I get nostalgic around the holidays, especially since I moved to Fort Lauderdale, leaving most of my family in the Northeast. The holidays are a time to gather with loved ones, spend quality time together and enjoy good food.
Although we won’t be going up north for Christmas this year, I’m excited that my family will be coming to Florida for Thanksgiving and I’m cooking dinner! I’ve already started bookmarking dozens of recipes for my holiday menu. I'm trying to narrow it down, but I’m sure I’ll end up cooking way too much.
The focus of our holiday meal is usually on the appetizers and main course and by the time dessert comes around, everyone is too full to have much more than a thin slice of pie.
Specifically, apple pie was always a staple at the holidays when I was growing up. Although my mom is a great cook, she's not a baker so it was usually store-bought.
I decided to create a lighter dessert recipe that has all of the warm flavors and spices of the holiday season but won't leave you feeling over stuffed.
My Spiced Apple Skyr Quinoa Cookies with Vanilla Maple Drizzle are small and light and bake up soft and fluffy. These delightful morsels are perfect for a little nibble after a heavy meal and they pack all of the flavors of yummy apple pie into one nutritious cookie.
As you may know, I’m a big fan of Greek yogurt (I even wrote a book about it!) but I decided to use Icelandic style skyr in this cookie recipe. It has a thick, smooth and creamy texture with a slightly tangy flavor. It’s extremely versatile and because it's not too sweet, it can be used in a wide variety of both sweet and savory recipes. You can use it as a healthy substitute for higher fat ingredients like butter and cream.
Incorporating skyr into these cookies adds a boost of flavor as well as protein. Plus, it keeps the cookies nice and moist. It also lets me cut back on the amount of butter and eggs that I use.
I like to use white whole wheat flour in this recipe because it is a whole grain product. It has all of the nutritional benefits of traditional whole wheat but with a lighter color and milder taste similar to all purpose flour.
It also bakes up lighter in texture than traditional whole wheat products so it’s a great choice for baked goods like these cookies. If you can’t find it, you can use a mixture of all purpose and whole wheat flours.
The cookies have a soft, cakey texture and get a lovely finishing touch with a drizzle of sweet and tangy maple vanilla skyr glaze. Serve them at your holiday table or pack them up and give them as gifts to your family and friends for a comforting taste of home.
Recipe
Spiced Apple Skyr Quinoa Cookies with Vanilla Maple Drizzle
Equipment
Ingredients
Cookies:
- 1 ½ cups white whole wheat flour
- ¼ cup ground flaxseed
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup cooked quinoa, cooled
- ¼ cup coconut oil or unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup packed coconut sugar
- 1 container (5.3 oz) vanilla skyr or Greek yogurt
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large apple, peeled and grated (about ¾ cup)
Vanilla Maple Drizzle:
- ¼ cup vanilla skyr or Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk the flour, flaxseed, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt together in a large bowl. Add the quinoa and whisk to coat all of the grains with the flour mixture.
- Using an electric mixer, beat the coconut oil and sugar together until well combined. Beat in the siggi’s Spiced Apple 2% Skyr, egg and vanilla. Squeeze all of the water out of the grated apple and add the apple to the wet ingredients, mixing to combine.
- Add the flour mixture to the mixer and mix until just combined (do not overmix).
- Spoon the dough (about 1 ½ tablespoons each) onto the prepared sheets. Flatten them slightly with your hand (the cookies won’t spread much during baking). Bake until golden, 15-18 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool.
- To make the Vanilla Maple Drizzle, stir the siggi’s Vanilla 0% Skyr and maple syrup together in a bowl. Drizzle the glaze onto the cookies with a spoon. Alternatively, you can pipe the glaze on. To do this, pour the glaze into a small plastic bag and seal it. Cut off a tiny corner and squeeze to drizzle the glaze on the cookies. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
Bridget says
Congrats on placing in the siggi's recipe challenge! Love the quinoa in the cookies and coconut palm sugar is my favorite so I will definitely be making these soon.
sonaliruder says
Thanks so much Bridget! Enjoy 🙂
athletic avocado says
YUM! This cookie is healthy enough that I can eat it for breakfast right ? 😉
sonaliruder says
Yes, you can eat a few! 🙂
Farrah says
Ah, those cookies look so darn tasty! <3 I haven't made any cookies in forever, but will definitely have to pin this for later, when I have a kitchen again! ;P
sonaliruder says
Haha, they're actually pretty easy to make. Hope you get back into a kitchen soon! 🙂
Anu-My Ginger Garlic Kitchen says
Glad to hear that you are visiting your family for Thanksgiving! These cookies look divine, Sonali.
sonaliruder says
Thanks so much!
GiGi Eats Celebrities says
Holy crap! These look bomb! I want to eat ten! What a friggin' AWESOME replacement for cookies... SO much healthier and protein RICH!
sonaliruder says
Haha, thank you! They taste pretty good too! 🙂
Jessie says
I love what you've done with this contest! I haven't tried the spiced apple flavor of siggi's but I'll certainly be looking for it now 🙂 These healthy cookies look so delicious!
Happy Thanksgiving!
sonaliruder says
Thanks, Jessie! I really like the spiced apple and it adds a nice, warm flavor to the cookies.
Jessica Levinson says
These look a-ma-zing! Your pictures are gorgeous as always, and the cookies are filled with so much goodness. I need to make a batch! So happy for you that your family is visiting for Thanksgiving!
sonaliruder says
Thanks, Jessica! I'm really excited!
Lisa Lin says
That's great that your family is visiting you for Thanksgiving! I hope you all have a wonderful time! These cookies look delicious, and I love that you used the yogurt for the glaze!
sonaliruder says
Thanks, Lisa! I'm really looking forward to the family time!
Natalie @ Obsessive Cooking says
Is skyr thicker than Greek yogurt? I'd never hard of that before so learned something new! Loving that vanilla maple drizzle!
sonaliruder says
It's thick and creamy, similar to Greek yogurt. You should definitely try it!
Aggie says
I love when someone can truly pull off a healthy cookie - and you did!! These look amazing! I love that you added the Siggis into the recipes, I love that yogurt!
sonaliruder says
Isn't siggi's great? Thanks so much, Aggie!
Shashi at RunninSrilankan says
I love your incorporation of Siggis into these cookies - and not just one kind - but 2!! Sonali, I love a softer cookie and these cookies sound wonderful !
sonaliruder says
Thanks, Shashi! These cookies are nice and soft but the quinoa also gives them a little texture. My daughter loves them 🙂
Elizabeth Shaw says
Wow- you weren't kidding! My mouth is watering right now- no joke lol! Your photos are gorgeous and make me want to eat my computer screen hah! I didn't know you wrote a book on Greek yogurt too, you are just a super woman lady! I'll have to search that one now. I'm sorry you won't be home for the Christmas season, but definitely enjoy the time over Turkey Day. I can't wait for the day I get to host everyone at our house. I too would make WAY to much food, but enjoy every second of it!
Pinning these now!
sonaliruder says
Thanks, Elizabeth! It's exciting to finally be the one hosting Thanksgiving!