Almond moon cookies

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jcrowfoot
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Almond moon cookies

Post by jcrowfoot »

For a while I was suffering from wheat allergies, so I collected a lot of recipes that were wheat free. This is one of my favorites. I used it for a ritual dedicated to Artemis.

Note: this recipe requires a food mill or processor. I suppose you could make it with a (BIG) mortar and pestle, but that would be a LOT of work.

Almond Moon Cookies
2 packages (about 32 oz) of raw, unsalted almonds; slivered

1/2 - 1 cup of sugar (or splenda)

1 egg (or egg substitute) You may wish to use pasturized eggs for this.

1/4 cup of milk or soy milk

1 tbs of oil (almond works, but I used olive or canola)

1 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp clove

1/2 cup of oat or soy flour

1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

(c.a.) 1/4 cup powdered sugar (optional)

zest from one lemon, 2 tsp in reserve (optional)

1 jar of Lemon Curd (optional)

heat your oven to 350 degrees

Toast the almonds in an oven on it's lowest setting for about five minutes or until you smell a wonderful toasting smell. Watch that oven, as they can burn easily. If you choose to use oat flour for this recipe, you should
toast the rolled oats as well. Don't use instant! They are thinner and burn too easily. Make sure your oats and nuts are on different pans so you can remove the oats before the nuts if required. You can also toast these in a toaster oven, which is easier to watch and time.

Put the nuts into a bag, and bang them with a meat hammer or other available hammer or shoe. This breaks them up a bit so that they don't gum up your food processor quite so badly.

If you use the oat flour, grind up your oats in the food processor. It takes one cup of oats to make 1/2 cup of oat flour. Take out the flour before you grind the nuts, but you don't have to clean it first... it may even help keep the nut mixture from sticking too badly! Also, you should make more flour than you need, in case you need more flour for your dough, and for dusting purposes.

Grind your nuts in a food processor. Watch them carefully. You don't want almond butter, but you don't want the mixture to be too crumbly, either. You want it to have cohesion, but not too wet. If it goes too far, the oils will separate and you will have a big mess!

Beat the egg with the oil, milk, spices and extracts and two tsp of zest, and mix the sugar with the egg/oil/milk mixture. Add slowly to the mortar. Then start adding the flour in small quantities until you get a smooth dough. Remember it's always going to have some texture because of the almonds.

Once you have the dough you can form it into various shapes. I like making them into half moons, with a dented in surface. Only use the dented in surface if you plan on using the lemon curd. I tend to form them something like 1/4 inch or even 3/8ths of an inch thick. You can also make them thicker, but and they will be a bit soft on the inside.

Bake for about 5-18 minutes. It really depends on how thick they are and how crispy you want them... also the smell. If you get that really nice almondy smell that permeates the kitchen, that's the ticket!

Check to see that a toothpick comes out clean. I'm sorry I can't give a better sense of time for done-ness, it's thing you need to watch.

Mix the zest with the lemon curd, and spread the curd into the trenches of the cookies. Dust with powdered sugar. I find that these don't last very long. People eat them before you find out how long they keep!
Eretik
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Location: Scotland

Post by Eretik »

Can I ask,what is a good egg substitute to use in this recipe ? I'm trying to learn vegan friendly, I have a way to go yet.
jcrowfoot
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Joined: Sat Dec 23, 2006 6:51 pm
Gender: Female
Location: Highland, IN

Post by jcrowfoot »

Well, in America at least, there are "egg substitutes" that one can buy in the store that work well. I honestly don't know what they are made of, but they do exist.

Also, I have made these cookies without eggs at all, just increase the oil by about 1/2 a cup. You don't really need those pesky egg proteins to bind... especially if you use oat flour, which can get really sticky.

However, if you find binding a problem, then you can use some gum arabic and flax meal, bloomed in warm water.... it's been a long time since I did that, so you'll have to experiment. Basically you take about 1/4 cup of flax meal and add 1 cup of water. Then you bring to a simmer and cook until it's thick and gelatinous. During the cooking stage, you add a little bit of gum arabic, and then if after it's thick it still isn't sticky enough, you add more gum arabic. I hope that helps. If you'd like, I can do more experimentation to see what works best. It's cookie season anyway. :D
applepolice
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Joined: Tue Oct 02, 2007 8:53 am
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Location: Montreal, QC

Post by applepolice »

This recipe looks delicious! I love almonds (and just whipped up some almond shortbread the other day, actually).

In terms of egg substitutes, I also find that the following works pretty well in cookies (and it's simple): 2 tbsp flour, 1 tsp baking powder and 2 tsp water mixed together. This proportion replaces one egg.
-Elizabeth

Duch chętny, lecz ciało mdłe.
Eretik
Posts: 1901
Joined: Wed Nov 01, 2006 6:09 pm
Gender: Female
Location: Scotland

Post by Eretik »

Experimental is a 'nice' word for my cooking style/ability.lol.Thanks guys.
XWynterXoXPriestessX
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Location: The moonlit woodlands of Ishtar

Post by XWynterXoXPriestessX »

i agree with applepolice! this sounds awesome! i wanna try it! im waiting for my batter to chill from the crescent cake recipe i found here too! you guys should check it out! but i really want to do this one now! i wonder, do you think it would work well with other nuts?
)o( My heart belongs to you, Captain Sereph Gurd Akil)o(
Your eyes are my paradise, your smile makes my sunrise.
applepolice
Posts: 76
Joined: Tue Oct 02, 2007 8:53 am
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Location: Montreal, QC

Post by applepolice »

You'd have to be careful about which nut you choose, because almonds are unique in both their texture and flavour. I'd say you would be able to substitute hazelnuts ( with the addition of hazelnut extract in lieu of the almond), but with cashews, there'd be an issue with it tasting a bit off, I feel. You should feel free to experiment, though, and let us know how it turns out!
-Elizabeth

Duch chętny, lecz ciało mdłe.
jcrowfoot
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Joined: Sat Dec 23, 2006 6:51 pm
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Location: Highland, IN

Post by jcrowfoot »

Don't try this with brazil nuts... the texture is off, and the oils they are made from separate easily. The results are... bad.

I think cashews should work ok, actually. I would advise that one buy raw (and make sure they are hermetically sealed!) and toast fresh, and it should be fine. Cashews are frequently used as substitutes for almonds in Indian cooking, as it happens.

The reason that Cashews get that "sickly sweet" and slightly rancid taste is actually because the ones you buy are slightly off. If they are fresh, it would be very good, actually.
XWynterXoXPriestessX
Posts: 75
Joined: Thu May 10, 2007 1:06 pm
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Location: The moonlit woodlands of Ishtar

Post by XWynterXoXPriestessX »

ok thanks! I'll keep that in mind. :D
)o( My heart belongs to you, Captain Sereph Gurd Akil)o(
Your eyes are my paradise, your smile makes my sunrise.
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SpiritTalker
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Re: Almond moon cookies

Post by SpiritTalker »

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