Can you smell it? The Holiday spice that is. There is something wonderful about the aroma of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and allspice. Not to mention comforting. Makes me want to break out the spatula and start baking! (Corny Cotter Alert.)
So imagine gifting these spices and/or creating a recipe with them. Yep, that’s my plan! My second recipe for “budget friendly” Home Baked Gifts is a Sugar and Spice Cookie Recipe that you can either make for someone and add in a few small container of organic spices;
OR……
You can be a Nutrition NERD like me and write out all the health benefits of each spice, tag them on a small Ziploc bag, and then put them in a basket along with the recipe for these cookies and a jar with the batter mix.
Maybe write something like this—>
A little naughty and nice gift! Sugar and Spice Gluten Free Cookies. But let’s focus on the nice. These Holiday Spices are actually HEALTHY for you and are good for all kinds of recovery for the body.
** Although feel free to leave out the facts about curing intestinal gas. hehe.
nutmeg.
Combined with other spices it can help calm or reduce stress.
Used as a digestive tonic
Can help reduce asthma
Fights depression and anxiety
It has anti-inflammatory effect.
Cinnamon
· It reduces LDL cholesterol levels. LDL is commonly known as the “bad” cholesterol.
· Helps stabilize blood sugar
· Has natural anti-infectious compounds.
Clove:
· Help Reduce inflammation.
· Full of antioxidants
· Can help ease digestion and intestinal gas
Ginger:
· Can help ease Nausea
· Great anti-inflammatory
· Eases stomach pressure/gas
· Can help clear sinuses
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Ingredients:
- ¼ cup applesauce
- ¼ cup raw sugar (you can use brown sugar too)
- stevia –1 teaspoon (add 2 if you want them extra sweet)
- banana
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup ½ all purpose GF flour (or flour of choice)
- 3 tablespoon coconut flour or other flour for rolling and pressing- I also used a lot on my hands and on parchment paper to roll the dough into balls then press with fork.
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves (about ½ teaspoon of each)
- powdered sugar (optional)
Directions:
1. mix applesauce, sugar, and banana together in bowl. Beat in egg and vanilla.
2. Stir remaining ingredients together and add. Mix well or use beater on low. Add a little more applesauce if it get to be too dry.
3. Flour your counter and transfer dough. Make sure to cover your hands in flour as well in order to keep the dough from getting to goopy.
4. Roll into 1-2 inch balls. Place them on a greased baking sheet and press down with fork. Bake in 350 degree F (175 degrees C) oven until golden, about 8 to 10 minutes. Allow a bit more baking time if rolled thicker.
5. Once out of the oven and cooled. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and cinnamon. This of course is optional but it’s good.
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See, it all evens out. Sugar and Spice for the win!
So go ahead, make these for “budget friendly” Holiday gift or Cookie Swap!
Friday’s post will be a Savory and Spicy Home baked gift idea along with a “best of” recipe round up for the year! WOO!
[Tweet “Health Benefits of Holiday Spices from @LCCotter, PLUS a #GF Cookie Recipe to Gift!”]
What’s your favorite Spice?
Cheers,
LC
I love cinnamon and how the aroma fills the house with baking! I’m starting the new year with trying GF. I’m sure I’ll use your recipe.
oh good! keep me posted on how things go Jill!
As if I needed more excuses to enjoy delicious comfort spices! 😉 Looks great!
Haha I know. Stock up more!
The benefits of cloves and nutmeg – news to me. Good to know!
I love Allspice! The smell reminds me of my Mom’s cranberry sauce… one of my favorites! xoxo
mmm I met it’s heavenly and made with love!
Just one more reason to be obsessed with holiday spices. Mmm.
Best obsession ever!!
DARN IT! I thought you were going to post a video of you doing the cinnamon challenge!!!!! Ah ha ha aha h! 😉
oh i think i’d lose fast! haha
Umm…hurry up Friday. Sweet and Savoury is down my avenue 😉 Thanks for the spices rundown- I used to just go for the taste/aroma of them but its good to learn their benefits 😉
PS when I saw that spatula picture I didn’t associate ‘corny’ with it. I somehow thought of Heather. :s
I’ll take the heather comparison any day!!!!
I bet these smell amazing!!! I LOVE cinnamon I could put it on almost anything!
LOL you know I’d totally do the same with the whole writing out of the health benefits, right!? 🙂 I think we’re nutrition nerd kindred spirits. Fave spice for me is by far cinnamon. I love it and just had it sprinkled on baked butternut squash. The Costco cinnamon is absolutely amazing, and a huge Costco-sized bottle is only like $4 (which in my opinion, is just another reason to use even more!)
YES!! I always buy that Costco Cinnamon! IT is the BEST!!!
I guess I need more cinnamon in my life! Apparently I have high cholesterol, how sad is that?! It is very much hereditary, but I didn’t think I would actually have it, but apparently I do. So, more cinnamon it is. Love this post, so useful on these tidbits. I didn’t realize nutmeg helped asthma either. And you look so darn cute here in this pic! as always. xo.
darn hereditary! so silly, don’t they know you are UBER fit?
😉
Oatmeal with nutmeg tomorrow!
LOVE it!! A spin on the boring cookies in a jar gift.
When I lived in Arizona, I made my mom a SW cookbook and gave her tons of specialty spices. She’s not much of a cook and never used them, so I stole them back. 😉
We’ll she missed out but at least you enjoyed your gift. Ship it to me next time
Ohh these guys look fantastic!
I’m obsessed with all things spice. Anything cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice is the best.
i knew you’d like them! pumpkin spice too!
