Sweet Potato Cranberry Spice Cookies

These little Sweet Potato Cranberry Spice Cookies are gluten free and vegan but full of flavour from homemade pumpkin pie spice! The recipe makes a big batch of dough which is perfect for freezing ahead - thaw and bake whenever the craving strikes!

 

 

 

I'm going to start this off by saying... I know. It's not fall, its 30C and sunny outside, people are lounging around eating watermelon and ice cream. Most people are not cranking up their oven for anything.

But I'm not most people! I love the flavours of spice and fall, and baking is something I will do no matter the weather (unless out AC goes out in the middle of summer, which has happened!). So when I was playing around last summer to come up with holiday cookies, I came across some pumpkin cookies that looked like a hit for me and a few of my gluten free friends. However, because it was the middle of summer, canned pumpkin wasn't overly available. Sweet potatoes, on the other hand, were - and I actually much prefer the flavour over pumpkin. With the spices, the bit of richness from the brown sugar blend and the dash of maple extract, the dough smelled amazing, and the craisins I tossed in added the tiniest bit of tang and fruity flavour. Being gluten free, nut free and vegan, they were also a hit with the kids I taught and safe for the school environment (they would be great for camp too!).

 

Sweet Potato Spice Cookies
From A Saucy Kitchen

Makes ~24

1 cup vegan butter
¾ cup sugar
1/3 cup Truvia Brown Sugar Blend (or 2/3 cup brown sugar)

½ cup fully mashed sweet potato (I boiled sweet potatoes for this and drained them very well before mashing)
½ cup water
2 tbsp vanilla
1 tsp maple extract
2 cups gluten free all purpose flour
¾ cup quinoa flour
¼ cup sweet rice flour (mochiko)
3 tbsp psyllium husk fibre
½ tsp guar gum
3 tbsp ground flaxseed
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
½ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp cloves
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
2/3 cup Craisins

1. In a large mixing bowl beat together the butter, sugar, and Truvia brown sugar.
2. Add in the sweet potato mash, vanilla and maple extract and continue mixing until combined fully.
3. Add the flours, psyllium fibre, guar gum, flaxseed, spices, baking powder, baking soda and salt. The dough should be soft at this point. 
4. Fold in the Craisins.
5. Cover and let stand 30 minutes. 
6. Heat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment.
7. Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough and shape lightly into balls, placing them 2” apart on the trays. Flatten them slightly.
8. Bake for 8- 10 minutes.
9. Cool completely on the sheets.