Call me a goose, but when I saw this cute little bird cookie cutter at the store I just couldn't resist! Total checkout impulse buy, but hey, sometimes you need some cookies to brighten up your day. Of course I instantly knew these little fellas will need to be a pretty mellow yellow, so a turmeric cookies recipe was the next logical step.
In order to keep it simple I just used my favorite go-to basic cutout cookie recipe as a base (these cashew butter biscuits). When you want a nice mild flavor, neutral color, easy to work with ingredients, it's a prefect recipe. Throw in a bit of turmeric and a hint of cinnamon and you've got yourself some pretty gluten-free vegan turmeric cookies.
My next idea... not so brilliant. I decided to make a batch in other pastel colors and the first one I went for was green (you can see them in the photos here, intermixed with the yellow birdies). Sadly the spirulina cookies tasted... well sort of what you'd expect spirulina cookies to taste like :x. My dog enjoyed a few of them as a treat... I can't say the same for myself though!
Unless you're a die-hard spirulina lover (is that a thing?), stick to the turmeric cookies. You could try other more neutral flavors though (like maqui berry powder, strawberry powder, etc.) and see how it goes -- I haven't tried, but I'd be open to giving those a go next time.
These cookies are perfect when you want a simple, basic gf cookie that goes lovely with tea and can easily bring out some smiles. If you really want a knock your socks off type of recipe, try these maple cream cookies instead. Otherwise, it's hard to resist playing around with little chicks, even as an adult (ok, maybe it's just me lol). To enhance their flavor I recommend using a dark maple syrup (although amber would work fine too in a pinch).
A friend suggested making little sandwich cookies with them filled with maple cream (like the ones linked above). Tasty idea but my mind went straight to...would that make it a chicken sandwich cookie? That just doesn't sound right, if you ask me :D. I gave these a try with maple butter nonetheless and can confirm it's a beautiful thing.
P.S. For the cookie mold, I used the little chick mold from this set (although I bought it as a single mold from Michaels).
Turmeric Cookies
Simple, wholesome, and naturally colored, these cute little gluten-free and vegan turmeric cookies are a a ton of fun to make.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 9 minutes
- Total Time: 29 minutes
- Yield: approx 28 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp white rice flour
- 2 tbsp cashew butter
- 2 tbsp dark maple syrup*
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ⅜ tsp turmeric (spice)**
- ⅛ tsp cinnamon (spice)
- 1/16 tsp salt (spice)
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment and set aside.
2. Process all cookie ingredients in a food processor until the mixture begins to form a ball***. Form the mixture into a ball with your hands and knead briefly, then flatten into a disk. Place the disk between two sheets of parchment paper on a flat surface and use a rolling pin to roll out into an ⅛” thickness. Use a bird cookie cutter to cut out as many cookies as you can — carefully transfer those onto the prepared cookie sheet. Gather remaining dough scraps, form into a ball, and repeat the process of rolling out and cutting out more cookies until you run out of dough. Note: I got about 28 ~2″ cookies.
3. Bake in a pre-heated oven for 9 mins (keep an eye out that they don’t burn around the edges). Remove from oven and allow the cookies to cool a few minutes (they will seem on the soft side at first but will firm up a bit as they cool off). Enjoy!
Notes
*I recommend going with a dark or very dark maple syrup if possible for a deeper flavor. But if you can’t find that, then regular maple syrup will work fine too.
**Sorry for the awkward fraction. That's basically a quarter teaspoon + an eighth teaspoon of turmeric.
***The texture of the dough can be different depending on the cashew 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. But if the mixture feels too sticky at this point, add a bit more flour and process again to incorporate; if too dry, add a bit more maple syrup or cashew butter. I just add a teaspoon of flour at a time, for instance, until the consistency is just right (which usually takes just 2-3 teaspoon more flour).
Keywords: Vegan Turmeric Cookies (Gluten-Free, Oil-Free)
Shannon sealey says
Hello Audrey! I’m Excited to try this recipe...would you be willing to share where you found the adorable wee bird cookie cutter? I have a slight bird fetish:) many thanks & well wishes✨Shannon💌
Audrey says
Hi Shannon. Thanks so much :) I bought it as a single cutter from Michaels some years ago. However online I've only seen it as part of a set: https://www.amazon.com/Pressable-Non-Stick-Bakeware-Decoration-Supplies/dp/B08XNT3R8R/ref=sr_1_37?dchild=1&keywords=bird+press+cookie+cutter&qid=1623107935&sr=8-37 -- the chick here is the same as the one I used.
Nina says
These looked so tasty that I had to try to make them and they were so delicious!
I did have to substitute the rice flour with what I had in the cupboard on this rainy, windy day with 1Tbs of Arrowroot flour, 1 Tbs of ground chia, 2 Tbs of millet flour, 1 Tbs of Almond meal.
I also used almond butter as that was what I had and plain organic maple syrup, and the rest was as per the recipe. I didn't have a birdie cookie cutter so just used a small glass to cut it into round shapes and got 13 thin cookies ( I don't think I could have bitten into a birdie cookie either - they just looked too cute). Oh and I added a few walnuts for extra protein in the mix.
Some went a little darker at the front of the oven, but they were nice and crunchie :)
Thanks v m for such a great cookie recipe!
Audrey says
Hi Nina, I love the "adventure" you took this recipe on :) I'm glad you enjoyed the cookies. Thanks for sharing what worked for you.
Marc Bell says
These little cookies are so easy to bake but there was one problem,
I didn't want to bite off the heads of these cute little chicks. Dang!
★★★★★
Audrey says
Haha, I know what you mean!! :D
Carolina says
jajaja we "forgive" you for the awkward fraction, but it would be easier if quantities were in grams! Thank you!!!
Audrey says
Thanks Carolina :) I have the opposite problem, gram quantities are so much less easy and slower for me to work with.