Almond Flour and Jam Roll-up Scones

Blanched Almond flour is a wonder in the kitchen. Heart-healthy, low-carb and packed with protein, antioxidants, iron and other vitamins like Vitamin E, it's a welcome shift away from white flour, even if not a permanent change in the kitchen. With summer rolling around, everyone wants to eat lighter, and these scones are a welcome treat in Spring. Almond flour always contributes a soft texture to baked goods, as well as moisture. So pour yourself some organic coffee or tea, bake these scones and reap the benefits. This gluten-free powerhouse of a culinary staple isn't hard to find. Online stores such as Nuts.com have different packaging options.

An act of trust

My mother-in-law to be made biscotti around the holidays this year and when we dunked them into coffee on Christmas I was immediately reminded how lovely they are. Her's were studded with pistachios and apricots and anise and nice and toasty. Homemade twice-baked biscotti is so much better than what you'd get in a package. Unlike other cookies, they do have a longer shelf life but when you've molded the fresh dough yourself it's a game-changer. At about three points since Christmas I stocked those add-ins in my pantry only to reach for them and find: we've snacked on the pistachios and they're now gone, the apricots got chopped into granola, and the anise is there, waiting to be used in a sweet application (though it does like to be crushed into meatball mix). Last week I decided I would let her's be her's and go a different direction with the inspiration.  

Again and again

I can't resist sharing these on here. A simple cookie made from good butter, oat flour (mostly), and a customizable spice mix (I went for cardamom and orange zest--Again--), they are cut with a nice dose of salt and sweetened just enough to round things out. With no eggs or leavening to measure out, they come together in a flash and will be churned out in my mixer again and again. That's the kind of stuff that should be talked about. Taking them for a dip in dark chocolate is the icing on the cake, but of course optional, as you do have to wait for them to set up a bit. Once they do, they hold up nicely for a few days in a container. 

I'm just crazy about this shortbread and its reliance on oat flour.  Experimenting with different flours is always on my radar but oat flour is made in 5 seconds by opening your pantry. Simply grind rolled oats in a coffee grinder finely to yield your desired amount. My other secret? Don't clean the grinder first. You'll get a little coffee flavor into your spiced shortbread. Surfing around the web to do a bit more research before diving into this, I found that traditional Scottish shortbread, was originally often made with oat flour, as it was a food of the poorer class. Little did they know they were tapping into the secret to tender cookies: lower the gluten.