I realize today is technically “Breakfast Friday.”

However.

Can we take a 1 week break?

flourless maple cinnamon almond butter cookies | edibleperspective.com

I brought cookies!!!

That has to help, right?

flourless maple cinnamon almond butter cookies | edibleperspective.com

These are a riff on the classic flourless peanut butter cookies [like these! or try my chocolate version!] that are so very simple to make. But this time instead of peanut butter I used almond butter.

And, since plain almond butter doesn’t really have too much flavor I thought I’d add a few other ingredients to liven these babies up.

Remember my Maple Cinnamon Almond Butter recipe from years ago? That’s probably the most popular recipe on the blog, so it only made sense to infuse these cookies with maple and cinnamon.

flourless maple cinnamon almond butter cookies | edibleperspective.com

After 4 trials testing a few different methods I finally landed on my favorite, but all methods were totally edible.

I tested the cookies using all baking powder, all baking soda, a half + half combo, and chilling the dough.

If you’re interested in the results read below…

1tsp Baking Powder: The cookies did not spread and slightly puffed. They ended up about the same thickness as when I placed them in the oven after pressing down with a fork in a crisscross pattern. The texture improved once these were fully cooled.

1tsp Baking Soda: These cookies spread completely after rolling into a ball and making the crisscross fork pattern. Photographed below. They became crisp once cooled and had a more buttery texture/taste. I really loved these but didn’t want them to spread as much.

1/2tsp Baking Powder + 1/2tsp Baking Soda: These still spread after baking [also had the crisscross pattern] but not quite as much. I preferred the texture of these but still wanted a cookie that didn’t spread.

1/2tsp Baking Powder + 1/2tsp Baking Soda with Refrigerated Dough [favorite]: Refrigerating the dough helped the cookies hold their shape. It was with this last trial that I tried not pressing down on half of the cookies and baked them in their rolled, ball-form. Neither cookie spread much and the rolled cookies had a softer center. Last photo in the post.

flourless maple cinnamon almond butter cookies | edibleperspective.com

As soon as I went to start testing these cookies I realized I didn’t have eggs and it was a snowy, 5 degrees outside. Walking to the store was not an option. So instead, I decided these cookies were going to be vegan, gluten-free, and flourless.

Ground flax for the win! It worked perfectly.

flourless maple cinnamon almond butter cookies | edibleperspective.com

Cookie testing definitely trumped lunch this day. Oy.

flourless maple cinnamon almond butter cookies | edibleperspective.com

Print this!

adapted from: flourless chocolate peanut butter cookies

Flourless Maple Cinnamon Almond Butter Cookies

gluten-free, grain-free, vegan // yields ~18 cookies

3 tablespoons coconut sugar, or sucanat/pure cane sugar
2 tablespoons ground flax meal
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon aluminum-free baking soda
1 cup natural creamy almond butter
5 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
large flaked sea salt, to top

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add in the almond butter, maple syrup, and vanilla. Stir/mash with a large spoon or fork until the mixture comes together and forms a thick dough [~1 minute]. It thickens as you stir. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 350* F. Remove the dough and roll into tablespoon sized balls. Place on a baking sheet with 2-inch spacing. Leave in ball-form or lightly press down in a crisscross pattern with a fork. Sprinkle with large flaked sea salt.

Bake for 8-12 minutes, depending on your desired doneness. If you leave the cookies in ball-form they may need an extra minute of bake time. Let cool on the pan for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack for at least 10 minutes. Warm cookies will be fragile and soft but firm up and hold together as they cool. You can test a small batch and then adjust the bake time depending on how “done” you want your cookies.

notes: The cookies will still turn out if not refrigerated, they just will spread more. If you don’t want the cookies to spread as much bake them in rolled ball form and don’t press down with a fork. If your almond butter has oil on top be sure to fully combine the oil with the nut butter before using. I’m not sure of the results if using the “no stir” type of almond butter. If you want thin + crispy cookies omit the baking powder and use 1 teaspoon baking soda. The cookies will spread on the pan and have a crisp, buttery texture.

flourless maple cinnamon almond butter cookies | edibleperspective.com

Head on over to my publisher’s blog for a fun doughnut-themed giveaway!

Also, check out the latest on my photography blog from my cousin Kara’s wedding.

Aaaand, happy weekend!

AND…GO BUCKS!!!

Okay, I’m done. For reals.

Ashley

Pumpkin Pie Milkshake with Cinnamon Maple Coconut Whipped Cream

gluten-free, vegan // yields 4, 1/2+ cup servings

for the milkshake:

1 can full fat coconut milk, whisked well

1/2 cup raw pecans

1 cup large flaked unsweetened coconut

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

3-4 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 – 1 3/4 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon all spice

1/16 teaspoon clove

pinch of salt

unsweetened almond milk, or soy/rice/etc.

for the coconut whipped cream:

1 can full fat coconut milk, fully chilled and not shaken

2 teaspoons maple syrup

1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Prep: Pour entire can of whisked coconut milk into an ice cube tray and freeze until solid. Chill a metal mixing bowl in the fridge. Preheat your oven to 350* F and spread the pecans and coconut on a baking sheet. Bake for about 10-15 minutes until the coconut starts to turn golden brown. Watch closely then remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

For the milkshake: Place coconut ice cubes, pumpkin, maple syrup, vanilla, spices, and salt in a high powdered blender and blend until fully smooth. Scrape as needed. Add small amounts of almond milk to get the mixture moving but use as little as possible. Taste and add more spices if needed. Place blender container in the freezer or pour into a bowl and place in the freezer.

For the coconut whipped cream: Open the chilled coconut milk can and scrape off only the solid cream at the top. [Save the liquid at the bottom for smoothies, savory thai dishes, etc.] Place the cream in your chilled bowl and beat with the whisk attachment until fluffy. Beat in the maple syrup and cinnamon.

Assemble: Remove blender from freezer and pulse a few times to make sure it’s well mixed. Portion into 4 dessert cups and scoop the coconut whipped cream on top. Sprinkle with toasted coconut and pecans then serve immediately.