No-Bake Christmas Tree Cookies with Spirulina Frosting
At my family holiday gatherings, I always sign up to make a dessert. I have a sweet tooth and I want to be able to enjoy a treat that lacks processed sugar and dairy products.
White processed sugar has empty calories and there are many other sweeteners that contain minerals and vitamins that you can use. Some of my favorites are dates, honey, and maple syrup.
- Dates are loaded with potassium, even more than a banana! Dates also contain the micronutrients: manganese, B6, and magnesium. B6 is a libido boosting B-vitamin. Magnesium is essential for helping bring calcium into the bones.
- Maple Syrup is rich in manganese and zinc. Grade B contains more minerals and has a richer maple flavor.
- Honey contains antioxidants and has anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties.
In addition to natural sweeteners, this recipe also contains healthy fats from coconut oil and cacao butter.
Cacao butter is the fat of the cacao bean (where chocolate comes from). The fat is separated from the bean, which originally contains both fat and fiber. The fiber is known as cacao powder and it comes dry in powder form, is bitter to taste without a sweetener added, and is dark brown in color.
Cacao butter will help firm up the cookie mixture, making this a no-bake treat! All ingredients go into a food processor, to create the cookie dough.
I used my hands to spread out the cookie dough mixture, but a rolling pin will also work to make sure batter is even.
My cookie cutter made sixteen Christmas Trees. I recommend doubling this recipe, as it’s easier to blend more of the frosting in the Vitamix in larger batches.
I slathered on the frosting with a knife and sprinkled shredded coconut to look like snow.
My frosting gets its color from green dye. Just kidding! I wouldn’t do that to you! I actually used spirulina, a blue-green algae powder to create a forest green color. Spirulina is considered a “superfood” which means it is rich with nutrients and minerals within a small density. Spirulina contains many amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein.
I hope you enjoy these no-bake Christmas tree cookies as much as I do. They are fun to make, and it reminds me of being a kid again, spreading colorful frosting and licking my fingers. If you don’t celebrate Christmas, this recipe works great if you form the dough into traditional cookie shapes.
And when the holiday season is over and you are ready to kick it into the next level with your health goals, I will be offering my 21 day online group program “New Year, Sexy You” with many delicious processed sugar-free recipes that are full of hormone healthy nutrients! We will take a closer look at creating better digestion to help reduce bloating and help you feel good in your body, as well as tips to managing blood sugar, and incorporating some awesome self care tips. I can’t wait to share this with you! Access program info HERE: new-year-sexy-you-2017-pub
Christmas Tree Cookies with Spirulina Frosting
Serves: 16 cookies
Ingredients:
2 cups oats
2/3 cups medjool dates, pits removed
2 Tablespoons cacao butter, melted
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
1 Tablespoon almond butter
1 Tablespoon cacao nibs
2 Tablespoons water
pinch salt
Spirulina Frosting
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
2 Tablespoons cashews, soaked
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon spirulina
2 medjool dates
2 teaspoons shredded coconut, for decorating trees with “snow”
*I recommend doubling this recipe- it’s easier to blend more of the frosting in the Vitamix in larger batches.
Directions:
To Make the Cookie Batter:
- Melt cacao butter in a sauté pan over the stove on the lowest heat. Using a low heat to melt raw oils like cacao butter and coconut oil will preserve the enzymes and keep this recipe a raw food recipe.
- Put all ingredients except for cacao nibs into a food processor and then add the melted cacao butter. Process into a thick dough.
- Add cacao nibs, and process again for a couple seconds to mix the cacao nibs into the dough. Cacao nibs contain both the fat and fiber from the cacao bean.
- Take dough out of the food processor and use your hands to flatten dough or use a rolling pin to flatten it out to about half an inch in height.
- Using a Christmas tree cookie cutter, cut out tree cookie shapes. The tree cookie cutter I used was about a little less than 2 inches across from the bottom of the truck, and a little less than 3 inches in height.
- Continue to roll dough and cut, until you cut out about 16 cookies.
To Make the Spirulina Frosting:
- Melt coconut oil over low heat.
- Blend all in a high speed blender. A high speed blender will help the cashews and medjool date blend all the way. Once thoroughly blended, put into a container and keep in the freezer for about 5 minutes to allow frosting to thicken up from the cold. Note: coconut oil and cashews firm up when cold.
- Spread onto each tree with a knife.
- Sprinkle shredded coconut on top of green frosting to make “snow.”
- Enjoy with your loved ones this holiday season!
*Cookies should be stored in the refrigerator or freezer especially if you are stacking them on top of each other in a container. The frosting will firm up in the cold and so it makes it easier to stack on top of each other without the frosting sticking to the cookie on top.
