Almond Butter & Dark Chocolate Shard Cookies {Gluten-Free}

"We are drinking alfresco,
watching swallows reflect
the light as they swoop and

almost skim the narrow road
before lifting
above hedgerows

then looping back past fresh-
mown fields, and I know
that movement -

from Mozart
or from a lifetime ago
when I stretched my hand

from the car window
and let it ride and sculpt the wind -
know, and can't name it."

~ Theodore Deppe, opening lines to "An Early Evening Whiskey," from Orpheus on the Red Line

July is a famished will-o'-the-wisp. It passes discretely; an agile, purring cat that sips milk from the cereal bowl and slips out an open window while I'm engrossed in watching sugar cubes on my spoon succumb to ethereal coffee. That's always been my problem. I miss what's in front of me and spend too much time treading through fickle distractions. This year is different, however. Last winter was lupine...I'm determined to relish the fleeting summer and allow its warmth to rest on my still-too-pale shoulders for as long as possible.

I'm also slowly meandering further into the unfamiliar terrain of gluten-free baking. Don't worry, I'll still share stormfuls of flour-drenched recipes; gluten-free renditions will make a timid cameo appearance from time to time.
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