Almond Shortbread Cookies

If you love Almonds, then these cookies will make you swoon! They are crunchy & yet very moist. The nuttiness from the toasted Almonds compliments the butteriness just right. 😍 

At first, when I baked these, I was positive that my hubby may not approve of them…and I will end up eating the entire batch…although it was small one. Later that evening, he takes one tentative bite off a cookie and I see him stalking past me with the entire box!! No complaints there! I was super pleased. I didn’t need to ask him how these cookies tasted…they were finished in 2 days😁🤓

I will be making these again…maybe around Christmas.

I have followed a very easy recipe that I had bookmarked sometime back. I have made a very small change here, the original recipe called for Amaretto, I replaced it with Vanilla extract as I didn’t have any Amaretto.

All you Nigella Lawson fans out there must already know what Amaretto is…(she uses it generously in her desserts) and for those of you who don’t….well it’s a sweet, almond flavoured liquor from Italy. Saronno to be precise! ☺️

Any ways, coming to the recipe…it’s as easy as it gets but I will share a few pointers on how to measure the flour for that perfect cookie.

Yield: 12-15 cookies

Equipment: a mixing bowl, electric whisk/ manual whisk, baking tray, baking paper, measuring cups/ spoons, cooling rack, rubber spatula, cling wrap.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup softened unsalted butter

1/2 cup castor sugar (adjust as per taste)

1 tsp vanilla extract/ Amaretto

a pinch of salt

1 cup flour (Maida/ APF)

1/4 cup toasted & sliced almonds

Method:

Pre heat the oven @170’C. See tips for baking/ heating oven here. Line the baking tray with baking paper and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, whisk sugar and butter until fluffy. The sugar must dissolve but do not over whisk as the butter may split.

Next, add the flour, salt, vanilla extract. Whisk again for a minute to mix the butter & the flour well. Then add the almond slivers and mix gently using a spatula.

Place the dough on the cling wrap. Gently shape the dough into a log. Wrap it in the cling well. Place it in the refrigerator for 40-45 mins.

Once the dough has chilled well for 45 mins, remove it from the refrigerator and let it sit out for a few mins. Then cut the log of dough into 1/4 inch slices.

Place them an inch apart on the prepped baking tray and bake @ 170’c for 12-15 mins or just until the edges turn slightly golden. Once baked, cool on the cooling rack for about 15-20 mins. They will crisp up.

Then store them in an airtight container. They stay fresh for about 3-4 days.☺️

Tips on measuring the flour correctly: Never dip the measuring cup in the flour and remove a cupful of flour. You will end up with a lot more flour than required. Always fluff the flour well with a spoon. Then use the spoon to fill the measuring cup to the top and level it off using a knife. This way you will always have the exact amount of flour needed and the dough won’t turn too dry because of excess flour.

Enjoy!!

Love,

Shreya💞