Thes vegan and gluten-free almond cookies are light and crisp with a mild amaretti flavour. They’re packed with almonds: ground, chopped and whole. A small quantity of almond extract brings out the flavour without overpowering everything else.
I have used almonds with their skins on, for the extra health benefits. Their beautiful wood-grainy appearance is a bonus.
Using oat flour always produces very light biscuits. The pictured cookies were made with shop-bought oat flour, but you can make your own (significantly cheaper) version by grinding ordinary porridge oats to a light floury consistency in a coffee grinder or processor.
The quantities here will make around twenty cookies, that will store well in an airtight tin.
Gluten-free almond cookies…
ingredients
- 100 g whole almonds, plus one whole almond per biscuit
- 90 g oat flour
- pinch of salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 50 g light muscovado or other brown sugar
- 45 g maple syrup
- 50 g coconut oil
- scant 1/2 tsp almond extract
method
- Set the oven to 180°C/360°F and very lightly oil or line enough baking sheets for twenty x 6cm cookies.
- Warm up the maple syrup in a small jug or bowl and stir in the coconut oil. Set aside to allow it to melt.
- Grind 80 g of the almonds (you could also use pre-ground almonds) and place these in a large bowl with the oat flour, salt, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and sugar. Whisk to ensure everything is evenly mixed.
- Chop 20 g of almonds fairly small and stir these into the dry ingredients.
- Once the coconut oil is melted, add the almond extract and then pour the combined liquids into the dry ingredients, stirring as you go to produce a soft, sticky dough.
- Roll small balls, no more than 2.5 cm across, and place these on the baking tray(s) with room to expand.
- Press a whole almond lightly into the centre of each ball before baking for around 12 minutes until they have expanded and cracked and have a rich golden colour.
- Leave them to sit for a few minutes before removing to a cooling rack to finish crisping up.
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