My friend who loves to throw parties had an easter tea party on the weekend and I made these Macadamia Shortbread and Chocolate Sandwich Cookies. I really had a fetish for shortbread over the weekend so tried a few recipes out. While these recipes were yummy they didn’t quite make the mark of a shortbread. I think I’ll try a biscotti recipe next and see if that is what I’m looking for. So if you are looking for some more easter treats with no cane sugar and no fructose based sweetener here’s a couple that will hit the spot.
Chocolate Macadamia Shortbread
A crunchy buttery biscuit – perfect with a cuppa. Gluten, Cane Sugar and Fructose Free they are ideal for a treat every now and then or on a special occasion – like Easter.
- 2 1/2 cups Blanched Almond Flour
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup Macadamias or other sweet nuts like Pecans toasted and chopped
- 5 tablespoons Xylitol
- 1/2 cup butter or coconut oil (melted)
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla extract
- Grease and line a cookie tray.
- Preheat oven to 175 degrees C (350 degrees F).
- In a large bowl combine almond flour, salt, baking soda and macadamias.
- In a smaller bowl, beat butter or coconut oil with Xylitol and vanilla.
- Add the flour ingredients to the butter mixture and stir to combine.
- Place dough on to a large piece of cling wrap and form a large log approximately 6.5 cms (2 1/2 inches) in diameter.
- Place in freezer for 1 hour, or until firm, unwrap and cut into slices about .5 to 1 cm thick.
- Place the slices on the cookie tray.
- Bake for approximately 10-15 minutes or until golden depending on your oven.
- Cool and Serve.
- Optional: Melt 1 cup of dark chocolate 70 – 80% with 1 tablespoon of coconut oil in a double boiler or small bowl over a saucepan of boiling water.
- If you would prefer to use cocoa or raw cacao powder, simply melt 3-4 tablespoons of coconut oil with about 6 tablespoons of cocoa or raw cacao in a double boiler. Leave to cool. When the cocoa mix has set a little it is ready to dribble over the cookies.
- Eat and be merry!
This Chocolate Sandwich Cookies are a little more involved and while they are good I would save these for a special occasion or at least one where you have lots of time to prepare them.
Chocolate Sandwich Cookie
These cookie sandwiches are smushed together with a creamy coconut filling. While they look quite decadent, they are packed with fibre and saturated fats plus they are gluten, cane sugar and fructose free. You should see if you can stop at 1!
- 75 grams butter
- 1 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract or Coconut Nectar Syrup
- 1/3 cup Xylitol
- 1/4 tsp Stevia
- 3 eggs
- 1 3/4 cups Almond Flour or 1 cup Almond meal and 3/4 cup coconut flour
- 2 tsps Baking Powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 cup coconut cream concentrate
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1/4 cup extra coconut milk
- 6 tbls cocoa or raw cacao powder
- Coconut cream filling:
- 3/4 cup of coconut cream concentrate
- 1-2 tablespoons coconut oil (melted)
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 10 drops liquid stevia or 1/4 teaspoon powdered stevia
- 2 to 4 tbsp coconut flour (sifted.)
- Make sure all (eggs, butter, coconut milk, coconut cream concentrate)ingredients are at room temperature.
- The coconut cream concentrate should not be melted but spreadable. If it is solid, immerse jar in very hot water or simmer gently on stovetop.
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees C or 375 degrees F.
- Grease and line a cookie tray with baking paper.
- Beat butter, vanilla and Xylitol in a small bowl with electric beaters until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs one at a time until beaten through.
- In another bowl, whisk coconut cream concentrate, coconut milk and stevia until well combined.
- Combine coconut cream concentrate mixture with egg mixture and stir.
- Combine almond flour, coconut flour (if using), baking powder and salt.
- Add the Almond flour mix to the wet ingredients and stir until combined.
- If mixture looks a little dry add more coconut milk. It should be a dough consistency.
- Gather dough up, place it on a large sheet of cling wrap and form a log shape about 6 cm in diameter. If you want to use a cookie cutter, omit forming it into a log shape.
- Freeze for up to an hour or until solid.
- Take out of freezer and slice into cookies. If you want to cut with a cookie cutter place the solid dough between two sheets of cling wrap or baking paper and roll out and cut with biscuit or cookie cutters. Place on tray.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until brown and edges have started to darken.
- Place on cooling racks and leave until completely cold before filling them with the coconut cream.
- Coconut Cream Filling:
- Blend the coconut cream concentrate, coconut milk, coconut oil and stevia until you get a strong icing/frosting consistency.
- If needed add the coconut flour slowly to achieve the thickness needed.
- Taste for sweetness and adjust using stevia.
- Place in fridge to cool and thicken slightly.
- When cookies are cold, spread filling on 1 cookie and place another on top and push slightly to smooth the filling between the 2 cookies.
These cookies will not completely harden, they will still be soft but will hold shape well.
