Orange Cardamom Almond Crinkles

A while ago, I was listening to the Splendid Table Podcast, when I heard Aran Goyoaga talk about her famous Orange-Flower Water & Almond Crinkles and various flavour profiles to which the recipe might be adapted. Already a fan of of her gluten-free cookbook, Cannelle et Vanille Bakes Simple, I knew I’d have to try both the original and create my own riff on the classic. So, after enjoying the original a few dozen times — These cookies take very little time and effort! — I decided upon an orange and gentle cardamom profile, omitting the floral component for pickier eaters. Enjoy my riff on her classic! Admittedly, they don’t look like much…but just one bite and you’re hooked…..These Orange Cardamom Almond Crinkle Cookies are great little nibbles to make ahead and bring to a party as a favour. Not that they’ll likely make it out of the house! The cardamom flavour is subtle here. And the orange almond combination tastes like heaven!

Print Recipe

Orange Cardamom Almond Crinkles

A gentle riff on Aran Goyoaga's Crinkles*

Servings: 16

Ingredients

• 1½ c [150 g] almond flour
• 1 ⅛ c [145 g] icing sugar, divided into 1 c for the batter and ⅛ cup for dusting
• 2 tsp fresh orange juice [lemon juice may be substituted]
• 1 tsp orange zest [1 generous to 1½ tsp, or, as much as you can microplane from a small navel orange]
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 large egg

Instructions

• Set your broiler on high [550°F].
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a small bowl, beat the egg and vanilla lightly with a fork.
• In a medium to large mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, 1 cup of the icing sugar, lemon/orange juice, orange zest, cardamom, and half of that beaten egg mixture [eyeball it] with a spatula.
• Add the remaining egg mixture and stir with a spatula or mix with cool, clean hands until the dough is moist and sticky and forms into a bit of a ball.
• Allow this dough sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. [Don't skip this step!]
• While the dough is sitting, place ⅛ cup icing sugar in a small bowl or on a small plate.
• With a clean tablespoon and clean hands, gather approximately 1 tbs of dough, rolling it in your palms into 1-inch balls. Place the balls of dough on the parchment lined cookie sheet temporarily.
• Roll each dough ball in the icing sugar and place them back on the parchment lined cookie sheet.
• Now for the fun part! Place the baking sheet on the lower or middle rack of your hot oven.
• Immediately turn the oven off!
• Bake the cookies in the hot-but-turned-off oven for 12 to 15 minutes, until they are cracked and golden brown. At the 12 minute mark and not before, try to peer through the oven window rather than opening and closing the oven door. [I have a new and fairly efficient gas oven. I leave mine in the full 15 minutes. The cookies will be soft looking, but the bottoms should be slightly brown.]
• Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the pan for 10 minutes.
• Cooled cookies can be stored in airtight containers or tins for up to seven days. The flavour may, in fact, improve with time.

Notes

*This recipe is a very gentle revision of Aran Goyoaga’s Orange-Flower Water & Almond Crinkles from her wonderful gluten-free cookbook, Cannele et Vanille Bakes Simple, also on the Splendid Table. What a treasure!

For a fun twist, try adding 1/2 a packet of vanilla sugar to the icing sugar you use for dusting the crinkles!