TL/DR – Purple Sweet Potato Cookies. These delicious little ditties are gluten free! They are made with almond flour, oats, butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom, and of course, baked purple sweet potato. –
On my quest to make fun things to take my mind off of the weirdness of this year’s holiday season, I saw an old favorite at the grocery store. Purple sweet potatoes are available this time of year and are very odd to look at, like lumpy earthworms. But delicious, almost floral. The available brand at my grocery store is Frieda’s Stokes Purple Sweet Potatoes. Find some.
Choose a medium-large sweet potato. Follow Frieda’s recommendation, which is to wrap the sweet potato and bake it for 1 – 2 hours at 350. Allow it to cool before scooping the beautiful interior into the measuring cup. It’s BRIGHT PURPLE!
Follow a standard cookie dough protocol from there. Cream softened butter with granulated and brown sugars. Add vanilla and the baked sweet potato and beat on medium speed with a hand mixer. Add an egg, beat some more.
Finish the dough by adding almond flour*, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cardamom. (YES, CARDAMOM. It’s delightful with sweet potato.) Scoop the dough using two spoons and form balls that are about 1 and 1/2 inches big. Place them on baking sheets and bake for about 16 – 18 minutes at 350 degrees F.
*If you prefer to sub in all purpose flour, just reduce the amount to one cup. If you use all purpose flour, reduce the baking time to 12 – 14 minutes.
The result is a delicate, buttery, slightly almond-y, perfectly spiced, delightful cookie that is crispy on the outside and chewy in the middle. They retain a purple exterior color and the interior turns slightly blue. So much fun to make and eat, especially with little picky eaters in the house!
Also try Cranberry Macadamia Blondies for a holiday treat.
Purple Sweet Potato Cookies
These delicate and chewy gluten free cookies are perfectly spiced and wonderful to look at with their vibrant purple color. To make them non-GF, simply sub one cup of all purpose flour for the two cups of almond flour.
Ingredients
- 3/4 c softened unsalted butter
- 1/2 c granulated sugar
- 1/4 c light brown sugar
- 1 c baked purple sweet potato
- 1 t vanilla
- 1 egg
- 2 c almond flour (OR 1 c all purpose flour)
- 1 c quick cooking oats
- 1 t cinnamon
- 1/2 t cardamom
- 1 t baking powder
- 1/2 t iodized salt
Directions
- Step 1 Wrap and bake the sweet potato at 350 for 1 – 2 hours until it is soft. Allow it to cool completely and then scoop the interior into a 1 cup measuring cup.
- Step 2 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Step 3 Cream the butter and two sugars together in a large mixing bowl using a hand mixer on high for 30 to 45 seconds.
- Step 4 Add the cooled sweet potato and vanilla and mix for 30 seconds on medium speed until it is incorporated.
- Step 5 Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula, add the egg and mix for 30 seconds on medium speed.
- Step 6 Sprinkle on the cinnamon, cardamom, baking powder and salt and mix briefly.
- Step 7 Add the almond flour and the oats and mix on low speed until it is well incorporated.
- Step 8 Spray two cookie sheets with nonstick spray or line them with parchment paper. Scoop the dough using two spoons, forming 1 and a half inch balls, and set them on the cookie sheets so that there are 12 evenly spaced balls on each cookie sheet.
- Step 9 Bake for 16 – 18 minutes, (if you sub all purpose flour, reduce the baking time to 12 – 14 minutes.) They will be soft. Allow them to cool on the cookie sheet for 3 to 5 minutes before gently removing them with a spatula to the cooling rack. Allow them to cool completely before eating or storing. These cookies can be frozen in a freezer bag with parchment paper between layers.
