Almond Cookies

A very different approach to almonds today, but likewise perfect. These are my very favorite of all Mom's cookies. She usually makes them at Christmas, because they are an expensive ordeal to make properly. The cookies are an adaptation of Better Homes and Gardens' Chinese Almond Cookies (in the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, 1976). I drop the word Chinese as I don't suppose they really are, and the addition Mom makes does make a pretty big (and delicious) difference in the final product. She adds almond paste-- "however much [she] can get her hands on." Don't buy the hard tubes you may find at most grocery stores. Buy soft almond paste from a specialty store or perhaps a finer grocery store. This is a momentous entry-- one of my favorite recipes in the world.

Almond Cookies

2 3/4 c sifted all-purpose flour
1 c granulated sugar
1/2 t soda
1/2 t salt
1 c butter
1/2 lb to 1 lb almond paste, give or take
1 slightly beaten egg
1 t almond extract
1/3 c whole almonds

Preheat oven to 325. Sift flour, sugar, soda, and salt together into bowl. Cut in butter and almond paste until mixture resembles cornmeal. Add egg and almond extract; mix well. (Alternatively, cream butter with sugar, soften paste in microwave oven, cut into pieces, and cream it into the fat/sugar. Cream in egg, extract. Add well-mixed dry ingredients in batches).
Shape dough into balls and place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Place an almond atop each cookie and press down to flatten slightly. Bake 15 to 18 minutes. Cool on rack.

UPDATE 12/29/11: Do not obey the above directions. Do cream the butter with the sugar. Cut the almond paste into small-ish chunks without softening it in the microwave-- the warm almond paste runs the risk of melting the butter, which is bad. Cream the almond paste into the fat/sugar. This may take some time and effort. It is ok if there are some little chunks of almond paste that aren't quite incorporated. Then add egg, extract. Add well-mixed dry ingredients in batches. Bake on parchment paper. These cookies brown less than other cookies. You want the bottoms to just be toasty golden, not brown. The tops should not really be brown in the slightest.

Bhone Badaam (Spicy Almonds)

These are from Julie Sahni's Indian Regional Cooking. Mom first made these several years ago, and I can't now think of any other food that is quite so... addictive. They are sweet and spicy and, if you go into the upper range of red pepper, hot. And proteinaceous and perfect. I made these for a party in Provo once... a little nervous, since they're kind of strange for-- well, you know-- a party in Provo. I declare: they were the life of the party even though I undercooked the sugar and they remained kind of sticky. Ms. Sahni suggests as variations raw cashews or shelled walnuts. There's just something so perfect and sweet and earthy about an almond, though.

Bhone Badaam (Spicy Almonds)

2 t ground cumin
2 t - 2 T ground red pepper
1 t coarse salt (I always use regular salt)
1/2 c vegetable oil
16 oz (about 3 c) whole unblanched almonds
1/4 c water
2 t lemon juice
1/4 c sugar

1. Combine the cumin, red pepper, and salt in a small bowl; set aside.
2. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the almonds and fry, stirring constantly, until the nuts are puffed and give off a roasted fragrance, about 5 minutes. Do not overfry, or they will taste burned. Drain the nuts in a sieve and set aside.
3. Heat the water, lemon juice, and sugar in a small pot over medium heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Increase the heat and boil the syrup rapidly for 3 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add the nuts and mix well to coat. Spread the nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Immediately sprinkle them with the spice mixture, turning to coat evenly. Cool completely before serving.