Almond Sprinkle Cookies

A delightfully light and airy confection, Almond Sprinkle Cookies are packed with delicious holiday flavour; prepared with ground almonds, almond extract, powdered sugar, and vegetable shortening. Made festive with sprinkles, these cookies must be a part of this year’s Christmas baking!

ALMOND SPRINKLE COOKIES

I have to admit, I was a bit nervous about baking cookies with vegetable shortening. It’s not an ingredient I’ve used much in my baking recipes in the past. But, I remember my mom using vegetable shortening quite often when I was a kid. Come to think of it, she used it to fry things in. I’m not sure she ever baked with it.

Anyway, I gave it a go, and I couldn’t be happier! These cookies are light, slightly crispy, and they have a great crumble to them. They remind me very much of shortbread, but of course, there’s a lot of really good almond flavour in these!

These cookies are perfect for sharing. They pack well and will keep fresh for a few days in a cookie bag or box. Not only should these cookies be a part of your 2021 holiday baking, but make them a part of your annual cookie giveaway. Every year, we make up boxes or bags of cookies to share with neighbours. These went into last year’s box. They might make it into this year’s box as well!

LORD BYRON’S 24 COOKIES OF CHRISTMAS – VOLUME 4

Can you believe this is my fourth consecutive year of sharing my 24 Cookies of Christmas advent with you? I have to tell you, it wasn’t easy to bring this series back for the fourth year. The first three years consisted of 24 cookie recipes each, for a total of 72 recipes. I had to get really creative this year in hopes of posting 24 more Christmas cookie recipes.

You might be asking yourself, how many Christmas cookie recipes could one possibly have or need? Well, I say you can never have too much of a good thing. And, I love having lots of choices. Who wants to bake the same holiday cookies year after year?

So, welcome, Dear Reader, to Volume 4 or Lord Byron’s 24 Cookies of Christmas! If you’re new to Lord Byron’s Kitchen, it’s really simple. I will share a new recipe every single day for 24 consecutive days – yes, even on Saturday and Sunday. Fresh off of my 12 Truffles of Christmas countdown, I’m ready to plow through the next 24 days with you! Who’s ready to get started?

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO MAKE THESE COOKIES:

1. Vegetable Shortening – More commonly known as Crisco, vegetable shortening helps to keep baked goods lighter and flakier. If you don’t have any, you can substitute it with half butter and half margarine. You MUST make sure your butter and margarine are both at room temperature, otherwise it will not work. Combine both ingredients with a spatula until well mixed.
2. Confectioner’s Sugar – Also known as powdered sugar.
3. Egg – You need one large egg at room temperature. Remove the egg from the fridge 30 minutes before using.
4. Almond Extract – This extract certainly makes up the bulk of the almond flavour. If you want to substitute it, use vanilla extract instead.
5. Ground Almonds – These can be purchased from almost any grocer or baking supply store. You can also make your own. Ground almonds are not the same as almond flour!
6. Flour – I always use all-purpose flour, unless otherwise stated.

GROUND ALMONDS OR ALMOND FLOUR?

Almond flour will not work well in this recipe. Almond flour is extremely fine in comparison to ground almonds. The coarse texture of the ground almonds is what makes this cookie hold together well. Using almond flour instead will most certainly make the dough much harder to work with. In addition, you’ll lose that texture. You can read more about the two here.

You have two choices here – buy ground almonds or make your own. Unless you have a brand of ground almonds that you know and trust, do it yourself. It’s super easy and much cheaper when you compare the price gram for gram.

Place the almonds into a food processor. Whole, raw almonds will do, but blanched almonds are best. They have no brown skin on them which helps to keep the cookie dough white. We do not want almond flour or almond butter here! Literally, pulse the almonds two to three times maximum. Want you want is a coarse sand-like consistency. The key here is to keep the almonds from becoming mushy or moist.

HOW TO MAKE ALMOND SPRINKLE COOKIES:

I love to make these cookies, not only because they are easy, but because they’re also fun to make. As you know, I love to use sprinkles, so that’s always a bonus. But, there’s something about creating a crisscross pattern in a cookie using a fork that reminds me of the old days. My most fond memories center around Christmastime.

For this cookie, you will want to start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F. Next, prepare a baking sheet by lining it with a silicone liner or with parchment paper and set it aside. In a mixing bowl, use a hand-held mixer to beat together the confectioner’s sugar and vegetable shortening. Beat for 3-5 minutes or until the mixture is light and fluffy. Next, beat in the egg, salt, water, and extract until combined.

Now, add the flour and ground almonds. Beat on low speed until just mixed through. Spoon dough into 1 teaspoon portions. Roll into a ball and place on the prepared baking sheet. Keep the balls at least two inches apart. Using a fork, create an “X” onto the top of each cookie, pressing straight down. The cookie should be flattened to just over 1/4 inch thick. Top cookies with sanding sugar and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 3 minutes. Remove and transfer cookies to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.

NOT ALL SPRINKLES ARE CREATED EQUAL!

If you’re like me, you have a big stash of sprinkles. Honestly, Dear Reader, I have a small wooden crate full of jars and bags of sprinkles. For this recipe though, not all types of sprinkles will work. You really do need to use sprinkles that can stand up to the heat of an oven. Not all of them can do that.

For this recipe, you can use sprinkles that have an elongated shape – like a miniature rod! They’re usually called Jimmies. The nonpareils (small balls) will not work very well at all. They are too small to hold up the heat and will melt. Personally, I prefer sanding sugar for these cookies. Sanding sugar is sometimes referred to as baking sugar

Believe it or not, I usually buy sprinkles online. I’m a little impatient and cannot stand the thought of driving from store to store to get what I want. I’m not endorsed in any way by this company. I just really like the product. 99% of the sprinkles I use come from Sweetapolita.

STORING, PACKAGING, & FREEZING

When it comes to most cookies, they taste best at room temperature, but they don’t hold up well to being left out on your countertop for long periods of time. Cookies will stay fresh in a cookie jar or food-safe container with a lid for 3-5 days if left to sit on your kitchen countertop. You can store them in a food-safe container in your fridge. When you want one, two, or half a dozen, take them out of the container and place them in a single layer on a plate. Let them sit at room temperature for 5 minutes and they’re ready!

If you plan to freeze your Almond Sprinkle Cookies, you certainly can! Once they are completely cooled, pile them into a clean, food-safe container. The container must be freezer friendly! You’ll want to ensure a very tight-fitting lid too. I use these quite often when freezing baked goods. I like to place a sheet of plastic wrap over the top of the container before pushing the lid on. This helps to create a better seal. The goal is to keep all of that freshness locked in!  

You can freeze these cookies for up to three months. If you plan to give previously frozen cookies as a gift, I would lay them out onto a wire cooling rack to thaw completely. Once thawed, pile into cellophane bags and tie with a ribbon, or stack in a cookie tin/box.

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down to follow me and never miss another recipe!

Finally, as I stated previously, every day I will be posting a new recipe. If you miss one, don’t fret. You can find my entire collection of Christmas Recipes right here! There are over 100 Christmas recipes and counting. There’s something for everyone! Cheers!