Nut Free Lemon Cardamom Wedding Cookies for Allergy Free #SundaySupper

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Nut Free Lemon Cardamom Wedding Cookies @ASpoonfulofLuxe

Growing up, I thought that some foods just tasted itchy… to everyone!

Like carrots, and walnuts, and salmon.

I have food allergies, and luckily I had a good Allergist, because back then there weren’t allergy warnings on labels or restaurant menus. Or even much written on the subject, for that matter.

And while many kids “grew out of it,” I never did, which is a shame because some of my very favorite foods are the ones that make me feel the worst. Like chocolate (yup, I said chocolate), or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

Chunky peanut butter, what I would give to eat you.

But there’s hope for us allergy sufferers, especially these days, as there are many more substitutions and creative ways to work around the culprits.

And, this week’s Sunday Supper theme, which is hosted by Bea over at The Not so Cheesy Kitchen, couldn’t be more perfect, as it’s all about allergy free cooking. Gluten free, egg free, soy free, diary free and nut free options for those of us with food sensitivities or actual allergies.

When I first heard the theme, I immediately remembered a cookie that I’d seen made on The Chew.

I love The Chew and watch it every day, and they always have great recipes. But this particular recipe really stood out, as both Daphne and Carla went crazy over it, along with the rest of the hosts.

Not only did it have one of my favorite flavors- lemon. It also had one of my all time favorite spices- cardamom. So, I headed over to their website to check out their recipe, but kept on clicking when I saw it had ground nuts.

Luckily, this week’s theme got me motivated to try some nut free options, and I’m glad I did. The cookies came out beautifully… without the itch.

When it comes to nut free cooking, many recipes use nuts like you would with chocolate chips in cookies… simply to add flavor and an interesting element to the dish. In this case, you can just leave them out. But often, nuts are used to create texture, like in these cookies, or crusts of cheesecakes. In these cases, you’ll need to consider the best substitution for that particular texture.

For instance, in this recipe, the original called for ground nuts. I decided on graham cracker crumbs because I thought they’d add a similar texture. But, I cut back on the amount, since I knew they’d soak up some of the liquid, and I didn’t want to dry out the cookies.

Some other nut free substitution ideas:

– Graham crackers, crumbled and lightly toasted

– Nut free granola

– Grape nuts

Nut Free Lemon Cardamom Wedding Cookies

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1-1/2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 teaspoons orange zest
1/2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
2-1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoons ground cardamom

For the Lemon Sugar:
1-1/2 teaspoons dried lemon zest
1 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, lemon juice and zest and orange zest. Add in salt, graham cracker crumbs, flour and cardamom and stir to combine. Roll into small balls using a tablespoon or ice cream scoop and place on greased cookie sheet. Bake for about 18 minutes, or until browned on the bottom and firm to the tough on top.

Let cool for a few minutes, or until you can handle them. While still warm, roll in the lemon sugar. Makes about 30 cookies.

*This recipe was adapted from Carla Hall’s Lemon Cardamom Wedding Cookies.

Source: dianadarling.net (defunct blog)