Almonds ground into a fine powder (or rather, not a nut, but a stone fruit) are called almond flour. This product is widely used in cooking, in particular due to the fact that it not only has excellent taste, but is also extremely beneficial for our health. Thus, almond flour, or as it is also called powder, contains a whole storehouse of useful substances: vitamins E, A, C, PP, B9, B6, B1, B2, B5, saturated fatty acids, beta-carotene, choline, magnesium, zinc, copper, iron, sulfur, chlorine, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, manganese and iron.

There are many recipes for dishes using almond flour: cakes, cookies, pastries, buns, creams for confectionery. The almond product is used to make pancakes, pies and muffins.

It is also added to various children's cereals, be it semolina, oatmeal or millet. After all, this is how you can make an ordinary, simple dish more tasty and nutritious.

But do not think that this product is used only for making confectionery - it is also added as a thickener to some soups and sauces of Mediterranean cuisine.

Today you can buy a ready-made ingredient in any large supermarket, or you can prepare it at home. Many housewives prefer the second option, because in this case you can be absolutely sure of the quality and freshness of the product, moreover, freshly ground almonds are much healthier than those that have been stored on the store shelf for several months.

How to properly prepare almond flour?

Many novice cooks think that making almond flour at home is a troublesome and complicated task.

In fact, this is not at all the case; you just need to know some of the secrets and subtleties of this process:

  • Place the almonds in a bowl, pour boiling water over them and leave for 12-16 minutes;
  • Place the nuts on a sieve and rinse with cold (but not running!) water;
  • Using a knife, peel the dark skin from the nuts. If they are too dry, you need to add boiling water again. However, when preparing dishes, you can use a product made from unshelled nuts. Only in this case, keep in mind that it will be creamy in color and have some bitterness;
  • Now lay out the “naked” nuts on a clean paper towel, let the water drain, pour onto a tray and dry for 2-3 days, stirring occasionally. However, this process can be accelerated by pouring the almonds onto a baking sheet and placing them in an oven preheated to 100 °C for an hour;
  • Now place the dried nuts in a blender or coffee grinder and grind for 10-15 seconds, shaking constantly. It is very important not to allow the appliance to overheat, as this may result in a thick paste;
  • Sift the finished product through a sieve and place in an airtight container. Grind the remaining large pieces again.

It must be stored in a dry place for 1-2 months. Immediately before preparing the dish, the powder should be sifted through a sieve again.

Recipes for cooking with almond powder

Cookies "Macaroon"

Despite the fact that this airy French dessert is served in the most expensive restaurants around the world, every housewife can prepare it at home. It is worth noting that cookies baked from almond flour not only have a delicious taste, but are also much less harmful to the figure than their wheat counterparts.

  • 6 egg whites;
  • a pinch of salt;
  • 650 g powdered sugar;
  • 220 g almond flour;
  • 4 g brown food coloring;
  • 260 g butter;
  • 230 ml 35 percent cream;
  • 5 g vanilla sugar;
  • 3-4 teaspoons of cocoa.

Carefully separate the whites from the yolks. Beat the whites into a strong foam. Without stopping whipping, gradually add 370 g of powdered sugar in parts. When the mass becomes homogeneous, add flour, dye and mix thoroughly.

We put the dough into a pastry bag with a icing tip and place neat circles with a diameter of 5 cm on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Let them stand for about 10 minutes, place the baking sheet in the oven, preheated to 180 ° C, and bake for 15 minutes.

Now let's start preparing the buttercream. To do this, beat softened butter, 280 g of powdered sugar, cocoa, cream and vanilla in a blender until a thick, homogeneous mass is formed.

After the cookies have cooled completely, we begin to “assemble” them - grease the flat part of each product with cream and connect it with another cookie.

Often “Macarons” are prepared without almond flour, replacing it with wheat flour. Of course, such pastries will also be delicious, but they no longer have anything to do with the French dessert.

Chocolate almond cake

  • 3 eggs;
  • a glass of powdered sugar;
  • 220 g butter;
  • 320 g dark chocolate (can be replaced with dark milk chocolate);
  • 300 g almond flour.

Separate the yolks from the whites. Beat the whites into a strong foam. Lightly melt the chocolate and butter in a steam bath. Mix the yolks with powdered sugar, butter, chocolate and mix gently with a wooden spoon.

