There is quite a bit of difference between almond FLOUR (even differences between commercial brands - some are coarse, some more fine, some include the skins, others are blanched and skinless) and almond MEAL (ground almonds at home), and the third choice, almond flour made from the dehydrated pulp leftover from making almond milk (the perfect 2 for 1 product). I use all of them - it just depends on the recipe and results I want. My preference is to use almonds that I sprout and dehydrate first because they are easier to digest and it's also MUCH cheaper to make my own than to purchase commercial almond flour. But saying that, I always have a bag of Honeyville Grain Almond Flour in the house. I also avoid white and brown sugar and high-glycemic starches and flours common to many gluten-free cookbooks. If you find recipes that use rice flour you can mill your own, but use short- or medium-grain rice (white or brown - your choice) instead of long-grain rice. Long-grain rice is fine for a thickener or dredging, but not for baking. If you want to make cookies (or other baked goods) with almond flour, I'd suggest checking out Elana Amsterdam's web site - www.elanaspantry.com. The recipe for Pecan Shortbread Cookies linked below is a favorite recipe. Elana Amsterdam suggests using Honeyville Grain Almond Flour, and for her recipes I agree that's the best choice. Bob's Red Mill Almond Flour just doesn't cut it - it is much coarser and you'll get a grainy finished product, or you will get a lot of crumbling by using coarse almond flour. BTW, I was baking with almond flour long before we went gluten-free because it's low-glycemic. Same with coconut flour, another low-glycemic choice. Honeyville Almond Flour is one of the finer grinds you can find commercially. When you make your own almond flour using whole almonds, you chance making almond butter by the time you get the fine grind similar to Honeyville Grain Almond Flour. You may need to add sugar to the almonds while grinding. I get a much finer grind using pulp from almond milk made in the Vitamix compared to pulp from almond milk made in the Ninja blender. When completely dehydrated, I give the pulp a whirr in a small Ninja food chopper to break up the clumps - or run a rolling pin over it. I also get less pulp using a Vitamix. It's not a one-size-fits-all when it comes to texture provided by the different almond flour/meal products. When it comes to cookies, this one\-bowl recipe is by far the easiest. I often make this recipe when I have one ripe banana and bake them in my solar oven or in the convection/microwave oven on a pizza pan. SUPER\-SIMPLE BANANA COOKIES 2\-3 mashed bananas (2 large bananas or 3 small) 2 c. gluten\-free oatmeal 1 c. chopped dates (can use any dried fruit, or a mixture of dried fruit and mini\-chocolate chips, cacao nibs, finely chopped nuts, etc.) 1/3 c. coconut oil 1 t. vanilla 1/8 t. of salt (can omit) Preheat oven to 350\-degrees F. Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper, or use ungreased baking sheets. Mix all ingredients well and drop by teaspoonful (I use a \#50 portion scoop) onto baking sheets. Lightly press the dough until it is about 1/4\-inch thick and form into rounds. Bake 25 minutes, or until lightly browned. You can bake these cookies until soft or lightly crunchy \- your choice \- depending on how long you bake them. I like to use dried blueberries or dried apricots snipped into 1/4\-inch cubes using kitchen scissors. Dried cherries (snipped into smaller pieces) and mini chocolate chips makes a nice combination. Using one banana: 1 mashed banana 1 c. gluten\-free oatmeal 1/3\-1/2 c. dried fruit or mini chocolate chips (or combination) 2 T. coconut oil pinch of salt PEANUT BUTTER CRUNCH COOKIES Melt together: 1 stick butter 3/4 c. peanut butter In a large bowl add butter/peanut butter mixture and the remaining ingredients. Mix with an electric hand-held mixer. 1 t. baking soda pinch of salt 2 eggs 1 c. unsalted dry-roasted peanuts 1/2 c. raw or roasted sunflower seeds 1/2 c. almond flour 1/2 c. palm sugar 1/2 c. mini chocolate chips 1/2 c. unsweetened coconut 1/2 c. cacao nibs (optional) Cover two baking sheets with parchment. Use a #50 scoop for dough portions (note: make small cookies as this dough spreads). Bake in a 375-degree oven for 12 minutes. BLUEBERRY COCONUT PECAN BREAKFAST COOKIES These cookies are similar to Super\-Simple Banana Cookies. http://www.kumquatblog.com/2012/03/blueberry-coconut-pecan-breakfast.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ COCONUT OATMEAL COOKIE BARS (which are cookies, not bars) (Source: The Everything Coconut Diet Cookbook) Makes 24 1/2 c. coconut flour 1/2 c. coconut sugar 1/2 c. rolled oats 1/2 c. unsweetened shredded coconut 1/2 c. coconut oil 1 egg 1 t. baking soda Preheat oven to 350\-degrees F. In a mixing bowl, combine coconut flour, sugar, oats and shredded coconut. Melt coconut oil; add egg and baking soda. Mix well into dry ingredients. Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet; bake for about 10\-12 minutes, or until lightly browned at the edges. Remove from oven, and cool on a wire rack. \[Grainlady Note: I generally double the recipe. Use a \#50 portion scoop and press the cookies down before baking.\] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ These are my original recipes I developed for a local sorghum mill..... NUTELLA WHITE SORGHUM FLOUR COOKIES 1/2 c. Nutella Chocolate Hazelnut Spread 1/2 c. butter (softened) 1/4 c. white sugar 1/4 c. brown sugar 1 egg 1/2 c. white sorghum flour 1/2 c. dried potato flakes 1/4 c. flaxmeal 1/2 T. cornstarch 1 t. baking powder 1 t. baking soda 1/2 t. salt Preheat oven to 325\-degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl beat Nutella and butter with an electric mixer until light and creamy. Add the sugars and beat until fluffy. Beat in the egg just until mixed. In a medium bowl, combine the white sorghum flour, dried potato flakes, flaxmeal, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix by hand, only until ingredients are incorporated. Using a portion scoop, make dough into 1\-inch balls. Place on prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 12\-minutes. Remove cookie sheet from oven and allow the cookies to rest on the sheets for 2\-minutes, then remove to a wire rack to completely cool. Makes 65, 2\-1/2" cookies ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CHOCOLATE CHIP/COCONUT SORGHUM FLOUR COOKIES 1/2 c. butter (softened) 1/4 c. white sugar 1/4 c. brown sugar 1 egg 1/4 c. sour cream 2/3 c. white sorghum flour 1/3 c. dried potato flakes 1/3 c. flaxmeal 1/3 c. unsweetened coconut 1 t. cornstarch 1 t. baking powder 1 t. baking soda 1/2 t. salt 1/2 c. mini chocolate chips Preheat oven to 325\-degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl beat butter until light and creamy. Add sugars and beat until fluffy. Beat in egg and sour cream just until mixed. In a medium bowl, combine the sorghum flour, dried potato flakes, flaxmeal, coconut, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to the butter mixture and mix only until ingredients are incorporated. Using a small portion scoop, make dough into 1\-inch balls. Place on prepared cookie sheets. Bake about 10\-12 minutes. remove cookie sheets from the oven and allow the cookies to rest on the sheets 2\-inutes, then remove to a wire rack to completely cool makes 44 two\-inch cookies. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ WHITE SORGHUM PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES 1/2 c. natural peanut butter 1/2 c. butter (softened) 1/4 c. white sugar 1/4 c. brown sugar 1 egg 1/2 c. white sorghum flour 1/2 c. dried potato flakes 1/2 c. flaxmeal 1/2 T. cornstarch 1 t. baking powder 1 t. baking soda 1/2 t. salt Preheat oven to 350\-degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl beat softened butter and peanut butter with an electric mixer until light and creamy. Add the sugars and beat until fluffy. Beat in the egg just until mixed. In a medium bowl, combine the white sorghum flour, dried potato flakes, flaxmeal, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. By hand, mix into peanut butter mixture, only until ingredients are incorporated. Refrigerate dough for 20\-minutes. Using a portion scoop, make dough into 1\-inch balls. Place on prepared cookie sheets and press with a fork dipped into coarse sugar. Bake 8\-10 minutes in a pre\-heated 350\-degree F. oven. Remove cookie sheets from the oven and allow the cookies to rest on the sheet for 1\-2 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to completely cool. \-Grainlady This post was edited by grainlady on Tue, May 27, 14 at 8:43

There are a lot of great gluten-free cookie recipes. The simple FLOURLESS PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE recipe is probably the first one that comes to mind. 1 c. peanut butter 1 c. sugar 1 egg Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine ingredients and drop by teaspoonfuls on cookie sheet. Bake for 8 minutes. Let cool. Recipe doesn't make very many, so you could double recipe. Drizzle the top of these cookies with melted chocolate chips and/or chopped peanuts. You will find variations of this recipe. My version of this recipe has less total sugar from a low\-glycemic sugar, more fiber (almond and hi\-maize flour) and the cookies looks more like a traditional peanut butter cookie because I can press the dough with a fork (or potato masher) for that traditional hatch mark. 1 c. peanut butter (smooth) 1/3 c. palm sugar 1 egg 4 T. almond flour 2 T. hi\-maize flour 1 t. soda ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you want to venture into using almond flour and coconut flour, you will have a much larger variety and more traditional recipes. You can make both almond flour and coconut flour yourself to save some money. I make almond