Christmas Baking
Soft Almond Cookies Without Flour: Chewy Inside, Crackled Outside and Mixed in One Bowl
Flourless soft almond cookies with honey and orange zest: chewy inside, crackled with powdered sugar outside, mixed in one bowl.
NutritionApproximate, per serving
Instructions
Put the honey, ground almonds, granulated sugar, orange zest, almond extract, milk and egg white in a large bowl.
Stir everything well with a spoon until combined. You get a thick but very sticky dough.
Set out two bowls: one with cold water and one with the powdered sugar. Heat the oven to 340°F (170°C) convection (350°F / 175°C conventional) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Dip your palms in the water (this is the key step), scoop up a bit of dough and roll it into a ball.
Drop the ball right away into the powdered sugar and coat it generously. The sugar creates a beautiful crackled look as the cookies bake.
Place the balls on the baking sheet. If you like, gently press each one with three fingers into a triangle or heart shape.
Bake for about 12 to 15 minutes at 340°F (170°C) convection.
Let the cookies cool on the sheet. Note: they are soft while hot and firm up as they cool, but stay wonderfully chewy inside.
- Bake only until pale and lightly golden: past 15 minutes the cookies dry out and lose their marzipan-like chew. If you have no almond flour, grind blanched almonds finely, but stop before they turn into almond butter.
- Variations: use lemon zest instead of orange for a sharper flavor, or dip the tips of the cooled cookies in melted dark chocolate.