Who doesn’t love a cute little buttery shortbread cookie packed with fresh coconut and crunchy pistachios?! These cookies are sure to be a go-to healthier paleo treat…
An Easy Paleo Cookie Recipe
Baking healthier, paleo-friendly desserts can be complicated and tedious. BUT cookies are one of the easiest treats to mimic with grain-free flours without compromising on texture or flavor. You can’t even tell that these buttery, soft shortbread cookies are refined-sugar-free and PALEO!
These cookies are just as delicious baked as a traditional cookie (aka not in a mini donut shape), but I love the nostalgic vibe of this shape. It reminds me of the cute little fudge-striped cookies I grew up wearing like a ring at school lunch lol.
Cookies are also super easy to make, even if they’re made without traditional ingredients! All it takes is 10 minutes and one bowl.
Healthier Coconut Pistachio Cookies!
Coconut and pistachio is the perfect refreshing flavor combo for lighter treats following the holidays! After all of the warm spices and rich, deep chocolate desserts, I always find myself craving healthier fats after Christmas and New Years. This coconut pistachio duo always seems to hit the spot.
To keep these cookies low in sugar, I like to use unsweetened coconut flakes. Coconut has a slight natural sweetness by itself to compliment the honey-sweetened shortbread cookie. The pistachio pieces also add the perfect crunchy texture to make these bite sized treats irresistible! Both of these ingredients also give a slight nod toward early Spring to balance out the wintery almond shortbread cookie.
I also like to finish off these coconut pistachio shortbread cookies with two different types of healthier glaze options for variety! One of which being melted paleo dark chocolate. All you have to do is combine 1/2 cup of paleo dark chocolate chips (I really love Enjoy Life) with about 1 teaspoon of coconut oil and melt in the microwave or on the stovetop. Make sure to stir frequently!
The paleo caramel sauce is also a staple for several other recipes of mine, and it’s no exception to the perfect decorative touch to these shortbread cookies! Click HERE for the bestttt paleo caramel sauce recipe.
A SCD-Friendly Dessert!!
When I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis last year and forced to overhaul my diet to manage my symptoms, finding good dessert recipes was TOUGH. Since I happen to be one of those girls with heart eyes for all things sweet, I couldn’t just give up on my old favorite desserts. AKA: cookies.
To be specific, I started following the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD). The SCD focuses on eliminating specific carbohydrates that are known to cause inflammation in people with a hyperactive immune system. Unfortunately, traditional wheat flour, sugar, and most other sweeteners fall into that carb category. Even though there are some foods that I’ve been able to add back in when I’m not in a “flare”, I still try and stick to the SCD as closely as possible. These coconut pistachio shortbread cookies are 100% SCD (as long as you don’t use the coconut drizzle), making dessert at the end of the day something to always look forward to!
Link: “One Year with UC: My Story“
Link: “How I Started Adding Non-SCD Foods Back Into My Diet”
Link: “SCD Legal/Illegal Foods List“
What You’ll Need:
How to Make Coconut Pistachio Cookies:
Step 1: Combine the almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large mixing bowl and stir well. Then add in the egg, egg yolk, softened coconut oil, honey, and almond extract. Beat well with an electric hand mixer until a thick cookie dough forms.
Step 2: Stir in the chopped pistachios and unsweetened coconut flakes. Press the dough into a lightly greased silicone mini donut mold.
If you don’t have the silicone mold, scoop the dough into half-tablespoon sized balls and lightly flatten on a cookie sheet.
Step 3: Bake! As the cookies bake, make the paleo chocolate glaze or paleo caramel sauce to drizzle over the cookies. Let the cookies cool for at least 5 minutes before carefully removing them from the molds.
Store these cookies in an air tight container for up to 10 days. To keep them fresher for longer, I recommend refrigerating or freezing them!
More of My Favorite Paleo Cookie Recipes:
- Paleo Chocolate Cream Cookie Cups
- Cauliflower Snickerdoodles
- Paleo Raspberry Almond Thumbprints
- Paleo Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Paleo Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Paleo Coconut Pistachio Cookies
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 54 small cookies 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Soft & buttery almond shortbread cookies packed with pistachios and coconut for a fun healthier paleo treat! Grain-free, Gluten-free, SCD-friendly, Refined-sugar-free, Dairy-free.
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cup almond flour
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 egg, 1 egg yolk
- 1/3 cup coconut oil, softened
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 tsp. almond extract (can sub with vanilla extract if preferred)
- 1/3 cup chopped pistachios
- 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded. coconut
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and lightly grease a silicone mini donut mold with coconut oil spray. (If you don’t have the mini donut mold, a cookie sheet also works).
- Combine the almond flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a large mixing bowl and stir.
- Add in the egg, egg yolk, softened coconut oil, honey, & almond extract. Beat with an electric hand mixer until a thick cookie dough forms.
- Stir in the chopped pistachios and shredded coconut.
- Scoop out about half-tablespoon-sized balls of dough and press into the prepared silicone molds. If using a cookie sheet, form the balls of dough into circles and lightly press down to flatten slightly before baking.
- Bake for about 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are slightly golden-brown.
- Let cool for at least 5 minutes before removing from the molds.
- (Optional) Drizzle with my Paleo Caramel Sauce or melted paleo dark chocolate to finish.
- Category: something sweet
- Method: bake
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 50
- Sugar: 1.5
- Fat: 4
- Carbohydrates: 2
- Fiber: 0.5
- Protein: 2
Keywords: coconut, pistachio, healthy baking, easy cookie recipe, almond flour, almond flour shortbread, low carb cookies, refined-sugar-free, paleo recipe, paleo, grain-free, gluten-free, shortbread cookies, specific carbohydrate diet, gut health
