Almond Cookies

As Meg and I pondered what to make for Desserts of the World week, I thought of all the yummy European recipes we could make (yes, I know Mexico and Canada are not in Europe). There were so many tempting pies, cakes, bars, breads, muffins and cookies that we *didn't* make this time around! I wanted to find something out of the European box, so I searched for recipes from Asia.

And I found a winner from China.

As I made these cookies I realized that I really don't use almond extract enough. I think I should start using it in everything. It's heavenly! And these cookies were light, buttery and fluffy with the perfect hint of almond taste. I deviated from the recipe a bit, using almond slivers instead of whole almonds. I was unsure of how thin to roll my dough, but I think I was close because I yielded about the right number of cookies. I think my dough was less than a quarter inch thick. I checked them often as I was baking and took them out of the oven when they were golden and light brown on the edges.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butter
2 eggs, beaten
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon almond extract
1/4 pound whole, blanched almonds

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a food processor, mix the flour, sugar, butter, salt and baking soda until it forms little balls.

Add the eggs and almond extract.

Roll out the dough on floured surface.

Cut with 2 1/2 inch cookie cutter.

Place on greased cookie sheet and place an almond in center of each cookie.

Bake for 25 minutes. (I did mine for about 12-15.)

Source: Chinese Food DIY