these treats taste like christmas cake in a cookie. They are deliciously aromatic and spicy with a hint of orange and cranberry. they are gluten free, grain free, dairy free and additive free.

Christmas is all about the spices and aromas for me, and these delicious Christmas Cookies are all that and more. They are slightly soft in the middle but a little crunchy on the outside.

So simple to make and keep on hand for unexpected visitors, or wrap a few up and give to friends and neighbours as home made gifts.

What You Need.

• 300g almond meal

• 150g cranberries (preservative free)

• 100g butter

• 80g maple syrup

• 1 orange, rind only (finely grated)

• 1 tbsp coconut sugar

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 2 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1 tsp ground nutmeg

• 1 tsp ground ginger

• 1 tsp allspice

• 3/4 tsp ground cardamom

• 1/4 tsp ground cloves

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp sea salt

What To Do.

1. Preheat oven to 170C and line 2 x large baking trays.

2. Blitz orange rind on speed 9 in your thermomix or on high in your food processor until finely ground. If you find there are still big peices of rind, you can add 100g of your almond meal and blitz again, just remember to only add 200g later.

3. Add all ingredients except cranberries and mix until well combined, scraping sides and mixing again if necessary.

4. Add cranberries and either mix in by hand or mix on reverse speed 4 in your Thermomix.

5. Roll into balls and flatten onto your baking tray, then bake for 10—15 minutes until golden.

6. Allow to cool on the rack before eating (or just go ahead and eat them warm if you’re impatient like me).

Enjoy.