Without stopping kneading, gradually add flour. After the mass becomes homogeneous, add the whipped egg whites, mix quickly and pour into a container lined with parchment or greased with vegetable oil.

Place the dishes in an oven preheated to 180°C and bake for approximately 20-30 minutes. You can check the readiness of the dish by piercing it with a wooden toothpick - if it is dry, the pie is ready. However, you can leave it slightly underbaked - in this case, the dessert will turn out a little moist inside.

This recipe can be modified by replacing the almond flour with ground hazelnuts or walnuts. The main thing is to remember, the finer the nuts are ground, the tastier and more tender the pie will be.

Orange cupcake

This recipe for baking with almond flour is distinguished by the fact that it does not contain a drop of oil, and therefore a piece of this dessert will not harm even those who are watching their figure.

  • 3 large oranges (you can replace them with lemons if desired);
  • 210 g sugar;
  • 3-4 eggs;
  • a packet of baking powder;
  • 300 g almond powder.

Wash the citrus fruits, fill them with cold water, place them on the stove and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Cut the fruits cooked in this way into pieces, remove the seeds, place in a blender and beat until a homogeneous mass is formed.

Add nut powder, baking powder to the orange puree and mix thoroughly.

Separate the whites from the yolks. Whisk the yolks with a third of the sugar. Beat the whites until stiff and add the remaining sugar. Mix the orange puree with the yolks, mix thoroughly, then carefully add the whites.

Pour the resulting mass into a baking container greased with vegetable oil, place in an oven preheated to 175 °C and cook for 45-50 minutes. You can check the readiness of the dish in the same way as in the previous recipe - with a wooden skewer or toothpick.

Cool the dish, remove it from the mold and place it on the table.

If desired, the finished cake can be soaked in syrup (to do this, mix lemon juice and powdered sugar in equal proportions). Bon appetit!

Delicious cookies - simple recipes with photos

Crispy on the outside and stretchy on the inside, these almond flour cookies will remind you of your childhood. You only need 4 ingredients. Step-by-step recipe with photos and videos

35 min

486 kcal

5/5 (2)

One of the most popular desserts in the world now is the French macaron cookie, the name of which is so similar to our pasta, but in fact they are different things. This sweetness has a very long history, and, probably, it was from “pasta” that the familiar Soviet almond cookies borrowed their recipe.

Did you know? Do not confuse “pasta” with American macarons, which are less dietary and fluffy. In addition to almond flour, they also contain coconut flakes, due to which they acquire such fat content.

Kitchen appliances: blender, oven.

Ingredients

If there is a large grocery market near your home, you can try to buy ready-made almond flour, but small stores usually have whole almonds on the shelves.

These cookies can also be made with almond cake if you're like me and love making healthy almond milk but don't know what to do with the leftovers. However, this will no longer comply with GOST standards, and the structure and taste of the cookies will be different.

Step-by-step preparation of cookies

Stage 1

  • almonds – 120 g;
  • sugar – 230 g.

Stage 2

  • egg white – 3 pcs.

Important! To determine the temperature of the dough, simply dip your finger into it. Since 36 degrees is the temperature of the human body, the dough should not burn, but be warm.

Stage 3

  • wheat flour – 30 g.

Stage 4


Video recipe for making macaroons

As you can see, these cookies are very easy to make, but if you better perceive information visually in the form of a video rather than text, then here are a couple of video tutorials for making these cookies.


This video presents a recipe from the famous Yulia Vysotskaya, which is slightly different from what I wrote, but just as tasty.

So we have these cookies, crispy on the outside and stretchy on the inside, straight from childhood. You can eat it with tea and coffee, or without anything.

Also be sure to try making other cookies presented on our website. I recommend my favorites.

Almond flour, unlike plain wheat flour, has a tart, spicy taste. It makes excellent desserts and baked goods. You can prepare this flour at home, and we will tell you how to do it.

The main product is almonds. The amount depends on what you are planning to cook and how much flour you may need.

