Grain-Free Spice Cookies - autoimmune paleo, dairy & egg free

My family has been gluten-free for awhile now, but we're trying to go more and more grain-free to improve our gut health. We already have some great recipes for paleo cookies that we love like Chocolate Chunk Macadamia Cookies, Chocolate Mint Bars, Almond Joy Bars, and No-Bake Coconut Cookies, but I am thrilled to have this recipe for Spice Cookies from Naomi of Almost Bananas as a new treat. Besides being paleo, they are also autoimmune paleo which is a new diet that I will be writing about soon. 

It's tough to be on a healing diet or have food allergies during the holidays.

Not only do scrumptious goodies that harm you abound, but food also is associated with so many memories.

Gingerbread houses, spiced apple cider, mincemeat pastries - they are a part of my Christmas memories.

It's also tough for those who don't have health issues but are hosting family or friends that do. It's easy to be overwhelmed when trying to accommodate restricted diets.

"What is gluten in again?"
"Has this touched peanuts?"
"What can he eat??"
"Oh, shoot, I forgot..."

AIP, or, the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol, is an especially tough nut. For the first thirty days, there is a long list of things you can't eat, including (but not limited to): grains, nuts, seeds, dairy, eggs, nightshades, and the kitchen sink.

One of the hardest for me would be eggs - it's my go-to fast food, and baking without them is tricky.

Fortunately, there are some great real food egg replacers, and smarter people than me hit on the idea of using gelatin to substitute for eggs in baking. It helps keep things moist and stick together, like eggs do.

I am not AIP myself, but I like a challenge when cooking, and AIP definitely fits the challenging bill.

Other sweet AIP recipes I've created include
3 Ingredient Amazeballs (bet you can't guess the third ingredient),
Watermelon Lemon Balm Sorbet, and
Fermented Spiced Apple Chutney (perfect for Christmas).

For savoury AIP dishes, try Strapacky (baked sweet potato, bacon, and sauerkraut), Fermented Red Onions, or, for the adventurous, Beef Tongue Spread and Sweet Beef Heart Curry (not your regular curry).

It took a few tries, but I present to you a gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free, grain-free, egg-free, seed-free, "kitchen sink-free" cookie. It's not overly sweet, but gives just enough to satisfy the need for a sweet treat.

 

Recipe Note

• 1 1/2 scoops stevia extract can be substituted for honey (see this post for more information on stevia).
• Vegans can use organic agar agar powder.
• Keto: Use an alternative low-carb sweetener like Lakanto or erythritol instead of honey. Code wholenewmom gets 20% off everything at Lakanto.

It's a simple recipe, but tasty.

The spices really make the cookies taste special and the coconut is quite rich.

If you're not on an AIP diet, you could put a drizzle of a cinnamon infused version of these Homemade White Chocolate Chips or these Homemade Chocolate Chips.

Are you on a special diet?

Are the Holidays particularly difficult for you?

Naomi is originally from Canada but is now a wife and mom in Slovakia. She tries to live each day as a follower of Christ in the chaos of caring for children. Using real food and creating an environmentally friendly surrounding for her family is a priority. She dreams of a little farm while living in an apartment, enjoys handmade creations, and still doesn’t like brussels sprouts. Naomi shares her food creations and photos of Slovakia at Almost Bananas. She looks forward to connecting with you on Pinterest, Google+, and Facebook.