Those who know me know that I have always loved chocolate. When I was very young I used to pilfer bars of chocolate from my dad’s stash and hide in the closet to eat them. As an adult, I find that I’m much less interested in large amounts of highly sugary chocolate and much more interested in desserts that have a certain lightness as well as depth of flavor. These cookies hit that mark. The almond gives them a subtle flavor that is a pleasing accompaniment to the earthy chocolate. They are crisp but also crumbly, and the chocolate dip adds the creaminess of pure chocolate. Truly a satisfying cookie. They are excellent as dessert as well as with an afternoon cup of tea.
Special Equipment
- Rolling pin
- Cookie cutters
- Parchment paper
- A mixer (stand or handheld) is recommended but not required
The round cookie cutter I used here was 2.5 inches in diameter and the bee was roughly the same size. I was able to make a total of 36 cookies in this size.
Recipe Tips and Notes
When choosing the flours to use for this recipe, I was considering a couple of factors. I wanted the cookies to hold together well but have a crisp, crumbly mouthfeel. Cornstarch is often used to create melt-in-your-mouth cookies, both in glutenous and gluten-free baking. I chose sweet white rice flour to complement the cornstarch and help ensure that the dough held together while being rolled out (along with the xanthan gum). Finally, brown rice flour is an excellent base to build off of and I think the very slight nutty flavor it imparts goes well with the almond. I elected to use dutch-processed cocoa powder for this recipe because of its deep chocolate-y appearance and mellow flavor. I think it sets off the almond and allows it to shine.
I was feeling nostalgic for the days before I owned a stand mixer when I started making this recipe and so I decided to do the entire recipe by hand. I will not lie, I regretted it when I got to the addition of the flour.
Sifting the flour mixture is essential! Cocoa powder loves to clump and if you don’t sift it you will have unpleasant lumps of pure cocoa in your dough.
Once the flour is fully incorporated and the dough is smooth (without the stand mixer this took some hand-kneading), wrap in seran wrap and allow to rest at least 30 minutes. Resting at room temperature will allow the dough to roll out easily, but if it’s warm out or you’re having trouble handling the dough, then transfer to the fridge to firm up for the rest time instead. Alternately, the dough can be left in the fridge up to overnight before rolling out, although you may have to allow it to warm up slightly to ease handling.
After resting, preheat your oven to 300oF. Dust your working surface with cornstarch to roll them out, but use it sparingly; using too much can dry out the dough. Roll out to a thickness of approximately 1/8 inch. Cut out your cookies and arrange them on a baking sheet, then bake for 17-20 minutes. It can be difficult to tell when they are browning, so err on the side of caution! Once they are out, remove from pan immediately and place on a wire rack to cool.
Chocolate Dip/Drizzle
If you know how to temper chocolate, find it easy to do, and feel so inclined, then you’re going to want to do that and disregard the next little bit of instructions.
For everyone else who, like me, is a bit lazy and doesn’t care too deeply if the chocolate isn’t all that shiny and will melt on your fingers a little, melt the chocolate and coconut oil in a small saucepan over a low flame. Chocolate can burn and it’s not pleasant to eat, so have patience. You can also melt chocolate in the microwave, but the microwave has a tendency to heat unevenly and this can also result in burnt chocolate. I have a hard time striking a balance between the chocolate actually melting and the chocolate not burning when I use the microwave, so I tend to just go for the stove top.
Once your chocolate is evenly melted, transfer it to a container that you can easily dip your cookies in. I like to try and not get chocolate on the bottom, just on the top, which might inform your choice. I chose to use a small bowl that was an inch or two wider than the cookie.
If you’d like to instead drizzle the chocolate, simply grab a spoon and go to town. I find that a quick back-and-forth waving motion over the cookies will get me those nice lines of chocolate. It can help with cleanup to place the cookies close together on a surface you don’t mind getting chocolate on (such as parchment paper) before doing the drizzle.
After you apply the chocolate, place back on the wire rack to solidify. Or, if that’s simply too long to wait (who am I kidding, it is) then serve immediately! Your friends won’t mind a little chocolate on their fingers.
Gluten Free Chocolate Almond Cutout Cookies
Ingredients
Method
-
For the cookies
Weigh out dry ingredients (excluding sugar) mix. Set aside.
Cream together butter and sugar until smooth and well combined, then whisk in the egg yolk and extract (whichever you are using). Sift the dry ingredients into the butter mixture and mix until combined. The dough will be firm. If mixing by hand you may have to knead it to integrate all of the flour mixture.
Form dough into a ball and allow to rest at least 30 min. If desired, rest dough in fridge overnight.
Once dough has rested, preheat oven to 300oF. Dust countertop with cornstarch and roll out the dough to roughly 1/8 inch thick. If the dough was rested in the fridge, be patient. The cold dough can be difficult to work with and if rushed can crack. Cut out desired shapes. Using a 2 1/2 inch diameter circle cookie cutter, this recipe makes 36 cookies.
Line baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Bake for 17-20 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through for even baking. It isn't easy to tell when these cookies are browning, so err on the side of caution.
Once removed from oven, immediately transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.
-
For the chocolate coating
Melt the chocolate and coconut oil in a small saucepan over a low heat, stirring constantly.
Once the chocolate is completely melted and smooth, remove from heat.
For dipping the cookies:
Transfer chocolate to a small container that can accommodate the cookies. Carefully dip the cooled cookies in the chocolate and return to the wire rack to allow chocolate to set.
For the chocolate drizzle:
Arrange cooled cookies close together on a surface you don't mind getting chocolate on (ex: parchment paper). Use a spoon to scoop chocolate and drizzle it over the cookies. Allow the chocolate to set before serving.