How to make almond flour:

  1. First you need to remove the husks.
  2. We wash the nuts under the tap, put them in a deep bowl and pour boiling water over them.
  3. After 5 minutes, drain the water and remove the thin skin from the hot nuts.
  4. Heat a frying pan on the stove, add the nuts and cook for 2 minutes. The surface of the cookware must be dry. Stir the almonds constantly to prevent them from burning. Wait for the contents of the pan to cool.
  5. Close them in the freezer for 20 minutes.
  6. Grind the nuts in a coffee grinder or blender. To prevent future flour from sticking together, grind it together with powdered sugar.
  7. Load in handfuls of nuts in several batches. Turn on the blender for 30 seconds.
  8. Pass the resulting flour through a sieve. Grind the remaining pieces in the sieve again.
  9. It is better to prepare flour in advance and store it in jars.

Almond flour cookies: recipes

Try adding almond flour to your homemade cookie recipe, and you will feel how the taste immediately changes, becoming more refined and delicate.

French macaroon cookies

You will need:

  • white sugar – 80 g;
  • almonds – 130 gr;
  • two eggs;
  • vanilla sugar – 40 g;
  • salt – 5 gr.

Let's prepare it step by step:

  1. Prepare almonds according to the instructions above. Grind it into flour without lumps.
  2. Pour the egg whites into a separate bowl and add salt. Beat the mixture with the addition of granulated sugar until it is completely dissolved. Then add vanilla sugar and process the mixture until hard peaks form.
  3. Pour in the almond flour and stir, making sure that the foam does not settle.
  4. Divide the resulting dough into three parts. Let's prepare food coloring in two colors.
  5. Pour blue dye into the first bowl of dough, red dye into the second, and dry cocoa into the third.
  6. We put dough of different colors into a pastry syringe and squeeze it onto a baking sheet covered with parchment. You should get a small round shape. Fill the entire pan with them.
  7. Preheat the oven, then turn it off and put the cookies in it for half an hour.
  8. Combine the couverture with whipped cream and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  9. Place another on one colored round of dough, placing a layer of filling between them.
  10. The most delicious and beautiful dessert is ready. Enjoy your tea.

Oatmeal baking

These cookies are especially nice to eat at breakfast, washed down with milk or kefir.

Main products:

  • salt – 6 g;
  • one egg;
  • a piece of butter – 170 g;
  • almonds – 10 g;
  • baking powder for dough – 5 g;
  • oat flakes – 190 g;
  • almond flour – 100 g;
  • brown sugar – 70 gr.

How to make almond flour cookies:

  1. Grind 140 grams of oatmeal in a blender bowl. We will use the rest in its entirety.
  2. Combine almond flour, salt, chopped oatmeal and brown sugar in one bowl.
  3. Pour in the chicken egg and add a piece of melted butter. Form the mixture into dough.
  4. Pour in whole flakes and mix.
  5. Using a spoon, place the dough balls onto baking paper placed on a baking sheet.
  6. Press an almond into each cookie.
  7. Bake for 25 minutes in an oven heated to 170 degrees.
  8. Let the delicacy cool and serve.

How to make Amaretti cookies

This dessert is the perfect complement to aromatic coffee for breakfast.

Recipe Ingredients:

  • chopped almonds – 390 g;
  • three chicken proteins;
  • sugar – 80 gr.

Step-by-step preparation:

  1. Turn on the oven in advance, let it warm up to 150 degrees.
  2. Line a baking tray with baking paper
  3. In a food processor, process the peeled almonds into flour.
  4. Pour sugar into it and grind for 15 seconds.
  5. Add the egg whites and continue beating until a soft dough forms.
  6. Use a teaspoon to scoop out the dough and place it on baking parchment.
  7. Cook the cookies in the oven for 25 minutes.
  8. Cool the dessert and serve it with tea.

Delicious treat with honey

You will need:

  • a pinch of salt;
  • sesame – 35 gr;
  • almond flour – 0.15 kg;
  • nut butter – 100 g;
  • baking powder – 3 g;
  • honey – 125 gr.

Step-by-step instruction:

  1. Combine salt, almond flour and baking powder in a large bowl.
  2. Pour honey into a separate bowl and add nut butter to it, mix.
  3. Now combine the contents of both bowls and stir the mixture first with a fork.
  4. A thick, soft dough should form.
  5. Tear the dough from the kolobok into small pieces and form them into small balls, no larger than a walnut.
  6. Pour sesame seeds into a saucer and roll the dough products in it.
  7. Place on the surface of the parchment. We flatten each of them with the bottom of the cup from above to a thickness of 0.5 cm.
  8. Bake in the oven preheated to 170 degrees for 15 minutes.
  9. Carefully remove them from the baking sheet onto plates and serve cooled for tea. Bon appetit!

