cookie-cut-outs

Almond Flour Cut Out “Sugar”Cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups fine ground blanched almond flour
Scant less than 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons coconut oil, softened or liquid (*see alternative fat subs below)
1/4 cup honey
1-2 tablespoons thick applesauce
1 tablespoon gluten free vanilla extract

*Sub Ghee or Organic palm shortening for the coconut oil.

Method:

1. In a medium sized bowl, combine dry ingredients; mix together well. Then in a separate bowl, mix together the oil, honey, applesauce and vanilla.

2. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients, mix until combined and form a smooth ball. Wrap the dough in parchment paper or plastic and chill the dough for at least one hour or longer (till firm enough to roll out)

3. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees before baking.

4. Roll the dough out between two sheets of parchment paper (using a very light sprinkling of coconut flour as bench flour to keep it from sticking. Just don’t overdo it or the dough will get tough. The dough should be rolled between 1/2 inch and 1/4 inch thick, depending on what you like. Thickness of the cookie will affect the baking time. Chill the dough as needed to keep it at a workable texture. It is also helpful to put the dough into the freezer for a few minutes once rolled out and on the cookie sheet. This will help with the cutting.

5. When ready to cut out the cookies, dip the cutter in coconut flour and cut through the dough. Using a thin metal spatula, transfer the unbaked cookie to a parchment lined cookie sheet. The unbaked cookies are easiest to transfer when cold. For this reason I like to cut small batches at a time, storing half of the dough in the fridge until the next round of cutting. Once the sheet is full, chill the cutouts in the freezer again for a few minutes if needed. Chilled dough holds it form better as it bakes.

6. Bake the cookies in a 325 degree oven for about 10-12 minutes (slightly longer for thicker cookies) or till slightly golden around the edges. Baking times will vary depending on the thickness/size of the cookie.

7. Leave cookies on the cookie sheet until cool. They may seem fragile at first, but will firm up as they cool.

The amount of cookies yielded will vary depending on the size of cookie cutter you use and thickness of the cookie. These cookie are even better after being chilled in the fridge.