My Almond Cookies are an easy and delicious recipe to make, and best of all, they are both gluten-free and dairy-free.
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This is one of the easiest recipes we will share on the blog. The cookies are very simple to make; to the degree that I believe they are foolproof.
Both the experienced cook and the novice will enjoy how easy it is to make these Almond Cookies.
Containing just 5 ingredients they will take about 10 minutes to mix and another 15 minutes to bake.
You will be enjoying these with a cup of tea or coffee in roughly 30 minutes.
There’s no creaming of butter and sugar; the dough is easily stirred together by hand in just a couple of minutes.
Just mix the almond meal, caster sugar, almond essence and egg whites in a bowl.
Roll the dough into small balls, roll the balls in flaked almonds and then bake. That’s it! They’re so simple.
Inspiration for this recipe:
This recipe was given to me by a dear Italian friend. It has been in her family for many years. Some years ago, I made these biscuits for a shop I was working in at the time.
At that time, more and more people were discovering they couldn’t tolerate gluten, and the biscuits sold out on a daily basis.
I am so happy to be sharing this recipe with you today, so more people can continue to enjoy it. Even if you do not need to eat a gluten-free or dairy-free diet, I am sure you will appreciate these cookies just as much.
Further, this is a great way to use egg whites which are leftover from recipes which require egg yolks only.
Why you’ll love this recipe:
This is a great way to use egg whites which may be leftover from recipes which require egg yolks only.
My Almond Cookies are quickly and easily made. They are so simple to make that I believe they are foolproof.
They are ideal for those who have baking experience. Additionally, if you lack experience these will be a great confidence booster.
Being both gluten-free and dairy-free they are suitable for many people with specific dietary requirements.
You can freeze the Almond Cookies both prior to baking and after. This is a great advantage around the festive season. You can freeze them for one month.
If freezing those which are baked, ensure that you freeze them on a baking tray, covered with cling wrap so they don’t dry out.
Ensure that they are not touching each other and when frozen transfer them to an airtight, freezer container.
Similarly, if you have rolled them you can freeze them individually, on a baking tray and covered with cling wrap, before storing in an airtight, freezer container.
Ingredients in this recipe:
Please see the recipe card further along in the post for exact quantities of ingredients and the full method.
Almond Meal/Flour – The terms almond meal and almond flour are often used interchangeably. The meal/flour can be made from whole or blanched almonds. Almond meal/flour is not actually “flour” but finely ground almonds. When ground from whole almonds the texture will be slightly more coarse than when ground from blanched.
Caster/Superfine Sugar – this sugar dissolves more readily than granulated sugar. If you don’t have any it is easy to make your own. Use a high-speed blender or food processor and pulse a few times until the sugar grains are smaller in size.
Egg Whites – Egg Whites are a fantastic ingredient to have on hand – if you have leftover whites, you can store them in the freezer in an airtight container. See below for some ways to use up the egg yolk! If you are looking for an egg free option, try my Vegan Almond Cookies.
Flaked Almonds – adds great texture to the outside of the Almond Cookies.
Almond Essence/Extract – use a pure version for the best flavour.
Step by Step Instructions:
I start by preheating my oven and preparing my baking tray.
Next, I prepare a flat bowl or plate with my flaked almonds.
In a bowl, combine the almond meal, sugar and almond essence. Add the lightly beaten egg whites, and combine well.
Roll small balls of the mixture and coat in the flaked almonds.
Place on a baking tray, and lightly press down to flatten.
Bake until the cookies are lightly browned. Allow to cool, and enjoy!
Tips for Success:
If you are just venturing into the world of gluten-free baking, these Gluten and Dairy Free Almond Cookies are a good place to start.
It can be a minefield when beginning to eat gluten-free. There are so many labels to check as gluten is an ingredient in many foods.
The biscuits contain almond meal which is a great substitute for flour. Almond flour is high in healthy fats, protein and fibre, and adds a sweet, nutty flavour to baking.
When you bite through the crunchy exterior of these biscuits you will discover a rich, chewy interior. The dense texture that the almond meal provides is deeply satisfying.
A good biscuit recipe is a must-have in your repertoire and you will find this one a keeper.
Yes! You can freeze the Almond Cookies both prior to baking, and after! I have tried both methods and they are delicious either way.
