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Let me start of by saying: no hedgehogs were harmed in the making of these cookies! I realize the recipe title could sound like these cookies contained hedgehogs but rest assured, they contain no woodland creatures. These Holiday Hedgehogs, or Almond Cookies, are vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar free and oil free as well. They’re a really fun way to jazz up your baking, great for kids parties or cookie swaps too.
I will warn you, these cookies can be time consuming to put together, but they’re EASY to make. They’re also delicious whether or not you decorate them like hedgehogs (see non-hedgehog cookies below!). If you have the extra time, or an extra set of hands, I highly recommend making these cuties! It can be a fun activity to do with your kids, with friends, etc. or a great rainy day activity. Just recruit some extra hands and thank me later.
The base of this cookie is an almond-y cookie, that reminded me so much of almond cookies I used to eat around christmas time. Adding the sliced almond hedgehog “quills” gives the cookie more texture, crunch and of course, more almond flavour. For the little nose and eyes, I used melted vegan dark chocolate, but you could get creative with whatever you have on hand.
To make these oil free, I used almond butter, which once again, adds to our almond cookie flavour. It also puts moisture back into the cookie and helps it to crisp up on the edges. These treats come together in one bowl, and are similar in composition to many of my healthy cookie recipes, with a little added flair. Learn how to make them below! Ok one more photo. INDULGE ME!
Hedgehog Almond Cookies [vegan, gluten-free, oil free]
Ingredients
- 1 cup oat flour
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/2 cup roasted creamy almond butter
- 1/3-1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1 flax egg 1 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp water
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp almond extract more to taste
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup raw sliced almonds
- 1/8 cup of dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and prepare batter.
- Prepare your flax egg by combining 1 tbsp flax meal with 3 tbsp water and allow to sit until thick.
- In a large bowl, combine oat flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk until smooth.
- Add flax egg, maple syrup, almond butter, almond extract and vanilla extract and mix until a dough forms. Allow the dough to sit for a few minutes. If the dough feels too dry, you can add an additional tablespoon of almond butter butter, or non-dairy milk by the teaspoon to help it along. At this point, I recommend taste testing to see if the almond flavour is strong enough. I personally find it very strong so I like to start with less and add more, but add as much as you'd like!
- Roll dough into small balls, about 1.5 tablespoons in size, and pinch one side to create a teardrop shape. Place on a lined baking sheet.
- To create hedgehog shapes, press sliced almonds into the backside of the dough, to create the quills. I made about 4-5 rows of quills, with 3-5 in each row.
- Bake cookies for about 10-12 minutes, being careful not to overbake.
- Let cookies cool for at least one hour, to firm up, before decorating with chocolate.
- Melt 1/8 cup of dark chocolate chips (use a double boiler method, or microwave) and create a nose and eyes for each hedgehog.
- Allow to cool again, until chocolate is completely dry.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love & almond quills,
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