Chewy almond crackle cookies

Easy, speedy gluten-free treats!

Often when I taste gluten-free treats I feel as though they aren’t as moist or delicious as their floury counterparts, though commercial gluten-free baked goods are improvin all the time. I’ve been learning a lot about how to bake without wheat flour and this experiment was deemed a great success by all my taste testers. Almond flour can be pricy so consider making your own by pulsing almonds in a food processor or sturdy blender – just be sure they come out finer than almond meal for this recipe (take a look at a package of almond flour in a store first so you’ll see the desired texture). These freeze well.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup (75 g) butter, melted
• 1/2 cup (100 g) packed brown sugar
• 1 egg, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon (5 mL) vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 mL) almond extract
• 1 3/4 cups (168 g) packed finely-ground almond flour
• 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) baking soda
• Granulated, cane or sanding sugar, for rolling

Method

• In a large bowl, stir together the butter, sugar, egg, vanilla and almond extracts.
• Stir in the almond flour, baking soda, and salt until well mixed. Cover and refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes (or up to 24 hours) to let it firm up before shaping cookies.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper and set aside.
• Using a small cookie scoop or two teaspoons, form dough balls then roll with your hands to even out. Roll the dough balls in the granulated sugar then place on the prepared baking trays about 2 inches (5 cm) apart.
• Bake for 8 – 10 minutes until the edges are golden and tops are cracked. Cool on the sheet pan for 2 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Makes 12-14 cookies.