I’m at home in New Brunswick.
Lazy mornings have been spent lingering over coffee in the sunniest spot of the house – the kitchen table. It’s nestled into a cozy corner.
The windows gaze out on giant evergreens and a serene snow-covered field on one side, and a porch railing dotted with charming little chickadees on the other.
In mama’s house, nearly every inch of wall-space is host to colourful art, and mostly her own – she’s a wonderful artist.
Watching the snow tumble down with warm fingers wrapped around my new favourite mug (a gift from mama), feet snug in stripy hand-knit wool socks (another gift from mama), I am just so aware of how beautiful this place is, and how lucky I am to have such a lovely patchwork family with such a cozy home to come back to.
Sliced almonds, tangy cream cheese and sweet cardamom combine in this delightfully crumbly cookie. They are perfect winter treats – dust them with confectioners’ sugar to finish and they even look like snowballs.
Perfect to enjoy on a snowy day, sitting at a warm kitchen table.
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups (8 oz/225 grams) all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/2 cup (4 oz/115 grams or 1/2 block) cream cheese
- 1 cup (8 oz/225 grams) butter, softened
- 3/4 cup (5 1/2 oz/150 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1 cup sliced, blanched almonds
Preparation
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In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt and cardamom; set aside.
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Combine cream cheese, butter and sugar in a standing mixer; beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in egg yolk, vanilla and almond extracts.
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Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually add flour mixture until fully combined. Transfer bowl to refrigerator and chill dough for one hour (or up to 24 hours).
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread almonds out on a large plate. Form dough into balls between your palms, 1 tablespoon per cookie. Roll each dough ball in the almonds, pressing to adhere. Bake cookies two inches apart on an ungreased (ideally parchment-lined) baking sheet for about 12 minutes, until almonds are golden and cookies are firm, rotating once during baking. Transfer to wire racks to cool.