Almond chocolate cookies

Grocery list:

  • water – 18 ml;
  • powdered sugar – 310 g;
  • dark chocolate – 100 g;
  • egg whites – 4 pcs.;
  • dry instant coffee – 7 g;
  • peeled almonds – 130 g;
  • wheat flour – 50 g;
  • cocoa powder – 200 gr.

Cooking step by step:

  1. Pour the whites into the bowl and turn them into foam using a mixer.
  2. Pour powdered sugar into the whites through a sieve and mix.
  3. Combine cocoa, wheat flour, dry coffee in a separate bowl, pour in water and mix the mixture with a mixer for about 5 minutes.
  4. Grind the chocolate pieces and peeled almonds in a blender or food processor.
  5. Combine the whites, cocoa mixture and ground almonds in a common bowl and mix.
  6. Place a teaspoon of lumps of the resulting dough on a baking sheet. First line the baking tray with baking paper.
  7. All that remains is to bake them in an oven heated to 180 degrees for 15 minutes.
  8. salt – 2 gr.

    9. How to make sponge cake with almond flour:

    1. Pour 120 grams of granulated sugar into the yolks and beat them. Add water, oil and vanilla.
    2. Continue whisking the mixture until a thick mass forms.
    3. In a separate bowl, combine starch, almond and wheat flour, baking powder.
    4. Add the bulk mixture to the yolk mixture. Mix everything.
    5. Pour salt into the egg whites and beat with a mixer. Add 105 grams of sugar and continue to process the whites until stiff peaks form.
    6. Gradually combine the mass of yolks with whites.
    7. Grease baking paper with oil and line a baking pan with it.
    8. Pour the resulting airy dough into the mold and place it in the preheated oven.
    9. Baking time – 40 minutes. Oven temperature – 170 degrees.
    10. We put the finished biscuit in the refrigerator for 5 hours. After this, you can make a cake or pastries from it. Enjoy your tea!

Almond cookies have been one of the most popular in the world for a long time. Many countries even came up with their own names for it. So, in France, cookies made from almond flour are called “macarons”, and in Italy they are called “amaretti”. Today we decided to offer you several options for preparing this wonderful dessert.

Simple macaroons: photo, recipe

If you want to please yourself and your loved ones with delicious baked goods with an original almond flavor, then prepare the following products: 120 grams of chopped almonds or almond flour, 230 grams of sugar, three eggs (we will use only whites) and 30 grams of wheat flour. As you can see, we only need four ingredients for cooking.

Instructions

Mix sugar with almond flour or chopped almonds. Separate the egg whites from the yolks and add to the flour. Whisk. Place the dough in a water bath and heat it to a temperature of 40-50 degrees. It should thicken slightly. When the dough heats up, add flour to it and mix well. Cover the baking sheet on which you plan to bake your almond cookies with parchment paper and place the dough on it from a pastry bag. Be sure to leave a few inches of space between the cookies. We bake our dessert at 180 degrees for a quarter of an hour. Cool the finished cookies and serve. Bon appetit!

Macaroons: recipe by Yulia Vysotskaya

Many residents of our country are well aware of TV presenter Yulia Vysotskaya, who in her TV show, as well as on her website, tirelessly introduces everyone interested in the intricacies of preparing a wide variety of dishes. Macaroons were no exception. We will learn further about how Yulia Vysotskaya suggests preparing it.

Ingredients

So, we invite you to find out what we will make macaroons from (Yulia Vysotskaya’s recipe). Ingredients: chopped almonds - 250 grams, sugar - 120 grams, powdered sugar - 140 grams, corn flour - 100 grams, three eggs (take only whites), zest of one orange (it must be finely grated), wheat flour - three tablespoons spoons, baking powder - one and a half teaspoons.

Cooking process

Let's start with the test. Pour the sugar into a small saucepan, add 40 milliliters of water and cook the caramel syrup. In a deep bowl, mix almonds with zest and wheat flour. Pour in the caramel syrup and mix until it forms coarse crumbs. Place the bowl in the refrigerator for two hours. After this, turn on the oven to 110 degrees and continue preparing the dough. Beat the egg whites with 120 grams of powdered sugar and add them to the cooled almond-sugar mixture. Add baking powder and mix. Combine corn flour with the remaining powdered sugar, form cookies with a spoon and roll them in this mixture. Grease a baking tray with oil or cover with parchment paper. Place cookies on it and place in the oven. It should be baked for about 40-45 minutes. Let the finished almond cookies cool slightly and remove from the baking sheet. It turns out crumbly, tasty and has a pronounced citrus aroma.

