After much talk and anticipation I finally went over to Victoria on Vancouver Island this past weekend to see where one of my good friends grew up. It was a great weekend spent at her parent's condo and touring the city. Even though I had been to Victoria before the last time was for a school field trip ten years ago so I really didn't remember too much. My friend took me out on her boat on Saturday and then showed me downtown Victoria on Sunday. I even tried water skiing...though I was not very successful.
As soon as I found out we were going to be staying with my friend's parents I immediately knew that I wanted to bake something and bring it over as a sign of my appreciation for their hospitality. My friend's father has celiac disease, meaning he cannot eat foods containing gluten. Unfortunately that also means that he cannot eat anything that contains wheat, such as pasta, bread, and cookies. There are of course special flours that can be used, such as rice or amaranth flour, but since I don't own any and didn't want to specially purchase it I decided to stick with ingredients already in my pantry. Nut flours are relatively easy to make and use and therefore I focused on recipes calling for nut flours using almonds or walnuts.
I actually found several recipes for gluten-free almond cookies, some even with chocolate or peanut butter, but I decided to pick this one because I needed cookies that could withstand a hot day in my car prior to the trip over to the island. I'm glad to say these cookies did not disappoint; they held up to the heat and transported well and retained a nice softness and moisture. My friend's family thoroughly enjoyed the cookies and her dad ate several during the weekend. In fact her mother even asked me for the recipe which made me feel quite happy. I promised her that I would write a post about the cookies and past it on. Overall I had a great weekend and I'm so glad to have been welcomed in such a friendly manner. Hopefully I will visit again and maybe next time I'll be able to get up on the water skis!
Gluten Free Almond Cookies
Makes about 25 small cookies.
- 2 cups ground almonds
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 egg white
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
- Whole almonds (for decorating)
- Combine the ground almonds and powdered sugar and set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl whip the egg white and almond extract until frothy and starts to form soft peaks. Do not beat into stiff peaks.
- Gradually beat the egg mixture into the nut/sugar mix until a stiff paste forms.
- Roll into balls about 2" in size and place about an inch apart on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Flatten the cookies slightly and press a whole almond into the center of each cookie.
- Bake for 11-13 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit or until the bottoms become golden. They will still look pale but do not over bake otherwise they will not stay soft. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking pan and become firm before transferring to a plate.
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