Now that we are in the middle of the holiday seasons with wintery weather, sometimes you just need a warm cookie to snuggle up with.

Cinnamon brings a homey feeling into any cookie recipe and I love the flavor of it! There’s a local bakery here in Virginia that I love to stop by every once in awhile. They sell these cinnamon walnut cookies that I LOVE!!

Because I loved the flavor, I was going to make these cookies with walnuts, but I didn’t have any. This turned out to be a good thing because I had to substitute with pecans. These cookies taste no less delicious with the switch of nuts and something I am glad I tried. The flavor of pecan and cinnamon is amazing!! But really, I bet these cookies would be just as good with any kind of nut that you might have on hand.

The beauty of these cookies starts out with a traditional chocolate chip cookie base. I then added cinnamon and VERY finely chopped pecans. I didn’t want big bites of pecans, more just a slight taste of that nutty flavor. The results were very delicious and no complaints came from my test tasters!

Cinnamon Pecan Cookies 
Print Recipe

1 1/2 cups Organic Butter, softened
1 1/2 cups Powdered Honey or Coconut Sugar
1 Large Egg
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon Sea Salt
1 Tablespoon Cinnamon
1 1/2 cups Spelt Flour or White Wheat Flour
1/4 cup very finely chopped Pecans or another nut of choice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cream together butter and sweetener. Add the egg to the mixture and mix until incorporated. Add baking soda, vanilla, salt, cinnamon and flour. Mix until combined. Add in the pecans. Roll into 1″ balls. Place the balls on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 16-20 minutes.

We were passing by the Nordstrome’s cafe counter one day when we saw large extra raspberry bars. Healthy or not, they looked too good to pass up and we bought one. We could justify they contained fruit and nuts, but when it came down to it, they were worth the splurge. They were extremely chewy and dense and filled with delicious raspberry jam. Nordstrom’s goodies are great because everything tastes real and freshly made.

One bite of these raspberry bars had us plotting this recipe! Thick, soft and slightly crumbly with a touch of jam is always a good thing.

We added eggs to the crumb mixture to help make things even thicker and chewier. In trying to recreate the Nordstrom experience, we wanted that delicious chewy, crumbly crust sandwiching sweet raspberry jam. It turned out to be a great replica and an outstanding treat during this crisp autumn season.

Nordstroms’ Cafe’s Raspberry Crumble Bars  (dairy-free option)
Print Recipe

1 3/4 cup Wheat Flour
1 cup Maple Sugar, Coconut Sugar or Organic Brown Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Sea or Pink Salt
1 cup Pecans, chopped
3/4 cup Cold Butter or Earth Balance Butter
2 Large Eggs
1 cup Natural Raspberry Jam
1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-inch or 7 by 11-inch baking pan with parchment paper with enough to hang over the sides.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the wheat flour, sugar of choice, salt and pecans. Cut in the butter with the eggs into the mixture. Scoop out about 3 cups of the mixture into your prepared dish and gently press down in an even layer.

Combine the raspberry jam and vanilla. Spread the jam over the bottom layer. Sprinkle the remaining crumbs over the jam. Bake for 38-42 minutes or until browned.
Allow the bars to cool in the pan before slicing.

If you’d like a taste of Nordstroms while keeping things vegan, simply swap out the strawberry jam with raspberry in this recipe.

The average American will spend their Thanksgiving Day eating about 4,500 calories.

How do we not over do it? We shared a post for ways we make wise eating choices for Thanksgiving here. We also like to keep a good balance of this holiday by including healthier dishes! Eating delicious foods that keep us feeling healthy afterwards is perhaps the ultimate celebration! When we have tried to do this, it always allows us to be able to enjoy our family and friends, focus on helping others and gives us so much more to be thankful for! Our hope is that some of these dishes will help inspire healthy eating choices during this wonderful holiday so you can share your blessings and focus on the good.

Hope you enjoy wonderful, healthy food for the happiest Thanksgiving yet!

Appetizers & Munching:

Apricot Walnut Stuffed Dates

Crackers with Raw Strawberry Jam

Holiday Eggnog

Honey Cinnamon Almonds

 SIde Dishes:

“Brown Sugar” Glazed Carrots with pecans and Thyme

Green Blood Orange Salad

Mini Donut Hole Muffins

One Hour Dinner Rolls

Maple Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Sweet Desserts:

Cinnamon Pull-Apart Rolls

Classic Apple Pie

Vegan Pumpkin Pie

No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Gluten Free Chocolate Silk Pie

And don’t forget to top off these treats with a little homemade vanilla ice cream!

 What foods are you most looking forward to this Thanksgiving?? A few years ago, we went up to Lancaster, Pennsylvania to the Amish country for Thanksgiving, Everything was fresh and the most comforting food you can imagine! Even though we won’t be there this year, we always think back to the incredible potatoes, jams, green beans and rolls that we enjoyed there. After a Thanksgiving meal, there is nothing better than finishing it off with some pumpkin pie!

Happy Thanksgiving!