Buttery Almond Cookies

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Flaky, melt-in-your-mouth Buttery Almond Cookies are one of our family’s absolute favorite treats! Made with a handful of allergen-friendly ingredients, the rich, sweet taste belies just how easy these Cookies are to bake! {Gluten-Free + Dairy-Free}

What is Santa’s favorite cookie? Well, in our house it’s these Buttery Almond Cookies. Light, flaky, and, as the name would suggest, melt-in-your-mouth buttery, I almost never remember the field because everyone gobbles them before I have a chance to count them. But let’s say something like 24 cookies. And if I’ve eaten the dough along the way, then maybe 22…or 20. All that practice counting backwards in school has finally come in handy.

But I digress.

Our family is properly OBSESSED with these cookies. And to think, we almost lost the recipe forever. Yup, it’s true. Once we discovered our food allergies, I tucked away all the traditional cookbooks I used. And after a while, I just plan forgot about them. Then I thought I lost them or gave them away. But a chance peek in an old cardboard box led to rediscovery. And we love these allergen-friendly Buttery Almond Cookies as much as when I used to make them with traditional ingredients. Which just speaks to how delightful this gluten-free cookie recipe is. However you prepare them, your Buttery Almond Cookies will be sweetly satisfying.

So are you ready to do this? Are you ready to make only the most incredible sweet, buttery, almond-y cookies ever? If you are all in, then let’s do this! These Buttery Almond Cookies are incredible, Santa or no Santa.

These Buttery Almond Cookies are

• Soft
• Flaky on top
• Sweet and almond-y
• Buttery (how would anyone EVER guess?)
• Gluten-free
• Dairy-free
• Soy-free

Honestly, you might just want to double the batch when you make these. If almond is your thing, like it is ours, then you’ll want this recipe in your permanent recipe tin and several baked cookies on hand to nibble. 

Also, can you bake these throughout the year? YES AND OMIGOD PLEASE DO! There’s nothing that says these have to be a Santa-only treat. These treats don’t need a holiday to celebrate. Buttery Almond Cookies can be enjoyed all throughout the year. If you’re still not sure, then let me just say the almond paste I use sits on the top shelf at my local grocery stores all year long, next to the pie fillings, marshmallow whips, and no-bake treats. What these cookies require is your willingness to make them. If you have that, then you’re set.

Ingredients for Buttery Almond Cookies

With careful label reading, you can easily make these Buttery Almond Cookies dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free, AND still delicious!

• Buttery spread. I LOVE Earth Balance Soy-Free Buttery Spread. It’s gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, and vegan. I use the tub version instead of the butter sticks. However, if you have another allergen-friendly butter you’d like to use, then definitely go for it!
• Almond paste. While most almond pastes contain some sugar and/or additives, for this recipe I focus on making sure it’s gluten-free with a short ingredient list. I like SOLO Almond Paste (not a paid mention).
• Granulated sugar. It complements the almond paste and enhances the flavor in an otherwise short ingredient list.
• Egg. One egg and you’re done!
• Gluten-free flour. I like Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour, however just about any all-purpose gluten-free flour will work.
• Baking soda. Standard gluten-free baking soda is just fine for this recipe.

How to make Buttery Almond Cookies:

Below are the steps to make your own Buttery Almond Cookies. There are a different ways to prepare your cookies, depending on your desired outcome, which I share in the section below this one.

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, cream the buttery spread for about 30 seconds. Then add the almond paste and granulated sugar, and beat on a MEDIUM to HIGH speed. You may need to break the almond paste into smaller chunks prior to mixing. Next, beat in the egg.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour and baking soda. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, blending as much as possible with the electric mixer. Stir in any remaining flour, if necessary kneading the dough by hand. Chill dough, covered, for at least 2-4 hours to as long as overnight.
4. Roll cookie mixture into one-inch balls and then place two inches apart on lined cookie sheet. Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned. Let cool before eating.
5. Store in an airtight container for about 2-3 days.

