Page 25 - November 2019 proof 7 Castle Pines Connection

Berry good cookies for a gluten-free holiday
Culinary Corner 25
Article and photos by Lisa Crockett
December is a cookie month, and I have lots of favorites. For years, my standby has been a to-die-for sugar cookie with lovely avor and enough texture to hold even intricate holiday shapes (you can nd that amazing recipe in The Castle Pines Connection archives from the February 2013 issue).
I love other classics too – peanut butter blossoms, gingerbread boys, even those sticky-sweet corn ake-and-marshmallow wreaths decorated with cinnamon candy nd their way to my holiday table every year to be devoured with pleasure. Most years, I also try to add something new to my cookie repertoire, so this year I went on the hunt for a cookie I could gift to a friend who can’t eat gluten. I was pleased to nd a new, decadent favorite that meets her dietary restrictions without being the least bit boring or bland. Better yet, this is a cookie that “keeps” for several days, so if one of my gift tins sits undelivered for a day or two, it’s no problem.
Like many gluten-free recipes, the main ingredient in these beauties is almond
our, which is a common our substitute. Almond our is a pretty heavy ingredient, but in this recipe, it simply makes the nal product chewy and soft, with a texture that is somewhere between a cookie and a piece of candy. The almond avor of the our is augmented with a bit of almond avoring
to give it a festive zing. These cookies are best after they are completely cooled, which allows the almond avor to deepen and develop. They tend to get even better with age, so a day or two after they come out of the oven is the optimum time to put them on the bu et or tuck them into a gift basket.
The basic recipe for these cookies produces
a nal product that looks very much like
a classic Russian tea cake (often called a snowball around this time of year), white
and rolled in powdered sugar. To give these cookies more of a Christmas vibe, I mixed up a variation on the original that incorporates ground, freeze-dried raspberries, which sounds like a headache, but is actually quite simple. Freeze-dried berries are found at most grocery or discount stores and can be crushed into a coarse powder in minutes.
A batch of original avor and a batch of raspberry avor makes for a great red-and- white motif on a platter that is festive and delicious – a nice break form traditional peppermint. The raspberries will deepen to a maroon shade as the cookies bake, so if you’re going for a look that is a bit more vibrant, go ahead and add a drop or two
of red food coloring to punch up the hue
of the raspberry cookies. You can always feel free to add green food coloring to the plain version if that’s the look you’re going for. I personally like my goodies in a more natural state, though, and these cookies are mouthwatering looking with or without chemical enhancements.
I recommend making these cookies pretty small since the nut our is rich and dense but make plenty, since you’re likely to nd that people want seconds and even thirds of this treat. Put these on a platter for a party, put them on a plate for Santa, or put them right into your mouth. These are the perfect thing for a home cook who has been very, very good this year. Happy holidays!
Christmas almond our cookies
• 2 1⁄4 cups almond flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• Pinch salt
• 2 large egg whites
• 1⁄4 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1⁄2 teaspoon almond extract • 1 cup powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. In a large bowl, stir together almond flour, sugar and salt. With an electric mixer, beat the egg whites and lemon
juice until soft peaks form, then gently stir them into the almond flour mixture, stirring until a soft, sticky, evenly- mixed dough forms. Scoop dough with a cookie scoop or teaspoon and roll into 1-inch balls. Arrange on a parchment lined baking tray, leaving one inch between cookies. Bake for about 25 minutes until lightly golden. Roll cookies
in powdered sugar while still warm.
For raspberry version: Add
one ounce of ground, freeze- dried raspberries to the recipe above (about 1⁄4 cup of ground berries), combining with the rest of the dry ingredients and then proceed with the recipe as written here. Raspberries can be ground by placing them in a zip-top bag, then crushing with a rolling pin.
Eating, Entertainment and Events ... that's what The Connection E Guide is all about. The E Guide offers great restaurants, terrific coupons, and lots of casual and fine dining options from which to choose. It also features our community calendar, bulletin board and tons of local community events! Please take note of our dining business partners in the November 2019 Connection E Guide and, as always, be sure to tell them we sent you!
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