Saffron Vanilla Rothschilds

Welcome to my gluten-free Christmas. Well I suppose it's not actually my gluten-free Christmas; it's Nick's mom's gluten-free Christmas.  She recently embarked on a gluten-less lifestyle so I figured I would try to make a few Christmas cookies that fit into her new diet.  She found a recipe in the paper for a vanilla saffron almond cookie that sounded a lot like the Rothschild cookies that we made in culinary school.  So I took inspiration from the ingredients in the paper and modified a Rothschild recipe to make these delicious cookies.

I'm not a big fan of gluten free flours because they are usually hard to find, expensive, and a mixed bag of results.  So when I make things for people with a gluten intolerance I prefer to lean toward recipes that are naturally gluten-free and don't take any substitutions. Rothschilds and macarons are the way to go (don't worry - there is a macaron recipe coming soon too!).  They use almond flour (sometimes called almond meal) which you can normally find in the baking section of the grocery or even just on Amazon (I use this one: Almond Flour - Fine - 1 bag, 1 lb).

These cookies are pretty easy to make.  They take a little longer than other cookie recipes because they require a meringue be made first and the almond flour gently folded into the meringue.  Whipping egg whites into meringue isn't hard at all - the only real trick is making sure you don't get even a drop of yolk into your whites (the fat in the yolk keeps the egg whites from setting up properly).  Finally make sure you add the sugar in slowly, patience here pays off, if you add it to quick you're going to end up starting over which takes waaaay more time than if you just add the sugar slowly.

After the cookies came out of the oven this morning everyone gave them a try.  They definitely were a winner and didn't taste like a substitute cookie at all!  Even if you're not gluten-free you'll love these cookies that are sans-gluten.  They go great with a cup of tea or a coffee.  And they only have about 25 calories per cookie!  So munch away! :)

Saffron Vanilla Almond Cookie Recipe

Ingredients

yields about 60 cookies

1 pinch saffron threads, crushed

1 T. hot water

5 egg whites

2 t. vanilla extract

1/2 t. salt

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 1/2 cups almond flour (sometimes called almond meal)

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 300 degrees and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or a silpat.

2) In a large mixing bowl (or the mixing bowl of your stand mixer) add the hot water and saffron - crumble up the saffron threads in your hands before adding them in.  Let stand for 2-3 minutes.

3) Meanwhile, separate the eggs leaving only the whites (you'll have to use the yolks for another recipe as you don't need them here).  Add the egg whites, vanilla, and salt to the saffron water mixture and beat until frothy and soft peaks begin to form.

4) Scrape down the sides of the bowl using a spatula and turn the mixer back on.  Add the sugar slowly 1 T. at a time.  After all the sugar is incorporated scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue to beat until the egg whites are firm and glossy with stiff peaks (see picture above).

5) Gently fold in the almond meal.  

6) Place 1/2 T. sized mounds on the cookie sheet or put the mixture into a piping bag and make little S shapes with a wide round tip.

7) Place in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly golden and puffy.  Let them cool completely on the baking sheet before attempting to remove them (if hot they will stick to the sheet - if cool they will slide right off no problem).  Store in an airtight container at room temperature (don't freeze or refrigerate these or they will get an odd texture).