Five Connecticut restaurants and bakeries have shared recipes for festive confections, perfect for your holiday table this season. These creations may look fancy and elaborate, but the bakers and pastry chefs assure us you can achieve the same results in your home kitchen. We’ve also provided vegan and gluten-free options – a little indulgence for everyone. More recipes here.
Not only are these citrusy, nutty holiday cookies from Avon’s Pure Love Bakery vegan and gluten-free, their simple, straightforward preparation lends well to a busy holiday season.
“You can easily make them now and freeze them for Christmas,” says Karen Gauvain, who owns the Avon gluten-free bakery with her sister, Lynn Seery. “They hold up well once they’re baked. Everything about them’s easy.”
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp. salt
3 cups almond meal
1 cup (or 4 oz) ground unsalted pistachios
2 lemons, zested (juice set aside for brushing)
3 cups sorghum flour
2 cups potato starch
1 cup tapioca starch
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp xanthan gum
3 cups coconut oil, melted
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
Powdered sugar for dredging
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, grind the pistachios to a fine powder.
In a large bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, salt, almond and pistachio meals, lemon zest, sorghum, potato starch, tapioca and xanthan gum. Add the melted coconut oil and vanilla and mix by hand until the dough comes together.
Portion the dough into tablespoon-sized balls and roll gently to form a circle. Bake on a parchment-lined heavy-bottomed sheet pan for 12 minutes or until just beginning to brown. Remove from the oven and let sit 5 minutes.
Using a pastry brush, brush the tops of the cookies with the fresh lemon juice. Wait 5 minutes, then toss the cookies gently into a bowl of powdered sugar one time and then toss a second time.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Makes approximately 36 cookies.
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