flour by making almond milk first, and the pulp left from the process is dried (I use my dehydrator), then I pulse it in my mini\-food processor to make a fine grind. To make coconut flour, use unsweetened coconut and blend it fine in a food processor or blender (be careful not to over\-blend it or you will get coconut butter). You can find more detailed instructions on\-line. If you purchase these ingredients, I'd suggest Honeyville Farms (honeyville.com) for almond flour (both blanched or unblanched \- they work the same in recipes \- and I make both blanched and unblanched at home) and Tropical Traditions (tropicaltraditions.com) for coconut flour. I think those two brands are superior to other brands. For almond flour based recipes: Elena's Pantry \- http://www.elanaspantry.com/ For coconut flour based recipes: Tropical Traitions \- http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/organic_coconut_flour.htm I try to stay away from recipes that get fussy with a large number of gluten\-free flours and starches, or pre\-packaged gluten\-free baking mixes, because they tend to be high\-glycemic (raise blood sugar) and more expensive to make. As another option, there are a lot of gluten\-free mixes available if you don't mind the cost and don't want to purchase a lot of gluten\-free ingredients you normally wouldn't use. Even Wal\-Mart is now carrying all kinds of gluten\-free mixes. SUPER SIMPLE BANANA COOKIES (I make these cookies several times a month.) 3 mashed ripe bananas (I usually use 2 small bananas OR 2 small bananas + 1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce \- depending on how soft or hard you want the cookies) 2 c. gluten\-free oats 1 c. chopped dates\* 1/3 c. coconut oil (or vegetable oil) 1 t. vanilla pinch of salt Preheat oven o 350\-degrees F. Mix ingredients well. Drop by teaspoonfuls (don't make them very large) onto an ungreased, or parchment\-lined, cookie sheet and press to flatten (I use my fingers \- and round the mounds slightly). Bake for 20\-25 minutes, or until lightly browned. Notes: \-I like to let the dough set for 5\-10 minutes (while the oven preheats) in order to hydrate all the ingredients. \-Depending on how long you bake them will determine whether the cookies are really soft or more crunchy. \-\*You can add any number of add\-ins besides dates. I often snip dried apricots into 1/4\-inch bits with my kitchen scissors and use a cup of them, add 1/4\-1/3 c. mini\-chocolate chips for Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, dried blueberries, dried apple bits, currants, dried cherries (I usually snip them into smaller bits with my kitchen scissors), or a mixture of these. For increased nutrition I often use 1/2 c. cacao nibs along with mini\-chocolate chips, and that is a good combination. \-I generally use a \#70 portion scoop and bake 2 standard cookie sheets full \- or 35\-40 SMALL cookies. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PEANUT BUTTER CRUNCH COOKIES 1 stick butter 3/4 c. peanut butter Microwave in a microwave\-safe dish to liquefy. 1 t. baking soda pinch of salt 2 eggs 1 c. unsalted dry\-roasted peanuts 1/2 c. raw or roasted sunflower seeds 1/2 c. almond flour 1/2 c. palm sugar (or brown sugar) 1/2 c. mini chocolate chips 1/2 c. unsweetened coconut (optional) 1/2 c. cacao nibs (optional) In a large bowl, use a hand\-held electric mixer to blend all ingredients. Drop by teaspoonfuls and press the mounds down slightly. Bake in a 375\-degree preheated oven for 12\-minutes. Notes: \-I use a \#50 portion scoop. \-Recipe makes 2 full pans, or 35\-40 small cookies. \-Grainlady

http://www.theglutenfreelifestyle.com/Gluten-Free%2520Baking%2520Invitational/PDF/Winning%2520Recipes.pdf http://www.luanekohnke.com/wp-content/upLoads/2010/10/Gluten_Free_Cookies.pdf http://www.frugalskills.com/pdf/Gluten-Free-Cookie-Recipes-by-Frugal-Skills.pdf from a web search, never tested myself

Recipe: gluten - free giant double chocolate cookie mottogear4 hours ago Eat this all by yourself, or share! Either way, it's one if the best cookies I've made! If you don't want it gluten free, use all purpose flour instead of the rice flour, and don't use the xanthen gum. ingrediants: •5 tablespoons rice flour (white or brown)• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract• 2 tablespoons softened butter• 2 tablespoons brown sugar• 2 tablespoons white sugar• 1/4 teaspoon xanthen gum• 1 egg yolk• 1 heaping teaspoon cocoa powder• 2-3 tablespoons chocolate chips directions: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2. In a medium bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar, and white sugar by hand (of you can use a mixer). Add egg yolk and vanilla extract and mix to combine. 3. Add rice flour, baking soda, xanthen gum, cocoa powder, and chocolate chips. Shape dough into a circle and place on a baking sheet. Flatten slightly. Bake in preheated oven for 13-15 minutes. Eat immediately.