3 Holiday Cookie Recipes Using Pastured Pork Lard

I have a special treat for you just in time for the Holidays!

3 Special Cookie recipes that use the healthy pastured pork lard I’m always raving about!

I found these recipes in The Fat Kitchen Cookbook by Andrea Chesman, which I highly recommend as a cookbook.

It dives deep into all the traditional ways you can use animal fats in cooking, baking and frying and WHY they are so healthy for you.

If you haven’t started using lard in your kitchen yet, these recipes will give you something to try and this blog post will help you see why:

7 Healthy Reasons To Eat Lard

All of these recipes work fabulous with coconut sugar or sucanat sugar, they make them a little bit healthier.

You won’t taste any porky flavor at all in your cookies, and they will be way better for you than cooking with crisco!

You’ll feel a special connection to your great grandparents as you cook with lard.

It’s what they used every day.

CRINKLE TOP MOLASSES COOKIES

Molasses was a common sweetener at a time when lard was the standard fat in kitchens throughout New England and the American South.

Makes about 36 cookies

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup Nourished With Nature Leaf Lard

• 1 cup firmly packed coconut sugar (or sucanat or brown sugar)

• 1/4 cup blackstrap molasses

• 1 egg

• 2 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour

• 2 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp ground allspice

• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt

• 3 Tbsp granulated cane sugar

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 deg F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper or use silicone baking mats.

2. Combine the leaf lard and coconut sugar in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add the molasses and eggs and blend until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowel and then add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice and salt. Press until the dough forms a ball.

3. Spoon the granulated sugar onto a small plate. Shape the dough into 1.5” balls, dip the top of the ball into the sugar and set them sugar side up on the cookie sheets about 2” apart.

4. Bake one cookie sheet at a time, 13-16 minutes, just until set and the cookie appears dry. Slide the parchment paper off the cookie sheet and allow to cool before handling them. Store in an airtight container, they will keep well for a week.

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Jam Thumbprint Cookies

Call them thumbprints, thimble cookies or Polish tea cookies. In Sweden, they are called hallongrottor, which means “raspberry caves”. With so many names from so many cultures and so many variations, lard seems as likely as butter in the dough. In any case, these are delicious, but not terribly sweet.

Makes about 60 cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour

• 1 cup powdered sugar (I make my own by grinding Organic Cane sugar), plus more for dusting.

• 1 tsp fine sea salt

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 finely ground almonds

• 1 (8oz) package cream cheese, softened

• 3/4 cup Nourished With Nature Lard, at room temperature

• 1/3-1/2 cup jam of your choice

Instructions:

1. Sift together the flour, salt, sugar, soda then stir in the ground almonds.

2. Combine the cream cheese and lard in a food processor and process until smooth. Add the vanilla and process until mixed. Add the dry ingredients and process until well blended.

3. Form the dough into a ball and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 3 large cookie sheets with parchment paper.

5. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Place 1 1/2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Using your thumb or a sewing thimble make a generous indentation in the center of each cookie, twisting the tool to spread the opening. Using the tip of a pointed teaspoon (not a measuring spoon), fill each hole with 1/4-1/2 teaspoon jam. You want a generous amount of jam, but don’t overfill.

6. Bake one cookie sheet at a time, 14-16 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool on wire racks. Dust lightly with powdered sugar before serving. You can store them in an airtight container for at least one week.

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oatmeal-chocolate chip cookies

These are jumbo cookies, great for gifting or bringing to holiday parties.

Makes 24-30 cookies

ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp fine sea salt

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

• 3/4 cup Nourished With Nature Leaf Lard

• 1 1/2 cup firmly packed coconut or sucanat sugar (or light brown sugar)

• 2 eggs, plus 1 egg yolk

• 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

• 2 cups organic rolled oats

• 2 cups chocolate chips

instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl.

3. Combine the lard and sugar in a food processor. Process until well blended. Add the eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla and process until smooth.

4. Add the flour mixture to the food processor and process until blended. Return the dough to the bowl and mix in the oats and chocolate chips.

5. For each cookie, drop one ice cream scoop of dough (about 2 rounded tablespoons) onto the parchment paper, placing them about 3 inches apart to allow the cookies to spread.

6. Bake one cookie sheet at a time, for 11-13 minutes, until the cookies are light brown at the edges and dry to the touch, but still soft in the middle. Let the cookies cool on the pan for a few minutes, then slip the parchment paper with the cookies still on them to a counter to cool completely. If you store them in an airtight container, they will last a week, but they are so tasty it’s unlikely.

Now you have 3 new healthy cookie recipes to play around with for the Holidays!

Incorporating more lard into your baking is a great way to dose up consuming animal fats. I also love using lard over coconut oil because it’s local, more sustainable and less refined.

Give it a try! Let me know in the comments what you think!

Creamy Turkey, Mushroom & Wild Rice Soup

This turkey and wild rice soup is a hearty creamy soup made from scratch. You’ll use leftover Thanksgiving Turkey, cut into small chunks, nutty wild rice, and mushrooms. It’s a bowl of pure fall comfort, enjoy it a couple days after Thanksgiving!

You’ll be grateful for those Turkey leftovers because you can use them all week. Here is a recipe to get you started.

