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 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.

Looking for healthy dessert recipes? If you or someone you love is on a special diet, these paleo cookies are perfect. They are even suitable for the autoimmune paleo diet and are a vegan cookie recipe as well. The flavor is perfect for the holidays, or anytime you want a healthy treat.

Ingredients

1 cup coconut butter (240 g; softened)
3 Tbsp honey
1 tsp ground cloves (freshly ground; may need more if not freshly ground)
1 Tbsp cinnamon
2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp salt (unrefined)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1 Tbsp gelatin powder
7 tsp water (divided)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350° F/180° C.
Sprinkle gelatin powder over 2 Tbsp of cold water in a tiny pot (for stovetop) or bowl (for microwave) and let soften.
Mix together softened coconut butter, honey, spices, salt, and baking soda in a larger bowl.
Add coconut oil to the gelatin/water mix and warm up, on the stove top or in a microwave until everything has melted. Watch it like a hawk - it burns quickly. I don't have a microwave, so I couldn't tell you how long to mix it for.
Pour the gelatin mixture over the coconut mixture and immediately mix. At this point it is very crumbly, it doesn't stick together like normal cookie dough at all. Add the last tsp of cold water.
This is the way I shaped them: place a tablespoon of 'dough' in one hand and squeeze, like you're going to make a ball. It will start to stick together. With your other hand, make a circle with your thumb and pointer finger. Put the 'dough' in the circle and press it together with the other hand's thumb and pointer finger, until it has filled the circle and sticks together.
Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 7-10 min, until lightly golden. Shorter baking times will give a more moist cookie, longer baking will render a drier cookie. As the cookies don't spread, you can place them fairly close together.
Eat, enjoy, and decide that AIP can be pretty good.

Nutrition

Tried this recipe?Mention @wholenewmom or tag #wholenewmom!

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.