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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 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.
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!
I’ve just baked these WOW they really are too delicious! I don’t know how I can stop myself eating them all tonight.
Just made these, and they are delicious! Even my picky kids like them!
I have tried many of the “healthier” GF recipes, and none of them were edible. Not the case with these! I can’t wait to try your other recipes! (It gets expensive trying recipes with costly ingredients if they don’t taste good!) THANK YOU for this recipe!
I tried this recipe today with the modifications below and they tasted really good but the texture wasn’t like shortbread cookies. I even left the batter in the fridge for 30 minutes. Thanks for the recipe.
– used 2 tbs butter instead of 3
– used maple syrup instead of honey
– added 1/2 teaspoon of each, almond and vanilla extract
– sprinkled with roasated sesame seeds
Hi Megan, Love your cookie receipe, will try it. Any recipe for using Quinoa Flour? need some help
I made these and they were good but next time I will reduce the amount of honey since they were a little sweet for me. I think that’s just personal preference, though. The recipe was still really good!
This came out really well. It’s so rich, and yes, it tastes wonderful when refrigerated.
I just made these with a couple changes and they have are delicious. I used half butter, half coconut oil and maple syrup in place of honey. I also added crumbled pecans. After I spooned out, I put them in the freezer for 5-10 min to quickly chill. I baked about 12 min on wax paper. I let them cool a few minutes and put them back in the freezer for 5-10 min. They taste like pecan sandies!! I wonder if adding an egg white would make them a bit less crumbly. Thanks for a great recipe!
I recently made these cookies and they were delicious; however, the cookies did not stay compact as your picture shows. My cookies spread to twice the size of what I expected and very thin. I used an electric mixer to mix all the ingredients. Should I be mixing by hand to achieve cookies similarly sized to your cookies pictured? I have enjoyed several of your recipes. Thank you for sharing them.
Is there a substitute for almond flour?
You could try ground sunflower seeds, if you like!
I just made these cookies and they are terrific! I followed your recipe exactly and it is perfect! So delicious and buttery and perfect!