CHOCOLATE ALMOND SHORTBREAD

By BobD

Ingredients

• These crumbly cookies are extremely easy to make, and they improve with time. We recommend baking them a couple of days ahead — if you can resist the temptation to eat them immediately.
• 1/2 cup blanched whole almonds (3 oz)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 5 tablespoons superfine granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• Confectioners sugar for dusting

Details

Servings 32

Preparation

Step 1

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Pulse almonds with flour, granulated sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, and salt in a food processor until very finely chopped. Add butter and pulse just until a dough forms.

Press dough evenly into an ungreased 9-inch square baking pan with your fingers. Cut dough into 16 squares with a sharp knife, then cut squares diagonally to make a total of 32 triangles.

Bake until cookies are dry to the touch, 15 to 17 minutes. Transfer pan to a rack and run a thin knife around edge of pan to loosen cookies while hot. Recut hot cookies into triangles, then cool completely in pan. Dust with confectioners sugar just before serving.

Cooks' note:
Cookies can be made 5 days ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature.

Makes 32 cookies.