Almond Crunch Cookies

Do you have a cookie recipe that has been used so many times over the years that the newspaper clipping is tattered, wrinkled, and about ready to fall apart??? I DO!!! When I was a child, my mom found this Almond Crunch Cookie recipe in a newspaper column and made it yearly for Christmas Cookies. This newspaper recipe has been used sooooo many times that the edges are held together by scotch tape. I firmly believe if a newspaper clipping or index card recipe has blotches, rips, tape and splatters collected over the years...it's a recipe for something absolutely amazing.

I have fond memories of sitting next to my mom at the kitchen table and rolling the dough into balls and then rolling them in slivered almonds. After the cookies were baked my mom would make an incredibly rich cup of Hot Cocoa to go along with the cookies. Nothing beats drinking hot cocoa to wash down the cookies when it's snowing outside in December. I know my childhood years in the kitchen with my mom were so special to me and the reason why I'm so passionate about baking.

So why am I making these cookies in April?!?! Well, these cookies are just toooooooooo good to make once a year. Plus, I couldn't wait until December to eat these again :o)  If you love almonds, these cookies are absolutely sinfully delicious. 

Almond Crunch Cookies 

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 cup almonds, ground in blender or food processor

2 cups all purpose flour

2 cups sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl, beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer just until blended. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add egg and almond extract. Beat at medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. On low speed, add ground almonds and flour. Mix just until blended. Do not overmix. If necessary, refrigerate dough 30 minutes or until firm enough to shape. Roll heaping tablespoons of dough into 1 1/2 inch balls. Roll in sliced almonds, coating balls thoroughly. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until cookies are slightly brown around edges. Immediately transfer with a broad spatula to a cool, flat surface covered with wax paper, let cool. 

Glaze:

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 cup (6 oz.) chocolate chips

2 teaspoons light corn syrup

Scald cream in small saucepan and remove from heat. Stir in chocolate chips and corn syrup. Cover and let stand for 15 minutes. Gently mix glaze until smooth, careful not to introduce too much air into the chocolate. When cookies are cool, drizzle or dip the cookies while glaze is warm. Refrigerate on waxed paper until glaze has set, about 10 minutes.