SCD Strawberry Pistachio Shortbread Cookies

I have a soft spot for shortbread cookies. Always have & always will. That being said, these strawberry pistachio shortbreads might just be my new favorite SCD cookie of all time…

A Fun Summer Cookie Recipe

With Memorial Day weekend coming up, I’ve been craving all of the fun summer flavors. Fruits, citrus, fresh salads with tons of crunchy chopped nuts and seeds. Anything that won’t melt or go bad after sitting out on a warm summer day is a “go” in my book!

Shortbread cookies check every box. Whenever I pack these for a party, I don’t have to worry about melted chocolate or runny icing. PLUS they tend to taste even better a little bit warm!

I also simply had to find an excuse to sneak this flavor combination into a dessert. Pistachios and strawberries are a dream team. This pairing is even elevated in a sweet- yet somewhat neutral- shortbread cookie!

Baking on the SCD

Since I started following the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) a little over a year ago to help manage my severe ulcerative colitis symptoms, I would now consider myself a pro at finding SCD-friendly alternatives to all of my old favorite treats! Shortbread cookies have always been a favorite dessert since my girl scout days. Naturally, a good SCD shortbread cookie recipe was high on my list of recipes I wanted to perfect.

Some of my baking go-to ingredients include almond flour, coconut flour, eggs, coconut oil, and honey. Luckily, shortbread cookies are super simple so this was pretty much all I needed! Using a finely ground almond flour with the skins removed is key for a soft, melt-in-your-mouth cookie recipe for the SCD.

Link: “My Pantry Staples”

Link: “One Year with UC: My Story”

Link: “SCD: About the Diet” – Breaking the Vicious Cycle

Freeze-Dried VS Fresh Fruit

Recently, using freeze-dried fruit has been my favorite hack to making baked treats with fun, summery fruit flavors. Fresh fruit is difficult to bake with because of its high water content. More often than not, water doesn’t play well with delicate cookies or fluffy breads, muffins, or cakes. Soggy desserts are a major no go for me.

Freeze-dried fruit is simply fruit with pretty much all of the water removed. It’s like an intensified version of dried fruit.

Because there’s no water in freeze-fried fruit, it’s way more predictable when you add it into an already perfect recipe! Desserts with freeze-dried fruit will also stay fresh for longer compared to recipes that use fresh fruit because of the lower water activity (my inner Food Science geek needed a moment to shine there).

The only thing I always have to watch out for when it comes to purchasing dried fruit products is added sugar. I only get freeze-dried fruit that only has one ingredient: the fruit! Ingredient labels are one of the first things I look at if I’m picking up a packaged item, no matter what the labels on the front say.

How to Make Strawberry Pistachio Cookies

Step 1: Combine the almond and coconut flours in a mixing bowl along with the baking powder and salt.

Step 2: Add in the egg, honey, softened coconut oil, and vanilla extract and stir until a thick cookie dough forms.

Step 3: Stir in the freeze-fried strawberries and chopped pistachios. Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes.

Step 4: Evenly scoop out the chilled dough with a tablespoon and place on to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Roll each ball of cookie dough lightly between the palms of your hands to smooth the edges. Lightly flatten each ball of dough on the cookie sheet (they retain their shape during baking).

Step 5: Bake for 7-8 minutes, or until the bottom of the cookies appear to be golden-brown. Let them cool for about 2 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring the cookies to a cooling rack.

What You Need:

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