These Buttery Almond Cookies are rich, soft, and chewy with a delicious buttery almond flavor. They are just like butter cookies but with a delightful nutty almond flavor. Perfect for morning tea or after dinner with coffee. 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.
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/ 227g unsalted butter1½ cup/ 300g 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/ 300g 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.