These gluten-free vegan Baklava Cookies have all the flavor of the famous middle Eastern nut dessert! Super easy and delicious! They are made with almond flour and therefore entirely gluten-free and grain free. They are a decadent snack or dessert!

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 15 minutes
  • Cook time: 14 minutes
  • Total time: 44 minutes
  • Yield: 10
  • Category: Dessert, Snack
  • Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Ingredients

For the cookies:

  • 1 cup almond flour (, blanched superfine works best. Natural almond flour will work as well)
  • 3 tablespoon tapioca starch (or use potato or corn starch (or use 2 tbsp all purpose flour if ok with gluten))
  • 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoon powdered sugar (or cane sugar)

Wet ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp refined coconut oil, measure in semi-solid state, melt before using (, see note for oil free)
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoon maple syrup
  • zest of 1/4 of a lemon ((Heaping 1/8 teaspoon))
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

For the baklava topping:

  • 2 tablespoon raw almonds or cashews or walnuts
  • 2 tablespoon walnuts or pecans
  • 2 tablespoon shelled raw unsalted pistachios, (Pistachios add a lot to the baklava flavor. You can sub walnuts or pecans.)
  • 8 small dates (or 5-6 medjool dates)
  • 2 teaspoons maple syrup, (Or more as needed)
  • zest of 1/4 of a lemon

Method

  1. Make the cookie dough: Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Press and mix to break the almond flour lumps. Add the (melted) coconut oil, vanilla, maple syrup, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Mix well. The mixture will be somewhat sticky, chill for 15-30 minutes.
  2. In the meantime, make your topping; Add almonds, walnuts, and pistachios to a food processor and process until the nuts are evenly chopped and the mixture is close to a coarse meal. Then add dates, lemon zest, pinch of salt, and process for a few seconds, then add maple syrup. Process until the dates break down and the mixture is sticky. Add a bit more maple if your dates are dry.
  3. Once the mixture is getting somewhat sticky, remove it from the food processor. Take the chilled cookie dough from the fridge. Use a 1.5 -2 tbsp cookie scoop or spoon and Scoop the mixture onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
  4. Roll the scoops into even balls and then press into flat discs. Then top the disc with baklava nut mixture (You can just put small portions of the mixture and press it on the cookie. Or you can make a flat disc out of a nut mixture and press it over the cookie like a thumbprint. See pictures). These cookies spread a lot, so add a good amount of topping
  5. Bake at 330 degrees Fahrenheit (165C) for 12-14 (16 mins for crunchier edges) minutes. Time depends on the size of the cookie and the cookie sheet you’re using. You might need to adjust it for 1 to 2 minutes more or less.
  6. You want them to just start getting golden on the edges, but not any more than else they get too crisp. The cookie will be soft when it comes out of the oven. Remove the baking sheet from the oven.
  7. Let them cool for 10-15 minutes before taking them off the cookie sheet. Cool completely and serve. Store in a closed container on the counter for upto 3 days. Refrigerate for longer storage.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.