Cardamom Cherry Almond Thumbprints for Easter

A few years ago, I posted a recipe from Oh She Glows for Easter Macaroon Thumbprints on the blog, which is still my favorite gluten free cookie recipe. Unfortunately, the Hubby isn’t a fan of coconut so I decided to try a different type of thumbprint this Easter. Baking has always been a challenge for me, especially gluten free baking. It is hard to find a gluten free recipe that I can successfully pull off and that the Hubby will eat. Don’t get me wrong, he is SUPER supportive of my dietary restrictions, but he isn’t a big fan of gluten free baked goods. However, over the last year I have come across several local gluten free treasures and resources for recipes. 

My favorite gluten free flour to bake with is almond flour mostly because I love almonds. Most of the gluten free recipes that I Pin call for almond flour, which comes in handy since I splurged and purchased a five pound bag of it. I came across this recipe on The Roasted Root and made a few tweeks based on our tastebuds.

The Hubby is much happier with these thumbprints over the coconut ones. Personally, I will make them both in the future! They are easy cookies to put together and pretty difficult to mess up, not to mention versatile based on which preserves you have in your fridge or decide to make during the season.

We hope everyone has a nice Easter!

Cardamom Cherry Almond Thumbprints 

Recipe adapted from: The Roasted Root
Yields: 12 cookies
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10-12 minutes

1 1/4 cups blanched almond flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 egg white

Cherry preserves

Preheat the oven to 375F.

Add the dry ingredients to a bowl and stir to combine. In a separate small bowl, add the wet ingredients and whisk until just combined. Stir into the dry ingredients until a dough forms.

Using a tablespoon, roll a small ball of cookie dough in your palms, and gently press the center with your thumb. Repeat this until all the dough is gone placing thumbprints on a cookie sheet. Spoon in a small amount of preserves into each well of the cookie. Be careful not to put too much preserves in each cookie so it doesn't overflow when cooking!

Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown around the edges. Cool on a cooling rack and keep in an air-tight container for up to a week.

Chocolate Almond Oat Cookies (Gluten Free)

Christmas Cookie Time!!!

This is my third year participating in the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap and I finally had the guts to participate in the gluten free category. I love receiving and buying gluten free cookies, but had not yet mastered the art of gluten free baking (except for my one go to recipe for Oatmeal Nut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies). Since I had already posted that recipe on my blog, I couldn't use it for the 2014 Cookie Swap. 

I started by testing a new version of the Oatmeal cookies. Instead of peanut butter, I used almond cocoa butter, which pretty much just resulted in a very flat, spread out crisp, so I kept testing. 

It took me about 5 tries, but I finally perfected the thin, crispy, chocolate-y cookies I like to call Chocolate Almond Oat Cookies! I was determined to make something good enough for my fellow gluten free food bloggers and stand up to the US Postal Service and their "delicate" shipping methods.

Regardless of the hurdles, I prevailed with a successful recipe and many cookies to spread around to friends, family and coworkers. 

The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap is so much fun, something I look forward to every year. I love the camaraderie of the food blogger network and the encouragement and praise (and social media frenzy) of all the recipes and cookies! This year, I was extra excited to receive my cookies in the mail because I knew they were all going to be gluten free! This year I received:

• Triple Chocolate Fudge Cookies from A Rooster In The Kitchen
• Chinese Five Spice Ginger Cookies from Heartbeet Kitchen
• Candy Cane Brownies from The Tomato Tart

All I need now is a tall glass of cold milk!

Chocolate Almond Oat Cookies 

Yields: 3-4 dozen 

Prep Time: 15 minutes 

Cook Time: 8-10 minutes

1 cup almond cocoa butter (used Trader Joe's)

½ cup sugar

½ cup brown sugar

1 ¼ teaspoon baking soda

2 eggs

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup gluten free oat flour (used Bob’s Red Mill)

3 cups rolled oats (gluten free)

½ cup slivered almonds, toasted and chopped

1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or a SilPat.

In the bowl of a standing mixer combine sugar, brown sugar and cocoa almond butter and beat until creamy. 

Add in the eggs, vanilla, cinnamon and baking soda and mix well before added in the oat flour. Turn the mixer off and stir in the oats, chocolate chips and almonds by hand. Cover the dough and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Using a teaspoon, form small balls of dough and spread out at least 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet. Keep a bowl of water near by to dip fingers in when forming the dough balls since the dough will be sticky.

Bake the cookies for about 8 minutes until they puff up. Remove from the oven and let sit on the cookie sheet for at least 5 minutes before removing and cooling on a rack.

If you like really crispy cookies, bake for a total of 10 minutes.

30/30 - #3 Cherry Walnut Oatmeal Cookies

Cooooooookies!!! This recipe is definitely not gluten free, but is my favorite cookie from growing up. Like myself, my Mom doesn't bake except during the Holidays. Ever year, I get so excited for these Cherry Walnut Oatmeal Cookies. They are amazing and worth the wait!

I've made these cookies so many times, and so many times I've found myself thoroughly enjoying them. In fact, there have been many times when I find myself out of one or two ingredients, but have made substitutions with no problems. This recipe is very versatile, which makes it great to have on hand. I've substituted gluten free flour for regular all purpose; maple sugar for brown sugar; pecans for walnuts; dried cranberries for dried cherries; and so on. 

Even though we are six months away from the Holidays, I might have to make these cookies for a little birthday treat!

2 more days!!

Find the recipe for Cherry Walnut Oatmeal Cookies here.