Almond Christmas Cookies

I have taken quite a long hiatus from this blog- we have been building the barn and bought my two horses, Cowboy and Sven home, and I have passed all my doctoral comps and orals (for my musical arts in vocal performance degree- I am not going to be a medical doctor)....

It is my favorite time of the year- that narrow slice between Thanksgiving and Christmas. As a singer, teacher, and student, it is an incredibly busy time of year, but I love making time in the kitchen. Happily, these almond cookies are very easy to make, and even easier to clean up after. And almond is my favorite flavor for a sweet treat, especially paired with a sweet vanilla glaze. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Cookies:

8 tablespoons softened butter

3 large eggs, room temp

2 1/4 all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons almond extract

Glaze:

1 1/3 cup powdered sugar

3 tablespoons whole milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons nonpareils

Method:

Cream together the butter, sugar and salt until light and fluffy. Add the eggs in one at a time until fully incorporated. Add in the almond extract and mix well.

In a separate bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together. Add the dry ingredients into the wet and mix together until a sticky dough forms. Don't over mix.

Cover and refrigerate for an hour to let the dough firm up.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line your 2 baking trays with parchment paper. Using a cookie scoop, your hands, or a spoon, portion out one tablespoon amounts of dough and roll into 24 balls. Arrange on the baking tray about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake for about 8 minutes, then rotate the trays and bake a further 6 minutes. Let cool on the tray for 5 minutes and then transfers to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the glaze, combine the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract and mix until smooth. Dunk the cookies in the glaze and sprinkle the nonpareils on top and let set for 20 minutes to harden. Enjoy!

Comments

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