MAKES ABOUT 40 COOKIES
The best shortbread always has a bit of rice flour for an irresistible snappy, sandy texture. And because almond shortbread is divine, I thought I’d really bump up the nuttiness and use almond flour instead of wheat flour. Before I knew it, I had a wonderfully crisp, nutty shortbread on my hands that also happens to be gluten-free. High five!
For economy and the aesthetic of all those beautiful brown flecks of almond skin, this recipe starts by making your own almond flour with raw nuts. If you want to seek out something premade, you’ll want to look for speckled “almond meal” rather than creamy white blanched almond flour, which is made from skinless almonds and therefore absorbs liquids differently.
1¼ cups (6¼ ounces/177 grams) raw almonds
⅔ cup (3¾ ounces/107 grams) white rice flour
⅔ cup (4⅝ ounces/132 grams) turbinado sugar
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
10 tablespoons (5 ounces/142 grams) unsalted butter, at cool room temperature, cut into tablespoons
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon almond extract
1 large egg, lightly beaten
¾ cup (3¾ ounces/107 grams) almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped
1. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade, process the raw almonds to a flour, about 30 seconds. To the processor, add the rice flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda. Process until the sugar is broken down a bit, about 1 minute.
2. Scatter the butter over the top, and add the vanilla and almond extracts. Process just until the dough starts to come together and pull off the sides of the processor bowl. Add the egg and process to blend well. Toss in the toasted almonds and pulse until the dough is well blended and the almonds are chopped a bit finer.
3. Line a work surface with a large sheet of plastic wrap. Divide the dough in half and place half on the plastic wrap (the dough will be very soft). Shape the dough into a 2 × 6-inch plank that’s about 1¼ inches thick. Wrap the plastic tightly around the dough plank. Shape and wrap the remaining dough. Chill in the refrigerator until very firm, about 4 hours.
4. When you’re ready to bake, position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325˚F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
5. Slice each plank into twenty ⅓-inch-thick cookies. Evenly space the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, 20 to a sheet. Bake until golden and firm to the touch all over, 20 to 25 minutes.
6. Let the cookies cool on the sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely (they will be quite fragile right out of the oven, so be sure to give them a rest before transferring them to the cooling racks). Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
TIP: To glitz up your shortbread, thoroughly beat 1 additional egg with 1 tablespoon of water. With a pastry brush, paint the egg wash all over the chilled dough planks, then coat them in turbinado sugar before slicing into cookies.
TIP: The dough planks can be frozen for up to 6 months.