What better time of year to share a paleo cookie recipe than December when everyone is preparing and serving cookies in random places because it’s the holiday season. Now you can whip up a batch of these super soft, gluten-free, paleo pumpkin cookies and have them on hand or serve them at a gathering.
I actually whipped up this cookie recipe to bring to Thanksgiving.
While I am in Missoula, Montana visiting my sister for the holidays, I don’t have access to any of my typical ingredients available in my kitchen at home.
Luckily, here in Missoula, there are so many fabulous grocery stores and my absolute favorite is Good Food Store. They only carry products and brands that are actually healthy and that means they have many local brands and almost all of the regular paleo products that I have come to rely on.
Some of those products include Bubbie’s Sauerkraut, Jackson’s Honest Salt & Vinegar Chips, Mama’s Gluten Free Flour blends, Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Chips, Primal Kitchen’s primal mayo, Brew Dr. Kombucha and of course all the local meat and produce.
Good Food Store also carries some products that are things I’ve never tried before. Lately I have really been enjoying the Coconut Bliss Coconut and Almond Chocolate Bars and when I decided to make these cookies I spotted the Chicago brand, Simple Mills, had just recently come out with a paleo frosting which I thought would be a perfect addition to these cookies.
Paleo Frosting
As you can see from the ingredients list below, their frosting is made from all real, food ingredients. The palm shortening gives the frosting that spreadable texture and boy does this taste like how I remember frosting to taste.
I was never a huge fan of cake, cupcakes and frosting in general but if you have been missing that flavor and texture with your baked goods, or you’re just lazy like me when it comes to decorating those kinds of things, this frosting will satisfy the need you’ve been missing.
Where To Find Paleo Frosting
These cookies taste great without the frosting but if you’re looking for that extra little something you can find Simple Mills Chocolate Frosting at Whole Foods, your local health store or online. Amazon carries their frosting, though at a super steep price, and you can always buy directly from the Simple Mills website.
However, if you’re looking for the absolute best deal and you don’t need it immediately, Thrive Market has the absolute best price on this frosting. And while you’re there shopping online you can pick up almost all of the paleo products I mentioned above and more, all at a reduced rate.
A Quick Note on Palm Shortening
Shortening is defined as any fat that is a solid at room temperature. It is typically used to make crumbly pastries, baked goods, flaky pie crusts, creamy frostings or it is also used for deep fat frying such as when making crispy fries. It’s very much comparable to lard.
However, just like everything else, not all shortening is created equal. You may be familiar with Crisco, a brand of vegetable shortening that started with the intent of creating a raw material for soap. (source) Nowadays Crisco consists of a blend of partially and fully hydrogenated soybean and palm oils.
Palm oil traditionally has been used for baking, shortenings and deep fat frying. It is shelf stable with a high melting point and does not require hydrogenation.
A few brands you will find making a quality, non-hydrogenated and soy-free organic palm shortening are Tropical Traditions and Nutiva and my current favorite is Spectrum.
