Whole Food Plant Based Cookie Cutter Cookies!

Looking for something crunchy, a bit sweet and that won't sabotage your healthy eating?  Then try out these simple little treats! They are not only gluten, nut and oil free, but low in salt, sugar and fat too!  Please note -- in place of the oil, this recipe uses an apple-date paste.  This is something I often have on hand in my fridge, because I will blend up apples that are getting older and maybe aren't great for eating raw with a few dates.  This will store well in my fridge for at least a week and much longer in the freezer.  I blend about 3-4 apples (cores removed) with about 8-10 dates in my Vitamix and then store them in a jar. For this recipe it does matter that they are made chilled a day ahead or more, so that the paste is super firm to the point that it will hold its shape when scooped.

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Dry Ingredients:

• ¾ cup sorghum flour
• ½ cup millet flour
  
• ⅓ cup garbanzo (chickpea) flour
• ¼ cup tapioca starch
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp psyllium husk powder
• 1–2 tbsp date sugar
  
  

Wet Ingredients:

• ½ cup thick apple-date paste (must be firm enough to hold its shape)
• 2 tbsp ground flax + 5 tbsp warm water (flax egg)
• 1 tsp vanilla
  
  

1️⃣ Make flax egg
Mix flax + warm water. Let sit 10 minutes until gelled.

2️⃣ Mix wet
Combine flax egg + apple-date blend + vanilla.

3️⃣ Combine dry
Mix together dry ingredients (flours, starch, psyllium, baking powder, salt, date sugar).

4️⃣ Make dough
Add dry ingredients to wet. Stir until dough forms.

• Dough should be soft but not sticky
• If sticky → chill 20–30 minutes
• If crumbly → add 1 tsp water at a time

Rest dough 10–15 minutes for psyllium to fully hydrate.

5️⃣ Roll & Chill

• Roll between parchment to just under ¼ inch thick
• Chill 15–20 minutes
• Cut shapes

6️⃣ Bake

• 350°F (175°C) on cookie trays lined with parchment
• 14–18 minutes, until surface looks dry and edges lightly golden

7️⃣ Crisping (Very Important)

• Turn oven off
  
  
• Crack oven door
• Leave cookies inside 15–20 minutes
• Cool completely before removing
  

If you want them a bit sweeter, you can ice them by taking a half cup of granular sugar, and turning it into powdered sugar by processing it in a small blender jar.  I made mine red by adding 1 1/2 teaspoons of beet powder, then add just enough lemon juice to barely make it into a paste (not too much!) and then smear this icing onto the cookies.  If you can keep from eating them too quickly -- the icing will harden up.