Five Ingredient Almond Meal Cookies
Holy election day stress baking. I don't even know what else to add to this introduction, because I think that sums it up. It's election day. I am stressed. So, cookies. And yes, I tried running--twice. Once this morning with the dogs, and once between meetings this afternoon. And also yes, I plan on turning to wine (or gin) shortly. But until then, as I already mentioned, cookies. Not just any cookie--a super simple cookie that gets it's flour from protein dense almond meal, it's liquid from fruit juice or fruit puree, and therefore needs just a few additional touches of ingredients.
You can really use any fruit you want for these--keep in mind your choice will potentially adjust how much honey you add. For this batch I actually used watermelon puree. I am the queen of taking large batches of fruit or vegetables and then pureeing them, pouring them into ice cube trays, and then having tons of non-ice ice cubes floating around in the freezer. I actually think it's pretty genius, especially if you don't eat sugar and need to add sweetener to anything. In this case I nuked two watermelon ice cubes in the microwave, and used that as my liquid. Apple puree or apple sauce is also delicious. The options are endless!
What You Need:
1.5 cups almond meal
1/3 cup fruit puree (I've used apple and this time I used watermelon which gave these a really sweet flavor)
2 tablespoons honey (More if you have a sweet tooth!)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
Mix all of your ingredients
Once your dough is sticky and fully combined, roll out 1" diameter balls and place them on your cookie sheet in rows of three (You should get 10-12 cookies, depending on ball size. Heh.) I didn't grease my baking sheet, and these came off easily, but do what makes you comfortable.
With a fork, carefully push down on each cookie, flattening them. Repeat this with the fork tines going perpendicular so you get a criss-cross shape. These will look like a shortbread cookie--and they kind of taste like them, too!
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until they are browned on the top
These are delicious, especially with a little peanut butter on top. A word of caution--the first time I made these the entire tray was gone within about an hour. It's one of those "Oh, they're healthy--just one more!" until there are no more, so maybe double the batch. Or maybe you actually have self control. Must be nice.
