn off the oven, lean the oven door with a wooden spoon and let the macaroons cool in the oven. Store in a tin can.

The Superpowers of Superfood Goji:

Goji berries (also called wolfberries) are a superfood that’s received a lot of media attention in recent years. Experts consider its natural nutrient package unique as it includes extra vitamin C, E, and iron.

This small orange-red berry is said to make those who enjoy it both healthy AND happy. It’s been considered a miracle fruit in its native China for more than 2,000 years.

In traditional Chinese medicine, Goji berries are used to maintain vitality as an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. Did you know they’re called lucky berries in Tibet?!

The secrets of the goji berry include good eyes, a good mood, and a long life. It’s really an anti-aging miracle berry! HOWEVER, don’t overdo it with the amount of this highly effective superfood. Chinese healers use the berries as medicine, and consumption should not exceed 1 tablespoon per day (with some complete pauses from time to time).

Crescent Recipes for Christmas Baking
This vanilla crescent cookies is one of my favorites to bake and devour!

Recipe #2: Vanilla crescent cookies

Vanilla crescent cookies have a bit of a bad, or should I say, “crumb-y reputation”. Just working with the dough can drain your patience. Try this recipe instead; it’s genius! (And it is one of my all-time favorite recipes for Christmas baking.) The gluten-free shortcrust pastry is incredibly tender and melts in your mouth!

Crescent Christmas Cookies Preparation
The same size dough matters for even baking, so none of your cookies are burned or still raw inside.

Preparation:

  •   Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
  •   Beat 125 g cold butter, 1 egg and 50 g birch sugar (or more, for more sweetness) in a food processor.
  •   Mix 150 g whole rice flour, 100 g ground almonds, 50 g buckwheat flour, 1 tsp baking powder and a pinch of bourbon vanilla and add to the butter mixture.
  •   The dough should not be sticky, add a little flour, if necessary.
  •   Shape the dough into a log and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
  •   Roll a small amount of dough between your hands into snakes the thickness of 1-euro coins.
  •   Then, divide these into smaller sections (weighing about 12 g).
  •   Now roll up the ends, crimp them, and place them on the baking sheet.
  •   Put them in the oven, bake for 10 min.
  •   Let the cookies cool completely and give them a vanilla powdered sugar dusting. (You can make your own powdered sugar of birch sugar in your food processor!)

The Superpowers of Superfood Buckwheat:

The pseudocereal buckwheat is gluten-free and rich in vitamins, minerals, and high-quality protein.

Buckwheat is related to rhubarb and sorrel, and it’s classified in the knotweed family. It has a slightly nutty-tart flavor and has been cultivated in China for nearly 5,000 years.

Buckwheat is most known for its high-protein content. It’s also unusual for grains to contain vitamins and minerals. Buckwheat contains:

  •   Ballast (which aids digestion)
  •   Vitamin E
  •   Vitamin B1
  •   Vitamin B2
  •   Trace elements of magnesium and copper
  •   High-quality protein from all eight essential amino acids.

Buckwheat also has the highest content of rutin from a natural source. Rutin is one of the flavonoids that can enter the brain through the blood. Our brain benefits from its ability to improve memory and help synapses connect better.

Cranberry Kisses Christmas cookies
These nut kisses with cranberries are always a hit at holiday parties.

Recipe #3: Nut kisses with cranberries

Here’s another one of my most popular recipes for Christmas baking that will have all your guests asking for more. Feel free to share the link to these recipes with them!

Preparation of Cranberry Kisses
Refrigerating the dough overnight makes these cookies extra magical.

Preparation:

  •   Finely chop 100 g dried cranberries in a blitz chopper.
  •   Spread 60 g hazelnuts + about 25 pieces extra for the filling on a baking tray and roast at 190 degrees for about 5 minutes.
  •   Remove, wrap in a cloth, and rub off the brown skin as best as possible.
  •   Let the nuts cool completely.
  •   Then, finely grind 60 g and mix well with the cranberries, 80 g rice flour, 20 g teff flour, 2 tablespoons raw cacao powder, 50 g sugar (more if you want it to be traditionally sweet), 1 pinch salt and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.
  •   Quickly add 75 g of cubed butter and 1 small egg white and mix with the whisk of a hand mixer.
  •   Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate it overnight.

Next Day:

  •   When you’re ready to start baking, preheat your oven to 160 degrees Celsius.
  •   Form a small amount of the dough into a ball.
  •   Press a hazelnut kernel into it and close the ball.
  •   Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 12 minutes.
  •   Remove and let cool completely.
  •   Dip in coconut flour or cocoa powder if desired.

The Superpowers of Superfood Teff:

The roots of teff flour can be traced back to Ethiopia and Eritrea. Teff flour is milled from the unhulled kernels of the pseudocereal. Teff, which is also called dwarf millet, has all the advantages of whole-grain flour.

Teff flour contains:

  •   High levels of fiber
  •   Minerals including iron, magnesium, and calcium
  •   Essential fatty acids
  •   Slowly available carbohydrates
  •   High protein and iron

Athletes especially appreciate the high iron content of the cereal because it helps regulate oxygen levels and can thus influence endurance. Teff’s minerals help the body recover after strenuous exercise, which is why products made from this millet flour are an excellent source of energy after sports.

Cranberry Kisses Recipe for Christmas
Sprinkle coconut flakes on top to be extra flavorful and festive - it looks like snow!

Which recipe are you most excited to try?! Do you have another recipe for Christmas baking I need to test out? Let me know in the comments below or on my Instagram!

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