Add blanched or whole almonds to a blender or food processor and pulse in short bursts until you have the texture of sand. Stir occasionally. If you take it too far you will have almond butter.
More delicious recipes for you to try:
Recipes to use your leftover egg yolks in:
Don’t let those egg yolks go to waste! Here are some great ways to use them up:
- Classic Key Lime Pie
- Lemon Curd
- Creamy Lemon Pie
- No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream
- Or, make a custard or use as an egg wash on pastry!
More delicious biscuit and cookie recipes for you to try:
- Gluten-Free Caramel Cookies
- Pecan Puffs
- Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
- Chewy Amaretti Cookies
- Jam Shortbreads
- Toffee Crisps
- Coffee Almond Cookies
I would love to know your thoughts when you try my delicious Gluten Free and Dairy Free Almond Cookies.
Be sure to leave a comment below!
Alex xx
Gluten-Free Almond Cookies
Please note:
For accuracy, when weights are provided, we recommend weighing your ingredients. This will produce the best results. All oven temperatures listed are for fan forced.
Ingredients
- 3 cups (300 g) almond meal or flour – spooned into the cup, loosely packed See Note 1
- 1 cup (220 g) caster/superfine sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon almond essence or to taste
- 3 large (105 g) egg whites
- 1 cup flaked almonds
- icing sugar to dust optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 Degrees C (360 F).Place non-stick baking paper onto oven trays.
- Put almond flakes into a flat bowl or onto a plate.
- Combine almond meal, sugar and almond essence in a large bowl. Add the lightly beaten egg whites and stir until the mixture forms a firm paste.
- Roll small balls of the mixture, about 3 cm (or 1 ¼ inch) in diameter in the flaked almonds.
- Place the balls onto baking paper-lined oven trays and gently flatten them a little.
- Bake for about 12-15 minutes or until the biscuits are lightly browned.
- Cool on racks.Store in an airtight container for up to a week. The cookies can also be frozen – see Note 3.
Video
Notes
-
Almond meal and almond flour are similar ingredients. Both are made from finely ground almonds but one is made from blanched almonds which have had the skins removed and one from the whole almond. Blanched almond meal has a fine texture, the one made from the whole almond has a coarser texture and darker colour due to the skin. Often, the one made from blanched almonds will be labelled almond flour but this is not always the case. The names are often used interchangeably. I recommend that you select the product by whether they are blanched or unblanched rather than by meal or flour.
Both are able to be used in this recipe, but the colour will vary if you use the whole almond variety. - All ovens vary in temperature slightly, and as such we have provided a time range for doneness on this recipe.
- The Almond Cookies freeze well – once baked, allow them to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to three months. If you prefer to freeze them raw, once the cookies are shaped, don’t roll them in almond flakes. Put them in an airtight container, and when ready to bake, allow them to defrost, then roll in almond flakes and bake.
- Please note, the nutritional information is based on one cookie. Please note, the nutritional information is an estimate only.
Nutrition Estimate:
Nutritional Disclaimer:
The nutritional information is an estimate only, and is derived from online calculators. For accurate results, we recommend calculating the nutritional information based on the ingredients and brands you use.
Jackie
These cookies are soooo delicious!! They are easy to make, and are my new favorite. Thanks for the great recipe!
Alexandra Cook
Hello Jackie 🙂
Thank you so much for trying this recipe and taking the time to comment.
I am so pleased you enjoyed it! Alex xo
Jen
Alex, these cookies are absolutely delicious! So easy to make & great to present as gifts. Thank you for sharing. I will make these over & over!
Alexandra Cook
Thank you, Jen! 🙂 I am so happy to hear this! Thanks so much for letting me know, Alex xo
Erin
These almond cookies have the perfect texture! And they’re so pretty, too. Thanks for the great recipe.
Alexandra Cook
Thank you, Erin!
So happy you enjoyed them 🙂 xo
Doris Hillmer sanchez
las hice para la pascua 2023 son realmente deliciosas .
Alexandra Cook
Thank you, Doris 🙂
Rachell
The main negative with this recipe is that the biscuits don’t last very long. I made them. Then literally 90-minutes later they were all gone 🤷🏼♀️
😂 Family voted “best biscuit you’ve ever made, mumma.”
Alexandra Cook
Hi Rachell 🙂
I am so pleased that the biscuits were such a success!
