No. 1 : Quick Recipe
Christmas Spice Cookies
- 4 Cups Whole Wheat Pastry Flour or All Purpose Flour
- ¼ Tsp Fine Sea Salt
- 1 TB Cinnamon
- ½ Tsp EACH Cardamom, Cloves
- 1 Tsp EACH Allspice, Ginger
- 1 Cup Unsalted Butter
- 1 Cup *Date Puree
- 1 Cup Raw Sugar
- 2 Large Eggs, separated
- ½ Cup Finely Ground Toasted Nuts
- 2 TB Raw Sugar for topping
Step One
Preheat an oven to 350° F. Whisk the flour, salt and spices together in a small bowl. In a larger bowl, with a hand or stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until creamy and light-colored. Beat in the prune puree and the egg yolks.
Step Two
Gradually mix in the flour mixture and nuts to form thick, stiff dough.
Step Three
Roll the dough into (1”) small balls. Place on parchment lined baking pans and flatten them by pressing with a fork on the top of each cookie. Brush the tops lightly with egg white and sprinkle with raw sugar.
Step Four
Bake the cookies 9 to 11 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a minute before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.
No. 2 : Kitchen SCOOP
*Date Puree is an easy to make substitute for sugar and butter -its full of fiber and sweetness. Use date puree for up to half of the sugar/fat in your favorite baked goods.
DATE PUREE
- About 8 ounces PITTED Medjool Dates (this is my favorite variety, plump and sweet – easy to find)
- 3 TB Hot Tap Water
Combine the dates and water in the bowl of a food processor. Process until complete pureed. Store for up to 1 week in the fridge or a couple of months in the freezer.
No. 3 : Clever Idea
Whole Wheat Pastry Flour is an easy way to ramp up the flavor AND the nutrition in your cookies and baked goods. If you’ve ever tried to substitute whole wheat flour 1 for 1 in a recipe, you’ve discovered that whole wheat flour is much denser than all-purpose flour. Whole Wheat Pastry Flour is ground so finely that it can be used in almost any recipe for a light result with more fiber from the whole wheat!
No. 4 : CHEERS
Whiskers Blake Classic Tawny Port
Australia
About $19.00
If Santa is coming down your chimney on Sunday night – he’s sure to be a little chilly and damp. A glass like this one will warm him up – and pair wonderfully with the spicy, slightly sweet cookies. Port, traditionally made in the “old world”, is beautifully made in Australia, too. The namesake of this bottle was a real “Aussie” rogue who worked in the vineyard scaring away birds form the grapes, and enjoying a bit of the port, too!