Low FODMAP Night Before Christmas Mice Cookies
Low FODMAP Night Before Christmas Mice Cookies feature hand-shaped sugar cookie dough, shaped into an oval, sliced almond ears, chocolate eyes and nose and a licorice tail. These are the ultimate in crafty Christmas cookies and delight all who see them perched on the edge of a cookie plate. Get the kids involved.
Low FODMAP Serving Size Info: Makes 20 mice; 20 servings; 1 mouse per serving
Ingredients:
Cookies:
- 1 1/3 cups (194 g) low FODMAP all-purpose gluten-free flour, such as Bob Red Mill’s 1 to 1 Gluten Free Baking Flour
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (113 g; 1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces
- Generous 1/3 cup (80 g) sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- Sliced natural almonds
Decoration:
- 5 feet (152 cm) of red or black licorice laces (thin, spaghetti-like strands) cut into 1 to 3-inch, (2.5 cm to 7.5 cm) lengths
- 2- ounces (55 g) semisweet chocolate, melted
Preparation:
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Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a half-sheet pan with parchment paper.
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Whisk flour and salt together in a small bowl to aerate and combine; set aside.
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Place butter in bowl of mixer and beat with flat paddle on medium-high speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add sugar gradually and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl once or twice; beat in almond or vanilla extract. Beat in egg.
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Turn machine off, add about one-third of the flour mixture, then turn machine onto low-speed. Gradually add remaining flour, mixing just until blended, scraping down bowl once or twice. Scrape dough onto large piece of plastic wrap and wrap completely with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or until firm enough to roll. Dough may be refrigerated overnight. (You may freeze dough up to 1-month double wrapped in plastic wrap; defrost in refrigerator overnight before proceeding).
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Roll dough between your palms into about 1 1/4-inch (3 cm) ovals. Slightly elongate one side to form nose. Gently pinch the bridge of the nose to form eye sockets. Place two sliced almonds behind eyes, inserting as shown in photographs to make ears. Place mice on prepared cookie sheet a generous inch or so apart.
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Bake for about 12 minutes, rotating the pan front to back once during baking, or until mice are light golden brown on the bottoms and around the edges. Place pans on racks, allow to cool very briefly, and insert bamboo skewer or toothpick into mouse’s rounded posterior while cookie is still warm, going in about 1/2-inch (12 mm). Remove skewer and insert pre-cut length of licorice for tail as far as it will go. It will wedge in and adhere to the still warm cookie.
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Place melted chocolate in parchment cone and snip tiny opening. Pipe small chocolate eyes and nose in appropriate places (refer to photograph). Place pan in refrigerator until chocolate has firmed up, if desired. Cookies may be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks; these must be stored in a single layer – take care of the ears!
Notes:
FODMAP Information
Our recipes are based on Monash University and FODMAP Friendly science.
• Almonds: Both Monash University and FODMAP Friendly have lab tested whole almonds, and their results vary from one another. Monash says that a Green Light low FODMAP portion is 10 whole almonds at 12 g, but a high FODMAP portion is 20 whole almonds at 24 g. FODMAP Friendly gives them a “Pass” at 30 g or ¼ cup.
• Butter: Both Monash University and FODMAP Friendly have lab tested butter. Monash states that a low FODMAP Green Light portion is 1 tablespoon or 19 g and also states that “butter is high in fat and does not contain carbohydrates (FODMAPs)”. FODMAP Friendly gives it a “Pass” at 1 tablespoon or 19 g. Both recommended serving sizes are presented as part of healthy eating guidelines, not as maximum FODMAP serving size. Fat can affect guy motility and trigger IBS symptoms in some people. Eat to your tolerance.
• Chocolate: Monash University has lab tested dark, milk and white chocolate all have low FODMAP amounts: 85% dark at 20 g; dark at 30 g; milk at 20 g; white at 25 g.
• Eggs: Eggs are high in protein and do not contain carbohydrates, according to Monash University.
• Sugar: Monash University and FODMAP Friendly have both lab tested white, granulated sugar. Monash states that a Green Light low FODMAP serving size of white sugar is 1/4 cup (50 g). FODMAP Friendly simply states that they have tested 1 tablespoon and that it is low FODMAP. Regular granulated white sugar is sucrose, which is a disaccharide made up of equal parts glucose and fructose. Sucrose is broken down and absorbed efficiently in the small intestine.
Please always refer to the Monash University & FODMAP Friendly smartphone apps for the most up-to-date lab tested information. As always, your tolerance is what counts; please eat accordingly. The ultimate goal of the low FODMAP diet is to eat as broadly as possible, without triggering symptoms, for the healthiest microbiome.