Almond and Mincemeat Bars by Recipes Made Easy (2024)

FAQs

Can I use almond flour instead of almond meal? ›

Culinary applications. You can use almond meal and flour interchangeably in most recipes. However, almond meal is usually used as a bread crumb substitute or coating element due to its physical characteristics. In contrast, almond flour is typically preferred for baked goods.

You may also need to adapt your methodology, as techniques designed to encourage gluten formation are not necessary when baking with ground almonds. Flour: replace 1 cup of flour with 1 1/4 scant cups of ground almonds / replace 100g of flour with 90g of ground almonds.

Simply add raw almonds (with skin on) to a blender and blitz until a fine, powdery flour is achieved. I like to turn the blender on the highest setting for 5-10 seconds, then stop, shake, and hit the sides to see if any clumps have formed. Then blend again until fine and powdery.

If your recipe calls for less than half the weight of flour in ground almonds you may get a decent result using semolina. Use 80g of semolina per 100g of ground almonds and add an extra 20g of butter or other fat and a drop or two of almond essence.

In recipes that call for a delicate crumb, such as cakes or macarons, using almond flour is usually preferred. However, almond meal can still be used in baking, particularly in recipes that call for a more dense or rustic texture, such as in some breads, crackers, and pie crusts.

Almond meal also has a larger grain size, and the skin may produce a slightly bitter taste. Almond flour, however, is made from skinless, blanched almonds. The result is a pale, off-white flour that has a mild flavor and extremely fine grain. In fact, some almond flours may be more of a powder than a flour.

Since baking powder contains baking soda, baking powder cannot be used in almond flour baking. Instead, eggs (or applesauce or bananas) can be used as the leavening agent to help baked goods rise and achieve a light and fluffy texture.

Converting from Traditional Flour

When converting almond flour, you can use a 1:1 ratio from traditional flour, however this can vary depending on the recipe. Most recipes will require a little extra flour, though, due to their different properties and composition.

Almond flour is a low glycemic index food. Compared to wheat flour, almond flour has fewer sugars and carbohydrates. Switching to almond flour can help people with diabetes manage their blood sugar levels more effectively. Almond flour contains a lot of prebiotic dietary fiber.

Is almond meal just crushed almonds? ›

As mentioned above, almond flour is made from blanched, peeled almonds that have had their skins removed. It's fairly fine in texture and light in colour, lacking the darker specks from the skins. Ground almonds, on the other hand, are the same thing as almond meal – they're just ground, skin-on, unpeeled almonds.

Almond flour is a little more moist than wheat flour, and doesn't have quite the same binding qualities. You'll do best to substitute 1:1 to begin with, as many recipes respond well to this direct replacement. But be prepared to add more almond flour as you go to compensate for the wetter batter.

Marzipan, also known as almond candy dough, is a smooth and pliable confectionary paste made from almonds that can be used as a cake icing or molded into candies.

Almond flour isn't a type of milled flour, rather it is simply finely ground almonds. It's typically made with blanched almonds and lacks the dark flecks of skin, though this isn't always the case. It's the main ingredient in French macarons, and commonly used for airy cakes, as well as cookies and quick breads.

Of course, semolina offers the best texture and flavor, but you can swap in an equal amount by volume of bread flour in a pinch. You can also substitute all-purpose flour, but bread flour is a better option — its higher protein content is closer to semolina, which will ensure better results.

Almond flour can be a viable alternative to all-purpose flourin many baked goods such as cookies, cakes, quick breads, and pancakes. However, it may not the best alternative for yeast bread.