Almond Butter Cookies made with almond paste are my latest obsession. This recipe, and my favorite Nashville Cornmeal Cookies, will be my signature cookies for years to come. I love both because the doughs are super easy to handle and require no rolling out and cutting, so I make them more often. For this style of cooking you just roll the dough into balls and the balls into sugar, then give them a flattening on the baking sheet. Now they are ready to bake. I don’t even chill the dough.
Almond paste has always been an exotic baking aisle ingredient for me, one I really didn’t know how to use besides making chewy macaroons, which I love. One day I got the big idea to add some paste to the old shortbread-style jam bar recipe you find on the bag of Martha White All-Purpose flour. Our Cheater Chef recipe Fancy Almond Jam Bars was the happy result. They are beyond terrific.
Please take note of the word FANCY in the title. That’s exactly what almond paste does for a recipe; it makes things a little more chic, a little more Euro, a little more sophisticated. Almond Butter Cookies have it all. They’re easy, fancy, and can’t be beat enjoyed with a cup of coffee or tea. Don’t expect a snappy crunch, the almond paste makes them chewy. Make a batch and see what you think.
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar, plus more for coating the balls of dough
- 1 egg
- 8 ounces almond paste, cut into small pieces
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Heat the oven to 375 F.
- Cream the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy.
- Add the almond paste and continue to beat until smooth.
- Add the egg and beat well. Add the vanilla.
- Add the flour, sprinkle the baking powder and salt over the flour. Decrease the mixer speed to low and blend in the flour just until well blended.
- Using a small scoop or two teaspoons, scoop balls of dough, about 1-inch in diameter, and roll the balls in a shallow bowl of sugar.
- Place the balls on a baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Flatten slightly with your fingers.
- Bake 13 to 15 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Remove from the baking sheet and cool on a wire rack.
- I usually use solo almond paste in a can. Open both ends of the can and push out the paste for easy access.
