So many people struggle with grains early on in a low histamine diet, so try these grain-free low histamine cookies, teeming with vanilla flavor and a strong almond base. They're just sweet enough to satisfy as a snack or a treat at the end of a long day!
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About this recipe
Low Histamine Dessert. For me, one of the toughest things about a low histamine diet is the loss of sweets. Or at least, it feels like a loss of sweets, since you're not supposed to have sugar outside of a short list of fruits. In fact, when I first developed this recipe, if I'd eaten any more sugar than you'd find in a mango or an apple, I get a stomachache.
Low in Sugar. So when formulating this low histamine cookie recipe, I was careful to not only keep the ingredients low histamine, but also to keep the sugar level low. This low histamine almond cookie recipe only contains 7 or 8 grams of sugar per cookie, and all of it is coconut sugar. Coconut sugar has much less impact upon your blood sugar levels (fluctuations of which can trigger histamine release) compared to refined sugar, which is why I stuck to it for this recipe.
Ingredients
Monk Fruit Extract: added for extra sweetness, and a bit of salt for further emphasizing the sweet flavor.
Vanilla Powder: this was switched out for the vanilla extract, to make it truly histamine-friendly, and voila! The perfect recipe. It takes just 30 minutes & one bowl to put together, and you can clean up any mess while your cookies are baking.
Step 1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C), then place a silicone mat or parchment paper onto the baking tray before putting together the dough.
Step 2. Measure and mix all dry ingredients together in a large bowl, except for salt (it will be used for topping).
Step 3. Put the egg and coconut oil (or ghee) into a the bowl and mix thoroughly.
Step 4. Immediately scoop 8 cookies onto tray in tablespoons and sprinkle an even amount of the salt onto the top of each cookie. If you plan to eat these with any type of salted sauce, you may want to omit the salt, but I think it makes them taste sweeter when eaten alone.
Step 5. Bake for 10-12 minutes on top of silicone mat, then remove from oven. The cookies should be slightly browned on the bottom & firm when done. Immediately take the silicone mat off of the tray and place it onto a cool surface, to avoid burning the bottom of the cookies with lasting heat from the baking tray. The cookies are pretty sturdy, so don't worry about breaking them apart. Allow them to cool for at least 5 minutes before you serve them, even if you're using them to make faux pie (see notes).
Recipe notes & tips
Making It Vegan. Since the egg mainly acts as the binder in this recipe, you would do just as well to make a flax egg in place of the existing egg, and voila! Veganized.
Subbing Flours. While I haven't tried it myself, you may be able to substitute up to ½ cup of the almond flour with coconut flour, but you'll have to add one extra egg for every ¼ cup of coconut flour used. I highly recommend sticking to the almond flour, and simply seeking a different recipe if you can't tolerate nuts.
Subbing Sugars. While I haven't tried it myself, date sugar would probably work basically the same as coconut sugar, based on their properties. Just remember to use a solid sweetener rather than liquid, no matter what you try to sub with!
Freezing the Cookies. Since my freezer is already teeming with leftovers, I appreciate that you only get 8 cookies out of this as written (though it can easily be doubled). I usually make these every other week and keep them in the bottom shelf of my freezer, serving them up as the base for a faux pie (see below). You can safely freeze these cookies for up to 6 months, and defrost them at 375°F (190°C) for 3-5 minutes.
- eat them plain
- crumble them over a tolerated ice cream or yogurt
- turn the base into a base for a berry pie with homemade granola on top
Also, make faux pie! I love using coconut cream & fruit to make these cookies into the base for a faux pie! My fruit of choice is usually blueberries, for their natural antioxidants and low sugar level, but I also love peaches, mango, and raspberry (in moderation). Simply microwave a frozen cookie for 20 seconds, and then serve with a handful of fresh fruit and a couple spoonfuls of coconut cream; a sprinkle of salt enhances the sweetness. If using frozen fruit, microwave the cookie and the fruit together.
Homemade Low Histamine Cookies Recipe Card
As always, if you like the recipe, I really appreciate a review or comment!
