Gluten-free Brunsli with almonds, cocoa and cinnamon

Gluten-free Basel-style Brunsli (Swiss chocolate almond cookies) made from ground almonds, cocoa, egg white and coconut sugar with cinnamon and cloves, without flour. Soft snacks from Switzerland, 205 kcal per three cookies.

At a glance

• Serves 10
• Prep time: 50 min
• Cooking time: 6 min
• Total time: 56 min
• Calories: 205 kcal per serving
• Protein: 7 g
• Fat: 13 g
• Carbs: 17 g

Ingredients

• 250g almonds, ground
• 100g coconut sugar
• 2 egg whites
• 40g cocoa
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 pinch of ground cloves
• 1 pinch of salt

Method

You’ll need: oven · baking tray · blender · cookie cutters

1. Finely grind a quarter of the coconut sugar in a blender and set it aside for rolling out.
2. Mix the ground almonds, the rest of the coconut sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks and knead them into the almond mixture to make a firm dough.
3. Roll out the dough 1 cm thick on the finely ground coconut sugar and cut out 30 hearts or stars.
4. Place the Brunsli on a baking tray lined with baking paper and leave them to dry in the air for 30 minutes.
5. Bake them in a preheated oven at 230 °C (210 °C fan) for 4 to 6 minutes – the centre stays soft.
6. Leave them to cool completely on the tray.

Good to know

Brunsli are Switzerland's answer to Lebkuchen (German gingerbread): dry on the outside, soft and chocolatey inside. You don't need any flour – almonds and egg white hold the dough together.

Swaps

Almonds → half hazelnuts. Coconut sugar → maple sugar. Cloves → cardamom. Cocoa → carob (milder, caffeine-free).

Cooking tips

Drying forms a thin skin, so the Brunsli keep their shape in the hot oven. Better to bake them a minute too short, otherwise they turn hard.

Storage

Keeps for 3 weeks in a tin.

Allergens

Contains tree nuts (almonds) and egg (egg white); gluten-free and dairy-free, suitable for children.

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