Nest cookies filled with heart healthy oats and almonds. All-natural, maple syrup sweetened. A healthy snack or dessert, toddler treat, school lunch surprise or protein-packed breakfast.
Good enough to eat right out of the bowl. A sample of the eggless cookie dough before we bake them into sweet cookie nests.
While the cookie nests bake, we make our nest eggs from almond paste, a sweetened dough made with ground almonds. It rolls and molds pleasantly like play clay. Fun for children to form.
For some extra fun food play, we rolled our homemade eggs in chocolate sprinkles, cinnamon, cocoa and berry juice for speckles and color like the natural beautiful variety of eggs in nature—enjoyable experimentation. Some we left plain—the pretty, natural, cream color of the almond paste.
Warm from the oven and ready to eat for a healthy, playful snack.
Use your favorite thumprint cookie recipe to bake cookie nests or try our own easy wholegrain oatmeal cookie nest recipe. The sweet almond paste eggs pair perfectly with the full-of-almond cookies. Healthy and delicious.
nest cookie recipe makes 12
1 cup finely chopped raw almonds (not salted or roasted)
3/4 cup rolled oats
1 1/4 cup whole grain oat flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup safflower oil (do not substitute another oil)*
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
almond paste (slightly less sweetened than marzipan and found in the baking aisle of grocery stores)
cinnamon and chocolate sprinkles to decorate eggs optional
For cookie nests: Preheat oven to 350°F. Chop almonds. Place nuts in a bowl and add oats, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Stir. Add oil, syrup, and vanilla. Stir until blended. Dough will be lumpy. Form into balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Press your thumb into center of each. Mold to make a nest shape. Bake until golden brown, about 18 minutes. Cool on cookie sheet for 3 minutes. Then transfer to a cooling rack. Place eggs on nest cookies while cookies are still warm to keep eggs in place. *Safflower oil is best for baking because it has no flavor. Other baking oils, like Canola oil, impart a strong, undesirable flavor to baked goods.
Eggs: While cookies bake, shape almond paste into egg shapes. Roll eggs in cinnamon or natural chocolate sprinkles for egg speckles if you wish.
This healthy cookie recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan and vegetarian. Fun to bake for birthdays, picnics, Easter time, spring time—anytime. ©heather cahoon • wordplayhouse®
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