Traditional macaroons from France

This dessert is known not only in its homeland, but throughout the world under the name “macaroni”. It successfully competes with croissants for the title of symbol of France. This bright cookie has a meringue-like texture. It consists of two halves, which are glued together with cream or jam. There are many variations on how to make traditional French macaroons. We invite you to get to know one of them.

Products

French macaroons, the recipe for which we offer you, involves the use of ingredients from the following list: powdered sugar or fine sugar - 275 grams, almond flour - 125 grams, boiled water - 50 milliliters, 100 grams of egg whites (3-4 eggs), dry protein - three grams and food coloring at your discretion. Please note that you must strictly adhere to the proportions indicated in the recipe. Therefore, for accurate measurements, it is best to use electronic kitchen scales.

Cooking instructions

Please note that these almond flour cookies are made in several stages. So, it is recommended to keep egg whites for a couple of days at room temperature. Also, if you don't have almond flour, you should prepare it in advance. This can be done by grinding the almonds into powder, sifting and leaving to dry for 6-7 days. So, when you have all the necessary ingredients on hand, you can start making cookies.

Pour 150 grams of sugar with water, put on fire and cook the syrup. At the same time, combine the egg whites with the dry whites and beat with a mixer at low speed, gradually adding the remaining sugar until peaks form. When the syrup reaches a temperature of 115 degrees, remove it from the heat and pour it into the whites. Mix until smooth. Add almond flour to the dough in two parts, mixing thoroughly. Then, if necessary, tint the mixture with food coloring. Cover the baking sheet with a double layer of parchment paper, foil or a special silicone mat. Transfer the resulting dough into a pastry bag and place circles about 2 centimeters in diameter on a baking sheet. In this case, it is necessary to leave sufficient distance between future cookies, since they will increase in size during baking. Leave the pan at room temperature for an hour. If at this time bubbles appear on the future pasta, you should lightly pierce the dough with a toothpick. Our almond cookies should be put into the oven when they are covered with a thin crust and do not stick to your finger when touched. We bake our dessert at 150 degrees for about 12-15 minutes. Cool the finished pasta and fasten it together with your favorite cream, jam or preserves.

Cookies "Tuile"

The recipe for this interesting pastry was also presented by the famous TV presenter Yulia Vysotskaya. To prepare these almond cookies we will need: fine sugar - 150 grams, sliced ​​almonds - 120 grams, wheat flour - 50 grams, three egg whites (and they should be placed in the refrigerator in advance), one yolk, one tablespoon each of powdered sugar and butter oils, as well as a pinch of sea salt.

We begin preparing the almond cookies, the recipe for which we offer you, by beating cold egg whites with a pinch of salt. You should get a dense foam. In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolk with sugar. Add flour and add whipped whites. Continue beating and gradually add almond flakes. Cover the baking sheet with baking paper or grease it with oil and spoon out the dough, forming thin cakes. Bake cookies for six to eight minutes in an oven preheated to 200 degrees. Place the still hot, finished cakes on a rolling pin. Thanks to this, after hardening they will acquire an interesting curved shape. Sprinkle the finished dish with powdered sugar and enjoy its taste.

Almond-orange cookies

This delicious dessert will not leave anyone indifferent. So even ladies on a strict diet will not resist the temptation to try such baked goods. Let's find out how to make these tiny, delicious macaroons. The calorie content of such a dessert will be about 400-420 kilocalories per 100 grams of product. Moreover, the weight of one product is about 30-35 grams.

So, if you decide to prepare such a dessert, then make sure you have the following ingredients in the kitchen: almond flour - 180-200 grams, 100 grams of granulated sugar, one egg, zest of one orange, five drops of vanilla essence and a little powdered sugar for sprinkling. If you don't have almond flour, it's very easy to make your own. So, to do this you need to scald, peel, and then grind the almonds in a blender.

