Heidesand (brown butter shortbread) with almonds

Heidesand cookies made from browned butter, ground almonds and a little coconut sugar, with no flour. Crumbly Christmas cookies with 5 g carbs per three cookies.

At a glance

• Serves 10
• Prep time: 25 min
• Cooking time: 12 min
• Total time: 37 min
• Calories: 233 kcal per serving
• Protein: 5 g
• Fat: 21 g
• Carbs: 5 g

Ingredients

• 125g butter
• 200g ground almonds
• 35g coconut sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 pinch of salt

Method

You’ll need: oven · saucepan · baking tray · knife · mixing bowl

1. Melt the butter in a light-coloured pan and let it simmer over a medium heat until it smells nutty and has brown flecks on the bottom. Pour it into a bowl and let it set again in the fridge.
2. Beat the browned butter with the coconut sugar, vanilla extract and salt until creamy and add the egg yolk.
3. Knead in the ground almonds, shape the dough into two rolls 3 cm in diameter and chill them for 1 hour.
4. Cut the rolls into 30 slices 7 mm thick and place them well apart on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
5. Bake them in a preheated oven at 170 °C (150 °C fan) for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are golden brown.
6. Let the cookies cool completely on the tray – only then do they firm up.

Good to know

Heidesand is all about browned butter, which tastes of caramel and nuts. In this version, ground almonds replace the flour, and a small amount of coconut sugar is enough to sweeten it.

Swaps

Butter → ghee (already nutty, saves browning it). Coconut sugar → honey (slightly softer dough). Almonds → ground hazelnuts. Egg yolk → 1 tbsp almond butter.

Cooking tips

The browned butter must be firm again, otherwise the dough spreads while baking. The cookies break easily while warm, so let them cool on the tray.

Storage

Keeps for 3 weeks in a cookie tin somewhere cool.

Allergens

Contains milk, egg and almonds; gluten-free. Suitable for children and fine during pregnancy.