A very tender teacake-type cookie made with ground almonds and almond extract for flavor
Ingredients
1-1/4 cup soft butter
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
3/8 teaspoon LorAnn almond oil, or 2 to 3 teaspoons almond extract
1 cup finely ground blanched almonds
3-1/2 cups sifted flour
powdered sugar
Directions
- Cream shortening, butter and granulated sugar; add eggs and beat until light. Mix in almond oil and ground almonds. Add flour to creamed mixture and mix thoroughly. You can chill the dough to make forming the balls a little easier, although this is not strictly necessary.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 325 F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Scoop dough into small balls (I use a 1-1/4″ ice cream type scoop) and place on prepared baking sheets about 2″ apart. Slightly flatten top with a dampened cloth-covered glass.
- Bake until set but not brown, about 14-16 minutes. Sift powdered sugar over cookies as soon as you take them out of the oven. Allow to cool completely on baking sheet.
- When thoroughly cool, but not cold enough to stick to cookie sheet, remove cookies from cookie sheet and roll in additional powdered sugar.
Notes
- Recipe submitted by Kathy Smith of Lincoln Park, NJ: “I learned to make cookies from my mother, who made approximately 40 different varieties at Christmas. I only make 15 or 20 different varieties. This year I started making the dough in October and had 10 varieties in the freezer when I decided that was enough and I was definitely not going to try anything new. That was a laugh – as soon as I sent the e-mail with my intentions to my siblings, I saw a wonderful recipe for toasted pecan shortbread and made it. Last week I baked some of most of the varieties in the freezer for my sister from Maine (who will not be in NJ for Christmas) and in baking and tasting the Fingerklatschen, I came up with the idea of combining that recipe with my mother’s very fragile Almond Fingers. They were a hit at Thanksgiving, thus the Almond Snow Cookies.”