Soft Sugar Cookies with Spiced Vanilla ‘Buttercream’ Frosting

*These cookies are Dairy Free, Refined Sugar Free, Gluten Free, grain free, clean eating, and paleo.

Since giving up white sugar, I hardly miss any of the desserts I used to frequently make. Or buy. Well, except for one thing. The one thing I crave so badly it brings tears to my eyes is a giant, thick, super soft sugar cookie, minimally frosted with pink sour cream icing.

And I will admit that I’ve snuck into town for a cookie or two over the last month. So, I deemed it necessary that I figure out a way to make this sort of cookie at home with cleaner ingredients.

So here we are. Only, instead of pink frosting I made a cinnamon vanilla frosting seeing as I’ve been in a very Fall-favoring mood as of late.

The pink frosting is up next, though. I have a bag of freeze dried strawberries just waiting to be whipped up into a dairy free, perfectly pink frosting.

Back to these cookies.

The cookies themselves are made with a mix of almond and coconut flours with a little honey to sweeten.

If you prefer your sugar cookies on the super soft side, bake them for around 8 minutes. If you like them a little firmer, go for 10 minutes. I like them with more of an 8 minute texture. They will be fully cooked, but only just.

The next time I make them I’ll try using all coconut oil or all coconut butter in the dough. Here I used a little of both and they turned out perfectly, but I may tweak this in the future to cut down on unnecessary ingredients.

On to the frosting: This frosting is perfect for everyone (except for those with nut allergies). It is free of dairy and refined sugars while still maintaining a fluffy, creamy texture. I used a little sunflower lecithin, which is a natural emulsifier, but if you don’t want to use it or hunt it down, don’t worry about it. The frosting will still turn out fine. The lecithin helps insure that the frosting keeps its creamy, well blended consistency, seeing is it is a blend of pureed nuts and liquids.

I made a double recipe of frosting and it’s texture is still perfect even after a week and a half in the fridge.

Note that these cookies should be frosted on an ‘as needed’ basis. Frosting them and storing in the fridge will cause them to be soggy.

Looking for more desserts that are free of refined sugars and gluten? Give these a looksie:

Fluffy Raw Chocolate Brownies

Chocolate Dipped Raw Oreo Cookies

Raw Key Lime Cheesecake With Macadamia Coconut Crust

Soft Sugar Cookies with Spiced Vanilla 'Buttercream' Frosting

 

Print

Serves: 1 dozen cookies

Ingredients

• 2 cups Almond Flour
• ½ cup Coconut Flour
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• ¼ teaspoon Salt
• ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
• ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
• ⅓ cup Honey
• 1 tablespoon Coconut Butter
• 1 tablespoon Coconut Oil
• 1 Egg
• FOR THE FROSTING:
• ¾ cup Cashews, soaked overnight
• ½ teaspoon Sunflower Lecithin (natural emulsifier, can be omitted)
• ½ teaspoon Almond Extract
• ½ teaspoon Vanilla Bean Paste
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 2 Medjool Dates
• 1 tablespoon Maple Syrup
• pinch Himalayan Pink Salt
• 1 tablespoon Coconut Butter
• 1 tablespoon Orange Juice
• ¼ teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1-2 tablespoons Water

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Add all cookie ingredients to a food processor or high speed blender and process for 1-2 minutes, or until dough comes together in a smooth, just barely sticky mass.
3. Using a scoop about 2 tablespoons in volume, scoop out balls of dough and place them on the prepared cookie sheet, spaced 2 inches apart.
4. Take the bottom of a small cup (the bottom of a small spice jar works well) and dip it in coconut flour. Press the bottom of the cup into each scoop of dough, pressing down until the cookie is about ½ inch thick. Re-dip the cup in coconut flour after pressing each cookie.
5. Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes. 8 minutes will yield a very soft cookie, 10 minutes will be a little bit firmer.
6. Cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for several weeks. Frost cookies as you need them. If allowed to sit frosted in the fridge for an extended period, they will become soggy.
7. FOR THE FROSTING:
8. Place all the ingredients for the frosting in a high speed blender and puree until the mixture is completely silky smooth. You may need to scrap the sides of the blender down several times to get the mixture smooth.
9. Place in an airtight container and refrigerate. Frost cookies as needed.

3.2.2925