Coffee Almond Thins

This almond thins recipe is a result of my need to nibble. Often around 5 in the evening or mid morning I feel like a smallish snack, more to satisfy my mouth rather than my stomach. At such times, these slender and chewy, a little sweet, slightly salty, coffee almond thins hit the spot.

A hit of coffee

Chewing on these thins is like sipping black coffee…well almost. The coffee is intense and that’s what I love – a flavour for grown-ups. Their rich brown colour gives them a certain sophistication and maturity I think. Maybe I’m making a lot about a little colour but I really think that the experience of eating a strong coffee-flavoured cookie is more real when the cookie looks like a close cousin of coffee. Not like drinking one of those milky coffee drinks that look like they belong in the nursery. I used strong-ish instant coffee powder, no dilutions. 

Sweet & salty

Raw sugar in the batter makes this almond thins recipe moderately sweet. It’s also the reason why they have a pleasant chewiness, a quality that engages your full mouth and as a result leaves you feeling satisfied even after you’ve eaten only one. The sea salt crystals are a mere whisper in the recipe, they’re hidden from sight but your tongue can hear them. Quiet, but making their presence felt in a seemingly sweet treat.

Flourless cookie

This recipe is gluten-free – it has almond flour and a little bit of rice flour. Almond flour is naturally moist with oil and so no other form of oil or fat is needed. Rice flour brings a small amount of crunch and texture to the thins, a little body and a bit of a  bite. Toothsome is the word that best describes these coffee almond thins. 

Egg whites bind the batter, from 3 eggs. It’s more liquid than most cookie batters, so don’t be alarmed. It just means that they’re free form. You can try and get perfect circles, I couldn’t and honestly it doesn’t matter. Just use a tablespoon (or teaspoon if you want smaller ones) to drop them on the baking sheet ensuring that they have space to spread. This may mean that you may get fewer on a tray in each batch; don’t worry, bake them in 2 rounds if needed. There’s no leavening in there so nothing will happen to the batter waiting the first batch bakes up. 

Working with this almond thins recipe was relaxing and freeing even – almost nothing can go wrong. They cook very quickly, in 15 minutes. But make sure to cool them completely before you store them in an airtight container between layers of parchment so that they don’t stick to each other. Avoid putting them in the fridge, it’ll make them sticky. Room temperature for 5-6 days is fine – they’ll be gone before that I promise.