By marian 11 Comments
If your area is anything like mine, the flour section of the grocery store is generally empty. I was already stocked up so will be good for some time, but I thought it might be nice to share a flourless cookie recipe. I’ve actually wanted to experiment with a flourless cut out cookie for quite some time, for those who would prefer a gluten-free cookie. So, after batches of experimentation, here is my version of a Flourless Amond Sugar Rollout or Cut Out Cookie. I hope you love them too!
They’re a little different in texture than my regular sugar cookie, so please check out the notes for tips. Taste-wise, as usual, I think these are my new favorite cookie. It was particularly difficult to not eat them all! Flavour-wise, I liked the hint of almond, but you could enhance or tone down the recipe with either more or less almond extract.
Notes:
It turns out flour helps the structure of a cookie be a little more dense and sturdy, if you will. Although these held their shape well and did not spread when baked, they are a little more delicate than my sugar cookie, so need to be handled a bit more carefully. It would also help to make them a bit thicker. I rolled my dough quite thin to make the dough go a bit further. (Almond meal is a little pricey!).
Because the almond nuts contain fat, the dough is a little greasy to work with, particularly when re-rolling the scraps. It doesn’t hamper the cookie (and definitely enhances the taste!), but because of this I suggest rolling the dough between two sheets of parchment paper.
In case you don’t know, almond flour and almond meal are both finely ground almonds, and the terms can be used interchangeably. Almond meal can be blanched (skins removed), or unblanched, while most products labeled almond flour are blanched.
I did not grind or make my own almond flour (finely ground almonds), I bought Bob’s Red Mill Super -Fine Almond Flour. I did buy the Natural version and the plain Super-Fine version (not labelled natural), and used both almond meals in the dough. If I had only used the plain Super-Fine version, you wouldn’t see the little almond flecks in the cookie, because that almond flour is made with blanched almonds, hence it is mainly cream colored. If you prefer a flourless almond cut out cookie to look more like a regular sugar cookie, just use the plain Super-Fine almond flour. If you prefer seeing the little almond bits, use the unblanched, Natural version. Or, like I did, mix the two together. I put about half of each in. (Using up what I had at home).
Another note, I love using my KitchenAid mixer with a paddle attachment to mix this recipe together. The paddle attachment incorporates less air than a balloon whisk, and the machine makes the process quick and easy.
So, onto the recipe!
Flourless Almond Rollout Sugar Cookie Recipe
Print Recipe
Flourless Almond Cut Out Sugar Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 6 cups almond flour
Instructions
Cream the butter and sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer on low to medium speed. (Use the paddle attachment). Mix until thoroughly incorporated – for about one minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a plastic spatula and mix again for a few seconds more. Over mixing the butter and sugar in this step will cause too much air to be incorporated into the dough. If you'd like a light and fluffy cookie, that's ideal, however the dough will spread more during baking; not ideal if you'd like the cookie to hold its shape.
Add egg slowly and mix. Scrape down the bowl with your spatula at least once and mix again. Add almond extract. Stir briefly.
Add the almond flour in 2 or 3 stages to the bowl and mix on low speed for about 30 seconds to 1 minute, and observe the dough mixing. When it starts to come together and the dough clumps around the paddle attachment and peels away from the sides of the mixer, it should be the right texture. I used 6 cups of almond flour, you may need to use less or even more. You can also test the dough by pinching it between your thumb and index finger. If it’s soft but not sticky, it’s just right. If it’s too sticky when you pinch it between your fingers, add almond flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and mix until you’re happy with the texture.
Roll the dough out between 2 large pieces of parchment paper. Place on a baking sheet and into the fridge or freezer for a minimum of 1 hour.
Cut out cookie shapes. Place on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Re-roll scraps and repeat. If your dough gets too soft to work with, place in the fridge or freezer periodically to firm up again.
Once all cut out, put cookie dough shapes back into the fridge or freezer for 10 minutes to 1 hour to chill again. They will then hold their shape better when baked.
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 176°C.
Bake cookies for 8-12 minutes or until the edges become golden brown. The baking time will depend on the size of your cookie.
Let cookies cool to room temperature and decorate if you like! If you’re new to decorating cookies, I have basic cookie decorating tutorials with everything you’ll need to know to begin on my blog. Have fun!
Notes
Yield: Makes about 20-25 cookies, but it will also depend on the size of the cookie cutter and how thick you make your cookies.
Butter – The butter needs to be soft, or room temperature. I leave mine out the night before I do my baking. If you forget, you can grate the butter on the largest hole of your box grater, so that the sugar and butter will mix together better or put the butter on a plate in the microwave for about 10-20 seconds to soften it. It should be soft to the touch, but not so soft it’s turning to liquid.
Hope you enjoy these cookies! Please feel free to drop me a line below if you have questions or comments. You can also find me on onFacebook,Instagram,Pinterest,TwitterandYouTube.
xo,
Marian
