It’s no secret that I love to cook and bake. The holiday season requires a lot of butter in my house. This year, cookies alone, I’m going through 3 POUNDS of butter. Since I won’t be seeing anyone, and I need to mail all my cookies, I’m baking fewer varieties than usual. This year I’m only making 6 to mail. That’s still over 12 dozen cookies. We will be keeping some, because who doesn’t love a holiday cookie and a cup of tea?

While I sometimes switch up the variety, I have been making these “Swedish Almond Butter Cookies” as part of my holiday baking for almost 10 years. The original recipe was in some holiday season “weekend magazine” insert in the local paper. Alas, I have searched the internet high and low for the same recipe, but have not been able to find it. Many are similar, but use a LOT less extract; this leads me to believe they are not as good.

These cookies look innocent enough, not particularly festive, visually outshined by the frosted varieties on the cookie plate. But one bite, and you may wonder why there are any other cookie varieties on the plate. They are literally TOO GOOD. Add them to your holiday cookie plate, and don’t forget to bring the recipe. Because you will get a LOT of requests for the recipe!

Swedish Almond Butter Cookies

• Servings: 70
• Prep Time: 30 min
• Cook Time: 30 min
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Swedish Almond Butter Cookies

Perhaps the most memorable cookie in my recipe box. So buttery, so almondy, so chewy.

Ingredients

• 2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 C. granulated sugar
• 3 C. flour
• 1 tbsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 oz. almond extract
• 3 tbsp heavy cream
• 1 egg, beaten (for brushing on top before baking)
• large grain sugar (for sprinkling on top before baking)

Directions

1. Beat butter and granulated sugar in until fluffy. (I use a stand mixer for efficiency)
2. Add flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix to combined, mixture will be crumbly.
3. Add almond extract and cream. Mix until a soft dough forms.
4. Turn out the dough and shape into a ball. Quarter. Shape each piece into a disk roughly 4-5″ in diameter and 3/4″ high.
5. Place dough rounds roughly 1.5″ apart onto baking sheet lined with parchment.
6. Refrigerate the disks (on the baking sheet) for at least 10 minutes.
7. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
8. Brush the tops of the disks with the beaten egg. Sprinkle generously with large grain sugar.
9. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
10. Decrease oven temperature to 300 degrees.
11. Cut each disk into slices approximately 5/8″ wide, cut each slice in half, except the short ends. Flip cookies onto their side, The pieces will be close, but should not be touching.
12. Return to the oven and bake for 10 minutes.