Gluten-Free Rooibos Sablé Cookies

As with many things French, the traditional Sablé cookie is laden with butter. For this recipe the coconut oil works beautifully as a healthy substitute. The rooibos tea used here came from a snappy little tea shop in Calgary, Alberta. This delightful tea, Rainbow Rooibos, has lovely flower petals of yellow and periwinkle along with essence of amaretto. Low glycemic coconut sugar is used as well for additional nutritional benefit.

Rooibos Sablé Cookies 

Yield: 8 large wedge-shaped cookies

2 cups gluten-free baking mix

1 cup organic extra-virgin coconut oil or pasture butter, cut into tablespoon-sized chunks

1 teaspoon Himalayan sea salt

1/2 cup coconut palm crystals

2 large organic egg yolks, divided

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

2 tablespoons organic loose rooibos tea, ground to a fine powder

1 tablespoon cold water + 1/2 tablespoon water, divided

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Place the flour, coconut oil, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse until the mixture looks like sand, about six times. Add 1 egg yolk, vanilla, almond extract, rooibos tea, and cold water. Process until dough just comes together.

Press dough into a parchment lined 9-inch round cake pan. Using the flat side of a fork, press the surface of the dough to create a diagonal x-shaped grid. With a sharp knife, etch eight lines three-quarters through dough to mark where the cookies will be cut after baking. Whisk remaining egg yolk and 1/2 tablespoon water together in a small bowl. Brush cookies with egg wash. 

Bake for 15-20 minutes until edges turn  golden. Remove from oven and cool 5 minutes before transferring to to a cutting board. Slice the cookies straight down with a sharp knife into eight large wedges. Cool completely on a wire rack.