In this inaugural GFCmDFD post (we’ll see how long that acronym lasts, haha) I will be breaking down one of my favorite holiday baked items: almond cookies. As a child, sure I loved all sorts of cookies and cakes around the holidays, but the one that really stood out for me was almond crescent cookies. Now that I am GFCF, nearly every recipe presents challenges, at least the first time I try to adapt it (some take several attempts for a tasty result). There are a few things that helped these almond cookies turn out well. Some of the tips are the same that will apply to many other gluten free cookie or dairy free dessert recipes. I mean, when you cannot use milk or butter, or even wheat flour, each of which can have a textural advantage in your finished product, sometimes you have your work cut out for you.
I found that these almond cookies were a good beginner recipe if you are looking to start your gluten free baking. I did run into a few small hurdles, though. Not to worry, though, I will walk you through all of the little potholes. Let’s get right into the recipe. Here are your basics:
- 1 cup GFCF/ vegan margarine
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 3 1/2 cups GF flour
- Powdered sugar to sprinkle on to after baking
Preheat oven to 350 F and bake for 15-17 minutes on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper.
If you followed that recipe, which is really just a straight conversion from a standard almond cookie recipe, you would have an edible and tasty but very crumbly finished product. For those of you who have dipped your toes into gluten free baking or GFCF baking, you know the dreaded cookie crumble. Don’t worry, here are some additional tips that will really help your almond crescent cookies turn out well.
Do not just use rice flour, even the brown stuff. MIX flours. You can use one cup of almond, one cup of tapioca, and 1.5 cups of rice flour, for example.
Use xanthan gum. It may be a bit pricy, but a package lasts a long time and makes ALL the difference. Add 1 tsp to this recipe.
Add crushed almonds
Use real extracts, especially for the vanilla.
Damage control:
Bake a test cookie. Expect it to be very crumbly when it comes out. Let it cool a bit. You can add a third of a tsp more Xanthan gum and a couple tbsp of water if the mixture is too crumbly, as well.
After they have completely cooled, you will find that they are no longer any more crumbly than the original flour recipe almond crescent cookies. Dust them all over with powdered sugar and enjoy.
Note: I made at least a dozen but waited a week to write this post so I ate most of them. 
Let me know if you have any questions about baking almond crescent cookies or about gluten and dairy free baking in general.
[...] Gluten Free Cookies Meet Dairy Free Desserts #1: Almond Cookies [...]