Sugar-Free and Gluten-Free Cookies Recipe with Almond and Flaxseed Meal

It's President's Day weekend in the U.S., but before I take a few days off, I thought I'd share this cookie recipe I made recently. If you've looked through my recipe archives, you see I don't make a lot of desserts, but a few years ago I had a reader named Adam who inspired me to post a recipe for low-carb snickerdoodles (with one of those photos that makes me wince a bit now when I see it.) That recipe uses a whole stick of butter and although the cookies were delicious and it worked for Adam, who was an Atkins dieter, it's not something I would make now.

However, recently I found myself thinking about experimenting a bit with that recipe since I've been wanting to make cookies for my stepmother who needs to avoid sugar. The recipe contains Splenda, which I realize some people don't want to use. Obviously, Splenda is used here to replace sugar, and since cookies like this are something I'd make very rarely, I do consider it to be safe and healthier than using white sugar. In the updated version of this cookie, I changed the butter for trans-fat free margarine and added a bit of flax seed meal to add some extra nutrition. This is a flourless cookie, and my favorite gluten-free expert tells me that as long as you make sure to use gluten-free margarine, this recipe is gluten-free as well as being sugar free and low in carbs.

Sugar-Free and Gluten-Free Cookies with Almond and Flaxseed Meal
(Makes about 15 cookies, adapted from RecipeZaar.)

1/2 cup trans-fat free margarine (be sure not to choose a margarine that has water for the first ingredient)
1 1/2 cups almond meal (I use Bob's Red Mill brand)
2 T flaxseed meal (I use Bob's Red Mill brand)
1 cup granular Splenda
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla (I use Mexican vanilla)
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

Put on a plate for rolling cookies:
2 T Splenda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

In large mixing bowl, beat margarine with electric mixer for 30 seconds. Add half the almond meal, Splenda, flaxseed meal, egg, vanilla, baking soda, and cream of tartar and blend well with mixer until thoroughly combined. Beat in the rest of the almond meal. Cover bowl and chill several hours, or as long as overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine 2 T Splenda and ground cinnamon on plate. Use a tablespoon to scoop out dough, then roll into a small ball and roll in Splenda/cinnamon mixture. Place on cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. (I used a fork to smash the cookies down, which is optional.)

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until cookies are slightly firm and starting to brown. (I got distracted and baked them a few minutes too long, but they still tasted great.) Cookies will get more firm as they cool. These cookies are a bit more crumbly than regular cookies, but I thought the crisp texture was really nice. Cookies will keep for a few days, or can be frozen for a few months.

South Beach Suggestions:

Made with trans-fat free margarine, cookies like this would be approved for any phase of the South Beach Diet. They aren't low in fat, even with margarine, so this would probably be a "once-in-a-while-treat" for South Beach Dieters.

More Sugar-Free Cookie Ideas:
(Recipes from other blogs may not always be South Beach Diet friendly, check ingredients.)
Flourless, Sugar-Free Peanut Butter Cookies
Low Carb Cookies with Meringue and Pecans
Healthy Sugar-Free Cookies from In Love with Food
Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free Hamantaschen from Gluten Free Bay

Things you might want to know:
You can get Kalyn's recipes by e-mail.
There's a great way to print recipes on Kalyn's Kitchen.
It's easy to find out who's hosting Weekend Herb Blogging this week.
There are actual rules for Weekend Herb Blogging.
Here is another place where I write more about food.

Tags:
Food Recipes Cooking South Beach Diet Recipes
Low Carb Recipes Low Glycemic Index Recipes
Diabetes Friendly Recipes