I was out with some friends a few weeks ago and we ventured into a coffee shop for a warm beverage.  Ironically, I was the only one to purchase something warm to drink as the rest of the group fell prey to the delicious pastries that were strategically placed on display.  Don’t get me wrong, I WANTED to be a fellow victim of the tasty goodness but the coffee shop didn’t have any gluten free options.   Can’t a girl indulge in a dessert that won’t leave her feeling absolutely terrible afterwards (insert whiny voice)?!?  As a matter of fact, she can!  Enter….. Lemon (No) Sugar Cookies.

Ingredients

• 2 cups almond flour
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ⅛ tsp salt
• ¼ cup coconut oil
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup
• 5 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp organic lemon zest (about 1 lemon)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Combine almond flour, baking soda and salt in a food processor, and process until fine.
3. Add coconut oil, maple syrup, lemon juice and lemon zest, and process until a dough ball forms.
4. Scoop out about 2 tablespoons of dough (I use this) and place on baking tray.
5. Gently press down (the cookies do not change shape when they cook).
6. Bake for 6-8 minutes, until just golden brown.
7. Let cool on baking rack to prevent them from falling apart.

Notes

• Caution: These cookies are NOT SWEET like traditional American cookies.  They have a slight citrus flavor and remind me of a European style cookie because they are dense, almost like a biscuit, and pair nicely with a cup of coffee.
• I like to taste the batter prior to cooking to make sure they have enough lemon flavor and adjust accordingly by either adding more zest or a drop or two of lemon essential oil.
• You could easily switch things up by using orange juice and zest in place of lemon.
• We often mash fresh raspberries and pair them with the cookies either as a topping or a dip.  You could also use juice sweetened jam like Trader Joe’s Organic Superfruit Spread.
• The cookies tend to soften by the next day so I pop them in the toaster oven for a couple of minutes to crisp and warm and they taste just like they did fresh out of the oven!

Recipe modified from Happy Healing.