Happy Healthy Holiday: Fat-Free Honey Spice Cookies

How about a yummy honey cookie, fragrant with spices and bursting with lemony flavor, yet totally fat-free? No, it's not some weight-loss "treat" concocted from sawdust and chemicals but Nurnberger, a traditional German Christmas cookie. They have plenty of carbohydrates, but no refined white sugar or corn syrup, using honey and brown sugar instead. I recommend ising part all-purpose unbleached flour and part spelt, a whole grain flour which produces a nice light crumb.

They also happen to be Dairy-Free, too.

 The batch shown in the photo above, were made according to the directions in my old Betty Crocker cookbook, rolled and cut into shapes. They look lovely before baking, but afterward, well . . . 

their shapes are lost as they bake and spread. The clear sugar glaze didn't work well, either. No matter how carefully I watched the temperature of the melted sugar, or how quickly I brushed the glaze on the warm cookies, it turned opaque as it cooled. Then I tried to get a glossy shine by brushing the cookies with an egg wash before baking. That didn't work either.

So forget the glossy finish. If you have a suggestion, please post it in Comments, but meanwhile, my Nurnberger tastes fine without it.

I've ditched the rolling pin and cookie cutters, too, in favor of rolling little balls with my hands, then flattening them by pressing on cherry halves and almond bits.

These babies will be crisp when they cool, rather like ginger snaps. Store them in an airtight container with a slice of apple or orange peel, and after a few days they will be soft, mellow and chewy.

Recipe: Nurnberger (Honey Spice Cookies)

Friends gave us an enormous jar of "Wild Mountain Pecan Honey" from Black Canyon City, Arizona. This honey must be the blackstrap molasses of the honey world, and the resulting Nurnberger is delicious.

1 c. honey
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 egg (or 2 egg whites)
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1 tsp. grated lemon rind
2 3/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. each: cinnamon, cloves, allspice, nutmeg
1/3 c. chopped citron or other dried fruit
1/2 c. chopped nuts

Combine all ingredients and chill dough for at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line cookie sheets with oil-sprayed parchment.

Roll chilled dough into 1" balls
Arrange 1" apart on greased baking sheet and decorate with blanched almonds, candied cherries and chocolate chips.
Bake 10 minutes at 400 degrees.


Optional glaze (traditional, supposed to dry clear and glossy):
Arrange warm cookies on racks over waxed paper.
Combine 1 c. sugar and 1/2 c. water in heavy pan.
Boil to 230 degrees (1st hint of thread.)
Brush hot glaze over cookies. Cool thoroughly.

Store airtight with a sliced apple or orange peel to mellow.