Monday, November 09, 2009

Amaretto Butter Cookies

As the name implies, these cookies are both nutty and buttery, and they're not too sweet. The recipe, which comes from Sunset magazine, uses Amaretto liqueur inside and sliced almonds on the top to reinforce the almond taste, without making them almond cookies. A dash of orange zest adds its own sweetness and brightens the flavor. Amaretto Butter Cookies (makes about 3 dozen) 1 c (2 sticks) butter, room temp. 1 c sugar 1 egg, separated 3 Tbs Amaretto (or 1 Tbs almond extract) 1 tsp finely grated orange zest 2 c flour 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 1 1/2 c sliced almonds 1. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until smooth. Then add the egg yolk, Amaretto, and orange zest and mix well. 2. Then add in the flour, baking powder, and salt, and mix until just blended. Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap, flattening each piece into a disk. Freeze for 30 min. 3. Unwrap one of the pieces of dough. On a lightly floured counter, roll out the dough til it is 1/4-inch thick. Cut out the cookies with a two-inch cutter, and place the cookies about two inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Gather the scraps of dough into a ball, roll that out, and cut out more cookies. Then do the same with the second piece of dough. 4. Mix the egg white with about a teaspoon of water. Using a pastry brush, brush this mixture onto the cookies and then arrange the sliced almonds on top. 5. Bake the cookies at 325 degrees for about 15 min., til lightly browned. Let cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

4 comments:

sara said...

Looks good, and not too complicated either. :)

Kt said...

Not complicated at all! The only issue was that WF sold me the smallest sliced almonds EVER. Seriously, most of them are the size of my pinkie fingernail.

sara said...

That's not helpful when you're using them for decoration.

ELR said...

They look really good!