You know those cookies that they have at all-you-can-eat Chinese buffets? They’re crispy and almondy and probably made with lard and chemicals. And, I loved those things.
There aren’t too many things I really miss from my gluten-filled life, but Chinese buffets are one of them. (Someone really needs to open a gluten-free Chinese restaurant.)
Anyway, I tried to make some of those cookies. 4 times.
These aren’t those.
But, they are the best of my 4 trial runs.
Sometimes, you just have to run with what you’ve got.
Grain-Free, Vegan Almond Shortbread
Almond Shortbread Cookies (grain-free, vegan)
1/2 cup (96 g) palm shortening
1 t. psyllium powder
1/3 cup palm sugar, ground in a blender until powdered
1/4 cup (28 g) tapioca starch
1.5 cups (135 g) blanched almond flour
1 t. almond extract
1 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
handful of whole almonds
Preheat oven to 350°. Put shortening and psyllium powder in a bowl and beat until creamy. Add powdered palm sugar and beat well. Add starch, flour, baking powder, and salt and blend well. Using a cookie scoop, scoop dough onto parchment-covered cookie sheets. With wet hand, slightly flatten each cookie. Top each with a whole almond. Bake for 12-14 minutes, rotating pan once.
Looking for more healthy treats? Check out Wellness Weekends.
The Mommy Bowl 
My mom used to have a recipe for those–tasted just like the restaurant ones! As I recall, they had a lot (A LOT) of Crisco shortening in them. . . 😉 These look infinitely better. 🙂
I still want to figure out how to make them taste like the restaurant ones. Which is weird, because normally I don’t even like crispy cookies. Too bad your mom doesn’t still have the recipe. 🙂
As your cookie recipes always do – these look amazing.
PF Chang’s and Pei Wei both do gluten free Chinese food well. Certainly not the buffets with dozens of choices of the old pre-gf days but what they have on the gf menus are good. I do well with both even with my sensitivities and have never had a reaction at either.
These look great, Deanna! I do love Chinese food and admittedly still miss the fun of opening a fortune cookie at the end of the meal. Not enough to make them myself though (I know there are gluten-free recipes for them). So I’ll have to make your cookies in the near future to suffice. 😉
Shirley
Pingback: Recipe for Healthy Gluten-Free Diet: Allergy-Friendly Christmas Cookies