IIf you’re gluten sensitive or just prone to the most nutritious options in the grocery store, reaching for products like alternative milk and almond flour baked goods can lead to a serious checkout label shock – specialty items like these don’t come cheap!

It’s great that vegan, dairy and gluten-free snacks are becoming more common. We evolved from Little Debbie as the main pastry pusher. But there’s one thing you should know about almond flour: making it yourself at home can save you money, and it’s super easy to make. It really takes every 10 seconds.

According to culinary nutritionist Dixya Bhattarai, RD, there are many nutritional benefits to trading in your all-purpose for almond flour – even if you’re not gluten-free. Here she goes into the benefits and explains exactly how to do it.

The benefits of cooking with almond flour

“The nutritional composition of almond flour is very different from all-purpose flour,” says Bhattarai. That makes sense because they’re made from completely different ingredients. All-purpose flour is made from wheat, while almond flour is made from almonds.

There’s nothing wrong with wheat. In fact, it’s full of nutrients like B6, iron, zinc, and selenium. But Bhattari says that almond flour has an entirely different set of health benefits that make it stand up (nutritionally) when compared to refined white flour, like all-purpose flour. “Almond flour is a wonderful source of protein, fats, fiber, vitamin E, and magnesium,” she says. It’s also more satisfying than all-purpose, as almond flour has more protein and more unsaturated fats, which are also important for heart and brain health.

And the wonderful magnesium? It’s a nutrient that most people don’t get enough of and that promotes a good night’s sleep. (So ​​yeah, you can count 100 percent almond flour-based cookies as the perfect bedtime snack.)

How to make almond flour

If the nutritional benefits aren’t enough to convince you to try almond flour, knowing how easy it is to make will change your mind. What you need: almonds. This is the list of ingredients. “It’s easy to make almond flour at home from blanched almonds (almonds that have had their skin removed) and puree them with a high-speed mixer or food processor until they’re finely ground,” says Bhattari. Don’t have a mixer or a food processor? Below are some powerful products that you should equip your kitchen with.

KitchenAid K400 mixer

Cuisinart Elemental Food Processor

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Here is an almond flour recipe that includes exact measurements:

ingredients
1 1/2 cups of almonds

1. Put the almonds in a blender or food processor.

2. Blend for 10 seconds until a fine powder is obtained. If you notice any lumps, stir to dissolve them.

While the entire almond flour making process is super easy, Bhattara has a few tips to keep in mind. “I strongly recommend using a high speed mixer and processing them in batches. Don’t overprocess the almonds, ”she says. If you process the almonds too much, they will take on an almond butter-like texture. Still tasty but not what you want to do here.

When using almond flour for cooking or baking, Bhattara expects a slight difference in taste and texture when compared to goods made with all-purpose flour; After all, they are made up of completely different ingredients. Keep in mind that if you replace all-purpose flour with almond flour, it may not behave the same way because it doesn’t contain gluten and you may need to tweak the wet ingredients in the recipe, she says. “You probably need some kind of binder like xanthan gum, guar gum, or psyllium husk to add texture to your baked goods.” She also says that you should be aware of how much flour a recipe requires. “The general recommendation is to replace 1/4 (25 percent) of the all-purpose flour in a recipe with almond flour,” she says.

5 recipes to try with your homemade almond flour

Bhattara says the high unsaturated fat content in almonds makes this alternative flour especially good for baking cookies, scones, cakes, biscuits, and muffins. “The high fat content helps them be moist and tender,” she says. The five recipes here are the perfect opportunity to make delicious use of your almond flour.

1. Chocolate Chip Cookies

Crunchy around the edges and sticky in the middle, this chocolate chip cookie recipe is perfection. The recipe calls for a mixture of almond flour and coconut flour. It’s also completely vegan and requires flaxseed eggs instead of traditional eggs.

2. Morning Glory Muffins

Since these muffins are made from your protein-rich almond flour, they’ll keep you feeling more full than all-purpose flour muffins. They’re also full of other nutrient-dense ingredients, including cinnamon, ginger, carrots, and spinach (yes, greens!).

3. Paleo bread

Use your almond flour to make a loaf of bread that you have on hand for sandwiches, avocado toast, and just for buttering. Literally every ingredient in this paleo bread recipe is packed with nutrients. A few highlights: eggs, ghee and miso rich in probiotic.

4. Lemon, rosemary and olive oil bread

Combine your almond flour with another ingredient full of healthy fats: olive oil. Together with the other ingredients, they make a rich and juicy, subtly sweet bread. The rosemary in the bread is anti-inflammatory – another perk of snacking on this loaf!

5th birthday cake

Even with a high-stakes recipe like a birthday cake – you definitely don’t want to ruin anyone’s birthday – almond flour delivers. In this recipe, it’s mixed with oatmeal and a few other simple pantry ingredients like honey, baking soda, and vanilla extract. Don’t forget the sprinkles!

Now that you know what a cinch almond flour is to make, how nutritious it is, and what to do with it, you’re wondering why you haven’t been making it all along, right? The option to buy it ready-made is always available. But the 10 seconds it takes to make your own could save you a lot of money. If only the solution to the sticker shock dilemma for old yoghurt were that simple …

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