Almond Meltaway Cookies

     As someone with an extremely Scandanavian heritage on both sides of my family, almond is a necessary wintertime flavor. Don't ask me why almond is a Scandinavian tradition, considering they only  it just is. The thing is, almond can be a little difficult to bake with. Because it is more of a subtle flavor the extract can taste a little alcoholey if you use too much and if you don't use enough you can't taste it at all! The perfect treat for a wintertime fika is an almond meltaway cookie topped with an almond glaze and almond slivers. Yummy!!

    I started off my cookies by preheating my oven to 375 degrees F and started creaming together my butter and sugar. While I was waiting for that to get nice and crispy I whisked together my flour, baking powder, and salt. I add my egg and 2 tsp of almond extract to my creamed butter and sugar. When that is all mixed I dump in all of my dry ingredients and mix everything together until it is smooth. 

    Once everything is well mixed it should be a very smooth dough that is very similar to playdough. I made little balls out of the dough and put them all on a baking sheet, making sure each ball is around one inch apart. These hardly spread so you don't have to spread them out too much. When I got my balls on my sheet I took the heel of my hand and pressed each one down slightly. These should still be pretty thick but not ball shaped. I would guess I usually keep mine more than 1/4 inch and less than 1/2 inch thick but I don't actually measure them and I am really horrible at estimating that kind of stuff. If you do follow those measurements and it seems off please disregard. 

    Next, I put my cookies into my oven and baked them for about eight minutes. They should NOT be brown at the edges. If you bake these for too long they get super dry. You can tell if they're done by looking at the centers of the cookies and seeing if they look wet. They should be an even light tan with a dry looking texture. When they had that perfect even coloring and texture, I took them out of the oven and let them cool. 

        The icing I like to make for these cookies dries pretty fast and the cookies have to be totally cool before I can ice them so I wait a while to make it. I made my icing by mixing powdered sugar, milk, and almond extract. I always add a little less milk than I need so that the icing does not run off my cookies. If you think your icing is too thick you can always add more milk a 1/2 tablespoon at a time. A little milk goes a long way with this icing so be careful!

    Immediately after icing my cookies I like to top with slivered almonds to add a little extra pizzaz. If you do this you have to place the almonds before the icing dries or else they won't stick or the icing will crack when you press your almonds into the cookie. 

    These cookies are so light and refreshing among many rich Christmas cookies while still having that perfect Scandinavian nostalgia! How did this recipe work for you? Leave a comment with the desert that gives you the warm and fuzzies.