These crispy delicate cookies are modeled after French lace cookies, typically made with butter, white flour, and lots of sugar. Instead, I use ground nuts and whipped up aquafaba or the liquid drained from canned chickpeas (click here to learn more about it, it is brilliant…I wish I had thought of it on my own!!!), so it is completely vegan! I cut down drastically on the sugar – only 4 tablespoons for 2 1/2 dozen cookies, to be exact! They are absolutely delicious!
Makes 30 cookies
Ingredients
3/4 cup aquafaba* (unsalted)
4 tablespoons organic cane sugar
1 cup whole almonds (roasted, unsalted)
1 cup whole hazelnuts (roasted, unsalted)
1/4 teaspoons pure almond extract
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350º F. Place the aquafaba liquid in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on high speed with the whisk attachment until it starts to foam (4 to 5 minutes). Then, with the motor still running, slowly add in the organic cane sugar, one tablespoon at a time, and then the almond extract, and continue to beat for an additional 5 to 8 minutes or until stiff peaks form and the mixture is glossy – see video clip above.
Read More: 12 Vegan Egg Substitutes
Meanwhile, place the whole almonds and hazelnuts in the bowl of a food processor and grind finely. Gently stir the whipped-up aquafaba with the ground nuts (do not over stir!). Drop by big rounded tablespoons onto a baking sheet, lined with parchment paper. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes.
Let cool for just 1 minute and gently lift each cookie with a spatula. Store in an airtight container so that the cookies stay crunchy.
* Aquafaba is the drained liquid from one (15 oz) can organic chickpeas (no salt added).
Image, video, and recipe via Catherine Katz of Cuisinicity.com
