Gluten Free Coconut Almond Cookies

Back before I went gluten free, I used to collect specialized baking pans and lots of baking cookbooks!  Sometimes I really miss them.  The other day I remembered my Madeleine cookie pan and realized it would work perfectly well with this recipe.

I am thinking that learning how to bake perfectly good gluten free cookies probably was a bad idea in many ways.  I do it too often:)

These are completely grain-free, dairy-free, and there is no refined white sugar.  They turned out delicious and more on the cakey side than chewy.

I adapted this recipe from the Pecan Shortbread Cookies in The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook, an excellent source of gluten free recipes.

Coconut Almond Cookies

2 1/2 cups almond flour (not almond meal)
1 cup coconut powder (this is coarser than coconut flour, but ground more than coconut flakes.  I got mine at the Indian food market)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup coconut oil (melted)
scant 1/3 cup honey
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon lemon oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.   In another bowl, beat the eggs, then mix in the coconut oil, honey, vanilla and lemon.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix just until combined.

If you have a Madeliene pan you can press the dough into the molds.  Otherwise, tip the dough out onto a piece of wax paper, roll it into a log,  and wrap it up.  Place the log and/or baking pan in the freezer for at least an hour.  This keeps well in the freezer, if you just want to bake a few at a time.  I put the wax paper wrapped log inside a plastic ziplock bag.

When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees, with the rack in the upper third.  Bake these guys for 7-10 minutes; mine finished in 8.  Watch them carefully, because nuts and nut flour burn quickly.

Enjoy!