chocolate almond thumbprint cookies
April 3, 2010 § 1 Comment
I have to confess that after we were robbed last week, one of my first thoughts was ‘Did they take the food processor?” And then I ran into the kitchen to check.
Luckily, the burglars were not tempted by my large, clumsy, multi-bladed kitchen equipment (although apparently our laptops were more enticing). I celebrated by using it immediately! Which in my world means several days later. Sliced almonds were toasted until golden and aromatic, and then blitzed with flour and sugar. The resulting cookie dough was stuffed with dark chocolate chips and then baked until adorable.
I’m not usually a huge fan of almond desserts, but it works beautifully in these cookies and I think it’s largely because they’re freshly toasted and it’s not too sweet. The cookies are chewy and flavourful, and they’re cute enough to make a good gift. Mine were a little, um, authentic looking, as I am no Martha Stewart, but the originals, baked at Smitten Kitchen, are prettier partly because she uses large baking discs. I couldn’t really justify buying yet another kind of chocolate, so made it with chocolate chips. I tried a few different kinds and would recommend either bittersweet or semisweet chips, because the milk chocolate ones obstinately refused to melt and just kind of looked weird. You could also top them with mini chocolate eggs, just in time for Easter!
Chocolate Almond Thumbprint Cookies – adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Yield: 2 dozen cookies
- 3/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted and cooled
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Chocolate chips (I recommend bittersweet or semisweet)
Pulse hazelnuts, sugar, flour, and salt in a food processor until finely ground. (Be careful not to grind to a paste.) Transfer to a bowl and stir in butter, egg, and extract until combined well. Chill dough, covered, until firm, about 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Drop level tablespoons of dough 1 inch apart onto baking sheets. Roll dough into balls, then chill until slightly firm, about 10 minutes.
Press 2 or 3 chocolate chips firmly into the top of each ball of cookie dough and bake, 1 sheet at a time, until tops are pale golden and undersides are golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Be careful not to overbake. Transfer cookies to a rack and cool completely.
one cake two cake 
perfect for a birthday treat! critics say, “delicious!”