Thank you so much for letting me know, Alex xo
Cathleen
Absolutely delicious! So easy to make. Will be a staple going forward 🙂
Alexandra Cook
Thank you so much, Cathleen 🙂 Alex xo
Janet
By far the best GF and DF cookies I have ever made. Simply delicious!
Alexandra Cook
Oh, thank you so much, Janet! 🙂
Alex xo
Susan Harris
These are delicious, so simple, and just right for a friend who is gluten-free AND dairy-free. Thanks.
Susan from the UK
Alexandra Cook
Thank you, Susan 🙂
I am so happy to hear this! Alex xo
Susan Harris
And she really liked them, and has asked for the recipe! Susan
Alexandra Cook
That is great, Susan – thank you! 🙂
Helen
These are very nice and they were not hard to make. I’m a very experienced baker (60 years), but I’m not much familiar with gf baking. This is ideal for people like me who want to make gf for someone special, but who aren’t familiar with gf flour.
I ground up the almonds (with skins on) and added the fine sugar so that I could grind the nuts more finely without it turning to paste. I had to use about 2/3 cup more of the meal so that the mixture was firm enough to handle. That’s OK. I didn’t change the sugar, and they baked up sweet enough. They are delicious, but I might add a scant 1/8 tsp kosher salt the next time to the egg whites. Not a biggie. Because I couldn’t easily find almond flakes, I coarsely ground blanched almonds, and rolled the “balls of batter” in that. I didn’t have to flatten them, they pretty much sank into the baking pan. They didn’t spread much. The coarse blanched nuts worked perfectly, and they looked very nice.
This one is a keeper! I hope our guests don’t eat them all up. They seem perfect for an afternoon coffee, a fire, and a good book. Thanks, Alexandra!
Helen up in chilly Canada.
Alexandra Cook
Hello Helen!
Thank you so much for your comment and for trying our recipe.
I think enjoying them by the fire with a good book sounds perfect.
Appreciate you taking the time to leave such a detailed comment.
Best wishes, Alex xo
Myra
Very easy to make, my friends loves it , requested to bake again .
Thank you so much Alex
Alexandra Cook
Thank you, Myra!
I am so pleased that you and your friends enjoyed this recipe. Thanks so much for sharing, Alex xo
Tatiana
I wanted to try a smaller sample batch (from 24 cookies to 12 cookies)before baking a double batch but my recipe converter still tells me to use 3 egg whites. This does not seam right. help please 😉
Alexandra Cook
Hi Tatiana,
It sounds like you’re trying to halve the recipe, which would mean you’d technically need 1 and 1/2 egg whites. The most accurate way to work this out would be by weight.
For the full recipe, 3 egg whites = 105 g
Therefore, you’d need 52.5 g of egg white.
Alternatively, might I suggest that it would be easier to make a 1/3 batch of the recipe using just 1 egg white.
Hope that helps! Kind regards, Alex
Eileen
these are absolutely delicious, I used 200g sugar instead of 220g and they were amazing!
Alexandra Cook
I am so glad you enjoyed them, Eileen 🙂 Thanks for sharing. Alex xo
Ruth
What lovely sweet peanut treats.
I used half a cup of sugar . So easy to make.
Alexandra Cook
Happy you enjoyed this recipe, Ruth! 🙂 Alex xo
Angela Tramoli
Beautiful, easy & tastes so good
Alexandra Cook
Thank you so much, Angela!
Happy you enjoyed this recipe 🙂 Alex xo
Christine
I made these today and they turned out so well. Such a quick and easy recipe. You can’t go wrong. They were a big hit. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Alexandra Cook
Brilliant to hear, Christine! 🙂
Thanks so much for sharing. Alex xo
Janella M.
These really are the most perfect, delicious treat. I have made this recipe over six times now. I just saw the vegan version too, and can’t wait to give these a try also for my vegan daughter! Thanks so much xxx
Alexandra Cook
Hi Janella,
Thank you for your feedback on the GF Almond Cookies. I am delighted to hear that you enjoy them and look forward to hearing how you enjoy the vegan version. 🙂
Julie
I love these almonds cookies ! 🙂 Thanks!
Alexandra Cook
Hi Julie,
I am delighted to hear that you enjoy the Almond Cookies. Thank you for letting me know. 🙂