It is December and Christmas is getting closer and closer. I love this time of year – it is beyond cozy! Especially with a freshly baked batch of these Macadamia Nut and Cranberry Christmas Cookies. You get in a Christmas mood instantly when you mix the dough for these cookies and the lovely scent of cardamom hits your nose 😀 This is totally Hygge 😀
This time of year however, is filled with foods and treats which doesn’t always sit so well with me. Is this something you recognize too? I have gotten better at not over doing it though, and having identified a lot of my triggers has helped me tremendously as well. While I believe it is important to eat healthy and not over do it with all of the sugary treats. I also believe in balance, and not getting stressed from your food goals. And if there is one thing that stresses me out, beyond what is healthy – then it is trying too hard to stay away from all of the Christmas treats this time of year. So I don’t! Don’t get me wrong, I still eat a s***load of vegetables in December, but I also indulge. And homemade treats has my clear preference. When you bake your own cookies and make your own treats, you are in charge of the ingredients, and know what is in there! Which is so important, when dealing with any type of intolerance/allergy. So lets get baking 🙂
For these deliciously crispy Histamine Friendly Macadamia Nut and Cranberry Christmas Cookies, you need to start by chopping up the macadamia nuts (I was lazy and chopped the macadamia nuts in my food processor) and the dried cranberries (unsulphured, note the unsulphured kind is more brown than red). Then add the flour, sugar, nuts, dried cranberries, vanilla and cardamom to a food processor fitted with a dough blade, and mix well. Alternatively use a dough mixer or simply mix it by hand in a bowl. Then cut the cold butter into small pieces and add to the food processor. Mix, till your dough looks like bread crumbs and starts to creep up the sides of the bowl. Then remove the dough and use your hands to form a ball. Cover and place the ball of dough in the refrigerator for about an hour.
After the dough has chilled in the refrigerator for about an hour, turn on your oven to 170 °C (340 °F). Then roll out your dough to a thickness of about 2-3 mm thick (ca. 0.10 in), and use your favorite cookie cutters to cut out your cookies. Transfer the cookies to a baking tray lined with grease proof baking paper. Note this recipe makes about 35 cookies, and you will need two baking trays.
Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes. You want the edges to get golden, but not more than that. Let them cool off on a wire rack completely before you serve them. Trust me these Macadamia Nut and Cranberry Cookies are the best when they have cooled down. 🙂 So a little patience is key here….. this part and the fact that the dough should rest in the refrigerator for about an hour is the hardest part for my kids 😉
Four things I wish for Santa to bring me this year 😉
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Histamine Friendly crispy Christmas cookies with Cranberries and macadamia nuts.
Ingredients
- 40 g macadamia nuts
- 40 g dried cranberries, unsulphured
- 150 g spelt flour*
- 75 g powdered sugar
- 1/4 tsp vanilla powder (optional)
- 1/2 tsp cardamom (optional)
- a pinch of salt
- 105 g cold butter
Instructions
- Start by chopping up the macadamia nuts (I was lazy and chopped the macadamia nuts in my food processor) and the dried cranberries (unsulphured, note the unsulphured kind is more brown than red).
- Then add the flour, sugar, nuts, dried cranberries, vanilla and cardamom to a food processor fitted with a dough blade, and mix well. Alternatively use a dough mixer or simply mix it by hand in a bowl.
- Then cut the cold butter into small pieces and add to the food processor. Mix, till your dough looks like bread crumbs and starts to creep up the sides of the bowl.
- Then remove the dough and use your hands to form a ball. Cover and place the ball of dough in the refrigerator for about an hour.
- After the dough has chilled in the refrigerator for about an hour, turn on your oven to 170 °C (340 °F).
- Then roll out your dough to a thickness of about 2-3 mm thick (ca. 0.10 in), and use your favorite cookie cutters to cut out your cookies.
- Transfer the cookies to a baking tray lined with grease proof baking paper. Note this recipe makes about 35 cookies, and you will need two baking trays.
- Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes. You want the edges to get golden, but not more than that. Let them cool off on a wire rack completely before you serve them. Trust me they are the best when they have cooled down. 🙂 So a little patience is key here….. this part and the fact that the dough should rest in the refrigerator for about an hour is the hardest part for my kids 😉
Notes
- I have tested this recipe with (gluten free) oat flour as well – which also works fine, but gives a somewhat darker cookie.
- The nutrition data is calculated based on 5 cookies out of 35.
Save this recipe for Macadamia Nut and Cranberry Christmas Cookies for later! Pin it 😉
AFFILIATE LINKS TO AMAZON
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Are there any good substitutes for spelt flour? My husband is newly diagnosed with Mast cell activation and has found he struggles with all grains so we are still avoiding them all. I have so far been using potato flour and coconut flour.
Hi Sandy,
Honestly I’m not a good gluten free/grain free baker. other flour alternatives you could look into are almond flour, cassava flour and hemp flour. I would recommend searching around for grain free cookie recipes. Once you find a basic recipe you like which fits your needs, you can always play around with the add ins.
Tania