Almond Shortbread Cookies

I have some pretty good willpower around most cookies.  For the record, I have absolutely none around peanut butter.  But, cookies...yeah, I can usually walk away.  Unless they're shortbread cookies and then I keep coming back to stare at them.  Add in some almond and suddenly I have a cookie problem.

Unlike me, Brian does love his cookies but the poor thing doesn't get too many fresh baked ones from me.  Something about the holidays, though, makes me break out the cookie pans and the cookie cutters and, just in general, go a little Mrs. Fields-ish, if you know what I mean.  So, almond shortbread cookies happened and I think I've already eaten more of them than all other year-round cookies combined.  They're buttery and almondy and just sweet enough.  And, since they don't spread in the oven, they make great cut-out cookies.  Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 Egg
1/2 Cup sugar
1 Stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 1/2 oz. Almond paste
1 Teaspoon vanilla
1/2 Teaspoon salt
2 Cups all purpose flour

Add the egg and sugar to a bowl and beat together using a stand or hand mixer.  Add in the butter, almond paste and vanilla and continue beating until incorporated.  Sift together the flour and salt and add to the egg mixture.  Note that, if you're using a hand mixer, you may find it easier to incorporate the flour by hand with a spoon since the dough will be thick.  Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 20 minutes.

If you're just making round cookies, scoop out the dough, place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and flatten out each scoop with the palm of your hand.  I used a 1 oz. scoop and got a 2 dozen cookies.  If you'd like to make cut out cookies, roll the dough out on the parchment paper, cut with your favorite cutter but leave the cookie in place and simply peel the dough away from the sides.  Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for approximately 12 minutes.  The cookie edges will only be barely browned and the cookie itself will still be soft.  Remove from the oven and let rest on the baking sheet for a few minutes until the cookies harden a bit.  Then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.