Star Cookies for Santa Lucia
Last week, the boys' Waldorf school, Shining Mountain had a Santa Lucia celebration. What is Santa Lucia, you ask - a pre-Christian feature of modern day Catholicism; a mid-winter festival of light on one of the longest nights of the year. Lucia translates to Lucy, which means light, as in lucid. She is the saint of radiant clarity.
Anyway, let me not digress into religious history and away from the most important aspect, to me at least, of any festival or holiday - food!
So, what is a gluten-free mom to do for a wheat-filled, sugar laden holiday celebration? I devised a recipe for the parents who had volunteered to bake star cookies. Then I assembled bags with the recipe, parchment paper, a cookie cutter and the ingredients.
The children dressed up in white robes and spent the entire day serving star cookies to everyone from 'kindergarteners' to high school seniors. And the five gluten-free kids in my son’s class? They were able to eat the cookies that they gave to others and break bread with the entire school. Now that's Lucia magic.
2 ½ cups blanched almond flour
½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup coconut oil
5 tablespoons agave nectar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- In a large bowl, combine almond flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon
- In a smaller bowl, mix together coconut oil, agave and vanilla
- Mix wet ingredients into dry, then chill dough in refrigerator for 1 hour
- Place dough in between 2 large pieces of parchment paper and roll out until ¼ inch thick
- Remove top piece of parchment paper and cut out cookies with a small star cutter
- Using a metal spatula, place stars on a parchment lined baking sheet
- Bake at 350° until lightly browned around the edges, 7-10 minutes
- Cool completely prior to handling cookies
- Serve alone or frost with my Creamy Cream Cheese Frosting
Makes 32 cookies
Posted on December 21, 2006 in desserts by Elana
you might also like: Pecan Shortbread Cookies
or Black and White Cookies
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11 comments
My 3 year old and I made these last night. I used butter instead of coconut oil (due to a food allergy)and honey in place of agave (to stick to the SCDiet). They came out lovely. Trying to tranfer the cut out dough with a metal spatula just wasn't working. So I rolled a golf ball sized dough between two 6" x 6" pieces of wax paper, peeled the top sheet off, cut out the cookie, flipped it onto the parchment lined cookie sheet, and then peeled off the other sheet. They were adorable. The theme this semester in my child's Kindermusik class is "milk and cookies" so he was excited to make cookies. He enjoyed picking out the shapes, so we had airplanes and stars. When he took a bite of the first one he said "mmmmm". They are not too sweet so I let him have three.
Tracee,
Thanks for your sweet words. I really appreciate that you shared your substitutions with us; my favorite part of your comment was, "They are not too sweet so I let him have three."
Thanks Again!
Elana
Hello Miss Elana and friends!
So- since going gluten free, I haven't done any baking what so ever (because of other allergies I didn't think it was possible). After discovering almond flour (thank you Elana!) I am so anxious to bake everything imaginable! Including some cookies! Please forgive me if this is naive, but can baking soda possibly contain gluten?
I was under the impression it does not, but at Whole Foods today I found 3 different brands. One was called Pure Baking Soda, Arm and Hammer's brand, and Bob's Red Mill. Bob's Red Mill was 3 dollars more than the other 2 brands but it was labeled aluminum and gluten free. This confused me!! I purchased the least expensive "Pure Baking Soda" but am wondering if I should be concerned it could have aluminum and gluten in it?!
What do you use?
Thank you for helping me with this!
Emily,
Thanks for your comment and question. Great question, by the way.
I have my box of (oh so cheap) Arm & Hammer baking soda sitting in front of me. The only ingredient listed on the label is sodium bicarbonate. I think that the folks at Bob's are just good marketers, like the ones at Whole Foods. Next thing you know, we'll find apples labeled "gluten-free" in the produce aisle.
Have fun with the cookies.
Elana
That made me laugh :-)
I couldn't agree more! I wish these companies would cut it out because when I see products that are naturally gluten free labeled as such, it puts doubt into my mind; "wait?! this could have gluten in it? I didn't think it could!?" and then I worry. Because as you know, the pain of eating gluten is just NOT worth it.
I know shopping at Whole Foods isn't exactly the best choice either but so far my area hasn't really taken to the idea of organic and healthy so it's usually the only store (and I drive 40 minutes to the nearest one!) I can find things I can eat. I hope one day we can move to a climate (and have a yard!) where I can grow my own food!! Oh the options would be endless.
Anyway, thank you!
Emily,
You are very welcome.
I confess, after I make my usual pilgrimage to Vitamin Cottage, I head straight over to Whole Foods for my poultry/fish and any remaining items I can't find at VC.
Thanks for all of your comments on my blog! It's fun to chat with you :-)
Elana
i made these and the pecan shortbread cookies last night for dessert. only one word comes to mind...YUM!
Is the coconut oil refined or unrefined? Can't wait to make these! Thank you, Elana! :)
Elana,
These cookies are WONDERFUL! I LOOOOVE all the recipes I have tried from your website!! Zucchini Carpaccio, kale, etc. I can't wait to try them all. I will enjoy these cookies by the fire during the expected blizzard in Boulder tomorrow. :-)
Thank You SO MUCH for posting all your wonderful recipes!
Happy Holidays,
Brandy
And here I thought my family was one of the only ones in the US which celebrates Santa Lucia...
Hi there - for any other UK dwellers you may have tapping into your wonderful blog - we have 'baking powder' which sometimes contains wheat flour (so just check the label, I've not found a supermarket that doesnt have a choice), and 'bicarbonate of soda' which doesnt. From what I can make out 'baking powder' = 'baking soda'. If anyone else has some clarity on that I'm very happy to be corrected as it is a bit confusing!! :o) Claire