Show your Valentine some sweetness with these whole-grain Swedish Sugar Cookies. Cardamom and pink pitaya make them extra festive.
The Food: Swedish Sugar Cookies with Rye & Spelt Flour
Whole-grain rye and spelt flours add nuttiness and complexity to the lightly sweetened dough of these Swedish Sugar Cookies. They taste like pie dough meets sugar cookies. A mixture of cardamom, fine cane sugar, and pink pitaya powder (from dehydrated dragon fruit) add more flavor, sweetness, and a special Valentine’s Day touch.
The Personal: What I am Loving Lately
In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, here is what I am loving lately:
- This snowy winter. Julep + Snow always puts a smile on my face, and the hillsides of Pittsburgh look extra magical when dusted in white.
- Snowtubing!!! (more on that to come)
- Dancing by myself – these HIIT Hop videos bring me so much life.
- This episode of Unlocking Us with Brené Brown, in which Drs. Julie and John Gottman share what they learned from their renowned research on relationships. Through their work, I confronted many of my past mistakes. I’ve also spent so much of the last year breaking down my bad patterns and challenging myself to be better. To feel healthy and supported in a new relationship is a hard-earned gift. Shout out to you, Dylan! 😉
- Sending and receiving mail, including Valentine’s Parcels.
- Rewatching and then again rewatching Schitt’s Creek. Ugly crying at the end every time.
- I always love some hard-hitting reminders from my friend and the maven of self-love, Ta’lor Pinkston, aka The Heart Advocate.
- The adamant love and support of my closest friends. It has truly been a game-changer, especially in the face of such trying times.
What are you loving, my friends?
The Fluff / Julep’s Corner:
Winter joy brought to you courtesy of this face…
You Might Also Like: Teff Bread Smørrebrød / Smorgasbord
If you’re liking the Swedish angle of this recipe, you might like this breakfast journey from my book, The Gluten-Free Grains Cookbook. Instead of pushing gluten-free bread to be something it (generally) isn’t – light and fluffy – this Scandinavian-inspired loaf channels the density into crunchy, nutty slices fit for carrying all of your toppings combinations.
Whole-Grain Swedish Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
Cookie Dough Ingredients:
- 1 cup whole-grain rye flour
- 1 cup whole-grain spelt flour
- 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- 1/2 cup (2 oz) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup fine-grain coconut sugar
Toppings
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon heavy cream
- ¼ cup fine cane sugar
- cardamom, to taste
- ½ - 1 teaspoon Pink pitaya powder
Directions
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a Silpat.
- In a medium-sized bowl combine the rye flour, spelt flour, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or by hand), beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy, add the butter, and beat until fluffy, mixing until the two are well combined.
- Beat in the sugar and mix until well incorporated.
- Add the dry mixture to the butter mixture and stir only long enough to combine the two (the dough should no longer be dusty looking). Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and knead once or twice to bring it together, shape into a ball, flatten, wrap in plastic and chill it in a refrigerator.
- Heat your oven to 350°F, and arrange the racks in the top and bottom thirds. When you are ready to roll out your cookies, transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Roll the dough to 1/4-inch thickness, and cut into shapes with the cookie cutter of your choice. Place on the prepared baking sheets an inch apart.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and heavy cream. In a small jar with a lid, combine the sugar, a dash of cardamom (use the fragrance to judge your liking of this spice), and the pink pitaya powder. Put the lid on the jar, and shake to combine the sugar mixture. Brush each cookie with the egg wash, and sprinkle with the sugar mixture.
- Bake the cookies for 6-7 minutes, until cookies are fragrant, and a bit golden at the edges - avoid over-baking or they will come out on the dry side. Allow the cookies to cool.
