Almond Teardrops

By norsegal8

Almonds, ground like flour, give these cookies an extra-nutty flavor. Each teardrop-shaped cookie is brushed with an egg yolk glaze and topped with a split, blanched almond before baking.

Ingredients

• DOUGH
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 ounces blanched almonds, finely ground
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 sticks (5 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• DECORATION
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 teaspoons heavy cream
• 2 ounces blanched almonds

Preparation

Step 1

1. Dough: In a medium bowl, blend the flour, the ground nuts and salt briefly with a wire whisk; set aside. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter at medium-low speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Beat in the sugar at medium speed until creamy. Add the egg, lemon zest and almond extract, beating until well combined and slightly fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Lower the speed, gradually add the dry ingredients, and mix just until the mixture is thoroughly combined.

2. Divide the dough in half. Roll one portion of the dough at a time between 2 sheets of waxed paper to form a circle 11 inches in diameter and ¼ inch thick. Peel off the top sheet of waxed paper and roll a rolling pin with a waffle pattern over the dough once. Exert just enough pressure to flatten the dough to 3/16 inch thick. If the dough stick to the pin, lightly flour the dough’s surface. Replace the waxed paper on top and place on a baking sheet, waffle design up. Refrigerate until firm, for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.

3. Adjust the oven rack to the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

4. Decoration: In a small bowl, blend the egg yolk with the cream until smooth; set aside. Put the almonds and water to cover in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat; let stand for 1 minute to soften. Remove the nuts, one by one, and split them in half along their natural seams.

5. Remove one dough circle at a time from the refrigerator and peel off the top sheet of waxed paper; discard the waxed paper. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat the waffle-patterned dough with the egg wash.

6. Pinch the wide end of a ½-inch plain decorating tip into an oval shape resembling a teardrop to make a cutter. Using the cutter, cut out shapes of the dough. Space the cutouts ½-inch apart on baking sheets. Put an almond half, rounded side up, on each cookie. Bake, one sheet at a time, until the cookies appear set and ivory-colored, about 12 to 15 minutes. Place the baking sheets on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Then lift cookies from the parchment with a spatula to cool.

7. Stack in an airtight container and store at room temperature.