Holiday Almond Cookies

(vegan, gluten free)

This recipe has undergone many iterations, starting as an ill-fated attempted to create a gluten-free millet cookie (I had my reasons), to becoming a fairly decent gluten-free almond cookie, to become a fantastic almond cookie that just happens to be gluten-free and vegan. The cookies are firm to crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. They are suitable for any holiday, be it Purim, Christmas, Chanukah, Chinese New Year, Holi, or Hey-I’m-Bored-Let’s-Make-Cookies Day.

This recipe can be made vegan by substituting a vegan gluten-free baking flour for the ATK flour. I typically leave the milk powder out of my flour mix and only add it in if necessary.

INSTRUCTIONS

• ¾ cup almond flour
• ¾ cup ATK baking flour (or other good gluten free flour)
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup white granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ cup canola oil
• 3 tablespoons water
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon almond extract
• pinch of salt
• slivered almonds
• colored sugar

INGREDIENTS

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Whisk together dry ingredients. Add in oil, water, extracts, and salt, and mix together. Let mixture sit for 20 minutes.
3. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. For each cookie, scoop 2 to 3 teaspoons of dough and roll into a ball. Roll each ball in colored sugar, and press a slivered almond into the top of each cookie. Place cookie balls on parchment paper, leaving at least 1 to 2 inches between cookies.
4. Bake for 12-15 minutes until just gold brown. Cookies will be soft to the touch after baking, but they will firm up upon cooling.
5. Store in airtight container.

Makes 20-25 cookies.

NOTE: To make a double almond cookie, roll a half-inch piece of marzipan into a ball and form the cookie around it. Bake cookies as shown above. I should warn you, however, double almond cookies are dangerously addictive.

NUTRITION

Per cookie (20 count): 87.9 calories, 0.6g fiber, 4.6g fat, 1.5g protein
Per cookie (25 count): 70.3 calories, 0.5g fiber, 3.7g fat, 1.2g protein