Cherry-Almond Slice-and-Bake Butter Cookies
Creating festive, artsy treats with different flavors and mix-ins has never been more fun, thanks to our flexible slice-and-bake formula and inspired, easy-to-execute designs.
Styling by Stylist - Catrine Kelty.Why This Recipe Works
We started our slice-and-bake cherry-almond cookie dough with melted rather than softened butter. This allowed us to skip the usual creaming step and simply stir in the sugar along with an egg yolk and almond extract. A little baking powder opened up tiny air pockets in the dough and kept it from being too dense. The yolk's proteins and the sugar gave the cookies a pleasantly firm and crumbly texture and extended their shelf life to 10 days, making them ideal for shipping or gifting. We stirred in chopped dried sour cherries, which studded the dough with tangy sweetness. We then rolled the dough into logs and refrigerated them until they were firm. Finally, we cut the chilled logs into rounds before baking.
Key Equipment
Before You Begin
You can substitute other dried fruit for the sour cherries. To ensure that your cookies are the same size, it's important to roll the logs so that they have a diameter of 1¼ inches. Don't skip the rest in step 4; letting the sliced dough warm to room temperature helps the cookies expand evenly as they bake.
Instructions
1.
Whisk flour, cherries, salt, and baking powder together in bowl. In second bowl, whisk melted butter, sugar, egg yolk, and almond extract until very smooth. Add flour mixture and stir with rubber spatula or wooden spoon until well combined (dough will be loose). Let dough rest until firm, about 5 minutes.
2.
Divide dough in half and shape each half into log that is 1¼ inches in diameter and about 10 inches long. Wrap logs tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.
3.
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Let chilled dough sit on counter to soften slightly, about 15 minutes. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
4.
Slice logs into ¼-inch-thick rounds and space 1 inch apart on prepared sheets. Let rest at room temperature for 10 minutes. Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until edges are just golden, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking.
5.
Let cookies cool on sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and let cool completely, about 30 minutes. Serve. (Cookies can be stored at room temperature for up to 10 days.)
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