Paleo Cut Out Cookies

These cookies are an absolute must in our house during the holiday season.  It is a yearly tradition that we make these cookies with our son. He loves rolling them out and making a huge mess with the flour.  This year it was especially fun since he is very into art and wanted to spend a long time decorating each cookie.  We didn't have the necessary colors and toppings for him so he had to make do. I will definitely have to fix that when we make them again at Christmas.

I hope you enjoy making these delicious cookies with your little or big ones too! They will not disappoint and are the perfect copycat of the iced sugar cookies of the past.

Ingredients:

Cookies

• 1 1/2 cups almond flour
• 1/4 cup arrowroot or tapioca starch
• 1 tbs melted coconut oil
• 5 tbs pure maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• pinch of sea salt

Frosting:

• 1 tbs palm shortening
• 1 tbs coconut oil (not melted)
• 2 tbs arrowroot or tapioca starch
• 2 tbs thick raw honey
• 1/2 tsp vanilla or almond extract

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl stir together the almond flour and starch.  Then add in the rest of the ingredients.  Stir well until a sticky uniform dough is formed.
3. Freeze the dough for 30 minutes and then roll it out on parchment paper to create cookie-cutter shapes.
   
   
   
   
   
4. Sprinkle the dough with extra arrowroot to help prevent sticking to your rolling pin and also dip the cookie cutters in arrowroot, too.
5. Roll the dough into 1/4 inch thickness for cookies that are firm on the outside and soft in the middle.
6. Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes until the edges are dry to the touch.
7. Allow them to cool completely on the pan for 30 minutes before frosting.
   
8. To make the frosting, combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl.
9. Spread the frosting on cooled cookies or use an icing bag.
10. We then topped with sprinkles and used a small amount of food coloring in the frosting.  There are natural ways to color frosting with beet juice if you are looking to keep everything completely dye free!

http://detoxinista.com/2015/12/vegan-paleo-iced-sugar-cookies/