Almond Five-Spice Butter Cookies / JillHough.com A great basic butter cookie made even better, thanks to crunchy almonds and aromatic five-spice. Easy to make too. #cookies #buttercookies #almond #fivespice

Almond Five-Spice Butter Cookies

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A great basic butter cookie made even better, thanks to crunchy almonds and aromatic five-spice. Easy to make too.

Makes about 3 1/2 dozen cookies

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup sliced almonds
  • 1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder (see below)
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
  • Decorations such as colored sugar, jimmies, silver balls, and icing (optional)

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, almonds, five-spice powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg and almond extract, beating until smooth. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture, stirring until just combined.

On a lightly floured surface, shape the dough into a 3/4-inch thick round for cookie-cutter cookies or into a log for slice and bake cookies (I shaped mine into a square-ish log for the cookies in the photo). Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and as long as overnight.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line baking sheets with parchment.

Meanwhile, if making cookie-cutter cookies, on a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4-inch thick. Use cookie cutters to cut the dough into various shapes. Gather up the scraps and roll out the dough again. Use cookie cutters to make another set of cookies. Discard the scraps. If making slice and bake cookies, cut the log of dough into 1/4-inch slices. Either way, if you like, decorate the cookies with colored sugar, jimmies, silver balls, etc. (Or make checkerboard cookies following the instructions here.)

Arrange the cookies on the prepared baking sheets about 1/2-inch apart. Bake until just beginning to turn golden at the edges, 11 to 13 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool thoroughly before decorating with icing, if you like.

NOTE Chinese five-spice powder is available in either the spice section or the ethnic or Asian section of most major supermarkets. Besides using it in this recipe, you can use it in Five-Spice Crab and Shrimp Cocktails, sprinkle it on roasted meats and vegetables, and stir it into rice.

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