ALMOND SHORTBREAD

Shortbreads are a quick and easy treat to bake so I make it quite often. Our children love it, we love it and everyone who eats them seem to enjoy them. I usually have a few logs of frozen shortbread dough to bake up at the last minute when we have someone coming over or as an after-school snack. I've baked them with many flavor combinations as well. Today, I am sharing with you a recipe that I discovered recently, an Almond Shortbread...a sweet something special for my blog's 11th birthday!

I chanced upon this recipe in a cookbook called Sweet by Valerie Gordon that I borrowed from our public library during one of our recent visits. It's a very straightforward recipe just like my basic shortbread recipe. It's rich and buttery and crisp! While baking these,make sure you bake them just until they are golden around the edges and firm to the touch. You should be able to lift it up,turn it over and see that the bottom is also golden. If you bake it any further, it ends up being very hard.

If you are a beginner at baking cookies, this would be a good place to start. It's not that cookie baking is rocket science but straightforward recipes like these are hard to go wrong with. Also, please invest in a good, heavy baking sheet. I personally feel lightweight tins don't yield good results. They end up giving your cookie a burnt underside when the top is barely done. Also, lining your cookie sheets always gives you a better results unless the recipe clearly states that you don't have to line it, which is usually in the case of very buttery cookies.

ALMOND SHORTBREAD
 Yields 50 small cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup toasted almond flour *
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

Method:
Whisk together both flours and set aside.
In a large bowl using a hand beater, cream the butter and sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Add the flours 1/2 cup at a time mixing thoroughly after each addition.Add the salt and vanilla and mix for 30 seconds.
Turn the dough out onto the counter top and divide it into quarters. Roll each piece into a log measuring about 1 inch thick and 6 inches long. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and chill / freeze until needed.
Pre-heat the oven to 350F and line a cookie sheet.
Slice the logs into rounds approximately 1/3 inch thick and place them on a lined sheet, 2 inches apart from each other. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden around the edges. Cook on the tin for 10 mins. Remove carefully and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store in airtight tins.

* To make toasted almond flour : Spread the almond flour on a baking tin and bake at 350F for 6-8 minutes. Cool and use as needed.

These cookies are perfect with a cuppa! They have a slight caramel undertones from the brown sugar that's used in the recipe. Ian is not very fond of nuts in it's direct form but loved these cookies. You can dress these up further by dipping a fork in melted chocolate and drawing some lines over the cookies or simply dip half the cookie into melted chocolate, dark or white! Plain or dressed, these will win your hearts for sure!

EGGLESS WHOLEWHEAT ALMOND COOKIES

This cookie has been baked over and over in my kitchen for the last 4 months. It's gone places along with me for the last 4 months.It's first trip was to California and now to our friends houses in Minneapolis.It's such an easy recipe with beautiful crunchy results! I remember posting a picture of it on Facebook, but never got to posting it here. Time and month's flew by and when it was time for me to select a 'Cookie' for 'A Sweet Punch' bake for February, I chose these simple Indian cookies.

Are you longing to get a taste of your local bakery cookies? Are you longing to have a bite of 'those' crunchy cookies your mom made when you got back from school? Or simply want to have something with a nutty crunch in it? Then these cookies can do wonders for you! I tried them simply for a change and not for wanting any of those things I mentioned above but I got all those things I mentioned above when I ate them :)

When we went to California, I met a blogger friend of mine.Magpie of Magpie's Recipes. I gave her a packet of these cookies and she loved it. Infact she has been asking me for this recipe ever since and I've never shared it with her! How mean?! ;-) The truth is,I've had plans of posting it on my blog but it never happened until today. I hope she gets to see this now :)

EGGLESS WHOLEWHEAT ALMOND COOKIES
Recipe source: Manjula's Kitchen

Ingredients:
1 c Wholewheat flour
1/2 c granulated sugar (If you are living in India, please use powdered sugar.Take about less than 1/2 cup regular sugar and powder it.)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp green cardamom powder
1/4 c chopped/slivered almonds
1/2 c (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
About 2 tbsp milk or as needed (you may not need this at all)

Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 360F and position the rack in the centre.

In a bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together.
Add the soft butter to the dry ingredients and mix with your fingertips.
If can form a soft dough, avoid adding the milk, if not add milk and form a soft dough.
Divide the dough into 24.Form them into smooth balls.
Flatten them slightly and place them on an ungreased cookie/baking tray.
Bake for 18 mins or until they are lightly golden brown in colour.
Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely, by then the cookies will firm up.
Store in airtight containers.

Verdict: If I make the same cookies over and over again and then bring it to a group of food bloggers to try, then this recipe has to be excellent! :) Try it for yourself and see!!

If you would like to bake with us, please send an e-mail to asweetpunch AT gmail DOT com

Announcement: A big thanks to all who participated in the Kerala Kitchen last month. We have created a new home for the event, so the round up will be posted there. This month,along with the event, we are bringing you a challenge, to make my 12-layered Chatti Pathiri :)

If you are interested in becoming a member or would like to submit your entry, please send it to magpiemails AT gmail DOT com.

We look forward to hearing from you, real soon!