I often entertain people who have food allergies or sensitivities. In this day and age, it’s really not uncommon. My own family has struggled through 3 generations of milk allergies, as well as sensitivities to alliums and nightshades. In fact, my most recent cookbook, Food Is Love, has a whole section on cooking with dietary restrictions.
One of the more common issues I see is gluten intolerance. So, I’m always on the lookout for tasty gluten-free recipes, particularly for desserts. I’ve got several tried-and-true recipes, tested by family and friends, but am always on the hunt for more.
Recently we hosted a social distancing Cinco de Mayo event for the neighborhood. We placed a fire pit in the middle of the cul-de-sac and everyone brought their own chairs and cups. Everything that was served was in single serving containers: tamales, sauce, tacos, street corn salad, gazpacho shooters, dulce de leche cupcakes, and Mexican wedding cookies.
Most of the items were already gluten free, except the sweet treats. As one of our neighbors cannot tolerate gluten, I decided to make a cookie reminiscent of the Mexican wedding cookies—a crumbly pecan round coated in powdered sugar. They’re a mess to eat but so delicious that you don’t care if white specks cover the front of your shirt. Of course, I’m partial to anything with nuts, which is one of the reasons that I love these.
My search yielded a simple recipe on the blog Eating Bird Food. What I really liked about this version is that it only makes a dozen or so cookies. So, if you need a gluten-free cookie for just one or two guests, this is the recipe to use. (Of course, those of us that can eat gluten love these as well!)
The original recipe is for crescent-shaped cookies, with a yield of 23. I am highly suspicious of that number, as making round cookies only yielded 12. I suppose if you made them small enough, you might be able to squeeze out 11 more. So, it’s up to you on the shape and size of the cookies. You can make rounds or crescents and you can have 10-12 generously sized cookies or 20-24 tiny ones. Either way, you will not be disappointed. (And apologies for not having a picture of them.)
I also found that you can substitute almond meal for the almond flour. Almond flour is super fine and usually light beige or yellowish in color. Almond meal looks more like ground up almonds that had the skin on. I buy Trader Joe’s Almond Meal, as it is affordable and I can almost always use it interchangeably with almond flour.
Oh, and depending on the shortening you use—like Earth Balance—these can also be made in a for those who are strictly vegan.
Check out the delicious recipe after the jump….
Gluten-Free Mexican Wedding Cookies
1 cup finely ground almond flour or almond meal
3 tablespoons softened butter, ghee, margarine
3 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup finely chopped pecans
Confectioner’s sugar for dusting
Preheat over to 325 degrees and line a baking sheet with either parchment or a silpat.
Mix the almond flour, butter, sugar, vanilla and salt in a bowl until a cohesive dough forms. This takes a bit of work, and you may find that using your hands toward the end will help the dough come together. Add in your pecans and mix thoroughly.
Using a small ice cream scoop or a tablespoon, scoop out dough and roll into a ball.* Place 1 inch apart on the cookie sheet and smash slightly. Repeat until all dough has been used. Bake for 20 minutes or until they start to turn a light golden brown on top.
Remove from oven and cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Then roll each in a bowl of powdered sugar to thoroughly coat.
*For crescents, roll your dough into a log and then shape in a crescent shape.
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