Ahhh, soon it is Christmas again! I love this time of the year, when everyone (well, almost everyone) is kinder, and we remind ourselves of the important things in life. I am so happy that I will be spending Christmas with my family back home in Bulgaria! It has been a few years, and I am craving the cozy and lazy atmosphere, where we can just be with the people we love, enjoy some good food, cozy up, watch funny movies, and go for long walks!

I really feel this time calls for some serious baking, so I want to share with you two of my favourite cookie recipes, that you can make this Christmas. I promise, you will love them! They are so tasty, and yet, so healthy! The coconut-oat cookie is perfect to dip in tea, as it is a bit harder. The chocolate one… well let’s just say it does not look very glamorous, but if you can stop at two cookies only, I will officially congratulate you! The good thing is you can indulge with these two recipes. Especially with the chocolate cookie, it is just full with goodness! The texture is quite sticky, so it is not very easy to form cookies with it, but the fun part is that after you are done, you can eat the dough straight from your fingers. The ingredients can be eaten raw, as there is no flour or eggs in it! And if you find some creative ways to make those cookies prettier, please let me know! 🙂

So here is what you will need for the cookies:

Coconut Oat Cookies with Goji Berries

Ingredients (makes about 20 cookies) 

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup shredded coconut (look for one that is unsweetened)
• 1 cup brown rice flour
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• handful fo goji berries (you can also substitute them with cranberries)
• handful of raisins

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 210 degrees
2. Place all the ingredients in a food processor or blender, except for the goji berries and raisins. Blend for a few minutes until you see that the texture starts to bind and look like a dough. Add the berries and raisins and blend again for a bit.
3. With your hands, or using a cookie cutter form your cookies from the dough and place them on a baking sheet.
4. Bake them for 13 to 15 minutes.
5. Once ready leave them out to cool down.

Nut butter chocolate cookie 

Ingredients (makes about 20 cookies) 

• 1 cup of dates, pitted and soaked in warm water for 5-10 minutes
• 1 medium ripe banana
• 2 tbsp of almond butter (you can use any nut butter, peanut, macadamia are great choices too)
• 1 cup ground walnuts
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 cup dark chocolate or chocolate chips

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 210 degrees
2. Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor. If you are using chocolate chips, than don’t put them in yet, you will want to keep them whole. If using chocolate, place in the processor to give the cookies a nice chocolate look.
3. Blend well. You will get a sticky texture. Don’t be warned, this is how it should be!
4. Add the chocolate chips now if you’re using them, and mix them with a spoon.
5. Form your cookies using 2 spoons, or your hands, and place them on a baking sheet.
6. Bake them for about 10-14 minutes. They will still be quite soft when they get ready, just pay attention that the ends and top don’t burn. The cookies will get a bit harder as they cool down.

Wishing you all a blissful Christmas holiday and a happy and healthy New Year 2016!!