Can you believe that I’ve NEVER baked with almond flour before?
I went through a serious gluten-free baking phase after receiving the Babycakes cookbook a couple years ago, but that grew old for me pretty quickly. The gluten-free flours simply didn’t taste as good to us, when compared to wheat flour, and since Austin and I both seem to tolerate gluten just fine, there was no need to keep up the (rather expensive) gluten-free habit. While I still love many of the Babycakes recipes, we usually enjoy them with whole-wheat flour, instead.
Almond flour, however, is a whole new adventure. It’s taste is slightly sweet and nutty, and the texture of the Honeyville Blanched Almond Flour (which Elana recommends) is perfect for baked goods. I’ve already had some really great experience with nut-butter-based baked treats— like Elana’s decadent almond butter brownies, and my addictive peanut butter blondies— so I think almond flour sounds very promising! Not to mention, it’s much lower on the Glycemic Index than traditional flours, making it a better option for some of my family members who have to watch their insulin levels.
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To get my feet wet, I decided to start off with a small batch (in case I ruined them) of almond flour cookies. The simplest recipe I could find was for an SCD-approved shortbread cookie, which I modified slightly to suit my tastes.
The result was a tender, slightly sweet, and buttery cookie. My family of taste-testers and I agreed that these are VERY similar to traditional shortbread cookies, and could quickly become a family-favorite.
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Grain-Free Shortbread Cookies
makes 8 cookies
recipe adapted from this book
Ingredients:
1 cup Honeyville blanched almond flour (other brands may affect results)
3 Tablespoons butter, softened
1 1/2 Tablespoons honey
pinch of sea salt
*optional:1/4 tsp. vanilla or almond extract
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350F. Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl until a batter forms, then use a tablespoon to scoop dough onto an un-greased cookie sheet. I gently flattened my cookies using a fork.
Note: For thicker cookies, I recommend chilling the batter in the fridge for 30 minutes before scooping and baking.
Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes, watching closely to ensure they don’t burn. Remove cookies from the oven when they are lightly golden brown, then cool on the pan for 10 minutes. Remove cookies, and let cool completely.
Grain-Free Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup Honeyville blanched almond flour (other brands may affect results)
- 3 Tablespoons butter , softened
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons honey
- pinch of sea salt
- *optional:1/4 tsp. vanilla or almond extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F.
- Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl until a batter forms, then use a tablespoon to scoop dough onto an un-greased cookie sheet. I gently flattened my cookies using a fork.
- Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes, watching closely to ensure they don't burn.
- Remove cookies from the oven when they are lightly golden brown, then cool on the pan for 10 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Per Serving: Calories: 128, Fat: 11g, Carbohydrates: 6g, Fiber: 1g, Protein: 3g
These cookies should last for a few days on the counter, but I wouldn’t know for sure. They didn’t last more than 24 hours in our house.
I’d consider that a good sign.
While I didn’t try it this time around, next time I plan to try reducing the butter a bit and adding a touch of almond extract for a sugar-cookie-like flavor. Honestly, I have no problem experimenting with these cookies again and again!
Happy baking!
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Reader Feedback: Have you ever baked with almond-flour before? If so, please share any recipe suggestions!