Today I wanted to surprise you with one of my favorite sweet treats: Almond Frangipane Cookies with Pear Lemon Caramel. These are super easy to make, you don’t even need a dehydrator and they are incredibly sweet –without adding any refined sugars! Frangipane pastries are really popular in Belgium. They are made with white flour, butter, sugar, eggs, lemon and almonds, and usually topped with lots of icing sugar. I remember that I used to love them as a child, especially their soft crumbly texture and their sweet almond flavor… These cookies are my take on this sweet classic! Bon appétit ☺
Almond Frangipane Cookies with Pear Lemon Caramel
SERVES: 10 small cookies
EQUIPMENT: food processor, blender, rubber spatula
INGREDIENTS:
Frangipane Cookies
1 cup of almonds, soaked overnight and dehydrated until crisp
1 cup of cashews
¾ cup of dates, pitted and roughly chopped
1 tablespoon of extra virgin coconut oil
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
½ teaspoon of almond extract
¼ teaspoon of Himalayan crystal salt or sea salt
Pear Lemon Caramel
½ cup of dates, pitted and roughly chopped
½ cup of fresh ripe pear, peeled and roughly chopped
¼ cup of water
1 large tablespoon of lemon juice
½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon of lemon zest
2 large pinches of cinnamon
2 large pinches of Himalayan crystal salt or sea salt
DIRECTIONS:
Frangipane Cookies
- Place your almonds and cashews in the food processor fitted with a S-blade. Process until finely ground.
- Add the dates and process again.
- Add the coconut oil, vanilla extract, lemon juice, almond extract and salt. Process until well combined. The dough should be crumbly but sticky enough to hold together. If it’s not sticky enough, add ½ teaspoon or more of water.
- Roll the dough into small balls and press them down with the palm of your hand. This way you can create cookies in no time! 5. Put the cookies in the freezer to harden for 15 minutes or longer.
Pear Lemon Caramel
- Combine dates, pear, water, lemon juice, vanilla extract, lemon zest, cinnamon and salt. Blend until smooth.
- Take your cookies out of the freezer and put a nice dollop of caramel in the middle of each one. For garnish and extra freshness, grate some lemon zest on top of each cookie.
JULIE’S TIPS & TRICKS:
These cookies will stay fresh for at least 5 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Now I would love to hear from you! Is there a cookie or pastry that’s super popular in your country and that you would like to see a raw vegan version of? Let me know by leaving a comment down below.
