Gluten-Free Almond Crispies — The Flourless Tradition Babcia Knew First

Spring is trying to happen. Forty-five degrees. The icicles on my apartment building are dripping. The snow is gray and retreating. Milwaukee is shaking off the worst winter of my life, both literally and figuratively. I'm cooking again. Really cooking. Not survival cooking or grief cooking, but the kind of cooking I was doing before — with curiosity, with ambition, with Babcia's recipes spread on the counter and new ideas in my head. This week I made three things from Babcia's recipe cards that I'd never tried: a walnut torte (dense, rich, with ground walnuts instead of flour — it's a flourless cake that predates the gluten-free trend by about a century), a cold cherry soup (sweet and tart, served chilled with sour cream — a summer dish, but I needed something bright), and a honey cake (layered, spiced with cinnamon and ginger, with a thin cream frosting between layers). The walnut torte was a revelation. So simple — eggs, sugar, ground walnuts — and so complex in flavor. Rich, earthy, with a texture that's part cake, part cookie. I ate a slice and understood why Babcia kept this recipe card: it's not flashy, it's not impressive to look at, but it's one of the most delicious things I've ever eaten. The honey cake was harder. Seven layers. Each layer has to be rolled thin and baked separately, then stacked with cream. It took me four hours. The layers weren't even — some were thick, some were thin, and the cream oozed out the sides. But the taste was extraordinary: warm, spiced, sweet, with a depth that came from the honey and the spices and the patience required to make seven layers. I posted the honey cake on Instagram with the caption: "Week 4 without Babcia. Found a recipe card I'd never seen. Seven layers. Four hours. One piece eaten standing up, crying. She would've said it needed more honey. She would've been right." 1,500 likes. The pierogi post after her death was 2,000, but this one felt different — hopeful instead of grieving. The comments were full of people sharing their own grandmother's recipes, their own attempts at continuation. This is what I want to do. This is what I'm supposed to do. Sunday dinner at the Cape Cod. I brought the honey cake. Mom ate a slice and said, "Mom used to make this at Easter." I know. It was on the card. The tradition continues.

After four hours making Babcia’s honey cake and that walnut torte revelation — eggs, sugar, ground walnuts, and nothing else — I kept thinking about how she understood something that the modern food world is still catching up to: you don’t need flour to make something extraordinary. These Gluten-Free Almond Crispies felt like a natural next step, a way to keep exploring that same nut-forward, flourless philosophy without committing to another four-hour project. They’re simpler than the torte, quicker than the honey cake, but they carry the same quiet confidence that Babcia’s recipe cards have been teaching me all spring.

Gluten-Free Almond Crispies

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 12 min | Total Time: 27 min | Servings: 24 cookies

Ingredients

• 2 cups almond flour, packed
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 large egg whites
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds, for topping
• Powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven. Heat oven to 325°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Mix dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together almond flour, granulated sugar, and salt until evenly combined with no lumps.
3. Add wet ingredients. Add egg whites, almond extract, and vanilla extract to the dry mixture. Stir with a silicone spatula until a cohesive, slightly sticky dough forms.
4. Portion cookies. Scoop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets, spacing about 1 1/2 inches apart. Gently flatten each mound with the back of a dampened spoon to about 1/4-inch thickness.
5. Top with almonds. Press 3–4 sliced almonds onto the surface of each cookie, fanning them out from the center.
6. Bake. Bake for 11–13 minutes, rotating pans halfway through, until edges are golden and the centers feel just set. They will crisp further as they cool.
7. Cool completely. Allow cookies to rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool fully. Dust lightly with powdered sugar before serving if desired.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 85 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 6g | Carbs: 6g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 28mg