Healthy little dreidel cookies seemed out of my grasp for a long time. I was used to making sugar cookies in Chanukah- or Hanukkah- shapes from my childhood, but always assumed a paleo dough would be too challenging to work with. (Paleo doughs tend to be stickier and more delicate).
Well, it was more of a challenge! And the shaping does take a little more effort, but is still well worth it!
Once you try these fluffy, cake-y sweet little cookies and realize they’re still healthy… you might make 3 batches in 3 days like I did.
We spent the entirety of Chanukah and the week afterwards eating these incessantly. But- They’d be great for anytime of year and taste just as good in the non-fancy shapes.
Trust me, I’ve been eating the first few batches of them that way!
How to Make the Gluten-free Chanukah Cookies
Okay, here are the ingredients and method:
- Almond Flour– King of paleo baking! Works best when it’s very fine.
- Coconut sugar– Also, an easy swap that can go 1 to 1 for regular sugar, but it has a low glycemic index. Disclaimer: I generally try limit sweeteners, even if they are less-processed options.
- Maple syrup– I especially love maple syrup because the flavor is so robust and unique. Also, see above about sweeteners en generale.
- Cassava flour– When you use it alone, it creates a sandy texture. In this recipe, I just added it to give the dough some extra firmness.
- Salt– of course!
- Baking soda– I debated this, but it’s needed to make the cookies fluffy and have a “bite.”
- Vanilla extract– Always a fan of extra vanilla.
- Cinnamon & clove- These are really what give the cookies an extra winter-y flavor. You can leave them out if you’d like.