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INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups Nourished With Nature Turkey, cooked and diced

• 4 Tbsp Nourished With Nature Pork Lard

• 1 white or yellow onion, chopped

• 3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped

• 3 stalks celery, chopped

• 2 tsp. dried thyme

• 3/4 cup organic all purpose flour

• 8 cups chicken/turkey broth

• 8 oz mushrooms, sliced

• salt and pepper to taste

• 1 cup cream

• 1/2 cup chopped parsley

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Cook the wild rice in 4 cups of water or broth over medium/low heat until rice has fluffed up and absorbed all the liquid. Set aside.

2. In a large pot add the lard and allow to melt. Saute the onions, carrots and celery until softened, about 3 minutes.

3. Add the thyme and flour. Cook and stir another 3-4 minutes until the flour has browned.

4. Pour in the chicken/turkey broth and bring to a boil.

5. Add cooked turkey, salt, pepper and mushrooms. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.

6. Add cooked wild rice and cream, simmer another 5 minutes.

7. Turn off heat and garnish with chopped parsley.

8. ENJOY!

This soup is freezable too. Make a big batch and save it for later!

Just leave out the cream and parsley, freeze in small portions in airtight containers.

If you froze reheat and add the cream, re-season with salt and pepper as needed. Stir in the chopped parsley right before you serve.

Precook the wild rice and set aside.

Get some Pastured Pork Lard (from our farm store or render it from your own bulk pig order)

Saute celery, onion, carrots with the lard over medium heat.

Add the flour and thyme, cook a little more, then add broth.

Add the cooked turkey, salt, pepper and mushrooms.

Add the cream and parsley, serve with crusty bread. Sit back and enjoy!

Tell me in the comments, are you going to make this?

Will you make any substitutions?

Blackberry Marinated Pork Chops

In this marinade the antioxidant rich fruit tenderizes and flavors the meat and helps create a finger licking coating we all love.

Ingredients:

Your marinade ingredients:

• 4 Nourished With Nature Pork Chops

• 1 cup fresh blackberries

• 1/4 cup coconut aminos (I love this soy sauce alternative)

• 1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar

• 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil

• 2-4 stalks of scallions or chives, roughly chopped

• 2-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Instructions:

Enjoy this finger licking blackberry pork chop recipe!

1. Blend all ingredients together, except the chops. I used an immersible blender.

2. Lay pork chops flat in a glass dish

3. Pour 1/2 marinade over chops, set aside the other half for after they are cooked

4. Flip and coat the bottom of the chops too

5. Allow to marinate for 4 hours

6. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F

7. Bake for 14 minutes, uncovered

8. Remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes

9. Serve with reserved marinade drizzled over the top.

Pulled Pork With Peach BBQ Sauce

The classic pulled pork recipe gets a spruced up sweet and savory twist with the peach BBQ sauce. Slow cook in the crock pot or Instant Pot and eat it more than once on salads, tacos or sandwiches.

Ingredients For Pulled Pork:

• 3-4 lb Nourished With Nature Pork Shoulder Roast

• 2 Tbsp chili powder

• 2 Tbsp coarse sea salt

• 2 Tbsp granulated garlic

• 2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

• 1 tsp dry mustard

• 4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed or 1 tsp dried

• 2 cups apple juice

Ingredients for Peach BBQ Sauce:

• 3 fresh ripe peaches

• 1 cup tomato paste

• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

• 1/4 cup honey

• 1/4 cup maple syrup

• 1 Tbsp blackstrap molasses

• 2 Tbsp worcestershire sauce

• 1 tsp onion powder

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1/2 tsp sea salt

• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

Instructions:

Season Pork Roast

1. Pat the shoulder roast dry and place on a flat pan

2. Mix together the dry rub ingredients

3. Coat all sides of the roast and rub in well

4. Let sit at room temp while you make the BBQ sauce

Make Peach BBQ Sauce

1. Wash peaches and slice into quarters, removing pit

2. Add all ingredients together in a small saucepan and heat

3. Simmer for 5 minutes over medium heat

4. Using a submersible blender puree the peaches into the sauce

Bring It All Together

1. Add apple juice to the bottom of your Crock Pot or Instant Pot, then place roast on top

2. Drizzle 1/2 the BBQ sauce over roast, reserving the other half for when you're ready to eat

3. Cook in Crock Pot 6-8 hours or Instant Pot 90 minutes. A general guideline for the Instant Pot is 20 minutes per pound, so a 3-4 lb roast would go 60-80 minutes. I like my roast to easily pull apart into succulent shreds, so I cook for 90 minutes total.

Sausage Stuffed Giant Zucchini

This hearty gluten-free recipe makes good use out of the late summer abundance of zucchini, tomatoes, and basil.

Ingredients:

• 2 lb Nourished With Nature Italian Sausage

• 1 overgrown zucchini

• 5-6 fresh tomatoes, diced

• 1 yellow onion, chopped

• 5-6 garlic cloves, chopped

• 1 cup of fresh basil leaves, chopped

• 2 cups cooked brown rice (could use cauliflower rice)

• 2 cups shredded parmesan

• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Cut zucchini lengthwise and scoop out seeds

2. Sauté onions and garlic until fragrant

3. Add in pork sausage and cook until no longer pink

4. Add in rice, tomatoes, basil, salt, pepper and simmer until the tomatoes are cooked

5. Scoop into zucchini boats, top with shredded parmesan and cover with aluminum foil.

6. Bake in 350 degree oven until zucchinis are tender.

Enjoy this hearty meal as a quick and easy weeknight dinner. You can make several zucchini boats and freeze them for later in the fall and winter when your zucchinis are done producing.