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Almond Cookies with Cherry Preserves and Almond Glaze

Equipment:

Rolling Pin

Small cookie cutter (1 and ½ to 2 inches and preferably symmetrical)

Parchment Paper

Cookie Press (Optional)

Ingredients:

2 sticks of unsalted butter

¾ c. sugar

4 oz (weighed) almond paste

½ t. almond extract

½ t. vanilla extract

2 ¼ c. flour

½ t. baking soda

¼ t. salt

1 jar of store bough cherry preserves or jam (or the preserve flavor of your choice, homemade or store bought)

Almond Glaze:

1 ½ rounded cups of confectioner sugar

3 – 5 T. of milk

¼ to ½ t. of almond extract

1. Cream butter and sugar in bowl of mixer fitted with paddle attachment until well combined.
2. Break almond paste into small pieces and add to the creamed mixture. Beat on med to med high until the almond paste is broken up and well distributed throughout the mixture. (2 – 3 minutes)
3. Add vanilla and almond extract, mix until incorporated.
4. Place flour, baking soda and salt into a bowl and whisk to sift.
5. With the mixer off, add flour mixture into the creamed mixture. Turn mixer on low (so as not to send flour flying everywhere) once reasonably combined, tick up the speed to med and mix entire mixture until just combined.
6. Mixture will look crumbly but will come together when pressed together in the palm of your hand. (Option A: at this time, you can place the dough in a cookie press for spritz cookies. However, once chilled, the dough isn’t malleable enough to use in a cookie press)
7. Place the mixture onto a breadboard or other surface and bring together with your hands. Divide into two equal portions.  Shape each portion into a round disk and wrap with cling film.  Place in fridge to chill for two hours.
8. When about ready to roll out the dough and bake, pull out of fridge. Let come to room temperature (about an hour)
9. Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.
10. Working with small batches, roll dough out to ¼” thick. I find it helps to roll the dough between two pieces of parchment paper.  Cut shapes out with your cookie cutter, gather the scraps, re-roll and cut more shapes until you have gone through all the dough. (this dough keeps in the fridge, so if you only want to roll out one of the two disks, it will be fine)
11. Place the cut-out shapes on an ungreased sheet pan. (Option B. Bake at this point, without executing the additional steps. This will give you a plain, baked cookie that can be eaten with or without a sweet jam topping of your choice)
12. Take approximately half a cup of the preserves and place in a sauce pan. Heat over medium heat until the viscosity changes from thick to thinner. Generally, when it starts to bubble, it is ready.  Stir the mixture while over the heat and re-heat of the preserves or jam cool while you are placing it on the cookies.
13. Using a quarter teaspoon, spoon a quarter teaspoon of the thinned preserve mixture onto the center of the cut-out shape. Try to keep the shape of the preserve round as you are dolloping the preserves in the center.
14. Place in the oven and cook for 10 – 12 minutes, until the edges are a light golden brown. Rotate the sheet pans halfway through the bake to ensure even baking.
15. While the cookies are baking, begin your almond glaze. Sift the confectioners’ sugar into a bowl. Add three tablespoons of milk and stir.  If the glaze is thick (like peanut butter), add more milk, one table spoon at a time.  You are looking for a drizzling consistency.  Add a quarter teaspoon of almond extract.    If stronger flavor is needed and/or desired, add the additional quarter teaspoon.
16. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow to fully cool.
17. Using a fork or a squeeze bottle with a small nozzle, drizzle each cookie with the glaze. It is important to be more conservative with the glaze versus over glazing.  Less is better in this case.