Name: Pine Nut and Sage Cookies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 9 min
Total time: 24 min
Cuisine: gluten-free
Ingredients: 6 tbsp rice flour; 2 tbsp maple syrup; 2 tbsp creamy natural almond butter; 3-5 small fresh sage leaves, rough chopped (or more to taste); 1 tsp pure vanilla extract; 1/8 tsp salt; approximately 3 tbsp pine nuts; optional: non-dairy coconut milk powder for dusting

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These simple gluten-free vegan cookies come together in minutes and are embellished with the delightful earthy flavors of pine nuts and sage. A definite must-try if you enjoy pine nut recipes.

Pine Nut and Sage Cookies recipe gluten-free vegan

I tend to use this recipe "base" for a lot of my cookies, mostly due to its simplicity and ease of making, and also because it suits quite a variety of diets (it's oil-free, refined sugar-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, you get the idea...).

Mostly I love this mix because it uses just one simple gf flour -- rice. It can be white rice or brown rice flour, whatever you prefer. Both work here just fine. And no need for fancy or complicated gluten-free mixes...

Pine Nut and Sage Cookies (eggless, dairy-free)

When it comes to pine nut recipes I often love to pair pine nuts and rosemary together, but in this one I paired them with a bit of fresh sage from my garden instead because that's what I had on hand.

I find the warm, sweet, and earthy flavor of pine nuts to go exceptionally well with savory herbs in desserts. And a hint of sage works a treat here to add a delicate and aromatic note to the cookies.

If rosemary is more accessible to you, feel free to use a bit of fresh rosemary instead.

The amount of herb you want to use really depends on your taste. If you want it to be fairly mild, keep it on the low end. If you love the flavor, add lots more next time to your liking.

It's a small batch recipe, so easy to make a few times as needed until you tweak it just right to your taste :)

Pine Nut and Sage Cookies

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A simple gluten-free vegan cookie embellished with the delightful earthy flavors of pine nuts and sage.

Author: Audrey @ Unconventional Baker
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 9 minutes
Total Time: 24 minutes
Yield: 6 cookies
Category: cookies
Method: baked
Cuisine: gluten-free, dessert
Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Cookie base

6 tbsp rice flour
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp creamy natural almond butter
3-5 small fresh sage leaves, rough chopped (or more to taste)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
⅛ tsp salt

Coating

approximately 3 tbsp pine nuts
optional: non-dairy coconut milk powder for dusting

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Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 350F. Line a small cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
Place pine nuts for coating onto a small shallow bowl or plate, spreading them into a thin layer. Set aside.
Process all cookie base ingredients in a small food processor until the mixture begins to form a ball.* Remove this ball from the processor and shape into a large ball of dough with your hands.
Divide this ball into 6 smaller balls of dough. Roll each one first into a small ball. Place one of these small balls onto the dish with the pine nuts and press down to flatten the ball and embed some pine nuts onto the bottom of the cookie ball. Flip it and press the other side into the pine nuts as well -- you'll need to press the dough into the pine nuts very lightly as you go to make the nuts stick (note: if you press too hard you, the shape of your cookie can become distorted). Place the crusted cookie on the prepared baking tray. Repeat with the remaining cookies.
Bake in a pre-heated oven for approx. 9 mins. or until the pine nuts begin to look golden. Remove from the oven and place on a cooking rack to cool off a little. Enjoy!
Optional: you can lightly dust these with some powdered coconut milk prior to serving.

Notes

*The texture of the dough can be different depending on the almond butter used. For example sometimes you might get a batch that’s more “oily” other times one that’s more dry + brands vary, etc. The dough should be soft and pliable and be able to easily stick together and form a ball. But if the mixture feels too sticky to handle at this point, add a bit more flour (1 teaspoon at a time) and process again to incorporate; if too dry, add a bit more maple syrup or almond butter and process again until the texture is just right.