All Natural Orange Almond Cookies

Bringing together all-natural whole food ingredients for these nutty gluten free and guilt free Orange Almond Cookies!  They’re beautiful, moist, and perfect for the Holiday season.

Hold it right there!  Lest you had the thought that this TIDBITS crew was gluten free, let me clarify.

No.  We eat gluten, carbs, and whole grain wheat every day – and our bodies are “mostly” okay with that.

However, we have undergone a gradual yet drastic change in our lives, health and habits over the past 2 years.  Much of this was motivated by a desire to shed some weight and live healthier, but I also owe much of this desire for change to my sister Marci for showing us that real food tastes good and makes us feel good.  Watching her closely has been my guide for how to feed a family with as much “real” food as possible, and relying on educating myself with books like this one and this one and this one, we are not even close to the same people we were 2 years ago.

For one, my hubs has lost 40 pounds and I have lost 10 (I know ladies . . . why is it so much harder for us!), we have found ways to make our meals clean and convenient, and we stand in shock as we evaluate how far we have come.

For example, I was invited to this Tastes of the Season blog hop, hosted by Kristen of Ella Claire, to share Holiday cookie recipes (all recipes below).  While I was brainstorming a delicious and unique cookie, I went to go check for ingredients.  Dumbfounded that we hadn’t a speck of white sugar in the house, I asked my husband if he knew where any was.  He reminded me that our “sugar” container has been empty since we moved into our rental home . . . 6 months ago.

Had we really gone that long without baking anything with sugar?  Did we really survive without it?  Yes . . . we sure did and apparently I didn’t miss it one bit.  What we do use instead is pure honey and pure maple syrup.  At this point I also noticed we were about out of white flour but had plenty of whole wheat flour and almond or coconut flour.  This was our new normal, and it delighted me to know that we had figured out a way to live happily without all that.  I then realized that the cookie I wanted to share with you would need to fit in with our current standard of living, and I was excited for the challenge.

It’s our routine to have a Sunday treat, but they come in the form of searching for gluten free or refined sugar free recipes.  Yes, we allow ourselves that chocolate brownie or piece of cake at social gatherings.  Yes a delectable cheesecake to share may end up at our table while eating out, but we have found a way to live 90% of the time with real, whole foods.

While trying to loose some extra pounds, my husband and I have also tried to eat mostly protein and veggies, and really limit our consumption of inflammatory foods like grains and dairy.  Very hard at first, but it is so routine now and just part of our lives.

We have tested many dessert recipes that use Almond flour and have created a version of our favorite almond flour cookie.  In fact, I owe the creative and delicious results of this Orange Almond cookie to my Mr. TIDBITS.  Yes, he does more than just build . . . he loves to cook (nope – you still can’t have him).  He was delighted to test and retest this recipe to get it just right for us and dove right in when I told him I wanted to make use of Orange Essential Oil and ground up dehydrated or dried oranges.  We call this orange sugar, and we have found many yummy ways to use it after dehydrating a bunch of oranges for THIS POST, where I also explain how to dry them.  I love to buy my essential oils from Rocky Mountain Oils.  Free shipping, great prices, no commitments (or MLM marketing).  The orange essential oil in this recipe really gives it an intense burst of orange flavor.  It’s so good!

I’m so excited to share the recipe for Mr. TIDBITS newest “build” and I hope you’ll also give it a try, whether or not you live a gluten free or refined sugar free life.

This little burst of orange flavor will be my Holiday treat any time!

HOW TO MAKE GLUTEN FREE ALMOND COOKIES

You can easily follow the recipe below, but we have a couple of tips for you.  We found the dough should end up feeling much like play dough.  If it is too dry to hold together, add a bit more coconut oil.

We found the best shape and texture to be a result of the “smashing” method.  You’ll shape the cookies into balls and let them bake for 5 minutes.  Then you’ll take a wooden spoon and smash them down slightly, followed by a couple more minutes of cooking.

Be very careful not to over-bake as they will dry out quickly.

2 VARIETIES OF ORANGE ALMOND COOKIES

We experimented with 2 ways to top our almond cookies.  They are yummy by themselves, but adding a topping made them even better.

ORANGE CREAM

If you are okay with dairy, I suggest trying the orange yogurt cream, which we just added a small dollop to the top of the cookie, followed by a sprinkle of orange sugar (ground up dried oranges).  Add the cream right before you plan to consume, as it will soak into the cookie over time.

CHOCOLATE DIPPED

Chocolate is always a good idea!  To make our dip we melted some dark chocolate chips with a spoonful of coconut oil and a drop of orange essential oil.  Once melted, we dipped half of the cookie into the chocolate, followed by a sprinkle of orange sugar, and let cool on some parchment paper.

Dip it, cream it, eat it!

Please be sure to PIN THIS POST, share with your friends (especially your gluten free friends) and enjoy this guilt free Holiday indulgence that isn’t overly sweet but still packed with seasonal flavor.

Please let me know in the comments if you give it a try!  I’d also love to hear what small steps you’ve made to live a healthier life!  It really takes baby steps of change at a time!

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Be sure to check out my friends delicious and lovely cookie recipes below as well!

The Perfect Soft Gingerbread Cookies by Ella Claire | Classic Sugar Cookies by Nina Hendrick Design Co. | Plaid Sugar Cookies by Craftberry Bush | Buttery Shortbread Cookies with Icing Sugar by A Burst of Beautiful | German Chocolate Cake Cookies by City Farmhouse

Cranberry Orange Walnut Tassies by Inspired by Charm | Eggnog Gooey Butter Cookies by Julie Blanner | All Natural Orange Almond Cookies by Tidbits | Choco-mallow Peppermint Cookies by Summer Adams Designs | Nutella Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies by Love Grows Wild

Paleo Chocolate Cranberry Cookies by Nesting with Grace | Raspberry Gingersnap Sandwiches by anderson + grant | Christmas Tree Gingerbread Cookies by Rooms for Rent | Large Thumbprint Cookies by So Much Better with Age | Rum Balls by Tidy Mom

Countdown to Christmas Cookies by House 214 Design | GF + DF Gingerbread Sugar Cookies by Zevy Joy | Christmas Shortbread Cookies by Boxwood Avenue | Double Chocolate Christmas Cookies by Nest of Posies | Almond Sugar Cookies by My Sweet Savannah

M&M Peanut Butter Cookies by Sweet C’s | Rustic Granola Cookies by Farmhouse on Boone