Best Almond Cookie Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• Cream sugar and shortening until fluffy. Beat eggs with almond extract, then add to sugar mixture. Mix well.
• Gradually add dry ingredients to sugar mixture, mixing well after each addition.
• Roll into 1-inch balls and place on lightly greased cookie sheet. Flatten slightly, as these don't spread very much.
• If you want them to look like traditional Chinese almond cookies, mix a few drops of red food coloring with a few drops of water. Using the blunt end of a chopstick, dip into the red color, then stamp a dot into the center of each cookie. Alternately, you can place a bleached almond in the center of each cookie.
• Bake 20 minutes or until just barely brown on the edges. Transfer to rack to cool.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350ºF.
• Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg, nuts, salt and extract; mix well. Gradually add flour, beating until blended after each addition.
• Roll into 42 (3/4 inch) balls. Place, 2 inches apart, on baking sheets. Flatten slightly with fork.
• Bake 12 min. or until lightly browned. Let stand on baking sheets 1 min. Transfer to wire racks; cool completely.

Steps:

• Sift the all-purpose flour, almond flour, baking soda and salt together into a large bowl. Whisk any bits of almond flour left in the sifter into the sifted flour mixture.
• Combine the butter and sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the almond extract and 1 egg yolk and beat until the mixture is smooth and combined, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Reduce the speed to medium low, add the flour mixture and beat until no streaks of flour remain, about 2 minutes.
• Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• When ready to bake, position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
• Whisk together the remaining egg yolk and 1 tablespoon of water in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Scoop the dough by tablespoons (you can use a 1/2-ounce ice cream scoop) and place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Roll each scoop into a ball and return it to the baking sheet. Flatten each with your palm into a 2-inch round. Gently press an almond onto each and brush with the egg wash.
• Bake, rotating the baking sheet halfway through, until the cookies are golden brown on the edges, 16 to 18 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, about 10 minutes.
• Store the cookies in a tightly sealed container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla, and almond extract. Sift the flour over the top, add the salt and the chopped almonds and fold to combine.
• Pull off little pieces of the dough and roll them into balls about 1-inch in diameter, enclosing a whole almond in the center of each one. Place on an ungreased baking sheet and bake on the center rack of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until light brown. Transfer to racks to cool slightly. When cool enough to handle, roll 1/2 the cookies in the cocoa powder, and the remaining 1/2 in the confectioners' sugar. Serve warm or return to the rack to cool.

Steps:

• Adjust rack to center position and heat the oven to 350 degree. Line a cookie sheet with wax or parchment paper.
• Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and nuts in a large bowl and stir to combine. In a small bowl combine the eggs, butter and vanilla and whisk to fully combine.
• Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the egg mixture. Using a rubber spatula, mix to combine until a rough dough forms.
• Dump the dough onto a work surface and knead a couple of times until the dough comes together, adding extra flour sparingly and only if necessary. Start to form the dough into a big, fat cigar and cut it in half. Form each half into a cigar about 1 inch thick, 2 inches wide and about 12 inches long. Place them onto the cookie sheet and lightly press with fingers to slightly flat cigars.
• Bake for 25 minutes reversing the pan halfway through. The bars will be firm to the touch and just slightly browned. Remove from the oven and lower the temperature to 300 degrees. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 15 minutes.
• Remove cookies to a cutting board using two spatulas. Using a serrated knife, slice the bars on an angle about 1/2 inch tick to form the biscotti. Lay them back on the cookie sheet with either cut side down and place back in oven for 15 minutes. Turn each cookie to expose the other cut side and place in oven for another 15 minutes. Let cool on a rack to room temperature. Place cookies in an airtight container.

Steps:

• Arrange racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat to 350°F. Lightly oil 2 large baking sheets, then line with parchment paper.
• In food processor, combine 2 1/4 cups almonds and 1/3 cup sugar. Process until finely ground, scraping down sides once or twice. Set aside.
• In electric mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat egg whites and salt at high speed until soft peaks form. Reduce speed to medium and gradually sprinkle in remaining 1/3 cup sugar. Return speed to high and beat mixture until stiff, shiny peaks form. Gently fold in ground almond mixture and almond and vanilla extracts.
• Roll mixture into 1-inch balls, place 2 inches apart on baking sheets, and flatten slightly. Top each with glacéed cherry or almond. Bake until cookies are golden, switching positions of pans halfway through, about 25 minutes. Cool on sheets 5 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely.
• Cookies keep, wrapped, several days, or frozen, several weeks. Recrisp in warm oven.