Okay, so I realise that isnt the MOST sophisticated photograph to kick off a post about my favourite easy cookie with… But I can explain!
You see that cookie up there is the lone remaining representation of a batch of 24 cookies that I made just two days ago. After spending last week tweaking my favourite cookie recipe a bit, I made a double batch and then spent most of the weekend morning trying to get some light to photograph them. (ANY form of photography in England in December makes me a feel like resident of the North Pole… tips gratefully received!). Luckily for me I did manage to get a few good pics .. after which I ‘celebrated’ by stuffing myself with about 12 cookies …and then hastily packing off the rest to anyone who would take them… as a matter of serious EMERGENCY.
Oh, and then I realised I lost my camera cord. Seriously guys it is nowhere and although I can see all these photos that actually look GREAT – but I just cannot for the life of me work out how to get them onto my computer.
Truthfully though, if light wasn’t an issue, I could easily have made and photographed another batch in about 30 minutes. Really the reason this recipe is my favourite is partly because of how simple it is.
This cookie recipe uses all standard pantry ingredients (the cookie recipe I’m sharing next is a bit more ‘exotic’!) and is basically one bowl. The cookies take under ten minutes to bake and are unbelievably forgiving. The only slight downside to the cookies is that they are not cookies that taste best fresh out of the oven; for starters they need to cool down in order to firm up, and for a second thing their taste seems to actually develop a bit over a couple of days. Don’t ask me why! Anyways, although that makes them a little less perfect for eager taste testers (hello me), it makes them great holiday gifts. The taste to me is reminiscent of viennese chocolate shortbreads and although they can’t really be considered healthy, at least they are more sustaining that other cookies and they don’t have any refined sugar. They are also gluten and egg free!
I’ll be updating the photos when my new camera cord arrives (obviously this is an ideal time of year to be ordering from Amazon!). In the meantime I hope you like them!
Super Easy Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies (Gluten Free!)
12 cookies
- 80g butter (about 5 tablespoons)
- 60g unrefined muscavado sugar (about 1/4 cup)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 100g almond flour (about 1 cup – I’ve used plain ground almonds here and it has worked fine too!)
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 50g chopped chocolate (this is about 1/2 a cup – you can use chocolate chips, but I find chocolate bars to be less expensive and better quality on the whole!)
1) Heat the butter and sugar over a medium heat, whisking constantly until the sugar is incorporated. Take care not to burn the butter and take off heat once melted and incorporated. Stir in vanilla once it is off the heat (heating vanilla extract ruins the flavour).
2) In a medium bowl whisk together the almond flour, baking soda and salt (whisking is the lazy mans version of sifting!). Once whisked, pour in the butter-sugar-vanilla concoction and mix well with a wooden spoon. Allow to cool to room temperature and then stir in the chocolate bits. (Doing this before it is cool will result in melted chocolate which is kind of a pain!).
3) At this point it is best to chill the dough in the fridge for an hour or so as it will be easier to shape. In a pinch you can shape straight away though. (You can also freeze the dough at this point!). In any case you’ll want your oven heated to 180/ 350 for when you intend to start baking. You’ll also want a baking sheet lined with parchment and a tablespoon measuring spoon.
4) Shape dough by separating out tablespoons full of the dough, putting them on the parchment and flattening with the back of a spoon. You should get about 12 cookies. Bake in the oven for 8 – 10 minutes.. take them out when they start to brown around the edges. They’ll still be pretty soft when they come out as they will continue to harden afterwards. Leave to cool for at least an hour – they are best eaten a day or two after baking.
These cookies are slightly crumbly by nature – but I think thats part of their charm. They’re a little like a chocolate shortbread and are some of the best tasting super simple cookies Ive ever made.