Two ways to prepare these cookies

There are a few ways to prepare your cookies:

• Option 1: Roll the dough into balls and flatten with the heel of your hand or the bottom of a glass. These cookies are pictured throughout the blog post. They are flatter and crinklier than Option 2.
• Option 2: Roll the cookie dough into balls and bake “as is” without flattening them first. These cookies are more mound-shaped when they’re done baking.

Either way, these Buttery Almond Cookies will taste amazing! Ugh, you will love these so much! I cannot wait for you to make them!

Recipe best practices:

This beloved cookie recipe includes allergen-friendly ingredients that may alter the prep and baking processes. Below are tips to get the tastiest results!

• Break the almond paste into smaller chunks prior to creaming the ingredients. You may also need to mash the paste with a fork to prevent the ingredients from clumping.
• If you’d like to use monk fruit sweetener, then plan for a denser, hyper-sweet cookie.
• If the dough is dry after chilling in the refrigerator, then let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes before rolling into balls. You can also knead the dough with your hands to blend and soften it.
• These cookies will be soft when you pull them out of the oven. Let the cookies cool slightly on the parchment paper before transferring to a cooling rack or airtight container.

All the cookie flavors!

If you are salivating over these cookies, then you might also enjoy our other dairy-free, soy-free, and gluten-free cookies!

• Gluten-Free Snowball Cookies
• Chocolate Chunk Almond Butter Cookies
• Chocolate Chunk Crinkle Cookies
• Pumpkin Spice Cookies

This recipe is joyfully adapted from Best of Country Cookies, 2009. Almond Butter Cookies, courtesy of Lynne Romyn.

Spiriteds, stay well and stay wild. I’m so glad you’re here! 🩷

Buttery Almond Cookies

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Flaky, melt-in-your-mouth Buttery Almond Cookies are one of our family’s absolute favorite treats! Made with a handful of allergen-friendly ingredients, the rich, sweet taste belies just how easy these Cookies are to bake! {Gluten-Free + Dairy-Free}

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Chill Overnight: 8 hours
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 10 minutes
• Yield: 16 cookies 1x
• Category: Baked Goods
• Method: Oven
• Diet: Gluten Free

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 cup dairy-free buttery spread (I like Earth Balance Soy-Free Buttery Spread)
• 8 ounces almond paste (I like SOLO brand almond paste)
• 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, cream the buttery spread for about 30 seconds. Then add the almond paste and granulated sugar, and beat on a MEDIUM to HIGH speed. You may need to break the almond paste into smaller chunks prior to mixing. Next, beat in the egg.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour and baking soda. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, blending as much as possible with the electric mixer. Stir in any remaining flour, if necessary kneading the dough by hand. Chill dough, covered, for at least 2-4 hours to as long as overnight.
4. Roll cookie mixture into one-inch balls, place two inches apart on lined cookie sheet, and flatten with the heel of your hand or the bottom of a drinking glass. Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned. Let cool before eating.
5. Store in an airtight container for about 2-3 days.

Notes

• Break the almond paste into smaller chunks prior to creaming the ingredients. You may also need to mash the paste with a fork to prevent the ingredients from clumping.
• If you’d like to use monk fruit sweetener, plan for a denser, hyper-sweet cookie. 
• If the dough is dry after chilling in the refrigerator, then let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes before rolling into balls. You can also knead the dough with your hands to blend and soften it.
• These cookies will be soft when you pull them out of the oven. Let the cookies cool slightly on the parchment paper before transferring to a cooling rack or airtight container.
• There are a few ways to prepare your cookies:
  • Option 1: Roll the dough into balls and flatten with the heel of your hand or the bottom of a glass. These cookies are pictured throughout the blog post. They are flatter and crinklier than Option 2.
  • Option 2: Roll the cookie dough into balls and bake “as is” without flattening them first. These cookies are more mound-shaped when they’re done baking.