Being gluten free can lead to strange cravings – I never knew I could miss the sensation of chewy so much! Or flaky! Or fluffy! And while most of these textures can be replicated, with some effort, in gluten free baked goods, it can just seem daunting to try. Why not just plop down on the couch with a a bucket of highly unsatisfying store bought GF cookies to temporarily numb your sweet tooth? Because you deserve better! And these cookies are better! Honestly though, these chewy almond cookies are divine. If you’re not an almond extract fan, take it out and you should still enjoy the light, delicate, but deeply-satisfyingly chewy result that will take all of about 40 minutes of your time (and less if you’re impatient and don’t let the batter sit for 15). I may just make a batch of these tonight because they’re that easy and that good.
These are also the perfect cookie for gifting: beautiful clean edges, no crumbly messes, and all perfectly circular (unless your pouring skills are off) and monochromatic. Stack six of these and wrap in festive paper tied with a gold bow and you’re off to the races. Or, make slightly smaller cookies than advised below and stack them inside a mason jar tied with ribbon – rustic and sustainable! If you’re in a pinch for a gift, why not give the gift of baked goods?
And additionally, because these cookies are so light, you won’t feel too guilty if the entire pan is gone before bedtime. That satisfying chew with each bite will leave you craving another until there’s just an empty plate left and the faint fragrance of almond. These are not to be confused with actual French macarons – some of the finest delicacies in the known world and also gluten free (using almond flour as well). Those buggers are very tricky to make, though I’m probably just saying that because I’ve never tried (it’s on the list!), but these simple almond cookies are the carefree cousins that espouse the same values without the refinement. Go ahead and make a tray, or three, tonight!
Gluten Free Chewy Almond Cookies
Equipment
- Cookie sheet
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 Cup almond meal with blanched, peeled almonds (no skins in almond meal)
- 1 1/4 Cup white sugar
- 1/4 Cup arrowroot starch or potato starch
- 3 large egg whites
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp almond extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325° Fahrenheit. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the almond meal, sugar, and starch.
- In a separate large, clean and dry bowl, beat egg whites with an electric mixer until they form soft peaks. Add in the almond extract and salt and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Carefully fold 1/3 of the egg whites at a time into the dry ingredients until fully combined.
- Let mixture sit for 10-15 minutes, then scoop tablespoons of the mixture onto the parchment-lined cookie sheets (6 cookies per sheet – they will spread). Bake one tray at a time for 18 minutes. Let cookies cool completely and then enjoy!
Tag @sisterssansgluten on Instagram if you snap a photo of your pancakes!
Food photography and styling by Amelia Farber
3 Comments
Martina
Just a question, for the dry ingredients is almond flour ok as a substitute? Usually flour and meal are not a 1-1 substitute but generally almond meal are just ground unpeeled almonds so the only blanched ground almonds I could found was the flour.
Amelia Farber
Good question! For this I always use blanched almond flour vs whole almond flour/meal (with skin on). So just look for blanched almond flour or meal. Bob’s Red Mill makes some, but I’ve also found a few other brands that produce it (very common for making macarons)
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