Who doesn’t love girl scout cookies? Especially when they are Gluten & Grain Free!

I have been working my way through each of my favorite recipes. Being the perfectionist that I am- I feel confident in saying you will be thrilled with the results of each of my recipes.  These Do-si-dos remind me of nutter butters. They are crunchy and have just the perfect amount of peanut butter flavor.

Along with this new recipe you might like to try:

• Gluten Free Samoa Cookies. (Grain/Egg/Corn/Soy/Dairy/Refined Sugar Free)
• Thin Mints. (Grain/Gluten/Dairy/Egg/Soy Free)
• Grain Free Tagalong Cookies. (Gluten/Starch/Dairy/Egg/Soy Free with directions to make Sugar Free).
• 2 Sugar Free Shortbread Cookie Recipes. (Gluten/Grain/Egg/Dairy Free with a Paleo option)

Before we get started I have a few substitution notes for you:

• Instead of blanched almond flour feel free to use another homemade nut or seed flour.
• To make your own Nut or Seed flour: simply run the nut or seed in a high powdered blender or coffee grinder until you have a super fine flour. (If the flour is course- the recipe might not work as well.) If you flour is course, then be aware that your cookies are not going to turn out as good.
• Sunflower Seed flour has the tendency to turn green if baked with too much baking powder. I have not tested it in this recipe to know if it works without turning green.
• Coconut flour or any of the starchy grain based flours will NOT work in this recipe. Only use other Nut/Seed flours.
• For this recipe you will need to make your powdered palm sugar by placing the sugar into a coffee grinder or blender until it becomes powdery. If you don’t have coconut palm sugar on hand another good option would be Sucanat. The goal here is to gain a brown sugar flavor.
• The Eggs can not be removed from the recipe. They are essential to gaining the very specific texture of these cookies. I tried many times over to make them without and it was a lost cause. If eggs are a problem for you- you might try one of my other girl scout recipes instead as they are all egg free.
• Need to avoid Peanut Butter? Use another nut or seed butter of choice. (again be cautious of sunflower seed butter as it may turn green)
• I used Quinoa Flakes as my grain free replacement for gluten free oats. I buy my flakes here. If you don’t have a problem with grains – gluten free oats may work well in this recipe instead.  The quinoa flakes and oats are optional to this recipe.

Grain Free Do-Si-Dos

  Cookies

• 1 1/2 packed cups Blanched Almond Flour
• 1/2 Cup Starch (Tapioca or Potato Starch)
• 1 Teaspoon of Baking Powder
• 1/2 Teaspoon of Salt
• 3/4 cup powdered Palm Sugar (See directions how to make in substitution notes above)
• 1 Tablespoon of Vanilla Extract
• 3/4 cup Unsweetened Peanut Butter (or other nut/seed butter of choice)
• 2 Large Eggs
• 3/4 Cup of Quinoa Flakes (optional)

Filling

• 3/4 Cup Unsweetened Peanut Butter  (or other nut/seed butter of choice)
• 4 1/2 Tablespoons of room temperature butter (Or Earth Balance for dairy free)
• 3/4 Cup Powdered Coconut Palm Sugar
• Pinch of salt.

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line two large cookies sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a bowl (preferably using a stand mixer) Mix the Almond Flour, Starch, Baking Powder, Salt, Powdered Palm Sugar together. Add the remaining cookie ingredients. You should end up with a thick dough.
3. Roll the dough out between two sheets of parchment paper until its 1/4 inch thick. Using a small round cookie or biscuit cutter cut roughly 50 cookies. (My cookies are  2 inches wide)  Place cookies on the two baking sheets. Cut a hole in the center of each cookie (I used the tip of a bamboo skewer, but a fork prong would also work).
4. Bake cookies 15 minutes. Alternate the trays halfway through the cooking time. Remove from oven and allow to cool until crisp.
5. Make the peanut butter filling: In a small bowl combine all the ingredients and stir with a spoon (or mixer). Place the filling into a pastry bag (or use a plastic bag and cut off one of the corners). Pipe 1 1/2- 2 teaspoons of filling onto half of the cookies. Sandwich each cookie.

Yields 25 cookies. Store at room temp in a sealed bag or container or freeze. These cookies will stay good for a good week or two at room temp.

-Brittany-