Almond cookies combine almond flour with a smaller amount of wheat flour, butter, sugar, and one egg. Almond extract and vanilla flavor the dough, while sliced almonds sit on top. This version has no separate frangipane filling: the old optional filling instruction had no matching ingredient quantity and is omitted.
The batch makes about twenty-four almond cookies using level tablespoon-size scoops. Two trays bake in separate batches, so the thirty-minute cooking allowance covers both. These are small, lightly flattened cookies rather than a rolled shortbread or a cherry-filled almond dough.
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Why This Recipe Works
Almond flour adds nut flavor throughout the dough, and the wheat flour gives it another source of structure. Creaming softened butter with sugar before adding the egg helps distribute the fat. Almond cookies are mixed only until the dry ingredients disappear, not beaten for a long time after the flour is added.
Pressing a few almond slices lightly onto each portion keeps them attached during baking. The optional powdered sugar belongs on cooled cookies, so it does not melt straight into a hot surface. The two extracts have different measures and should not be confused.
Ingredients for Almond Cookies
Choose finely ground almond flour for the listed one-cup measure and ordinary all-purpose wheat flour for the half cup. Almond meal with coarse skin pieces can give a different texture. Almond cookies are not gluten-free simply because they contain almond flour; the recipe deliberately also includes wheat.
Use softened butter that can be pressed with a finger, not liquid melted butter. The sliced almonds and powdered sugar are optional finishing amounts to taste. No almond paste or frangipane is needed, and no filling should be added while following this dough’s portion and oven schedule.
Dry Ingredients
- 1 cup almond flour (finely ground almond flour)
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (ordinary wheat flour; this recipe is not gluten-free)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (softened)
Wet Ingredients
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened (Make sure to soften butter to room temperature.)
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Toppings
- Sliced almonds for topping (optional topping)
- Powdered sugar for dusting (optional dusting after cooling)
How to Make Almond Cookies
Heat the oven to 350°F and line two trays. Beat butter and sugar until combined and slightly lighter. Add the egg, vanilla, and almond extract, scraping the bowl so the mixture is even. In another bowl, whisk the flours, baking powder, and salt.
Mix the dry ingredients into the butter mixture just until a soft dough forms. Scoop twenty-four similar portions with a level tablespoon measure and divide between the trays. Leave space for spreading and press each portion slightly flatter without making a deep filling cavity.
Top almond cookies with a few sliced almonds if wanted, pressing gently. Bake one tray at a time for about twelve to fifteen minutes, checking for lightly golden edges and centers that look set. Keep the second tray away from the warm oven top while it waits.
Let almond cookies stand on their tray for five minutes before moving to a rack. Allow at least five more minutes before handling, and longer before dusting with powdered sugar or sealing for storage. Small cookies can be fragile while hot, so lift with a broad spatula rather than pinching the edge.
How to Serve
Serve almond cookies plain or with a light powdered-sugar dusting after they have cooled. One small cookie is the chosen serving unit; this is not a calorie or carbohydrate calculation. Arrange them in a shallow bowl or tin rather than stacking warm cookies under pressure. Keep the almonds visible when serving so the nut ingredient is easy to recognize.
Storage
Keep cooled almond cookies in a covered container in a cool kitchen and use within about three days for best quality. Freeze well-wrapped portions for longer storage and thaw covered. If freezing dusted cookies, the sugar may look damp after thawing; dusting shortly before serving gives a neater finish. Fully cool the centers before enclosing them to avoid condensation.
Do not sample flour-and-egg dough before baking. Follow FDA raw flour and dough handling guidance.
Tips and Variations
Portioning consistently matters more than shaping a perfect circle. Almond cookies with one large mound beside several tiny scoops will not finish together. If the dough feels sticky, a short chill can help handling, but that extra wait is not included in the stated fifty-plus-ten-minute schedule.
Do not replace wheat flour with another whole cup of almond flour and assume the same structure. That would be a different recipe. The extract amount is small by design; adding a large unmeasured splash can overpower the nut flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are these gluten-free?
No. Almond cookies include a half cup of ordinary wheat flour as well as almond flour.
Is there a frangipane filling?
No. This complete version omits the previous unmeasured optional filling.
How large is each scoop?
Use a level tablespoon-size portion and aim for twenty-four similar cookies.
When do I add powdered sugar?
Dust almond cookies after they have cooled rather than immediately from the oven.
Does the cook time include both trays?
Yes. Allow up to fifteen minutes per batch when baking two trays separately.
More Recipes to Try
Soft Almond Cookies with Sliced Almonds
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 cup almond flour finely ground almond flour
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour ordinary wheat flour; this recipe is not gluten-free
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt softened
Wet Ingredients
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened Make sure to soften butter to room temperature.
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Toppings
- Sliced almonds for topping optional topping
- Powdered sugar for dusting optional dusting after cooling
Instructions
- Prepare two lined trays and heat oven to 350°F. Cream butter with sugar, then blend egg and the two extracts.
- Whisk both flours with baking powder and salt. Combine bowls only until dough is formed; scoop 24 level tablespoon portions.
- Lightly flatten portions, top with optional sliced almonds, and bake two separate batches 12–15 minutes each until edges color and centers set.
- Leave on trays 5 minutes, then move to a rack. Cool before optional powdered sugar and cool fully before covering.
