These Gluten-Free Easter Sugar Cookies are made with oat flour, almond butter and honey. They’re sweet without being too sweet, and the optional confetti sprinkles make them a lot of fun for the kiddos!
As difficult and confusing as this time has been the last several weeks, it’s also been a really beautiful thing to watch people be incredibly intentional in loving others well. A friend sent me this video of John Krasinski highlighting Some Good News and as I watched it, I laughed and cried, deeply moved. In this time of crisis, if I tune in to the typical news channels, good news is definitely lacking. Taking in the news that IS shared, day after day, is weighty. Burdensome. I’m not saying I should be naive to it, nor should I check out. But I do want to be a person who is intentional in seeing and finding the good.
Because now, maybe more than ever before in my lifetime as an adult, I am seeing organizations, churches, neighborhoods, and friends coming together, united. Accomplishing things that would be impossible individually, but collaboratively they’re having a tremendous impact.
One of my favorite Bible teachers, Kristi McLelland, teaches how the Israelites looked up and out, rather than down and in. That when they found themselves in the desert, in trials, they didn’t ask God to get them out of the desert as quickly as possible. Rather they asked “what do you want me to learn about You, here in the desert?” Both of those are hard. But I do believe God wants me to look up to Him, and out to those around me during this time. And I believe there are things I am learning about who He is, about myself, my priorities, here in the “desert”.
My own experience of His goodness…
These Gluten-Free Easter Sugar Cookies and the flowers photographed with them, are living proof of the impact friends have had in my life over the last month. Even when physically apart, they have loved me, and my kids, with such intention.
The flowers were sent to me from one of my best friends for my birthday. We had planned to go to breakfast or lunch, but with the need for physical distancing, those plans had to be delayed. For the unforeseeable future. And then one day, a vehicle pulled up to my house and a lady walked to my door with a beautiful vase of flowers. A gift from my friend. Maybe we couldn’t get together, but that didn’t stop her from loving me well. From making me feel seen and special.
And then…
Fast forward a couple weeks and another wonderful friend text me to see how things were going at home with the kiddos. My response… “🤪🥴”. We’ve come a long way in finding a new rhythm the last few weeks, but at the time, I was feeling somewhat anxious and exhausted. Things were new and different for the kids as much as for us. They, especially Brighton, were missing friends and activities and it had been raining FOR DAYS. Meaning we couldn’t play outside. Behaviors were just not good. I felt like the more I did to engage, occupy and entertain, the less grateful they were. And Josh was suddenly working from home everyday. Having Zoom meetings and phone calls in a house without an office space. It was tough few weeks for all of us as we adapted.
My friend didn’t respond, but the next day she text and said to check my front porch when I had a chance. I went out and there was a huge paper bag FULL of craft and art supplies. Including the ingredients and recipe to make homemade play-dough. Along with these adorable Spring/Easter cookies cutters and sprinkles. She put so much time and intention in going through her own things, to see what she had, that could help make our lives a little easier. Talk about feeling SEEN and LOVED.
I’m so grateful for these friends. Even in this season of physical distancing, we can still do small or BIG things to connect. To love others well.
Why you NEED these Gluten-Free Easter Sugar Cookies in your life?
- Cheerful and festive with Easter upon us
- Fun, edible activity for you and the kiddos
- A healthy treat to then feed those kiddos 👆
- Gluten-Free
- Dairy-Free
- Cookies with sprinkles in cute shapes, I mean…do we really need any other reasons?
The inspiration for these cookies clearly came from the cookie cutters my dear friend shared with me. Along with wanting to make a fun, healthier treat for the kids. They LOVED them. Brighton’s exactly words were “Mommy, can we always make these cookies?” Sweet boy.
They’re sweet without being overly sweet. And the texture is slightly firm and chewy, without being too crispy. I opted to skip the frosting and just decorate with the sprinkles. But you could definitely up the sweetness by adding a layer of frosting.
Baking has been one of my favorite things to do, with and without the kiddos, these last few weeks. If you find yourself in the same boat, I hope you’ll give these Gluten-Free Easter Sugar Cookies a try. Then let me know what you think!
For other Festive Easter Favorites, check out a couple sweet and savory options below!
- SWEET 👇
- No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bird’s Nest Cookies
- Clean Eating Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs
- SAVORY 👇
- Avocado Egg Salad Sandwich
- Avocado Deviled Eggs with Smoked Paprika
Gluten free Easter Sugar Cookies | DF + Vegan Friendly
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cup rolled oats ground into fine flour
- 3 tbsp almond butter
- 2 tbsp refined coconut oil room temperature*
- 1/4 cup raw unfiltered honey substitute maple syrup for vegan*
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1-2 tbsp almond milk if needed
- 1/4 cup Confetti sprinkles, OPTIONAL + more for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, then line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Add rolled oats to NutriBullet or Ninja and grind into fine flour consistency, set aside.
- Add almond butter and coconut oil to large mixing bowl. Use electric mixer with paddle to cream 2-3 minutes until smooth and creamy. Stopping to scrape down sides as needed.
- Add coconut sugar and honey, cream another 1-2 minutes, pausing midway and adding vanilla extract.
- Add baking powder and salt to oat flour, then slowly add to mixing bowl while paddle attachment is moving on low speed until all flour has been added. Slowly increase speed until blending on medium high.
- Pause mixer, scrap down sides and determine if dough needs almond milk. If it’s too dry and hasn’t come together as dough, add 1 tbsp almond milk, blend and check again. Add small amounts (1/2-1 tbsp) of oat flour or almond milk as needed until you have a semi sticky dough.
- Sprinkle extra oat flour on clean flat surface or parchment paper, and begin to roll out the cookie dough. Add the oat flour to your rolling pin as well.
- Once dough is rolled out into 1/8”-1/4” thickness, press cookie cutters down firmly, use a metal spatula pick them up and move them to parchment lined tray. Once your pan is full of cut out shapes, add additional confetti sprinkles, if desired, and press down into batter gently.
- Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes depending on size of cookies. I baked mine for 8 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on pan 2-3 minutes before removing. Repeat process with remaining dough. Yield 12-14 medium-large cookies.
Notes
- You can use virgin coconut oil in place of refined but there will be a slight coconut flavor to the cookies
- I haven't actually tested with maple syrup, but it should work just fine.
- Nutrition info does include the optional confetti sprinkles.
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