I hadn't intended on adding to my cookie collection given how many recipes I have already concocted over the past few years, however, when I decided to recreate food seen in film I couldn't resist making the almond cookies which feature in Everything Everywhere All at Once. Unlike my other cookies, these are two things which make these particular cookies stand out from the crowd. Firstly, they are gluten free. I appreciate in order to achieve this (and minimise the spread, which happened a lot during initial tests) I've used a lot of cornflour. Hey, it works. Secondly, you don't need to do any chilling with the dough, and so these can be made very quickly considering. You just need to throw the ingredients into the mixer, portion it up, and bake. I've included points if you are making the smiley cookies. The knack to getting the smile is to be quick and don't press down too much. It just so happens I have Ikea glasses which are the perfect size for making a smile but you may need to make do either another kitchen item or used a spoon.
Makes 16
Hands-on Time 10 minutes
Baking Time 15 minutes
Ingredients
125g Unsalted butter (softened)
100g Light brown sugar
90g Caster sugar
1 Egg, large
1 tsp Almond extract
100g Ground almonds
300g Cornflour
1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp Fine salt
32 Almonds, blanched & whole (optional)
2 tbsp tbsp Raspberry/Strawberry Jam (seedless)
Equipment
Freestanding mixer with paddle
Spatula
Baking parchment
Knife
Baking sheet (ideally aluminium)
Small glass or spoon
Wire rack
Preheat the oven to 170°C/150°C (Fan)/325°F/Gas mark 3.
Add the butter, light brown sugar, and caster sugar to the bowl of the mixer and beat on a medium-high speed for 5 minutes until you have a very light and fluffy mixture.
Add the egg and almond extract and beat for a couple of seconds until combined.
Add the ground almonds, cornflour, bicarb, and salt and beat for a couple of seconds until combined. Scrape the sides down using a spatula to make sure everything is incorporated.
I find it easier to transfer the dough onto a piece of baking parchment so I can roll it into a sausage shape. This is purely to help me get evenly sized cookies when I cut it up into pieces.
Cut the dough into 16 discs. They should be no more than about 4cm in circumference (so quite thick).
Line a baking sheet with parchment.
Place approx 6/8 discs spaced about 10cm apart from each other onto the baking parchment.
If you are making smiley cookies, place two almonds into the top of each disc of dough. Press them down slightly.
Pop the tray into the oven on a middle shelf and bake for 15 minutes.
Once the time is up remove the tray from the oven.
If you are making smiley cookies, immediately make the smiles either by pressing the edge of a glass or side of a spoon into each cookie. Don’t press too hard, you want to make an indentation and not cut through the cookie itself.
Slide the parchment carefully, with the cookies, onto the worktop. Re-line with more paper and bake your next batch.
After the cookies have rested for a couple of minutes they should be firm enough for you to transfer onto a wire rack to fully cool.
If you are making smiley cookies, give the jam a stir and spoon (or pipe if you are wanting precision) it into the indentations you made earlier.
Enjoy!