I don’t know if these qualify as “cookies”. In the UK, these would most definitely be biscuits. In French, you would call these “sablés” (“sandy”) because of their crumbly texture. I guess “shortbread” is the appropriate term for these little treats, and you could almost imagine them patiently waiting in a tartan tin box for a greedy little hand to steal one away.
I’m only twenty-one but someday when I’m older (much older) and have grandchildren, I could easily see myself preparing a batch of these cookies for them. Glancing up at the clock – they’ll nearly be home now – and just then the timer rings, skittering across the kitchen counter. Take the cookies out of the oven, display them on a pretty plate and as they come running through the door, offer them a cookie and a cup of tea while we talk about their day. I like to think I’d be a pretty cool grandmother someday.
I’ve made these starry treats gluten-free to accommodate various diets (because you know, my grandkids could be coeliacs) but if you’re not sensitive to gluten, feel free to replace the gluten-free flour with any you might have available (spelt flour is my favourite). Do keep the almond flour, though: it’s what makes these cookies so crumbly and gives them a nutty, delicate flavour that pairs so well with the orange and cardamom. A slightly grown-up, sophisticated flavour, but one that anyone of any age will appreciate.
I’ve also kept the sugar to a minimum (don’t want to give my grandkids a sugar rush, now do I?) but feel free to add a bit more if this is not sweet enough for you.
Almond, Orange & Cardamom Cookies {gluten and wheat-free}
Makes 15 medium-sized stars
Ingredients:
- 1¾ + 1 tbsp (200g) almond flour
- 4 tbsp gluten-free flour
- 6 cardamom pods, ground to powder
- zest of 1 orange
- 4 tbsp coconut sugar
- 1/2 cup (125ml) coconut oil, melted
- 1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp warm water)
Instructions:
Pre-heat oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
Using a fork, lightly combine the dry ingredients in one bowl, inc. the spices and zest . Add in the coconut oil and flax egg and mix well. You’ll need your hands to work the dough, but don’t overwork it. Just get everything smoothly combined.
Chill for 30 mins. Roll out the dough to 1/4 inch (1/2 cm) thick, on a floured surface. Cut out stars. Gather the leftover strands of dough into a ball, roll it out again and repeat the process until there is no more dough left to cut out stars of.
Place the stars on a lined baking tray. Bake for 10-12 mins. Keep on eye on your stars while they’re cooking; as soon as the edges are brown and crisp, the cookies are ready.
Love and Cookies,
