My almond butter and jelly cookies take me all the way back to elementary school and those yummy peanut butter and jelly sandwiches my mom used to make – they’re soft on the inside and slightly crunchy on the outside. And, best of all, they stick to the roof of my mouth just like a real peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
I came across a new cookbook that I absolutely love – Gluten-Free Baking by Rebecca Reilley
I don’t think I’ve ever said this before about any other book but if you don’t have this book, you should buy it now.
I’ve been playing around with some of her desserts. These delightful cookies have been adapted from her book – I reduced both the butter and almond butter and replaced it with applesauce to cut out some fat. I also used almond butter instead of peanut butter – I don’t eat peanut butter and almond butter is healthier.
They use garbanzo bean and brown rice flour. The more I cook with garbanzo bean flour, the more I love it. It’s is excellent for getting more fiber in your diet and is has some extra protein. Being a bean flour, it’s best used in dishes that include fruit purees or spices to mask the beany flavor. If you taste the batter, you get a beany aftertaste which literally disappears in the oven. And we all know that brown rice is a good grain. You can feel good about giving these goodies to your family.
A hint about making these cookies – they do spread slightly while they’re baking so I overfill the centers with fruit preserves. I like a lot of fruit with these, and overfilling allows the preserves to spread with the cookie and I end up with just the right amount.
Joe came home from work the other night to a house full of the mouthwatering smell of fresh baked almond butter cookies and baking racks stacked with them. He ate one, smiled, and said he was having at least three for dessert. I sent the rest to work with him and got the thumbs up, too.
Slightly Indulgent Mondays will be up Sunday night around 9 pm CST. There will be another great give-away and lots of great food made a little bit healtheir. Link up or just leave a comment for a chance to win.
This post is linked to:
- Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum
- Finer Things Friday at Amy’s Finer Things
What are your current favorite cookbooks? I know you have at least two. Let’s talk about it.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup agave nectar
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ¾ cup creamy almond butter
- 1 cup garbanzo bean flour
- 1 cup brown rice flour
- ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- your favorite all-fruit, sugarless preserves
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, cream butter until white. Add the agave and beat until very light, about 5 minutes. Add the applesauce and mix until blended – the mixture will appear curdled. That’s ok. Put almond butter in the microwave for 20 – 30 seconds, until soft but not hot. Add to butter mixture and mix well.
- Sift together garbanzo bean flour, brown rice flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add to wet ingredients until mixed well. Cover and let sit for at least an hour before baking.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Use a small ice cream scoop or a cookie scoop with a spring release to scoop dough. Roll into a ball using clean hands and place on sheet. Using your thumb, press down into the center of each cookie then fill with ½ teaspoon of sugarless fruit preserves.
- Bake for 10 – 12 minutes, until set. Cookies will seem under baked. Let cool on a baking rack. Try not to eat them all at once.
Enjoy!
angi
posted on October 2, 2009 at 9:33 am
these sound delicoius
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Kim
posted on October 2, 2009 at 10:10 am
YUM!! I am a sucker for anything with almond butter! I am making these next week!
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Amy Reply:
October 2nd, 2009 at 10:11 am
Let me know what you think.
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Mary
posted on October 2, 2009 at 11:50 am
These really look so good. Thank you for sharing the recipe with us. Have a great day.
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Amy @ Finer Things
posted on October 2, 2009 at 3:52 pm
I need to just move next door to you to get my cookie fix.
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Amy Reply:
October 2nd, 2009 at 7:19 pm
I am sure that you have tons of great sweets at your place – I love your muffins.
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Sandy Gillett
posted on October 2, 2009 at 7:11 pm
Thank you I will! Order the cookbook and make the cookies. I love to bake and baking SF/GF has been a real challenge for me until now. Now that I have found your wonderful site and have followed the links to other sites I am having success and feeling “normal”.
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Amy Reply:
October 2nd, 2009 at 7:18 pm
Let me know what you think about the book – she is a fabulous baker and has so many great ideas.
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Sandy Gillett Reply:
October 2nd, 2009 at 8:15 pm
I will. It should arrive next week.
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Karen
posted on October 2, 2009 at 7:59 pm
I am going to Barnes and Noble tomorrow. Hopefully they will have the cookbook you are recommending. My five year old granddaughter has Celiac Disease, so I am sure some of these recipes will be a real treat for her.
She lives in Mexico with her parents (my son!), so oftentimes it is a challenge to get some of the ingredients for GF cooking but we try to ship things down to them when we can.
I’m going to enjoy this blog! Thank you so much.
Karen
Ladybug Creek
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Amy Reply:
October 2nd, 2009 at 8:07 pm
I was at B&N today and I didn’t see it – they do have some g-free cookbooks. The problem I’ve had with so many is that the recipes don’t work. Not so with this cookbook. I am sure your daughter has to work really hard to take care of your granddaughter. I don’t know if Amazon ships to Mexico, but they have good products at fabulous prices. If I can ever do anything to help please let me know.
