Almond Wholefood Cookies

These substantial cookies are very much in the style of an English "biscuit"--a slightly sweet, crunchy cookie that is meant to be eaten with something else, though delicious on its own.

Fully half of the flour is replaced with ground almond meal, and the other half is three-quarters whole wheat flour, so there is very little white flour, and the sweetener is whole evaporated cane juice. The fat and protein in the almond meal also helps balance out the sugar. Though whole evaporated cane juice causes very little blood sugar rise even on its own, the additional fat and protein makes this cookie even better for those concerned about the glycemic index of foods.

I modified this recipe from one I found in Martha Stewart Living magazine. Martha suggested eating these cookies topped with sweetened ricotta cheese and strawberries, but I think they would be wonderful with any soft cheese (mascarpone, or even cream cheese) plus any summer fruits, or jam in the wintertime.

The plain cookies are spiced with a bit of cinnamon, but you could also add any spice you like, such as ginger, allspice, cloves, or cardamom. Or bits of dried fruits or nuts. It's just a good basic wholefood cookie dough that can go wherever your imagination takes you!

1 cup whole blanched almonds, toasted and ground into meal*
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unbleached white flour
1/3 cup unrefined cane sugar (such as Sucanat or Rapadura)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 stick (8 tablespoons) cold butter, cut into tablespoons
about 2 tablespoons ice water

* about the almonds...

There are three ways to do this.

- Purchase almond meal at your natural food store or online.

- Purchase blanched almonds (without their skin) and pulse them in the food processor to make a meal.

- Blanche the almonds by pouring boiling water over them in a bowl and setting it aside for three minutes. Drain off the water and squeeze the almonds between your thumb and fingers. The skins will slip right off. Place the blanched almonds on a dry towel to absorb any excess wanter, then toast them in an oven at 325 °F (165 °C) for about 10 minutes. Cool, then pulse them in the food processor to make a meal.

1. Put the almond meal, flours, unrefined cane sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a food processor and pulse to combine.
2. Add butter, and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.
3. With the machine running, add ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough starts to come together.
4. Remove dough from the food processor, bring it all together into one lump, and refrigerate in a covered container for about 30 minutes, until cold.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Break off pieces about the size of a walnut and form into balls. Place them on baking sheets lined with unbleached parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet. Space them about two inches apart. Press down on each ball with the bottom of a glass or bowl dipped in flour. Flatten each ball to about 1/4-inch thick.
6. Bake about 30 minutes, until the edges begin to turn brown. Transfer to wire racks with a spatula. These are excellent hot out of the oven, but allow to cool before adding cheese and fruits.