Lemon Almond Crinkle Cookies

February is always the time of the year when most of us get caught up in what I like to call the “winter produce stagnation”. The lack of flavorful fruit and the glut of starchy vegetable are enough to kill any enthusiasm.
Still, I find that if I set my mind on citrus I can sail through the winter months with relatively no problems.
Even when the deepest, darkest winter has set in and I’m all fogged in by the relentless grind of being indoors, a bright pink grapefruit, a sunny orange, even a gleaming lemon, reminds me of summer days, warm breezes, and skies as blue as the ocean.
I’ve got an archive full of lemon muffins, lemon chicken piccata, lemon pound cake in mug, raspberry-grapefruit smoothie, orange chicken, and orange glazed salmon that should be enough for me to feel I’m not missing out just because strawberries, peaches, and apricots are still in hibernation.

But I recently realized that I haven’t got a single lemon cookie recipe on this blog — despite being one of my favorite treats as a kid.
Time to fix that with some amazing Lemon Almond Crinkle Cookies.
You in?
The cookies are lemony lemon with a delicious almond flavor. So delicious I might put my local grocery store out of stock of lemons for the next few months. That good.
What I really love about these cookies is the texture: The edges are crisp while the center is almost cakey but with a chewy factor.
I’m sure you’ll fall in love with the texture just like I did.

These crinkle cookies taste both fresh and sweet and have the right amount of chewiness and tang. So delicious you’ll be going back for seconds and thirds.

Lemon Almond Crinkle Cookies                                                                                                      Print this recipe!
Barely adapted from FoodFanatic

Ingredients
Makes 22 cookies

2 cups almond flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
1 cup sugar (I used coconut sugar)
2 tablespoons lemon zest
Pinch fine grain salt
2 egg whites, at room temperature
1 teaspoon lemon extract (optional but gives so much flavor)
4 tablespoons powdered sugar (use this recipe to make powdered coconut sugar)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and place a rack in the middle.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a medium bowl stir almond flour, sugar, lemon zest, and salt. Set aside.
In another bowl beat the egg whites with an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment at medium speed until soft peaks form. Stir in the lemon extract (if using).
With a rubber spatula (or wooden spoon) fold in the almond flour mixture. At this point a thick sticky dough will form, that’s okay.
Place the powdered sugar in a shallow dish.
Scoop 1 heaping tablespoon of dough, drop into the powdered sugar and roll into a ball. Place on the lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Repeat to make 22 cookies.
Bake for 15 minutes or until tops crack and bottoms have lightly browned.
Let cool completely on the baking sheet before removing.
Store in an airtight container.

Nutrition facts

One cookie yields 86 calories, 4 grams of fat, 9 grams of carbs, and 5 grams of protein.