Holiday Cutouts

Spirit of the Dawn Cuisine

Holiday Cutouts

yields 32 3-inch cookies

These cookies will please everyone who comes down your chimney!

Place in a food processor:

1 pound (about 3½ cups) Macadamia Nuts, unsoaked

4 ounces (2 scant cups) shredded dried Coconut

12 ounces pitted and chopped Medjool Dates, about 14-20 moist dates

1 Vanilla Bean,

slit with a sharp knife and the insides scraped out with a spoon and added to blender

1/2 teaspoon Himalayan Pink Crystal Salt

Process till mixture is very creamy, nuts have released their oils,

mixture forms a ball in processor bowl, and no large pieces remain.

Divide mixture into two flat balls or discs of dough.

(For easier handling, dough may be wrapped in plastic wrap

and placed into refrigerator to firm for 30 minutes or to be rolled out later.)

Place two dehydrator sheets on a work surface

and place a ball on each sheet.

Press with fingers or flatten with a rolling pin till dough is 1/3 inch thick.

Cut out with favorite three-inch cookie cutters.

Remove excess dough from both sheets without moving the cookies

(a small knife helps) and gather excess into two discs.

(Discs may be wrapped in plastic wrap and placed in the refrigerator to firm up.)

Gently neaten the cookies with your fingers

to make sure all beaks and ears and feet are attached!

Place sheets of cookies onto mesh-lined dehydrator trays

and place in dehydrator.

Place two more dehydrator sheets onto the work surface.

Press or roll the remaining discs of dough

and continue to cut cookies till very little dough remains.

Eat any remaining dough as your reward for all of hard work

or share with any children who have been helping you!

Place sheets of cookies onto mesh-lined trays and place in dehydrator.

Dehydrate at 115 degrees for 8 to 10 hours rotating position of trays

halfway through to encourage even dehydrating.

Flip sheet over onto mesh sheet and remove liner sheet.

(To flip cookies successfully, slide liner sheet with cookies off of tray with mesh sheet.

Place tray and mesh sheet over cookies with mesh touching cookies.

Holding everything together flip them all over quickly and carefully. Peel away liner sheet.)

Dehydrate flipped over cookies on mesh-lined trays for another 6 to 8 hours

rotating position of trays halfway through.

Let cool on trays before serving to allow cookies to firm up.

Flip back over to serve. Cookies will be moist and delicious!

Store between sheets of wax paper or parchment paper

in a covered container and place in the refrigerator for longer storage,

or eat them up right away!

Enjoy!!!