So, let's move on to making cookies. First, grind the zest on a grater. Then beat the egg with zest and sugar. Add some almond flour and essence. Mix. Add the remaining flour and knead the dough. It should have the consistency of thick porridge. Use your hands to form small balls from the dough. Pour powdered sugar into a shallow bowl and roll future cookies in it. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the balls, leaving a distance of several centimeters between them. We bake our dessert for about a quarter of an hour at 170 degrees. Cool the finished almond-orange cookies, serve and enjoy the great taste and aroma. Bon appetit!

25/02/2015 30/03/2015

Using Almond Flour in Gluten Free Baking

Almond flour is the most common and widely used nut flour, both in specifically gluten-free baked goods and for making delicious and especially delicate cookies, cakes and other confectionery products. In recent years, almond flour, as well as other nut, seed and coconut flours, has gained particular popularity as a staple of baking in the paleo diet, which excludes grains that not only contain gluten, but also all other cultured grains. .

If you look at the chemical composition of almonds, you can understand why replacing regular flour with any grain, not just wheat, improves both the taste and consistency of the product. Almonds contain approximately 20% protein and 53-55% fat. The use of almond flour thereby proportionally increases the protein and fat content in the finished product. As a result, biscuits and muffins baked with almond flour will never be dry and will not bake quickly. In a simple approximation, an almond sponge cake, in taste and softness, will resemble baking with eggs with the addition of butter. So when baking with just almond flour and no grain flour, I never add extra fat to the dough. Even in the traditional fragipan recipe, I prefer to add cottage cheese or fruit purees instead of butter. In my opinion, this technique leads to the enrichment of baked goods with highly digestible, complete protein in the case of cottage cheese, and to an increase in the nutritional value of the product. The addition of various fruit purees, including apples, plums and pears, enhances the flavor of the frangipane filling and makes the consistency of the filling fluffy and tender.

However, it must be borne in mind that the name “almond flour” may give rise to a false impression of the possible replacement of wheat flour with nut flour, in a 1:1 weight or volume ratio. This is unfortunately not the case. No matter how finely the almonds are ground, their particles are much larger than in conventionally ground flour. This means that the almond flour does not absorb the same amount of liquid ingredients in the recipe, and the ratio that we are used to when using wheat flour changes significantly. The amount of liquid, and therefore the density of the dough before baking, also depends on how the almonds are ground. The larger the particles, the less they are able to absorb moisture. Using the same amount of coarse and finely ground almonds by weight can lead to different results when baking.

To obtain consistent and reproducible results when baking with almond flour of different origins, you should always sift the flour through a sieve of the same mesh size. Almond flour is very popular in Australia, it is available in any supermarket and is not much more expensive than other types of gluten-free products, especially such as quinoa flour, tapioca flour, and chia seeds.

Approximately one-third of the contents of a commercial package of almond flour do not pass through the sieve when sifted, and the flour must be ground and sifted after grinding. Sometimes I grind whole nuts with skins on. And the process always turns out to be a 2-step process. Grinding, sifting, and further grinding of the residue.

If for one reason or another almond flour is not available and you need to make flour from unpeeled almonds, I highly recommend a wonderful article with all the details of the process in photographs, and a detailed description of all stages on Victoria’s blog victoriacooking.wordpress.com .

Very often, almond flour is used in a mixture with other grain flour. This is usually rice flour, but almonds will give excellent results with both buckwheat and millet flour. Recently, recipes for regular or sweet bread with a mixture of almond and coconut flour have become very popular in the blogosphere. Coconut flour should not be confused with finely ground coconut. They differ in taste, protein, fat and carbohydrate content, and behave completely differently when baked.

Almonds are also widely used for decoration, most often for sprinkling on the surface of cakes and muffins before baking. Use almonds cut into petals or columns. After cooling, the product is usually sprinkled with powdered sugar.

In my opinion, one of the most interesting, unusual in the intensity of taste and tenderness of sponge cakes are muffins and cakes baked using boiled orange puree and almond flour. I have been baking such cakes for a long time, and with different variations of the recipe. All of them are incredibly tasty, easy to prepare, where the longest procedure is preparing a puree from boiled whole oranges with peel. These cakes or cupcakes do not require any cream. They are so juicy and soft that cream will only spoil them.

Almond flour has a special place in baking on a grain-free diet, where almonds are often the only dry ingredient in the recipe. Even in such conditions you can bake a surprisingly tasty cupcake. The photo below shows an apple almond raisin and cinnamon muffin baked without sugar, using honey and reduced applesauce.