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Alta
posted on October 3, 2009 at 10:40 am
These would definitely be a kid favorite around my house. However, I’m not as in love with bean flour as many other GF bakers – it just doesn’t love me back, so to speak. Wonder what I could use to substitute…
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Amy Reply:
October 3rd, 2009 at 1:25 pm
At first I thought the same thing but once I did the math I figured out that at most there is two teaspoons of garbanzo bean flour in each cookie. If I ate ten I might have a problem but two or three is no big deal. Also, my doctor recommended garbanzo beans and flour to help with the sluggish gut that often occurs from eating gluten free. It’s really helped me.
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Mari
posted on October 3, 2009 at 10:59 am
I used to make the peanut butter version for my kids when they were small, and I still do make them on request. This version looks terrific, and on your recommendation I ordered the book. The reviews were good, so it looks like a great book to own. I was trying to stop buying cookbooks, but there are always exceptions to that rule!
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Amy Reply:
October 3rd, 2009 at 1:15 pm
You are going to love her book. Please let me know what your favorite recipes are – there are so many good ones it’s hard to choose.
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Lauren
posted on October 3, 2009 at 11:22 am
I love almond butter, and pairing it with jelly, in cookie form? Sounds like perfection!
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Amy Reply:
October 3rd, 2009 at 12:49 pm
I want to try making them in little cookie sandwiches. Of course I thought of it after I took the pics.
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lk (healthy delicious)
posted on October 3, 2009 at 6:50 pm
these look fabulous! and better yet – I think I have everything needed to make them right now!
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gfe--gluten free easily
posted on October 3, 2009 at 7:30 pm
I have yet to try almond butter, believe it or not. I’m sure I’d love it. I actually was tempted to buy some at Whole Foods when we picked up a few items to keep in our room, but knew I didn’t want to have to deal with bringing it back home. Eventually I’ll get some. I’m not big on fruit preserves, so I’ll try to do a brown sugar cinnamon center … remembering that filling from Pop-Tarts back in the day. LOL
I think I heard Rebecca Reilly speak at a GIG conference a few years back. Unfortunately she wasn’t talking about baking, but was cooking other dishes.
Love that first photo with the pink background!
Shirley
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Amy Reply:
October 4th, 2009 at 8:08 am
Shirley – you could just roll them in sugar and press them with a fork like regular peanut butter cookies. I, of course, can’t but they’d be fabulous that way.
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Jenn AKA The Leftover Queen
posted on October 5, 2009 at 4:46 pm
These really do look like a perfect little snack, Amy!
I love the looks of them too!
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Amy Reply:
October 5th, 2009 at 4:55 pm
I love them…but I love PB&J. So nutty and delish!
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Jenn
posted on November 6, 2009 at 5:33 pm
Hi Amy,
I’m a Holistic Nutritionist, always on the lookout for recipes that aren’t full of junk. I made this one the other night with a few modifications based on what I had. I subbed spelt flour for garbanzo, and threw in some carob chips in place of the preserves. My boyfriend freaked out and ate four within a 1 minute time span. He made me put the rest away before he devoured them all.
So I just wanted to say thank you thank you thank you for posting this recipe…it rocks!
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Amy Reply:
November 7th, 2009 at 9:56 am
@Jenn, It’s great to hear that you think this is a healthy recipe. How did the carob chips melt? They seem to bake ok for me if they’re not at all exposed (totally wrapped in dough) but if not they get a little dry and funky.
I love these cookies. In fact, I was just thinking that maybe they’d be good rolled in coconut and then baked. Thanks for coming back to share this!
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Rita
posted on December 23, 2009 at 12:49 pm
These are fast becoming my family’s favorite cookie! Since my brother and I cannot eat corn or dairy, I omitted the butter and xanthan gum (a corn derivative) and they still turned out wonderfully! I recently brought them to a cookie exchange party and the guests were pleasantly surprised to taste such delicious gluten free treats. Thanks for your inspirational recipes. Keep up the good work!
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Amy Reply:
December 23rd, 2009 at 12:59 pm
@Rita, Thanks so much for coming back to let me know. I am so glad that this works for you and you were able to modify the recipe to fit your dietary needs. It’s so helpful because there are others just like you who will benefit from your experience. Big hugs!!
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E.spez
posted on May 2, 2010 at 2:20 am
I made these yesterday and they are delicious! The almond butter and bean flour compliment each other so well. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
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Laura
posted on September 4, 2010 at 6:23 pm
YUM!!!! I made these cookies yesterday, and I love them! I used palm oil shortening instead of butter, and they were just as delicious (they just didn’t spread at all while they cooked). I love that these were easy and didn’t require too many ingredients. Thanks for the excellent recipe!
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Amy Reply:
September 6th, 2010 at 9:59 am
@Laura, Glad you like the cookies – and thanks for the substitution information. These cookies don’t spread too much, but they always spread a little for me.
Hugs,
Amy
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Archena
posted on November 3, 2011 at 8:13 am
Yum!!! Will have to try this soon!
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