Sweet, chewy, and full of dried apricots, these Almond Apricot Cookies are made with almond flour and aquafaba to keep them gluten free and vegan.
Well, we can officially say it's the holiday season. My tree is up, and Christmas lights are on. Do you do a lot of Christmas baking? Some years I do, some years I don't. This year I'm trying to keep it at a minimum. BUT - everyone ones just one special treat, and none of those special treats are the same. And then Pinterest happens, and I'm like "ooh, those look good" and "those look just like the ones Granny used to make!" So we'll see. May not be so minimal after all.
If these Chewy Almond Apricot Cookies don't make the cut for your Christmas baking list, that's totally okay. After all, I don't really think they're Christmas cookies per se and you can feel free to make them at any time of the year. But with their snowballesque shape and dusting of powdered sugar, they can definitely pass as Christmas cookies with no problem. And, since they're vegan and gluten free, they will be safe for your friends or family who may follow special diets.
These chewy little morsels are made with a base of almond flour. They also have some chopped dried apricots mixed in to give some sweetness and add extra chewiness. I like the non-sulphered ones - you'll be able to identify them because they're brown, not orange due to a lack of preservatives. While the color is less appealing, I think they taste far better than the standard orange apricots. I get mine at Costco.
The binder in these cookies is aquafaba. Aquafaba is the water that is left after cooking or canning beans, most commonly chickpeas. The composition of this water makes it very similar to egg whites. You can even whip it up into a stable meringue. Just don't try to stir it into an omelet. I think that would be far less successful. Anyway, if you don't have any, or don't feel like using beans, feel free to use egg whites instead, but then the cookies will no longer be vegan.
Almond Apricot Cookies Nutrition Notes:
The nutrition information for these almond apricot cookies (see below) was calculated using aquafaba. Using egg whites will provide similar nutrition info. The nutrition info also assumes that you will use all of the powdered sugar for rolling the cookie balls in, but you likely will not. In this case, the cookies will be slightly lower in sugar than the nutrition information shows.
Chewy Almond Apricot Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 ¾ cups almond flour
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup powdered sugar, divided
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 5 Tablespoons aquafaba (chickpea cooking liquid), or 3 egg whites
- ½ cup dried apricots, chopped
Instructions
- Heat oven to 300°F. Prepare a baking pan by lining it with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Pulse almond flour, granulated sugar, ½ cup of the powdered sugar and the salt together in a food processor until mixed. Add the vanilla and almond extract. Add the aquafaba, 2 Tablespoons at a time, processing until incorporated after each addition.
- Turn the food processor to low speed. Add the chopped apricots and process on slow speed until the apricots are incorporated.
- Place the remaining ¼ cup of powdered sugar in a small bowl. Scoop the dough with a teaspoon, and roll into 1 inch balls. Roll each ball in the powdered sugar, tapping off any excess. Place balls about ½ inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until balls appear dry and cracked. Cool on baking sheet for at least 10 minutes before serving. Store leftovers in an airtight container or zipper bag at room temperature or in the freezer.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer: I try my best to make sure the nutrition information I provide is accurate to provide you with the best information possible. However, due to ingredient discrepancies and other factors, the above nutrition information should be considered an estimation only.
Cindy
Does it make a difference to use a food processor, or can I use a hand mixer to mix the dough?
Carissa
The dough is quite firm, but as long as your mixer is quite powerful, I would think it should probably get the job done.
Diana
Fabulous!
Cindy
These are really tasty, made them several times! I was thinking of cutting down the amount of almond flour to 2 cups and using GF flour for the remainder, to lessen the amount of almond intake and maybe make them a bit fluffier/lighter. Will this work, or do I have to add more/different ingredients like baking soda or more liquid? Thanks!
Carissa
I think replacing some of the almond flour with GF flour would change the texture a lot. Maybe good, maybe not, but it's hard to say because I've never tried. If you're going to try, I'd suggest cutting the recipe in half or a quarter just in case it doesn't turn out well. That way, you're not wasting as much pricey almond flour.