Pain D’Amande (Almond Thins)

Happy New Year! This year is starting off strangely, but I suppose that’s normal now. I don’t follow any new year traditions of eating healthy or anything like that, since it seems to be problematic more than anything. That being said, I don’t think the time is right to make over-the-top recipes either. I came across the almond cookie and it looked nice and simple.

In making this recipe, it’s quite unusual. I knew that the cookies needed to chill for a long time, so I made the dough early one day with the plan to bake the next day. You make the dough for these cookies in a saucepan, which is so unusual. If you have ever made choux pastry, this recipe feels very similar. I guess I should be happy as there were fewer dishes to wash! It came together well, and I got it in the pan to chill until the next day.

My biggest challenge with these cookies was getting the chilled dough out of the loaf pan! I had thought about lining the pan with plastic wrap and that would have been a good idea. I finally got it out of the pan and cut it into four pieces. I chilled them some more and then sliced the cookies. The original recipe suggested 1/8” slices but mine are closer to ¼” and that worked for me. My cookies didn’t get as golden as I would have liked, but they are crunchy and have a wonderful almond flavor.

Pain D’Amande
½ cup butter, cut in cubes
1 ½ cups sugar
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon water
2 ½ cups flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 cup skinned, blanched almonds

In a large saucepan, combine the butter, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and water. Heat over medium heat until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. Allow to cool for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

Once the butter mixture has cooled, add the flour mixture into the saucepan and stir with a spatula until a thick dough forms. Fold in the almonds.

Spray a 9”x 5” loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and press the dough into the prepared pan. Press plastic wrap over the top of the dough. Refrigerate overnight.

Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

Remove the dough from the pan and cut in half crosswise, then lengthwise, to form four pieces. Slice each piece into cookies as thin as possible (1/4”) and place them on the prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 14-16 minutes until the cookies are golden. Allow the cookies to cool briefly on the baking sheet before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe from Spoon Fork Bacon