It looks like Christmas outside! There is a thick coating of fresh, white snow on the ground, the sky is gray, and the tree branches are sparkly. This would be beautiful...if it were December. It's not. It's actually April, and this is my fourth snow day of this school year. I am less than thrilled.
For some reason, I always seem to post recipes when I have a snow day. Since it almost feels like Christmas, I thought it would be fitting to post a Christmas cookie recipe. I love almond flavor, and I love soft cookies, so these were one of my favorites from last Christmas. Although, I'm sure they would be good any time of year...even during sprinter.
Soft Almond Sugar Cookies
Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups white sugar
2/3 cup cold unsalted butter
2/3 cup room-temperature shortening
2 eggs
2 teaspoons almond extract
2-3/4 cups cake flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
sugar in the raw/coarse sugar/sprinkles
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line pans with parchment paper.
2. Cream sugar, butter, and shortening. Add eggs and almond extract.
3. Combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to the butter and egg mixture. Mix thoroughly.
4. Chill dough for 30 minutes.
5. Roll 2 teaspoons of dough at a time into balls. Roll each ball in the raw sugar or sprinkles. Place on prepared pans.
6. Bake for 7 minutes (do NOT bake more than 8 minutes). Gently press the tops of the cookies with the back of a spoon after removing them from the oven. Allow to cool on pan for one minute and then remove to cooling rack.
