Oatmeal-Spice Shortbread Cookies
Happy Winter Solstice! Today is the darkest day and the longest night of the year in the Northern hemisphere. It is a time of pause and reflection; a time to clear space for a new year. What do you want to release? What do you want to create for yourself in the coming year? I recently had a conversation with a friend that reminded me of something so simple, yet so foundational to the work I do. With every bite of food, we are choosing how we want to create ourselves. Each time we eat, we turn certain genes on and off; we feed certain species of bacteria in our guts that either promote health or promote disease; we consume essential nutrients that are used in a multitude of biochemical reactions, and without them these processes can't run efficiently. Our daily food choices either promote disease or promote health. That's why I am always looking for ways to create new recipes based on traditional favorites using nutrient-dense ingredients.
These shortbread cookies are made with nutrient-dense oat flour, and they're lightly sweetened with pure maple syrup. Oats are an incredible source of beta-glucans—a soluble fiber that feeds beneficial bacteria in our guts. After consuming compounds from the food we eat, these beneficial bacteria produce metabolites that can positively change gut barrier function, immune function, and even neurotransmitter balance! When we eat, we are promoting the growth of different bacteria that create either disease or health. What do you want to create?
Even the sweet treats we enjoy on occasion can be a source of health and longevity-promoting compounds. Natural sweeteners provide phytonutrients, minerals, and other compounds that promote health (when used in moderation, of course). The spices you add to your food are full of thousands of different beneficial chemicals that change gene expression. Butter is a rich source of butyrate, an anti-inflammatory short-chain fatty acid that the cells of the colon use for an energy source and maintenance of the lining of the colon. When we consume soluble fibers and resistant starches, the beneficial bacteria in our guts also produce butyrate and other short chain fatty acids. These fibers and starches feed and grow the beneficial bacteria in our guts so they can in turn nurture us.
This intricate dance of gene expression, gut microbe interaction, and cell function all occurs in response to the foods we consume. What nutrient-dense foods are you choosing for yourself today?
Oatmeal Cinnamon Shortbread Cookies
Use this egg-free and gluten-free shortbread cookie recipe for making cut-out Christmas cookies during the holiday season! You can also roll the dough into a log shape and slice into rounds for more traditional shortbread cookies.
I like to use a mix of Vietnamese cinnamon and Ceylon cinnamon in this cookie recipe. The combination of the two varieties of cinnamon enhance the overall spice flavor of the cookie.
Dry Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the wet ingredients.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and continue to beat until you have a soft, fluffy dough.
- Cover the bowl and place into your refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours (or longer).
- When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Set out a large cookie sheet and line it with parchment paper.
- Place a piece of parchment paper onto your counter. Generously sprinkle it with tapioca flour (as the dough warms on your counter it can get sticky so be sure to add enough tapioca flour before rolling it out). Scoop out half of the dough from your bowl and form it into a ball. Dust it with tapioca flour and place it into the center of the parchment paper on your counter.
- Place another piece of parchment paper over the dough and gently roll it out. If it is too cold and hard to roll, just wait a few minutes. The dough needs to remain cold enough to roll and cut so don't wait too long!
- Dust a cookie cutter with tapioca flour and cut the dough into cookie shapes (and keep dusting it as you cut out your cookies). Remove excess dough around the cut-out cookies. Use a very thin spatula to lift the cookies up off the parchment paper (I like to dust the spatula with tapioca flour to keep them from sticking) and place them onto the parchment lined cookie sheet.
- Take the excess dough and form it into a ball, then flatten it and gently wrap in parchment paper. Freeze until you are ready to roll this batch of dough out. Continue to do this with all of the dough scraps as you roll and cut.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Thinner cookies will need less time, while thicker cookies will need up to 15 minutes.
- Place cookies onto a wire rack to cool. They will crisp up as they cool. If you would like, you can make a powdered coconut sugar icing to drizzle onto the cookies.
Use this recipe in our Meal Planner
About the Author
Alissa Segersten, MS, CN
Alissa Segersten, MS, CN, is the founder of Nourishing Meals®, an online meal-planning membership with over 1,800 nourishing recipes and tools to support dietary change and better health. As a functional nutritionist, professional recipe developer, and author of The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook, Nourishing Meals, and co-author of The Elimination Diet, she helps people overcome health challenges through food. A mother of five, Alissa understands the importance of creating nutrient-dense meals for the whole family. Rooted in science and deep nourishment, her work makes healthy eating accessible, empowering thousands to transform their well-being through food.Nourishing Meals Newsletter
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Molasses is known to be high…
Molasses is known to be high in lead so I no longer use that. Is the molasses for flavor, sweetness or moisture? Possible substitutions might be coconut sugar, honey, rice syrup, barley malt, or something moist like applesauce. What do you suggest as a substitute for the molasses?
I make my own oat flour by putting oats in the blender.
Thank you for another lovely recipe!
Hi Patti,
You could use…
Hi Patti,
You could use coconut nectar to replace the molasses. Happy baking! :)