Real Deal Paleo Sugar Cookies

These paleo sugar cookies taste just like the real deal, or maybe even better!  You’ll never miss the gluten, dairy, or sugar.  

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Do you know how hard it is to find a healthy recipe for cut out cookies that actually taste good?  For ten years I experimented with cookie recipes that never quite impressed my family.  

I refused to sacrifice my health standards, which led to cookies that worked for cutting out shapes but never achieved that true sugar cookie flavor.  Every Christmas, and sometimes for other special occasions, we’d whip up a batch of paleo sugar cookies.  In the name of tradition, we’d bake and decorate and take pictures. 

And then the cookies would sit in the fridge until we felt guilted into eating them.  Not wanting to see our hard work and expensive ingredients go to waste, we’d finally eat our cookies that never tasted quite the way we hoped.

This year was different.  This year we discovered an amazing secret ingredient that makes paleo sugar cookies taste like the real deal!

Here it is: almond extract!

I’m still not exactly sure how it works, but somehow this one simple ingredient has transformed our paleo sugar cookies.  They really do taste like sugar cookies! 

You can use any frosting recipe you like, but I’ve included a simple and paleo-friendly option below.  I hope your family enjoys these real deal paleo sugar cookies as much as mine does!

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Real Deal Paleo Sugar Cookies

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• Author: Kathleen | Roots & Boots
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 12 minutes
• Total Time: 27 minutes
• Yield: 10-12 servings 1x

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Description

Simple Paleo sugar cookies that taste just like the real deal.  Perfect as cut out cookies.

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Ingredients

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COOKIES

• 1 1/2 cup almond flour (blanched, finely ground)
• 1/4 cup arrowroot or tapioca starch
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
• 5 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• pinch of unrefined sea salt*

HONEY CREAM FROSTING

• 1 tablespoon palm shortening
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons arrowroot or tapioca starch, sifted
• 1 tablespoon raw honey
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Whisk together almond flour and arrowroot.
3. Add remaining ingredients and stir until well combined and a sticky dough forms.
4. For cut out cookies, chill dough in the fridge for at least 1 hour and ideally longer.  The longer you chill, the less sticky the dough will be.
5. Remove dough from the fridge and sandwich between two pieces of parchment paper.  Roll to 1/4 inch thickness.  The thinner the dough, the crispier the cookies, and the thicker the dough, the softer the cookies.
6. Pro tip: Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.  Even better, cut out your cookies on parchment paper, then peel away the unwanted dough leaving the desired cookies on the parchment paper.  Slide a baking sheet under the parchment paper and cookies, and bake.
7. Bake cookies at 350 F for 10-12 minutes.  For softer cookies, remove them from the oven before the edges begin to brown.  These cookies will crisp up a bit more as they cool, so it’s best to err on the soft side.
8. Allow cookies to cool at least 30 minutes before frosting.
9. To make the Honey Cream Frosting, simply combine the ingredients in a small bowl and stir well to combine.  A skinny silicone spatula works well for this.
10. For coloring the frosting, I like this natural brand of food dye.

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Notes

*Get 15% off my favorite unrefined sea salt with this code: KEEPITREAL.

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