Looks like we are kind of on the same page with budget friendly meals these days…Hoping you are staying warm this week…And here’s to hoping the SUN makes a appearance ASAP. XOXO
What a fantastic recipe! I love all these spices, honestly, not just at this time of year. I use cinnamon the most, though, almost daily on Greek yogurt.
With this freakishly awful cold I have (at the WORST time!), I think I may need to eat a batch of these cookies! Except I couldn’t taste them, so maybe I should wait ;). I am pouring these spices on everything though. I love them! (And you!!)
Good thing I LOVE holiday spices! I put cinnamon and ginger in every shake I make lately! Delicious.
I do love spices. I’ve been using more nutmeg as of late. Must be the season 😉 I love how powerful spices can be!
Number 1: Cutest hairstyle ever!
Number 2: Cutest lady ever!
Number 3: I love all these holiday spices!
Number 4: I want to make these ASAP!
Number 5: You are awesome!
Number 6: You can never use too many exclamation points! It’s a proven fact…science and all that jazz!
xoxo
hehe this just made my day !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My favorite is cinnamon! I use a lot of these spices in my holiday baking too 🙂
Oh these cookies look so delicious!!
Great post, I am a big lover of all kinds of spices and I use them all the time to different effects AND for flavor 😉
love how versatile they are! for sure!
I didn’t realize how many benefits all of those spices had. Now I need to do something with ginger to clear out my sinuses!!
for real! ginger pancakes are good! try those!
Mmmmmm, those cookies need to get in my belly right now!!!
I’ve been dousing everything in all of these spices lately, along with turmeric, cumin, fennel and a new love, fenugreek. So incredibly healing, warming and grounding. My body loves them all!
Such a great idea with the gifting! If only I was that organized this year… I feel like I’m in a million places at once right now!
oh fenugreek! such an under rated spice! love it! p.s do you have a new blog or website?
No, not yet. I’ve been a blogging delinquent for a long time. I’ve needed the break, so much going on right now, something had to give so I didn’t have a complete meltdown. Once I get back to it I hope to have a new site though! I have a lot to learn about self-hosting, and creating a website. Any tips would be gladly accepted!! 🙂
oh i used PB Jenny for that. she is awesome! you should use her!
Love learning health benefits behind what I love to bake with 🙂
Yes, more reason to keep baking too!!
My inner nutrition nerd loved this post <3 Any combination of those spices is my favorite. Otherwise cinnamon considering I usually multiple the amount it calls for in recipes haha
My husband loves spice cookies I will have to give these a shot! First thing i need to pick up some coconut flour – I see so many recipes with it but I have never tried it out! Thanks for sharing 🙂
you really only use a tiny bit of coconut flour. You can easily substitute it! no problem! it’s just for pressing the cookies
I want time to tinker around with GF baking!!
I WANT THESE NOW!!!! In fact the flavors would be perfect for a ballin bite! 😉 LOVE your first pic!!!
Oh you are on to something!!
oooh I cannot wait to make these!!!
Oh let me know if you do friend!!!
Yesss! I love my baked goods with tons of spice–adds so much depth of flavor!
Just more reason to love what I already love. Cinnamon is, hands down, my favourite spice, and I use so much of it that I often joke about having my cinnamon with a side of food.
Sounds good to me!!! Cinnamon theme for the win!!!
Holiday spices ROCK! I use them year round.
Agreed!! Nature’s medicine
Yummy! These look so delicious, and what a cute idea to gift. My favorite spice is cinnamon… I put that @#$% on everything!
I love the power of spices!! Especially the combo of cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Mmmm, your cookies look fantastic!
I knew there must be a totally healthy/natural reason why I eat approximately 14000 gingerbread cookies this time of year! hahaha They just have so many benefits! 😉
Haha so true! Eat up
I love knowing how my food is healing/helping my body. Extra nutmeg for me today… oy. Definitely need more cookies. 🙂
I love me some ginger and cinnamon!! K… I’ll be over in a bit for milk and cookies! And a chat! xoxo love you!
you’re amazing! <3 we both included nutrition into our posts today 😀 LOVE BEING YOUR TWIN 😉
It’s quite amazing that spices can have such great health benefits! I use all of these on a fairly regular basis, especially cinnamon. I use it practically everyday in my oatmeal, smoothies, yogurt, etc. Love the cookie recipe too! 🙂
These are definitely my favorite spices for the flavors and the health benefits! The cookies sound perfect for this season!
I have been battling congestion for 3 weeks now! I am at the point now where I’m considering snorting these…or apple cider vinegar. Is that wrong? 😉 (only kidding…kind of) Make it stop!
Snort away friend hehe
I need to use spices more in GENERAL.
I always say I dont like them—but maybe with repeated exposure Ill change?
maybe on eggs? hehe or maybe not
cinnamon – definitely my most used and favorite spice!!
That is SUCH a great idea! I will have to try this! I am attempting to bake cookies for my 80 athletes this week….think these will have to be in there somehow. Runners looooovvve cookies! Especially me! But we earned them right? 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
oh heck ya! go for it! feed them!
I actually love hearing about the spices. I use cinnamon daily. I don’t use clove very often though.
I love clove in smoothies!! Or on baked apple, try it!
Great info, great idea, great face!!
Such a neat gift idea!! Totally stealing that!
And I should finally start baking…..not even 2 weeks till xmas, eek!
do it!! steal away!
I suppose I should add in some ginger today to calm my naseua. Thanks for the information. You rock!
ps. Is it just me, or do you ever have trouble spelling naseua? I always get those last three letters mixed up. Ha!
haha now i think i spelled it wrong! ack, i hate that word!