QUADRUPLE-ALMOND TEA CAKES

If you’re tired of the typical vanilla-flavored butter balls, try this delicious variation.  Toasted, chopped almonds, almond extract, almond flour and Amaretto (almond liqueur) deliver a mild almond flavor.  And here’s a nice bonus:  you can make the dough easily in your food processor.  (You should first chop the almonds in a nut grinder, or put them in a plastic bag and pound them with a meat mallet – they are a hard nut and would tax your food processor blades if you leave them whole.) 

Quadruple-Almond Tea Cakes Rating:  9.5/10 Click for PRINTABLE PAGE

1 cup toasted chopped almonds 1 cup (2 sticks, 8 oz.) unsalted butter, soft 1/4 tsp. Diamond kosher salt 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla powder or extract (I used my homemade vanilla powder.) 1/2 tsp. almond extract 2 tsp. Amaretto 1/2 cup almond meal*, scooped and leveled 1-1/2 cups unbleached all –purpose flour, scooped and leveled In work bowl of food processor, pulse almonds, butter, salt, sugar, vanilla, almond extract and Amaretto till well mixed.  Add almond meal and pulse till combined.  Add flour in two additions, pulsing till combined after each addition.  Chill dough 1 hour for easier handling. When ready to bake, heat oven to 325F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment.  Shape dough into 1” balls, using about a rounded teaspoonful of dough for each.  Place 1” apart on prepared pans.  Bake 15-20 minutes, till set but not brown.  Immediately transfer cookies to wire racks.  Cool slightly, then roll in powdered sugar.  Cool completely; roll again in powdered sugar.  (Note:  Baking time and yield will depend on actual size of balls and individual oven.)  My yield:  83 cookies *Almond meal (almond flour) is available in many grocery stores that carry Bob’s Red Mill products.