Gluten Free Hermit Cookies

We’ve been enjoying the challenge of developing gluten-free recipes for professional bakers who use American Almond’s nut flours. Chewy molasses-type cookies work well in gluten-free versions. Here we’ve combined blanched almond flour, which absorbs some of the moisture and binds the batter, to enhance a multigrain formula for Gluten Free Hermits.

Yield: approximately 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup yogurt
• 1/2 cup dark molasses
• 1/2 cup buckwheat flour
• 1/2 cup millet flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
• 2 cups American Almond® Blanched Almond Flour
• 1/2 cup tapioca flour (starch)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 3/4 cup raisins

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 or 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Cream the butter and brown sugar until smooth and fluffy.
3. Beat in the salt and egg. Scrape the bowl and beat in the yogurt and molasses.
4. Stir in the gluten-free flour, blanched almond flour, tapioca flour, baking soda and spices mixing until well blended. Stir in the raisins.
5. Portion the batter onto the prepared baking sheets using a portion scoop and spacing the dough 3 inches apart to allow for spread.
6. Bake until the batter sets, from 15 to 18 minutes.
7. Cool the cookies on the cookie sheet for 15 minutes then transfer them to a wire rack to cool before serving or storing.

Notes

Here are a few tips when working with this recipe. Let the batter sit for 15 minutes before you scoop and portion the batter onto the baking sheets. This time allows the buckwheat, millet and almond flour to absorb the liquid in the recipe. We like to use a cookie or ice cream scoop to make the cookies uniform in size. Resist the temptation to overbake these cookies. Gluten-free baked goods can be fragile and crumbly. Simply let the cookies cool completely before removing them from the baking sheet. Keeping the moisture in the cookies is the secret to preserving their shelf life. Make sure they are packed in a tightly covered container. Pack the cookies in layers separated by waxed or parchment paper to keep them from sticking together. You can freeze these hermits and then take out as many as you want to eat at a time. At room temperature, these hermits will still taste great after 3 or 4 days.

Attribution

Recipe and photo used with permission from: Love'n Bake® - ingredients from American Almond Products