The keto diet has gotten some slack for being difficult to sustain. The low-carb, low-sugar, high-fat, moderate-protein protocol might have major benefits but doesn’t leave much wiggle room – like, at all! – which makes these keto cookies from clean food blogger Vibrant & Pure something of a miracle.
Recently, the old-school wellness brand, Flora hosted an afternoon of baking with the blogger and this beet crystal-stained frosing recipe blew our minds. Not only does it take frosting from the toxic junk food cateogry, but it actually adds a good dose of vitamin c and iron.
Adeline, who dropped onto our radar as the master of the unicorn food trend last year, is a pro at making healthy food into Insta-worthy art. She first became interested in clean eating after years of battling terrible cystic acne. She began eliminating processed sugars, dairy, processed flours and artificial colors to glowing results and decided to make the whole lifestyle into her form of art.
Grab her recipe for these clean and delicious keto sugar cookies that your keto and non-keto friend alike will adore…
I love using natural colorings from fruits and vegetables but sometimes it’s a hassle. You have to get your giant clunky juicer out and use a whole beet, so you always end up wasting. These icings only need a couple drops for color and I hate to waste. I’ve started switching out beet juice for Flora’s organic beet crystals and I’m obsessed. They’re naturally sweet and still contain all the active vitamins and minerals of fresh beets that have been essentially freeze dried. They’re something you can have in your cupboard, sprinkle them on and you’re done in a second. It keeps food waste low and saves me time.
Red beet crystal facts: contains vitamin C and iron, contains all the active constituents of fresh beets as they are freeze dried in a special process, each jar contains about 5.5 lbs of organic beets. 
I don’t like to have any refined sugar in my cooking and that’s what’s so great about using Manuka honey in the frosting. It makes it still sweet enough while adding anti-inflammatory elements and antioxidants to the icing. It’s my go-to. It’s also such an incredibly simple recipe — it’s literally Manuka and dairy-free cream cheese. Most frostings have way more ingredients and this one is simple, delicious and fast.
Keto-Friendly Sugar Cookies
Ingredients:
1/4 cup softened grass-fed butter
1/3 cup monk fruit sweetener
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup almond flour
1/3 cup arrowroot flour
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the butter and the monk fruit sweetener until fully
blended. Add in the vanilla, almond flour and arrowroot flour and mix together until a dough forms. (You can do this by hand or using a stand mixer.)
Feel free to create shapes using cookie cutters (I’d suggest chilling the dough for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator if you do this) or just make regular round cookies.
Bake on a parchment lined baking sheet for 11-13 minutes.
Dairy-Free Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting
Makes 8 oz.
Ingredients:
8 ounces dairy free cream cheese (I like Kite Hill almond milk cream cheese)
4 tsp Flora Manuka honey (if vegan, substitute for maple syrup, monk fruit or stevia, to taste)
1 tsp peppermint extract
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Directions:
Mix everything together in a small bowl until fully combined. Refrigerate if not using immediately.
For pink:
Mix 1/4 cup plain frosting with 1/4 teaspoon Flora beet crystals.
For green:
Mix 1/4 cup plan frosting with 2 droppers full of chlorophyl (preferably mint flavored).
