Almond Shortbread Cookies Tested Recipe

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These Almond Shortbreads are a nice cookie to have on hand. I often serve them in the afternoon with a hot cup of tea or for dessert, alongside a bowl of ice cream or a velvety smooth chocolate mousse. They have a sandy texture and subtle almond flavor which comes from adding almond flour (meal) to the batter. For this shortbread we are not making individual cookies, instead we are making one large round which can be cut into wedge-shape pieces after baking. These wedge-shaped shortbreads are also known as "petticoat tails", named after the bell-hoop petticoats worn by court ladies in the 12th century. 

Now, whenever you cut a round of shortbread into wedges there is the problem of the tips of the shortbreads breaking off. Dorothy Hartley in her lovely book "Food in England" tells us that "Every cook knows how the pointed ends of cut cakes and biscuits break off - so, after several centuries of broken tips, someone evolved the cure: they cut a circle out of the centre before baking......". If you like you can follow Dorothy Hartley's advice and cut out the center before baking, or, I like to think of those pieces left in the pan after baking as the 'cook's treat'.

If you are not familiar with almond flour (meal), it is made from very finely ground blanched almonds. You can buy it at some grocery stores, health food stores and specialty food stores or it can be ordered online at www.bakerscatalogue.com . However, if you cannot find it anywhere, the alternative is to make your own. To do this simply ground 1 cup (100 grams) sliced (blanched (skins off) or natural (skins on)) almonds with 1 tablespoon (14 grams) granulated white sugar in a blender or food processor. You need to add a little sugar or flour to the almonds when ground to prevent clumping as the sugar or flour absorbs the oil exuded from the almonds. The other ingredient in this shortbread recipe that you may not be familiar with is rice flour. Rice flour is a fine gluten-free flour produced from white or brown rice. If possible, I like to use brown rice flour. It can be found in some grocery stores or else health food stores or, again, it can be ordered online at www.bakerscatalogue.com. If you cannot find it just substitute regular cornstarch (corn flour) for the rice flour.