These Buttery Almond Cookies are rich, soft, and chewy with a delicious buttery almond flavor.
They are just like butter cookies but with a delicious nutty almond flavor. They are perfect for morning tea or after dinner with coffee. Add them to the side of a chocolate dessert (like my chocolate pots) for an elegant end to a meal.
These are super quick to make, there is no need to chill the dough, and everything is mixed together in the stand mixer (or with an electric whisk). So you can have fresh homemade cookies in under 30 minutes.
Ingredients
These are such simple cookies that I think most people will have the ingredients in their pantry or cupboard.
- Unsalted butter: The butter wants to be at room temperature. You should be able to easily push your finger into it, with little to no resistance. If I am in a hurry, I have an easy method for softening butter (see below). If you have salted butter, you can use that; just leave out the salt from the ingredient list.
- Eggs: Large room temperature eggs.
- Almond extract: This is what gives the cookies their distinctive nutty almond taste. It is easy to find in the baking section of the grocery store.
- Granulated sugar: This gives the cookies crisp edges and a chewy center.
- Flour: All-purpose flour or Plain Flour for those not in the US.
- Cornstarch: Also known as Corn Flour, adding a small amount to the cookies helps with the melt-in-the-mouth texture.
- Baking soda: Don't get confused with baking powder.
- Salt: Standard table salt
- Whole Almonds: Just for decoration. Feel free to use almond slivers or a peeled almond instead. Or you can leave them off altogether.
How to soften butter quickly for cookies
- Run a non-metallic plate under warm tap water. Dry well. (It doesn't need to be hot, but you don't want the plate to be cold)
- Weigh the butter and chop it into small cubes. Place the butter on the warmed plate.
- Half fill a microwave-safe jug/bowl with water. (about 2-3 cups of water)
- Microwave the water for 3-4 minutes until really boiling.
- As soon as the water has had its 3 minutes, quickly and carefully remove the water from the microwave. Immediately place the plate of butter in the microwave.
- Close the door to trap in the hot air, and leave for 10 minutes.
- Your butter will be soft but not melted.
- You don't switch the microwave on once the butter is in there. It is just shut inside with the hot air created by the boiling water.
- You can repeat the process if the butter isn't as soft as you would like.
Recipe Tips
- There is no need to chill the dough. But it will keep in the refrigerator if you want to make these in advance.
- Use a tablespoon measure (or a small ice cream scoop) to scoop out the dough. This will give you even-sized cookies.
- Once rolled, place the cookies on a lined baking sheet and flatten the balls into disks. Add an almond to the center of each cookie.
- Use a cookie/baking sheet if you have one, and line it with parchment paper. This will give the cookies space to spead out, so you don't get a cakey cookie.
- The oven temperature is given for a conventional oven on the bake setting. I recommend this for cookies as the fan oven setting can dry the top of the cookie out, and you get less chew. But if you use a fan oven setting, reduce the temperature by 70ºF/20ºC.
- Don't overcook your cookies. They will still be soft in the center and golden brown around the edges. Remove them from the oven and let them cook for 5 minutes on the baking sheet.
- Once they have had the 5 minutes, you can carefully transfer them to a cooling rack.
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Do you need almond flour to make almond cookies?
No. Although almond flour, ground almond, or almond meal will make delicious cookies. You can make almond-flavored cookies just using a good almond extract.
Ground almonds can be expensive, and with grocery prices like they are at the moment, I prefer to make a big batch of cookies for the kids without the costly ingredient. But they are still delicious and homemade!
How do I store Almond Cookies?
These almond cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temperature. Or you can freeze them for up to 3 months. If you want to be able to remove one cookie at a time, I recommend sandwiching the cookies with a square of parchment paper before placing them in an airtight container in the freezer.
If you make these Buttery Almond Cookies, don't forget to come back and comment. You can also tag me on social media.
Any questions about the recipe? Use the comments section below.
Enjoy x
Get the Recipe
Buttery Almond Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter (see note 1)
- 1½ cup granulated sugar
- 2½ cups AP flour (see note 2)
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon table salt (see note 1)
- 2 eggs (see note 3)
- 2 teaspoons almond extract
- 24 whole almonds (see note 4)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F/190°C and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Use a stand mixer or hand-held mixer to cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.1 cup unsalted butter1½ cup granulated sugar
- While the butter and sugar are creaming, measure out the flour and add the cornflour, baking soda, and salt. Mix to combine.2½ cups AP flour2 teaspoons cornstarch1 teaspoon baking soda½ teaspoon table salt
- Add the eggs to the butter mixture one at a time, mixing well after each egg. Pour in the almond extract and mix well.2 eggs2 teaspoons almond extract
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter and mix until the dough comes together.
- Measure 1 tablespoon amounts of the cookie dough and then gently roll it in your hand to create a ball.
- Place the cookies balls on the lined baking sheet and use something flat (I use the back of a measuring cup) to flatten the cookies.
- Add an almond to the center of each cookie.24 whole almonds
- Bake your cookies for 8-10 minutes, until the edges are just golden and the center is still soft.
- Remove the cookies from the oven, and leave them to cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Make sure your butter is at room temperature. You want to be able to push your finger into the butter easily. (see the bulk of post for how to soften butter quickly) If using salted butter leave out the salt in the recipe.
- All-purpose flour is plain flour for those not in the US.
- I use large eggs, and they are at room temperature.
- Feel free to use almond slivers or a peeled almond instead. Or you can leave them off altogether.
Nutrition
Nutrition is per serving
Jennifer says
These are so light and delightful! They were just what I was looking for when I had friends over for coffee.