Almond Meltaways

Tysa Marie
Mar 14, 2017
2 min read

To quote the great singer/songwriter, Britney Spears, "Oops, I did it again"! I participate in Youngstown, Ohio's annual "Cookie Table and Cocktails" event. This event held in February brings anywhere between 60-80 local, amateur bakers to raise funds for the Mahoning Valley Historical society and a little, friendly competition. Never heard of this event? You should click here to read last year's post on why the cookie table is an important part of Northeast Ohio's history. The Almond Meltaway cookie recipe below made me a cookie champ for a second year in a row! I can't tell you exactly why it was picked for the top prize because there were a lot of terrific cookies this year (loved the s'mores pizelle I tried). But I believe it won because after you take a bite, you instantly make that "yum" sound. You know the one. When you bite into this cookie, it has a soft, shortbread-like texture with a warm, buttery almond taste (insert yum sound). When I debuted this cookie at my annual Christmas party, every man, woman and child that tried it made that yum sound. I picked this recipe for the contest solely based on that "feedback." I hope you enjoy them, too. :)

Almond Meltaways

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter-flavored vegetable shortening

3/4 cup sugar

1 large egg

2 teaspoons almond extract

Frosting:

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon milk

1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract

Yield: 36 cookies

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Bake Time: 8 minutes Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat (my personal preference).
In an electric stand mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and almond extract, beating again until combined. Add all dry ingredients, mixing until completely combined.
Using a tablespoon sized cookie scoop, place scoops of cookie dough on your prepared baking sheets spaced at least one inch apart. Lightly wet finger tips and press the dough into a disk shape.
Bake for approximately 8 minutes. The cookies will remain pale in color on the top but you will see a light, brown edge at the bottom. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for at least one minute as they are fragile and can easily crumble at this stage. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Meanwhile, prepare the frosting in an electric stand mixer. Whisked together all ingredients until completely smooth.
Using a spoon, smooth or drizzle frosting onto the top of each cookie and let set until hardened.
Store the cookies in the refrigerator, but let them come to room temperature before serving.
Enjoy!