Gluten-free Almond Meal and Candied Ginger Cookies

The mister and I are experimenting with eating less gluten for health reasons. It’s been a real adventure for a couple of vegetarians who also try not to eat too much dairy. Gluten-free cooking has by fair been the biggest challenge for me yet though. Our old standby meal in the summertime is some kind of pasta with fresh or lightly sauteed veggies and fresh herbs on top. Well, that’s out. So many of the gluten-free packaged foods are just not all that good…including the pasta.

My mister is also a big cookie monster and he misses those most of all, so I thought I would give gluten-free baking a try. Doing some research it seems like I am in for a big learning curve in what flours to use and in what combinations to get the best results. I decided to start simply at first and went with almond meal for my first cookie. Almond meal is ground up almonds, and you can find it at grocery stores like Trader Joe’s or grind up your own almonds.

I do have to say that this cookie does have appeal beyond just gluten-free folks. The almond meal gives it a lovely nutty flavor and a satisfying texture. Try it out….see the recipe below.

Gluten-Free Almond Meal and Candied Ginger Cookies
adapted from Gluten-free Cookies from A Gluten-Free Day

1 cup almond meal (ground almonds)
4 tablespoons of  melted butter
1/4 cup of sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup candied ginger chopped
1 teaspoon of  cardamom
1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Mix together the almond meal, sugar & cardamom.
  3. Then add the egg and the melted butter.
  4. Fold in the candied ginger.
  5. Place spoonfuls of the batter on your baking tray.
  6. Bake for 15 minutes or until the edges begin to brown.
  7. They should be crisp on the outside and slightly chewy inside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2 comments

  1. This looks great! Thank you for sharing. I have to stay away from sugar too, because of Lyme Disease treatment. I’ve found Xylitol an absolutely great sweetener to use. It is the same as sugar and doesn’t seem to affect the raising or texture in baking. The only thing is it seems sweet now that I’m off other sweet things, so use a little less than a recipe asks for.

  2. I’ve been meaning to try the almond meal for some pizza dough.. I’m on a special diet (4 Hour Body) and we can’t eat carbs (except beans), sugar or dairy.. so these cookies sound great (except for sugar- boo).. glad the almond flour worked out though! Post if u use it for other things too!
    Thanks
    Sandy

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