Swedish Almond Cookies (Gluten- and Sugar-Free)

The times spent in the kitchen with my grandmother are full of fond memories. We would talk for hours while we made pumpkin pie, Swedish meatballs and cookies by the dozen.

It was a peaceful time, where flour and sugar were everywhere and the giggles were non-stop.

Swedish almond cookies
Swedish almond cookies

Add in a cold glass of milk, or a hot cup of peppermint, or honey and ginger tea and you have the perfect Sunday afternoon at Grandma’s house.

My favorite cookies weren’t overly sweet or full of frosting. They were simple treats with just enough sugar to know that they were cookies. Yet, not enough that it could send you into a sugar spike.

Grandma must’ve known how kids and sugar didn’t mix very well, even back then. Or, is that why we were sent outside to play after our milk and cookies? Could be.

Tweaking the Recipe a Bit

I still make my grandmother’s recipes with my children. We sometimes have to tweak the recipe to get what we want, yet have as few processed ingredients as possible.

Whereas Grandma used white flour and sugar, we get the same flavors and textures by using almond flour and erythritol. This reduces the overall carbohydrate load in the cookies, making them a bit healthier to indulge in.

You can use castor or powdered sugar in place of the erythritol if you don’t have any available and the urge for Swedish cookies overtakes you and you simply have to bake them NOW, but the calories count will be considerably higher.

Some Info on Erythritol

Now for a little bit of information on erythritol, if you are unfamiliar with this sugar replacement. It’s been around for a while Xylitol and Mannitol are probably better known.

The good thing about erythritol is that it has zero calories per gram – yep, none, whereas sugar has 4 calories per gram. The small intestine can absorb it quickly then get it moved through the system and excrete it with the urine in under 24 hours.

That leaves it no chance to hang around in the body. Erythritol was approved in 1999 by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the FDA followed with their approval in 2001.

The good news is that erythritol doesn’t affect glucose or insulin levels, making it safe for people with diabetes.

Shape the Cookies to your Preference

The instructions with this recipe advise forming a log of dough and placing the refrigerator then simply cutting coins of dough to place on the cookie sheet. This gives you a flat cookie.

If you prefer a slightly domed shape then wrap the dough in parchment and place in the refrigerator for 20 or so minutes then pinch off pieces of dough and roll them into balls with your hands, press one side gently in the almond pieces or slivered almonds, then place on the cookie sheet and brush with milk.

Alternatively, you can cut the dough into rectangles for a rectangular cookie.

They will spread as they bake leaving you with the domed shape. If using whole almonds place one in the center of each cookie after placing them on the sheet.

If you’re using sliced/diced almonds, put 1 tablespoon of them on each cookie.

If you happen to have plenty of almonds from your trees on the homestead then you can make your own almond mixture flour in your food processor, adding ¼ cup of almonds at a time until you have enough flour for the recipe.

Bear in mind using unblanched almonds with the skin on will give a slightly darker flour than one made with blanched almond flour where the brown outer skin has been removed. They both taste great – it’s just the color of the cookies that will vary slightly.

If you would like to dunk them in homemade almond milk, learn how to make that here.

These Swedish Almond cookies have a nice almond flavor, and a light texture that will hold up to dunking in milk or tea. Or just munching on the sly if you prefer.

You can make the dough ahead of time, cut it and freeze it, so you can make a number of smaller batches of cookies when it suits you. Alternatively you can bake a large batch and freeze the cookies to take out for treats when you please.

Swedish almond cookies

Swedish Almond Cookies Recipe

Jeanie Beales
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine swedish
Servings 36 cookies (3 inch in diameter)

Ingredients
  

  • ¾ cup softened butter 6 ounces or 170 g
  • ¾ cup erythritol 5.3 ounces or 150 g
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons almond extract 0.34 ounce or 10 ml
  • 2 ¾ cup almond flour 0.34 US fluid ounce, or 270g
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder 0.34 ounce or 10 ml
  • 36 whole almonds or a handful of almond pieces or slivered almonds for pressing into the cookies

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
  • Bring butter and eggs to room temperature.
  • Cream softened butter with erythritol, and beat with a mixer until fluffy.
    Butter and sweetener creamed
  • Add in eggs and almond extract.
  • Add the dry ingredients and sift together almond flour and baking powder, add in one cup at a time.
    Almond flour being incorporated
  • Using an electric mixer, mix well until dough come together. It may be a bit shaggy, but that's okay. Just keep working it with clean hands.
  • Form a 2-inch diameter log with the dough and wrap in parchment paper.
  • Chill in the fridge for at least an hour.
    Log of almond cookie dough
  • Cut the cookie dough into ½-inch and 1-inch strips or slices and place on cookie sheets. Alternatively, wrap the ball of dough in parchment paper and cool, then divide dough into fourths, roll it into small balls, and press one side into the almond pieces.
  • The cookies spread, so leave plenty of space between them when placing on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet or baking sheet. Sprinkle almond pieces on top.
    Log cut cookies ready to bake
  • Bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly golden brown, bearing in mind the time may vary depending on your type of oven. If you want a deeper color then bake for 12 – 14 minutes instead.
  • Leave the baked cookies on a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

  • You can also use other types of nuts if you don’t have almonds on hand; keep in mind that different nuts will give different flavors. Other nuts you can use include walnuts, and pecan nuts.
  • You can drizzle some vanilla or almond glaze over the top or roll your cookies in powdered sugar

Store in an airtight covered container for up to 4 days, or in the freezer in an airtight bag for up to 3 months.

What was your favorite memory growing up? What foods do you associate with that memory? Share in the comments and pin this for later!

Swedish almond cookies pin

9 thoughts on “Swedish Almond Cookies (Gluten- and Sugar-Free)”

  1. These look yummy! I love to make cookies and some of our favorite cookies are German. I’d expect these to taste similar. Thanks for sharing!

  2. Thank you for including Celsius temperatures and metric measurements! My daughter is going to give these a try for her Swedish presentation at our home-schooling group in 4 days; she neededsomething gluten-free for one of her friends, and something easy for her own sake. We love almondy cakes and biscuits/cookies so have high hopes. x

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