One thing however- initially I really wanted to replace the almonds by pistachio...therefore making "pistachio buttons" I guess. But not enough pistachios there was in the kitchen that day- they were outnumbered by almonds, and I had no choice then to go with the original recipe. Aargh, frustration!!
I used half the amounts indicated in the recipe, and it still made more then enough for a first trial- approximately 40-45 cookies! The result was fantastic, they taste scrumptious and are super easy to make! Ever since, I've made these cookies four times in less then a month, as I gave many away to friends and family. For the recipe, continue reading...
Recipe for almond buttons (my half-recipe from the original one, I omit some ingredients too):
- 1 cup whole, skin-on almonds, toasted (explained below)
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 100gr butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 100gr semisweet chocolate
- Skin on almonds for decoration (about 45 pieces)
How to make it:
- Toast the skin-on almonds: cook them in a heavy, dry skillet (preferably cast-iron) over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes, until they are lightly browned and begin to smell toasty. Watch carefully; nuts can burn quickly. Transfer to a dish to cool.
- Finely grind the almonds in a food processor or blender and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- Then add the flour, sugar and pinch of salt. Personally, I put all these powdering ingredients again in a food processor.
- Melt the butter, and add with the vanilla extract to the flour, almonds and sugar.
- Use your hands to work the dough, until it becomes soft and non-sticky.
- Transfer dough to fridge for at least 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to th5, and pull dough out of fridge
- Form small cookie dough balls, and with your thumb make a little "hole" in the middle. The original recipe calls for a melon baller, but if you don't have one, then your thumb works out just as well!
- Bake for 12 minutes.
- Pull out, do not touch (they crumble!!) and let cool.
- In the meantime, melt chocolate in a bain marie. Then drizzle a small amount of the chocolate into the indentation of each cookie. Top off with an almond. Let cool, and enjoy!
P.S: these cookies keep their crunch extremely well for days, as long as they are kept in an air-tight container!
Original recipe can be found here: http://projects.washingtonpost.com/recipes/2007/12/12/almond-buttons/
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