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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 of 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.
Almond flour, however, is a whole new adventure. Its taste is slightly sweet and nutty, and the texture of the Honeyville Blanched Almond Flour is perfect for baked goods. I’ve already had some really great experiences with nut-butter-based baked treats, 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 family members who need to manage their blood sugar levels.
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 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
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Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl until a batter forms. Then, use a tablespoon to scoop the dough onto an ungreased 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.
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!
These look great. I wonder how I would need to adjust the recipe if I want to use liquid stevia instead of honey.
I am so excited about your flour less recipes!! i don’t use anything but Stevia and I found for baking ( Just Like Sugar) works best,I just was wondering if you could help me with the amounts I should use?
I’m not familiar with that product, so I’m afraid I wouldn’t know where to start with substitutions. If it’s anything like a traditional granulated sweetener, you’ll need double the amount when compared to honey, plus extra moisture to help it combine. So 1 T. of honey = 2 T. granules. But, if it’s sweeter than sugar, like stevia is, then you may not want to double it. Hope that helps!
Just made a batch to see if I can use these in place of Nilla Wafers for a grain free banana pudding (from scratch).
I can’t have honey or any added sugar, so I used liquid Stevia. They are perfect! I’ll just make them thinner. Also, I didn’t need to add liquid in place of honey. Thanks so much!
Yum! The banana pudding sounds terrific. 🙂
Hi! I am allergic to almonds and peanuts. Any ideas for an almond four/meal sub for these cookies?
Walnuts or pecans should work, and maybe even ground sunflower seeds? Just be careful when grinding more oily nuts, like pecans, as you don’t want to wind up with a butter-like consistency. Also, you’ll need to experiment with sweetness– especially with the seeds, which are more bitter than almonds.
Let me know if you have any success! 🙂
I tried it and it is really good! I will make it again.
You can always ground almonds and use it as Almond flour. It is a lot cheaper and you come out with the same results!
Just found your site today and have already made these cookies. They are very good! I’m so happy to find Almond Flour recipes using honey instead of agave nectar which is a flavor I just can’t get used to. I have one of Elana’s cookbooks and I think everything in it would be great if it wasn’t for that agave. I’ve been afraid to try honey instead. Guess I shouldn’t be such a chicken! :)You are an inspiration and I look forward to trying more of your recipes.
I do not use agave, never have and always just used honey or maple syrup. while Elana’s older and originals recipes did call for it her updated versions all say to swap honey or even maple syrup and her recipes, along with these are my go to recipes.
I just made these. I only had about 1 1/2 Tbs of honey, so I used half honey and half agave nectar. I added 1/4 tsp almond extract. These were really good and didn’t taste grain free. The almond extract was a little too prominent, so I probably wouldn’t add that much next time, or maybe try vanilla extract. Thanks for the grain free recipe!
So glad you enjoyed them!
Hi
Tonight I was craving a non-chocolate treat that was quick and baked these. Yum, I was very surprised at how “normal” cookie tasting these were, w/ so few ingredients and no traditional ingredients to boot. I used a non-blanced almond meal (Country Life Natural Foods), mix of coconut oil and earth balance, agave, extra vanilla and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
turned out great
thanks
PS we also ate your millet veggie burgers for dinner.
Sounds like a delicious evening! Glad you enjoyed them. 🙂
please add me to your list of e-mail recipe recipients. i am particularly in need of grain free and starch free foods. thank you so much for posting this wonderful blog.
bob g
Hi Bob!
You can subscribe to my email subscription list here: http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=Detoxinista&loc=en_US
My husband and I are both committed to a grain-free diet, so I look forward to sharing many more recipes with you! 🙂