Crumbly Almondy (accidentally gluten-free) Cookies, 12p [VG/V/DF/GF]
Last night I really, really fancied cookies, in that way that sometimes the sweet tooth takes a hold. Usually it’s late at night. Usually when I have resolved to be healthier, and better, and eat less baked goods in the smallest hours. Like, on New Years Day.
Succumbing, I pottered downstairs to the kitchen, and rummaged in my flour bin (really, a bread bin full of various flours, with the ethos that if I want bread I will have to make it. Like a proper little bread martyr). The bread/flour bin turned out to be neither, as I have fed a few dozen people over the last few weeks of festivities, and somehow have managed to bake my way through my usual 3kg of plain flour kicking about the house. Instead, I had an array of what we might call ‘experimental’ flours, purchased in varying fits of panic over the last year or so, usually coinciding with some new health blogger or clean eating trend, and then sitting, untouched, in the bottom of the flour bin. Until now.
I tipped the bin out. Quinoa flour. I definitely didn’t buy that for myself. Brown rice flour – ah that was for making pasta for my coeliac friend as a gift, that’s legit, it can stay. Coconut flour – cheaper than coconut milk but can be blended into a rough approximation of it as required. Gram flour – useful for binding falafels and bhajis, and also makes an excellent fudge, allegedly, although I am yet to try it. And almond flour, simply a bag of ground almonds by another name. I will have cookies, I thought to myself, from one of these bags, I *will* have cookies.
I plumped for the almonds; crumbly, sweet, a relatively known entity, and accessible in a way that quinoa flour may not be on a bootstrap recipe blog, and these crumbly little morsels were born. I added thyme and lavender to mine – thyme as it was hanging about from Christmas, and lavender as it grows in my neighbours garden, but neither are essential, so if you don’t have them to hand, don’t worry about buying them especially.
Makes 10, at 12p each. As ever, prices based on Sainsburys, Basics range where available, and correct at time of writing. Other supermarkets offer similar products at comparable prices. When checking the prices on moneysupermarket.com I did notice that 200g of ground almonds were £1.39 at LIDL right now, so if you have a LIDL nearby, you might want to check it out…
100g ground almonds, £1.10 (£2.20/200g)
5 tbsp./70g butter substitute, 12p (80p/500g)
2 tbsp./40g marmalade, 3p (30p/454g)
a pinch of thyme
a pinch of lavender
Turn the oven on to 180C to pre-heat, and lightly grease a baking tray. Grab an egg cup, shot glass, espresso cup or small cookie cutter, and set to one side.
Tip the ground almonds into a bowl and add the thyme and lavender, if using.
In a separate small bowl, mash the marmalade and butter substitute together eith a fork until well combined. Tip into the almonds and mix well until it forms a consistent dough.
Shake a little ground almond onto your worksurface and press or roll the dough out until around 1cm thick. Cut tiny cookie shapes – smaller than you think you need – and place on the baking sheet. Leave a large space in between each as they spread out when they warm through!
Smoosh the dough back together and repeat until there are no more cookies to be made.
Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a further 10 minutes to harden before trying to move them- they are deliciously crumbly, so they need some time to firm up before they are solid enough to cart about!
Enjoy warm, and don’t forget to send me photos if you make them – I love seeing you making my recipes! 🙂
Jack Monroe.
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Categories: 20p RECIPES, Blog, RECIPES UNDER 30P, RECIPES UNDER 50P, RECIPES UNDER £1, SNACKS & TREATS, VEGAN, Vegan Recipes, VEGETARIAN
Sounds tasty! Happy New Year Jack x
Returning to your blog now because, having fallen on very hard times I knew the perfect person to turn to help me through with fabulous recipes. Thank you for always being your wonderful, inspirational, reliable self. xxx p.s. can’t wait to try this recipe!
They’re vegan. My kind of food.
Mmmm. Yummy. Think I’ll try these tomorrow.
Makes 10? I only count eight, did you and your young man check them out?
I haven’t seen you for a while…. it’s so lovely to see you back Jack !!! well done our sweet!!!! May 2017 be your year full of JACK’S determination, Health,Wealth,and endless Happiness !!!! ( you deserve so well)
With love and Joy from us ALL!!!
xxxxx
Nice one frm u keep it up
Ooh! I definitely want to try these. Lavender is such an underrated ingredient and almond flour makes tasty treats. They look good!
Thanks Jack, I could hug you so hard right now!I’ve just started a 6 week no gluten, no dairy, no egg, low sugar (no fun) diet to help my psoriasis and this couldn’t make me happier!!
I’m going to add ground almonds to the shopping list and hope the budget stretches!!
Great biscuits Jack but can I ask what is a butter substitute please?
Hi. I think it probably means something like ‘i can’t believe it’s not butter’ or clover for example.
Marge or free from spreads, any baking block, anything dairy free basically.
No that’s a resolution buster. Yum 😉
Thanks Jack. Xxx
Thanks guys was thinking it was something a little bit different than Marge! Ha x
I always buy a bag of ground almonds whenever I’m in Lidl or Aldi, I’ve not found them at a better price anywhere. Useful addition to smoothies and overnight oats or porridge for extra protein, plus cookies!
Thanks for the tip. We nearly always shop at Aldi now, and I am trying to go gluten free on a budget.
Sounds good. I will be making these healthier cookies. Did you know Poundland has 140g bags of Ground almonds for a £1 from the Jane Asher range?
Thanks for this. I’m trying to go gluten free on a budget and this will help.
Great to see you back. These cookies look delicious. Thanks for all the recipes you share with us.
Mine are currently baking and smelling lush. No marmalade , so subbed ginger and honey. Mixture was a little too wet, so add a bit of coconut flour and stuck in fridge for 10 mins. I hope I can wait for them to cool down…my lack of impulse control, usually means a burnt mouth.
This was fab timing as I had some nearly out of date grounds almonds..marvellous.
So glad to see you back Jack. I am trying to go gluten free; is there any chance you can help with cheap recipes for gf bread?
I made these this afternoon. Slight misread of the recipe and put 4 tbsp of marmalade in by mistake so they’ve caught a bit on the edges. Only had butter in so they aren’t vegan either but they taste good. I’d definitely try them again.
I have just made these and they are great! I used butter (naughty, I know) and some rather unglamorously packaged fine cut reduced-sugar marmalade from Sainsbury’s. Cut into little heart shapes and topped with a blanched almond, they made the perfect Valentine treat for someone who can’t have gluten and is trying to be careful about sugar consumption.(30% less sugar than standard marmelade. The result was quite sweet enough.)
Hi Jack! I love your blog and have been following it for a while. I am a nutritionist and I just started my own blog about healthy and affordable recipes, but I also will be posting about nutritional topics. Please if you can check it out! 🙂 Sending lots of love from another mum who is trying to save on food! Monica x
These are amazing. Have overdone the homemade marmalade this year..and we now have a son with gluten intolerance and so…..this recipe will be made again and again!!!
Just tried this today! Turned out great.Love your blog.
Jack, first thing of yours I have made, having been sent a link to your brilliant site last week. You are brilliant! The crumbly biscuits are great. You are completely inspirational. Thank you, can’t wait to make more things. I have taken a pic but not sure how to upload it. I’m taking the biscuits to a fundraising thing in my ( gluten free) sister’s village at the weekend.