Almond Crunch Cookies

This is a recipe that I wanted to try for a long time. I’ve always looked at the recipe but never had all of the ingredients to make them. These are another Pillsbury BakeOff recipe. The original recipe is for “Texas-Sized” cookies, but for taking these to work it is just easier to make them regular sized. As a result, this recipe makes a ton of cookies, about 7 dozen or so!

These cookies are quite unusual in that they contain both butter and oil. It’s fairly odd to have oil in a cookie recipe. Other than the sugar cookie recipe that my dad always uses, I don’t think I’ve really ever used oil in cookies. The dough is fairly oily, even with refrigeration, but in the end you get a light, flaky cookie. They have a wonderful almond aroma, with the almond extract and the almonds. I don’t think that you can taste the toffee bits really. It would be interesting to try them without the toffee bits.

The recipe calls for flattening the balls of dough with a fork, just like you would for a peanut butter cookie, but I don’t think it’s really necessary. The dough is really so soft that it puffs up and the indentations get lost. They are really good, with a good flavor and an even better texture. I’m glad I tried them. Now I just need to find something to make with the other half of that bag of toffee bits!

1 cup sugar

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup oil

1 teaspoon almond extract

2 eggs

4-1/2 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups sliced almonds

1 cup toffee bits

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with silicone baking mats.

In a large mixer bowl, combine the sugars, butter and oil. Mix until thoroughly combined. Add the almond extract and the eggs, mix well.

In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt. With the mixer running on low, add the flour mixture. Mix until combined. Stir in the almonds and toffee bits. Refrigerate for 30 minutes for easier handling.

Shape dough into balls. Flatten with a fork and bake for about 12 minutes until very lightly browned. Cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe from Barbara Hodgson, 30^th Pillsbury BakeOff, Pillsbury Best of the BakeOff Cookbook.