MAKES AROUND 48 SMALL COOKIES
Looking for a beautiful holiday cookie that tastes like a treat but will leave you and your kids feeling good, even hours after you eat it? The only sweetener used in this recipe is dates, which also adds fiber and other nutrients. The almond flour, which makes the basis of the dough, and the pistachios used for the coating contribute additional fiber as well as protein and healthy fats. The egg whites add protein as well. In addition to being nutritious, these cookies are beautifully festive—the pistachio and cherry version looks like little holiday wreaths.
Note: When developing this recipe, I used a recipe from David Lebovitz’s blog as a starting point but made a number of modifications.
Dough:
3 cups almond flour
Generous pinch of salt
2 cups pitted, unsweetened dates
⅓ cup water
5 egg whites (3 for the dough and 2 for the coating) at room temperature
Toppings:
1 cup unsalted, raw pistachios, chopped (can also use pine nuts or sliced almonds)
48 dried, unsweetened cherries (roughly ½ cup if small) (can also use quartered dried apricots)
Maldon salt or other high-quality sea salt, for sprinkling
1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
2. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. In a small bowl, combine the almond flour and the salt and set aside.
4. In a food processor (or chopper), blend the dates and the water into a creamy paste. It is okay if there are still small, visible bits of dates in the paste.
5. Separate the egg whites from the yolks. Crack 3 into a medium bowl for beating and 2 into a small bowl that you will use to coat the cookies. (You won’t need the yolks for this recipe.)
6. Beat the 3 egg whites until soft peaks form.
7. Using a rubber scraper, fold the date paste into the whites. This will deflate them some and that is okay.
8. Fold in the dry ingredients and continue blending until a dough forms in the middle of the bowl. It is okay if it feels sticky/gooey.
9. Shape the dough into small balls, slightly smaller than 1 inch each. This should make around 48.
10. Using a fork, stir the remaining 2 egg whites to loosen them up. Chop your pistachios if you haven’t already and put them in another bowl.
11. Dip each of the balls into the egg white and then roll in the pistachios (or other nuts).
12. Flatten each ball into a small disk and coat with additional nuts, if needed.
13. Create an indent in each cookie and top with a dried cherry (or apricot piece).
14. Sprinkle a tiny amount of sea salt on top of each cookie.
15. Place on the baking sheet.
16. Bake the cookies for about 25 minutes or until they are golden brown. For even browning, it is helpful to rotate the pan around mid-baking.
17. Allow to cool for a few minutes before transferring them from the baking sheet.
NUTRITION FACTS PER SERVING (1 Cookie): Calories 70 Total Fat 4g Protein 2g Total Carbohydrate 8g Dietary Fiber 1g Total Sugars 5g Added Sugars 0g