These sweet and savory cookies by Alice York are filled with detoxifying and anti-inflammatory herbal goodness, including turmeric, black pepper, ginger and our Yin Power blend to make the perfect sweet and salty treat!
For someone who loves dessert—I eat something sweet after dinner almost daily—I don’t actually love super sweet flavors. I’ve never liked frosting or anything cloying. I like my sugar with salt, and a touch of bitter. So, these somewhat savory cookies are perfect for my palate, and hopefully for yours!
I am a big fan of the idea of a “health cookie,” particularly one that is delicious and satisfying, not a so-so consolation for the “real thing” or a punishment (I think we’ve all had health-minded desserts that felt like a form of gastronomic torture).
First and foremost, we’ve got turmeric as this cookie’s star ingredient, fitting for this star of the spice world. Turmeric is rife with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, thought to improve more than 50 internal and external issues relating to physical health and the body, both internally and externally. Turmeric can be taken topically for everything from acne to eczema, and orally to supplement treatment for even more serious conditions.
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, the season of spring is associated with the liver, the body’s "Berkey Filter." Spring is considered, then, to be a particularly ideal time to detoxify the liver for its optimal functioning. Turmeric is said to aid in this process. Fun fact: black pepper, which is sprinkled into this recipe, helps to increase the absorption and efficacy of turmeric’s active ingredient, curcumin.
This power spice happens to pair well with ginger, probably best known in its capacity to help with tummy trouble, i.e. nausea and motion-sickness, but thought to help combat a plethora of other issues thanks to all of its “anti’s” (ginger is anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial, and antioxidant). And I just happen to love ginger anything. If it has ginger in it, I will 10 times out of 10 eat it or drink it. And Ginger Spice happens to be my favorite Spice Girl. Coincidence? Maybe not.
Next we have something sweet to go with these pungent flavors: honey. Honey is not only a more health-friendly alternative to cane sugar, but has a long history related to its medicinal properties. Applied topically, it helps heal wounds, and when ingested, it has long been believed to boost immunity. Sun Potion’s Bio-Active Honey is an especially potent and powerful choice, containing antimicrobial properties—and it’s sustainably harvested.
And don't forget the spoonful of Sun Potion Yin Power. Here “yin” refers to the feminine, though it offers more than a hint of “yang” in its energy-building and focus-enhancing capacity. This herbal formula also supports hormonal balance, stress reduction, and creativity.
While the recipe below—and the batch I just made—are au naturel, I think these flavors would pair really well with dark chocolate, so drizzle or dip away!
Honey Turmeric Yin-Ger Cookies
Ingredients2 ½ cups almond flour ½ tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. ground turmeric (I love Diaspora Co.) 1 tsp. ground ginger 1 tsp. Sun Potion Yin Power ¼ tsp. salt (I typically use sea salt) ¼ tsp. ground black pepper ⅓ cup Sun Potion Bio-Active Honey (or any honey of your choosing) ⅓ cup olive oil |
MethodPreheat oven to 375° F. Add dry ingredients to a medium-to-large sized bowl and mix them together. Pour in wet ingredients, making sure the honey is fairly runny (pop in microwave briefly to get it a little more liquid if needed). Stir until blended. *If dough is too wet or too dry, add more almond flour or more oil and honey as needed. Shape dough by hand (or using a scoop) into balls and place on baking sheet. Press down lightly with palm to flatten the balls somewhat. *I recommend using a Silpat or parchment paper in between the cookies and pan. Bake for about 10-12 minutes. Allow the cookies to remain on the pan for at least 5 minutes after baking to give them time to firm up before transporting them onto a wire rack to cool. |