Nutty, Sweet & Gluten-Free: Almond Flour Ingredient Spotlight

Almond flour is the star ingredient in a batch of classic macarons and a pantry staple for gluten-free bakers everywhere. Have you ever made anything with it?

Almond flour is made from grinding blanched skinless almonds until they become as fine and powdery as flour. Almond meal is the same thing, but made from unblanched almonds with their skins still on. The flour retains the flavor of almonds and gives baked goods a mildly sweet and nutty taste.

Neither the flour nor the meal contain gluten. This is a boon for people who are gluten-intolerant, but does present some challenges when using the flour in baking. Almond flour will need another ingredient (or several ingredients) to help hold it together. For macarons, egg whites bind the flour into a batter. When making gluten-free baked goods, creating a mix with other flours or using an ingredient like xanthan gum will do the trick. Almond flour also does very well when combined with regular all-purpose flour if you're not worried about keeping the recipe gluten-free.

Look for almond flour and almond meal in bulk at places like Whole Foods or in packages from companies like Bob's Red Mill and at Trader Joe's. If you're feeling industrious, you can also try your hand at making your own. Almond flour has the same oil content as the whole nut and has a limited shelf life at room temperature. Store it in the freezer to make it last longer.

Curious to try baking with almond flour? Take a look at these recipes:

• Weekend Project: Make Macarons • Vegan Vanilla Almond Sandies • Clotide Dusoulier's Mini Financiers • Almond Bites with Chocolate Ganache

What have you made with almond flour?

(Image: Nuts.com)

Comments (9)

I used unblanched ground almonds when making my lebkuchen.

This cookie recipe is my favorite use for almond meal- it tastes like chocolate banana bread!
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/nikkis-healthy-cookies-recipe.html

I have been making my own almond milk lately and have as a result lots of almond flour...I have been making lots of these cookies: http://maebird.blogspot.com/2010/04/nutty-chocolate-coconut-cookies.html much to the delight of my housemates :)

The recipe doesn't call for oats, but I normally double the recipe and add some oats, which add good nutrients, but also help the cookies stay together better it seems.

How long does the almond meal stay good in the refrigerator?

I can't eat Gluten, so Almond Flour is a staple in our house. I prefer to make my own gluten-free bread vs. buying the very expensive frozen bread at the store.

This is my go to recipe for great everyday bread. The key is to use the smaller 'magic loaf pan'. If you use your standard bread pan, you'll end up with a very flat little loaf!

http://www.elanaspantry.com/gluten-free-bread-20/

The woman who writes this blog uses almond flour as her primary baking flour. She has great other recipes on the blog.

I use it in place of breadcrumbs for meatloaf. My family loves it.

Just this weekend a friend told me about the chicken tenders she makes using almond flour and parmesan cheese and bakes in the oven.

I'm gluten free so I use almond flour regularly. I generally like it. I tend to use it for things that need a little bit of sweetness or when a bit of sweetness would add depth of flavor. It's perfect for muffins. I use it in my zucchini muffins which contain absolutely no sugar and were still a big hit with kids in my family.

I love nut flours and have bought almond flour twice within the month. First to make a super good whole orange cake: http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/808219/almond-flour-and-almond-meal-recipes and then made another super good cake with hazelnut and almond flour here: http://minimalista.org/photo/zimtkuchen-cinnamon-cake/

I think the Germans use nut flours a lot in their cakes and I just love the flavor. There used to be a small bakery in Soho in NYC, Tarlette that made this wonderful walnut scone that smelled like marizpan and was soo delicious.

I grind my own almond flour and use it to make a pie crust for my hubby who is on a lo-carb diet.