📖 Recipe
Vanilla Almond Cookies (Grain-Free)
Ingredients
- 1 cup 120g almond flour, [make SURE it's super-fine almond flour, and organic, if you can find it]
- ¼ cup 60g coconut sugar
- ½ teaspoon 1g pure monk fruit powder, [NOT the sweeteners based in erythritol, but the real stuff]
- 1 teaspoon 2g baking powder
- ⅔ teaspoon 2g vanilla powder, [a heaping half teaspoon also works]
- 1 large or extra large egg
- 2 Tablespoons 30 ml melted coconut oil, [you can also use ghee for a crispier cookie, if you can handle some dairy]
- ¼ teaspoon 0.5g sea salt (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F/190°C.
- Measure and mix all dry ingredients together, except for salt (it will be used for topping).
- Place the silicone mat or parchment paper onto the baking tray before finishing putting together the dough.
- Add in the egg and coconut oil (or ghee) and mix thoroughly.
- Immediately scoop 8 cookies onto tray in tablespoons and sprinkle an even amount of the salt onto the top of each cookie. If you plan to eat these with any type of salted sauce, you may want to omit the salt, but I think it makes them taste sweeter when eaten alone.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes on top of silpat, then remove from oven. The cookies should be slightly browned on the bottom & firm when done. Immediately take the silpat off of the tray and place it onto a cool surface, to avoid burning the bottom of the cookies with lasting heat from the baking tray. They're pretty sturdy, so don't worry about breaking them apart.
- Allow the cookies to cool for at least 5 minutes before you serve them, even if you're using them to make faux pie (see notes). Enjoy!~
Katie says
I found this to be a great recipe to work off of, but I made some changes that made them more cravings-satisfying for me.
I doubled the batch, included the salt in the dry mix, added 3/4 teaspoon ginger powder, 1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder, and 1/2 cup of sesame seeds.
I made mine a little bigger (like the size of a walnut and then flattened) and cooked them for longer (about 12 minutes). They turned out beautifully, and are helping me through the hardest part of my own histamine journey—loosening the grip of my sweets addiction. 🫠
Thank you so much for this and your other great recipes! Your website is really helpful! ❤️
Max says
Thank you for the kind words, Katie! This spiced version sounds delicious!
Emma says
Hi Max, I just made these and they are delicious! thanks for the recipe! I subbed monk fruit for xylitol because monk fruit is difficult to get in the UK. They still turned out delicious! Emma
Max says
Thank you, Emma! I'm so glad you liked them, even with a needed swap!
Teryl Barrett says
Hi not sure which brand of monk fruit you are talking about that does not stem from erythitol? Just found you. Sure hope this helps. I have tried every diet imaginable.
Max says
I order mine on Amazon once or twice a year; that's how long it lasts! I use this brand right now. I hope this helps, too, Teryl! If you're having stomach pain & general inflammation and the diet isn't starting to work within a week, I'd highly recommend cutting out sugar, refined vegetable oils & grains in addition to going low histamine. I've tried every diet imaginable over the last several years, too, and further cutting out sugar & grains made all the different in calming the underlying inflammation (beyond any day-to-day or meal-to-meal histamine reactions).
kate says
Can i substitute more monk fruit powder for the coconut sugar in this recipe?
Max says
Definitely not-- monk fruit is ~200 times sweeter than sugar. You need some small amount of granulated sweetener to bring the dough together.
Maryanne says
The vanilla almond cookies are an absolute winner!!!
Max says
Thank you, Maryanne! I'm so glad you like them!!
Stacy says
Absolutely DELISH!!! I was pleasantly surprised. I made 2 batches. This will definitely be stored in my freezer. I did grind up pecans instead because I don’t tolerate almonds and it was absolutely perfect!
lowhistamineeats says
That's great to know that it works with pecans, too! I wasn't sure if it would because of the varying fat & moisture contents, but I'm so glad you're enjoying them. I'm going to make some this weekend when I visit my mom, so we'll have to mess with the recipe. 🙂
Kayswell says
I've been so sad not to be able to make cookies with my kids for the last few months!! Thank you so much for sharing this!
lowhistamineeats says
You're so welcome! I hope you all enjoy them & don't forget the blueberries on top! 😉