Almomd Chocolate-Spice Cookies

Almond chocolate spice cookies are flourless, naturally gluten-free, and built on a base of ground almonds processed to a fine meal with powdered sugar. No flour, no butter. The structure comes from the almond meal, and the binding from two egg whites worked into the ground almond, cocoa, and chopped chocolate mixture.

The spices are restrained and balanced. Two and a half teaspoons of cinnamon are aggressive enough to read clearly, while just an eighth of a teaspoon of ground cloves adds the faintest dark warmth. Three ounces of bittersweet chocolate ground into the dough alongside cocoa powder doubles down on chocolate intensity from two angles.

Let the dough stand 5 to 10 minutes after processing so it can stiffen up. The almond oils need that brief rest to firm into something rollable. Dust your work surface with extra powdered sugar instead of flour, and lift the dough often as you roll. The sugary surface keeps it from sticking without changing the gluten-free formula.

Cool the cookies completely on the foil-lined sheets before peeling them off. Try to lift them warm and they’ll tear into spiced fragments.

Pro Tips

• Process the almonds and powdered sugar together as instructed. The sugar absorbs almond oil and prevents the nuts from turning into paste.
• Don’t over-flour with extra powdered sugar. Add only what’s needed to manage stickiness or the cookies will be too sweet.
• Bake at 325F (165C) only. Higher heat browns the almonds before the inside cooks through.
• Decorate with royal icing once cooled. The dark cookie surface makes a beautiful contrast against white piping.

Variations

• Add ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom for a more aromatic spiced cookie.
• Drizzle with melted dark chocolate once cooled instead of icing.
• Use ground hazelnuts in place of almonds for a deeper, woodsier nut flavor.