Many of us grew up believing in a jolly, fat Santa Claus who expected a plate of homemade cookies and a glass of milk at every stop. I learned in time that there wasn’t really a Santa Claus and that my parents bought the presents and ate the cookies. One of the first of life’s hard lessons.
Having children made it possible to recapture a bit of that ol’ Christmas magic. As long as they believed in the jolly, fat, cookie loving Santa, I could pretend too; plus I got to eat the Santa cookies myself. Eventually the kids figured the whole Santa thing out and I figured out that those Christmas cookies and most of the other foods that I had believed in weren’t such a good thing. Another of life’s hard lessons. Time to make some Paleo changes to the Christmas traditions and what better place to start than with the Santa cookies. Because really Santa doesn’t actually look so much jolly and fat as he looks unhealthy and fat, right? So, here are 5 fabulous cookie recipes for a Paleo Christmas; feel free to share with Santa!
5 Cookie Recipes for a Paleo Christmas
1. Paleo Hot Cocoa Cookies with Vanilla Bean Frosting. This recipe from Fit Foodie Finds has Santa Claus written all over it! Hot chocolate in cookie form with frosting that tastes like whipped cream and they are gluten free, grain free and dairy free with no refined sugar. Plus they are gorgeous!
2. Paleo Coconut Macaroons. These delicious cookies from Elana’s Pantry have only 4 ingredients but you can dip them in melted chocolate (dark chocolate chips melted at 10 sec increments in the microwave work great) if you believe (like I do) that Christmas cookies should have chocolate as an ingredient.
3. Nom Nom Chocolate Truffles. I am not positive that chocolate truffles are technically a Christmas cookies but this recipe from Nom Nom Paleo is heavenly. Plus if you are making a plate of cookies for Santa or giving Christmas cookies as a gift these totally Paleo truffles add a touch of the divine.
4. Dark Chocolate Shortbread Cookies. Paleo Mom really rocks it with this one. A shortbread cookie that is grain free, nut free and coconut free but not chocolate free.
5. Seven Layer Bars. This recipe from Against the Grain takes some time but it is definitely worth the effort. It has caramel, coconut, chocolate and walnuts which are pretty much the essential ingredients for a perfect Paleo Christmas cookie.
Enjoy. And have a very happy Holiday! If you are looking for a basic Paleo chocolate chip cookie recipe, I have shared my favorite one here.
