Gluten-Free Almond Cookies with Bittersweet Drizzle

This little girl just turned 4 (I swear I had her and then I blinked, and now she’s four – sob). So I’ve mentioned before that my husband eats gluten free (though I do not and neither do my kids). People have asked me if this is difficult and to be honest, it really hasn’t been.

I think a reason that some people lose weight when they lose gluten is because a lot of “empty calorie” foods tend to have gluten (doughnuts, bagels, pancakes). Do you know what doesn’t have gluten? Meat, vegetables, fruit, dairy, fats, nuts, seeds, beans etc – WHOLE foods. We try to eat this way as often as possible so the swap to gluten-free didn’t rattle our cages. I mean, I haven’t made our Friday night pizza in about five months and we miss it terribly but Rich has been “making up for” those items with nachos and ice cream as far as the eye can see.

I’ve also been excited to discover how many desserts are naturally gluten free, meaning the “gluten free” variety is the same as the normal ones. As almond cookies are one of my favorites, I felt silly that I hadn’t remembered these earlier. Between these awesome pb cookies, coconut macaroons and these almond cookies we are in business. I had these on the counter and as we were chatting, Rich ate six cookies. I had the rest of the batch sitting off to the side and I asked him if he’d like them with chocolate on top (dumb question). The next day I added the drizzle and just loved the combo. You could skip the chocolate and press slivered almonds into the dough before it bakes for a more traditional approach.

Gluten Free Almond Cookies with Bittersweet Drizzle

Makes about 24

8 oz. almond paste

1 c. powdered sugar

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

2 large egg whites

1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/2 c. bittersweet chips

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine almond paste, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl. Beat with electric mixer on medium low speed 3-5 minutes.

2. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites and vanilla with whisk attachment until frothy – about one minute.

3. Add eggs to almond mixture and beat to combine.

4. Line two sheets with parchment paper and scoop batter by heaping teaspoon, spacing two inches apart.

5. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until set and lightly golden around the edges.

6. Let cool several minutes and remove to wire rack to cool completely.

7. Meanwhile, heat chocolate chips in microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until smooth and melted.

8. Scrape chocolate in plastic bag and press into corner. Snip edge of bag and drizzle over cookies. Let cool until set, and store partially covered at room temperature for several days.