grocery store mishaps + a recipe for almond butter cookies

Almond Butter Cookies - Global Dish - Stephanie Arsenault

You know when you go to the grocery store and buy something that you think is going to be awesome, and then you come home and try it but it’s more of an “oh shit why did I buy this?” kind of situation? Yeah. That happened. I bought myself a nice big jar of organic almond butter {nine dollar almond butter, I might add. I was obviously misguided. Or really hopeful. Or drunk.}, opened it up, and was grossly disappointed {holy oily mess, Batman!}. It was nothing like the homemade variety I was used to, and I had to get rid of it.

Obviously I wasn’t going to throw it out; that would be crazy. The logical thing to do would be to bake with it. Enter: Almond Butter Cookies. They’re just as easy as peanut butter cookies, but have a more delicate almond flavour. They also have a nice texture to them – similar to these Natural Peanut Butter Cookies – and a sweet sprinkling of vanilla sugar on top.

I’m thinking that my fancy, organic, slap-in-the-face expensive almond butter will have to be a more regular purchase at the grocery store after all…

Almond Butter Cookies
Makes approximately 24 cookies

Ingredients:
¾ cup all-purpose flour + 1 tablespoon
¼ cup whole-wheat flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup smooth almond butter
¼ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Vanilla sugar (optional)

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, whisk flours, baking powder and soda, cornstarch, and salt; set aside.

3. In another bowl, beat almond butter and sugars with an electric mixer on medium-high until creamy. Add egg and vanilla, and beat just until incorporated. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones and mix well. When you have a crumbly texture that holds together well, form walnut-sized balls of dough and place them about 1 inch apart on the parchment-lined cookie sheet. Press the cookies down with a fork {a la peanut butter cookies}, and then bake for 12-14 minutes, or until cookies begin to brown slightly.

4. Let the baked cookies cool on the cookie sheet for about 5 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.