I’m not a baker, by any means. In my kitchen, dinner reigns supreme. There is a certain disconnectedness I dislike about baking, which is often why I avoid it. I like the hands-on experience of cooking food on the stove, watching food transform and seasoning to taste. With baking, I often feel like I’m just shoving something into the oven and hoping for the best. It certainly doesn’t help that my oven is older than dirt and belongs in a museum, not a kitchen. However, I really like experimenting with different flours (almond, rice, chickpea, etc). I made this batch of cookies for Cory, for him to snack on at work with his afternoon coffee. The cookies are light, delicate, lightly sweetened, but still incredibly satisfying. I sweetened the cookies with powdered stevia (not to be confused with Splenda), but feel free to use any sweetener you like. You will certainly want to use more than 1.5 T, though.

What is almond flour?!

Almond flour and meal are simply ground up almonds. Almond flour is made with blanched almonds (that is to say, skinless) and almond meal is ground up almonds with the skin intact. You can make your own almond flour or meal yourself, simply by blending almonds in a food processor. If you blend for too long, however, you’ll end up with almond butter. Both almond meal and flour can easily be found at health food stores, but may also be available at your local grocery store in the organic/health food section. Almond flour and meal are also gluten-free, so these cookies can be shared with your friends who are gluten intolerant or have Celiac disease.

Coconut Almond Cookies
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1 1/4 c almond flour or meal
1/4 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
1 1/2 T powdered stevia
1 c shredded coconut, unsweetened
1 egg, beaten
1/4 c butter, room temperature
1/2 tsp almond extract
almond slivers, for garnish (optional)

- Combine the dry and wet ingredients in separate bowls. Then in small batches, add the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients. Mix well.

- Refrigerate the dough for about a half hour.

- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350F.

- Spoon out dough into 1″ or 2″ balls and flatten with a fork or shape with your hands. If you have almond slivers on hand, press one sliver into the middle of each cookie.

- Bake for 8-12 minutes. Do not let the cookies brown. Remember, you’re working with ground up nuts and not wheat flour. Letting the cookies brown means facing the risk of burning them and burnt nuts are blech.

- When the bottom of the cookies are golden, remove from oven and let cool for a couple minutes before eating.

Makes 8-12 cookies

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