Healthy biscuits without baking: Raw and delicious Christmas by Elisa Brunke

Text + image:Elisa Brunke (@elisa.brunke)

Gingerbread, cinnamon stars and stollen: The Christmas season is all about sweet treats, which are usually not very nutritious. Healthy no-bake biscuits are a great way to combine indulgence and health awareness. Discover raw, delicious recipes and tips for the festive season!

Healthy biscuits without baking: is it really possible?

Whether it's fragrant tea, warm candlelight or cosy get-togethers: Christmas time is a time of contemplation. And although everyone associates it with something different, there is one thing that most people can agree on: Traditional delicacies are just as much a part of the festive season as cheesy Christmas carols and lavish window displays.

But have you ever tried serving healthy no-bake biscuits during the festive season and giving your favourite classics a healthy twist? If not, it's high time you did! I promise you that the preparation doesn't have to take any longer than baking conventional biscuits - and that the flavour is at least as convincing. You have two options:

1. you prepare a raw vegan dough, which you then mould into shape

2. you dry your raw vegan biscuits in the dehydrator at a maximum of 42 °C

7 advantages of raw vegan biscuits

Raw vegan biscuits and confectionery are not only very nutritious. Both also taste incredibly good and offer many benefits. Raw vegan biscuits are:

• Very rich in nutrients thanks to gentle processing
• Intensely flavoured and aromatic thanks to high-quality ingredients
• Ideal for vegan and gluten-free diets
• Great for children and anyone who wants to avoid refined sugar during the Christmas season
• Especially nice as a gift
• Versatile and creative thanks to a wide range of ingredients
• Significantly more filling thanks to higher nutrient and fibre content

Healthy biscuits without sugar: natural sweeteners

The problem with classic Christmas biscuits is that the high sugar, white flour and butter content may make them taste good. Unfortunately, however, they lack all the nutrients you need, so you won't be satisfied for long. Before you know it, the whole tin of biscuits is empty - and your guilty conscience kicks in. That doesn't have to be the case. Biscuits can also be healthy AND delicious. It's just a matter of cleverly swapping classic ingredients. The best example: Table sugar. It can be easily replaced with the following natural sweeteners:

Dates: My favourite sweetener for raw vegan delicacies? Medjoul dates! Their intense caramel flavour and soft melting texture make them the perfect choice for sweets without remorse. For biscuits, puree the dried fruit to make date paste, which can be kept tightly sealed in the fridge for several days. In some recipes, the pitted fruit can also be chopped directly in a blender with other ingredients such as nuts and spices. Another advantage of dates: They simultaneously provide binding, juiciness and sweetness in raw vegan doughs. They are also rich in minerals and fibre.

Figs: Dried figs are also perfect for the Christmas season! They can be perfectly combined with dates to make doughs sticky and moist. They also work wonderfully in a raw vegan fruit loaf. Another idea: fill the dried fruit with nuts of your choice and coat them in raw chocolate. A delicious confection!

Agave syrup: Agave syrup is a wonderful alternative to honey or household sugar for biscuits and chocolates that need to have a light-coloured appearance. I also like to use it in creams, homemade marzipan and glazes, for example in my Rawfaello Cake.

Coconut flour: Finely sieved coconut flour is a great alternative to icing sugar. It gives your creations a pretty look and a special flavour at the same time.

Biscuits without flour and butter

Whether walnuts, hazelnuts, cashews or almonds: Finely ground, nuts are a nutritious alternative to traditional flour. Sprouted oat flakes, coconut flour or cedar kernels are also particularly suitable for biscuit doughs.

Butter can be replaced with cocoa butter, soaked cashews and nut butter. For a fine and balanced flavour, I recommend using a combination of these ingredients, supplemented with dried fruit, spices and nuts. You don't need much more!

Refined raw food: the best ingredients for Christmas

To make raw vegan Christmas biscuits really delicious, there are a few ingredients that are essential. That's why I always have a stock of my favourite ingredients in the cupboard during the Advent season. They can also be used to conjure up delicious treats on the spur of the moment:

1. Medjoul dates, mountain figs and agave syrup
2. Walnut kernels, cashew pieces, almond kernels and hazelnuts
3. Almond paste (light and dark) and cashew chocolate cream
4. Cocoa powder, cocoa butter and cocoa mass
5. Ceylon cinnamon and vanilla pulp

Healthy biscuits without baking: My favourite recipes

Now it's time: On the biscuits, get set, go! Create your own recipes using your favourite ingredients. Keimling-ingredients or try my favourite recipes for biscuits, bars and more. How about:

• Angel Eyes
• Snickers
• Cinnamon buns