Amy Lippert, NTP
Paleo Sugar Cookies with Fluffy Buttercream
Updated: Aug 16, 2022
Soft, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth sugar cookies topped with a light and fluffy buttercream in perfect harmony for the best Paleo iced cookie ever! These gluten free and dairy free cookies are the perfect treat for Easter, or just because you're in the mood to bake an impressive and decadent cookie. Your kids will love these cookies and you will love that they are made with all whole food ingredients.
We've all seen those iced cookies at the store, the ones with the bright icing and fair share of chemicals. My kids love when there's a party at school and someone brings in this plastic container of toxic cookies (I cringe at the thought.) So I decided to come up with a tender, buttery, and luscious cookie with just the right amount of slightly sweet, creamy buttercream, and boom! This cookie recipe puts those store bought icing cookies to shame and comes without any preservatives, artificial flavors or colors, and hasn't been sitting on the store shelf for 3-weeks.
Why Unrefined Ingredients vs. Refined Ingredients?
Refined foods are foods that have been processed and altered from their natural state. These include foods from organic whole milk that has been pasteurized to increase shelf life to PopTarts, which contain nothing but highly refined and artificial ingredients. Foods that are not refined include eggs, raw milk, raw honey, and fresh produce.
In our culture, there is virtually no way around processed foods, so my recommendation is to make the best choices with what you have. When choosing foods and ingredients, try to look for items that are minimally processed as they will contain more nutrients and are not as inflammatory to the body.
Categories of Processed Foods and a few examples of each [1]:
Unprocessed/Minimally Processed foods: fresh produce, whole grains, meats, nuts and seeds and whole milk.
Processed Ingredients: flour, pasta, oils from plants, seeds, and nuts .
Processed Foods: canned fruits and vegetables, canned fish, some cheeses (American, Velveeta), and bread.
Ultra Processed Foods: potato chips, some lunchmeat candy, soda, cookies, crackers, breakfast cereals/pastries, and frozen meals.
Some examples of inflammatory Ultra Processed/Refined ingredients:
Bleached white flour
White Sugar/Castor Sugar
Cooking oils: vegetable, canola, sunflower, safflower, certain seed oils
Margarine
White table salt
Alternatives to Consider:
Almond or Coconut Flour vs. Bleached White Flour
Sea Salt/Pink Salt vs. White table salt
Coconut Sugar/Pure Maple Syrup/Raw Honey vs. White sugar/Castor sugar
Ghee or Grass-Fed Butter vs. Margarine
Palm Shortening vs. Crisco
Cold Pressed Unrefined EVOO/Avocado Oil vs. Vegetable/Canola/Seed Oils
Sparkling Water vs. Soda
Choosing to cook with and consume foods that are minimally processed ensures that what you eat is more nutritionally dense and a better option in supporting health and wellbeing.
So grab some whole food ingredients and let's get cooking!
Soft Paleo Sugar Cookies Ingredients
Makes 12-18 cookies
For the Cookies
1 1/3 cup Arrowroot Starch or Tapioca Starch
2/3 cup Almond Flour
1/3 cup Coconut Flour
1/2 cup Ghee or Coconut Oil, softened
1 Large Egg
1/2 cup Pure Maple Syrup or Pure Raw Honey
1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
1/4 tsp Fine Sea Salt
1 tsp Baking Soda
For the Icing
1/2 cup ghee, softened
1/2 cup Palm Shortening
Pinch of Fine Sea Salt
1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup Pure Maple Syrup or Pure Raw Honey
1 cup Arrowroot Starch or Tapioca Starch
How to Make Soft Paleo Sugar Cookies
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees for convection, 350 for conventional
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
3. In a medium bowl combine the almond and coconut flours, starch, sea salt, and baking powder. Gently whisk to evenly combine.
4. In a large bowl combine the ghee or coconut oil, egg, maple syrup or honey, and vanilla extract. Gently whisk to evenly combine, but don't over mix.
5. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix with a spatula or wooden spoon until a uniform dough is formed.
6. Using a small cookie dough scoop, scoop dough the onto parchment lined baking sheet.
7. Bake for 12-14 minutes then cool completely on baking sheet for about 10-minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
8. Enjoy as is or add a dollop of fluffy Paleo buttercream!
How to Make Fluffy Paleo Buttercream
1. Add the palm shortening and ghee to a medium bowl and using a whisk or an electric mixer, cream the shortening and butter until light yellow in color.
2. Add the vanilla, sea salt, starch, and honey or maple syrup and beat together until the icing is light and fluffy.
3. Add about 1 Tablespoon of icing to each cookie and using an icing spatula and smooth over the top of the cookie.
4. Sprinkles are NOT Paleo, however, if you can have them, sprinkle the cookies with a few decorative sprinkles.
Enjoy!
FAQs
Q: My dough was pretty loose and my cookies flattened out, what happened?
A: The dough may have been a bit too warm. Try chilling the dough for at least 20-30 minutes next time to give the fat a chance too cool down and harden a bit before baking.
Q: My icing didn't fluff like I wanted it too, it was really dense.
A: Don't use melted palm shortening or ghee, cool them down a bit if your house is too warm. I like to freeze my stainless bowl prior to making icing and ensure the ghee isn't too soft.
Q: I have extra buttercream, what is the best way to store it?
A: Keep it in an airtight container in the fridge up to a week or you can freeze it up to a month.
Q: Will the cookies freeze well?
A: The cookies are very delicate and tender, they do freeze and defrost well, just be sure they are in a container that will not cause them to crumble easily.
Q: Are the sprinkles Paleo?
A: No, they are not. If you are on a strict Paleo protocol or WOE, do not decorate with the sprinkles.
If you like this recipe, check these out!
Paleo Chocolate Cupcakes: Dark chocolate cupcakes topped with luscious and rich dark chocolate ganache...yes please!
Paleo Blackberry Mousse: Sweet blackberries, tangy lime, and creamy luscious coconut in a decadent, refreshing, and perfect summer bite!
Chocolate Peppermint Cookies: These rich and fudgey, decadent, soft chocolate cookies with creamy and cool peppermint icing are so delicious you won't be able to just eat one!
I hope you enjoy this as much as my family does. - Amy
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