Almond & Coconut Choc Chip Cookies - Gluten Free Recipe

As I have a bit of a sweet tooth, I have been trying to find some more gluten free cake and biscuit recipes, so when I came across this one I knew I could adapt it and make it something special.

If you love coconut and almonds with a little chocolate chip hit then these are for you, they are kind of like a macaroon with a biscuit twist, everyone in the family loved them, including my normally coconut avoiding children.

Ingredients - Makes 12

140g Ground Almonds
30g Chocolate Chips (I used Milk Choc)
40g Dessicated Coconut
½ tsp Baking Powder
¼ tsp Salt
75g Soft Brown Sugar
1 Egg
3 Tbsp Coconut Oil
½ Tsp Vanilla Extract

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180c, line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
2. Mix the ground almonds, desiccated coconut, baking powder, chocolate chips, salt and sugar together in a large mixing bowl until evenly mixed.
3. In another bowl, whisk the egg until smooth and it has doubled in size, then mix in the coconut oil and vanilla essence.
4. Add the egg mixture to the dry mixture and mix well until everything is combined, then cover with cling film and pop into the fridge for 30 minutes.
5. After 30 minutes, take out of the fridge, take a small amount, roughly a heaped teaspoon and roll into a ball in the palm of your hands, pop onto the baking tray and flatten slightly with the back of a fork.
6. Bake in the oven for about 8-10 or until the edges are golden brown.

These are a great store cupboard cookie, I always have a bag or two of ground almonds now for my brownies or finding new recipes like this.

Chocolate Chip Madeleines

Madeleines are my favourite and whilst I am never going to get them tasting the same way as my favourite ones from France these are a lovely substitute to whip up as a Sunday morning treat.

Ingredients:

100g Plain Flour
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
75 g Caster Sugar
2 Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
90g Unsalted Butter (melted plus extra for buttering mould)
Icing Sugar to dust

Method:

1 Melt the butter either in a sauce pan or my preference in a microwaveable dish until melted (be careful not to heat to much or it will burn or worse splatter everywhere), leave to one side to cool.

2. Sift the flour and baking powder and set to one side.

3. Next either using an electric whisk or hand whisk, whisk the sugar and eggs together until thick and fluffy.

4. Gently fold in the flour mix and vanilla extract (you could also use orange water or almond extract if you'd prefer), keep folding until mixed.

5. Fold in the melted butter a bit at a time until well mixed and nice and shiny (if looks like it isn't mixing but it will just keep folding until smooth).

6. Cover the surface of the mixture with cling film and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Heat the oven to 200c or fan 180c.

7. I use a silicone madeleine mould which are easy to use,  using the remains of the melted butter in the dish or melt a little more butter and with a finger just coat each shell in the butter (if using metal tins they might need a dusting of flour too to stop them sticking) and then place a heaped tablespoon (if you are using a large mould) of mixture into each shell.

8. Then sprinkle on a few chocolate chips or if you only have chocolate just add a sprinkle of some chocolate you have blitzed or broken up (use a rolling pin and bag to smash into smallish pieces) onto the top and place in the oven for 10 minutes.

9. Once cooled slightly remove from the mould and then dust with the icing sugar and serve, we all really like them warm with hot chocolate or coffee but these are equally lovely cold.

Bon appetit x