Pillow Soft Almond Sugar Cookies

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I have a fondness for almond flavored sweets and treats, so when I saw the recipe for these soft and chewy cookies, I knew I had to give them a try. I found the recipe on Confections from the Cody Kitchen and I decided to serve the cookies with the ice milk I had planned for our holiday dessert. The cookies are quite easy to make and they are delicious, but having made them, I have a couple of thoughts to share with you. While the first is a matter of personal taste, I recommend using less almond extract than is called for in the original recipe. I found 2 teaspoons to be overpowering, so I cut the quantity to 1-1/2 teaspoons and added 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla to make up the difference. I also had to experiment with how long the cookies should bake. At the 8 minute mark, my cookies were so soft they could not be moved. Allowing them to sit did not improve the situation, so the batches after that were cooked for about 11 minutes. I cook with a conventional, rather than convection oven and that might explain why mine took so long to bake. If you like sugar cookies that are soft and chewy, I urge you to give this recipe a try. Here is how these  cookies are made.

Pillow Soft Almond Sugar Cookies...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Confections from the Cody Kitchen

Ingredients:
1-1/2 Cups white sugar
2/3 cup butter (cold)
2/3 cup shortening (room temp)
2 eggs
2 teaspoons almond extract
2-3/4 Cups cake flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Coarse sugar for rolling dough balls

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees and cover cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2) Cream sugar, butter and shortening. Stir in eggs and almond extract. Combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt and add to butter/egg mixture. Use electric mixer to ensure dough is thoroughly combined.
3) Chill dough in fridge for at least 30 minutes.
4) Working in batches, roll 2 teaspoons of dough into a ball and roll in raw sugar. Place on prepared pan about 1-inch apart. Return unused dough to refrigerator between baking batches.
5) Bake cookies for 7 minutes 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven and gently press rounded tops of cookies flat with  back of a spoon while the cookies are still warm and pliable. Allow cookies to cool on pan for 1 minute. Transfer to wire rack to finish cooling. Yield: 36 to 40 cookies.








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