GLUTEN FREE ALMOND CRESCENT COOKIES with Dairy-Free and Vegan Instructions

Posted by Bryna Bear aka Gluten Free Baking Bear

     These cookies are buttery and tender with a wonderful almond flavor.  With this blend of flours it is indistinguishable from the regular wheat version. I cut it out of a magazine many moons ago and today I decided to finally make it.  It is raining here on the Jersey Shore and it is a good day to bake.  
     I love the flavor of almond in cookies.  These crescents are soft, not too sweet and irresistible.  These have no eggs so they can be easily made vegan or dairy free, but I made the butter and cream cheese version today.  
     This is fairly easy to make.  You may want to add more almond extract if you prefer a stronger almond flavor...maybe 1/2 tsp. more.  I used less sugar than the original recipe since I tend to prefer less sweet desserts and these are dusted with powdered sugar when done.  

     

GLUTEN FREE ALMOND CRESCENT COOKIES

Makes about 60 cookies.

Ingredients

6 oz.	Cream Cheese (for Dairy-Free or Vegan use non-diary cream cheese)
3/4 cup	Unsalted Butter (for Dairy-Free or Vegan use non-hydrogenated non-dairy margarine)
3/4 cup	Sugar (for Vegan use Vegetarian sugar - see "about vegetarian sugar" on the bottom of the post that this link takes you to)
2 tsp.	Vanilla Extract (for Vegan or Dairy-Free use 1 tsp. of vanilla and 1 tsp. of Butter Vanilla emulsion, if you have it)
1/2 tsp.	Almond Extract (use 1 tsp. if you prefer a stronger almond flavor)
1 cup	Sorghum Flour
1 cup	Tapioca Flour
1/4 cup	Chickpea Flour
1 tsp.	Xanthan Gum
1/4 tsp.	Sea Salt  (omit the salt if your butter or margarine is salted)
1 tsp.	Baking Soda
1 cup	Slivered Almonds - finely chopped (comes to 2/3 cups when chopped)
1/4 cup	Confectioner’s or Powdered sugar - for dusting baked cookies

     

Directions

1.   Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper or silpat liners.
2.   Chop the blanched slivered almonds in a nut grinder until finely chopped.  I ran the nuts through about 5 times.  After chopping there were 2/3 cups nuts.
3.   In a small bowl add the flours, xanthan gum, baking soda and salt and mix well.
4.   In a large bowl add the cream cheese, butter or margarine, sugar, vanilla and almond extracts and mix well with an electric mixer.
5.   Add the flour mixture, all at once, to the sugar mixture and mix well.  
6.   Add the nuts and knead into the dough.

   

   Nuts ready to be mixed into the dough.

7.   With a scoop that measures 1-inch across scoop out balls of dough, 2-inches apart, onto the prepared baking sheets. 

   

   Dough with nuts mixed in.

8.   Roll each dough ball into a rope shape and then shape each rope into a crescent shape.

   

   Tray of raw dough.  On right note the scooped balls of dough
   on the top, the ropes rolled from the balls on the bottom right and the
   ropes shaped into crescents on the left. 

9.   Flatten each crescent slightly.

   

   Crescents slightly flattened.

10. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.

    

    Baked cookies.

11. Cool slightly on wire racks and dust with powdered sugar. 

    

    Dusting cookies with powdered sugar.

1.       
12. Cool completely and store in airtight containers or tins lined with wax paper.

    

    Crescents dusted with sugar.

GLUTEN FREE ALMOND CRESCENT COOKIES Makes about 60 cookies. Ingredients 6 oz. Cream Cheese (for Dairy-Free or Vegan use non-diary cream cheese) 3/4 cup Unsalted Butter (for Dairy-Free or Vegan use non-hydrogenated non-dairy margarine) 3/4 cup Sugar (for Vegan use Vegetarian sugar) 2 tsp. Vanilla Extract (for Vegan or Dairy-Free use 1 tsp. of vanilla and 1 tsp. of Butter Vanilla emulsion, if you have it) 1/2 tsp. Almond Extract (use 1 tsp. if you prefer a stronger almond flavor) 1 cup Sorghum Flour 1 cup Tapioca Flour 1/4 cup Chickpea Flour 1 tsp. Xanthan Gum 1/4 tsp. Sea Salt (omit the salt if your butter or margarine is salted) 1 tsp. Baking Soda 1 cup Slivered Almonds - finely chopped (comes to 2/3 cups when chopped) 1/4 cup Confectioner’s or Powdered sugar - for dusting baked cookies Directions Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper or silpat liners. Chop the blanched slivered almonds in a nut grinder until finely chopped. I ran the nuts through about 5 times. After chopping there were 2/3 cups nuts. In a small bowl add the flours, xanthan gum, baking soda and salt and mix well. In a large bowl add the cream cheese, butter or margarine, sugar, vanilla and almond extracts and mix well with an electric mixer. Add the flour mixture, all at once, to the sugar mixture and mix well. Add the nuts and knead into the dough. With a scoop that measures 1-inch across scoop out balls of dough, 2-inches apart, onto the prepared baking sheets. Roll each dough ball into a rope shape and then shape each rope into a crescent shape. Flatten each crescent slightly. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly on wire racks and dust with powdered sugar. Cool completely and store in airtight containers or tins lined with wax paper.

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