Soft Almond Cookies

These almond cookies are built for anyone watching their fat and sugar intake without wanting to give up flavor. Egg whites instead of whole eggs, light margarine instead of butter, and a modest amount of sugar keep things lean while almond extract delivers a concentrated, fragrant almond flavor that punches well above its weight.

The dough comes together quickly but needs a gentle hand. The directions say to knead only long enough to blend, and they mean it. Overworking this dough develops gluten and turns soft cookies into tough ones. You want a just-combined dough that still feels slightly tender when you shape the balls.

Each cookie gets crowned with a toasted almond half before baking, adding crunch and a visual cue that says “almond” before you even take a bite.

Kitchen Tips

• Cream the margarine and sugar thoroughly until light and fluffy. This is where all the air gets incorporated, and it’s what makes the cookies soft rather than dense
• Use real almond extract, not imitation. The flavor difference is dramatic in a simple cookie like this
• Shape the dough into ¾ inch balls, no bigger. Larger cookies spread too thin and lose their soft texture
• Pull them at exactly 12 minutes. These cookies don’t brown much, so don’t wait for golden color or they’ll overbake and dry out

Variations

• Skip the yellow food coloring for a more natural look
• Press a candied cherry half into each cookie instead of an almond for a holiday version
• Add a tablespoon of finely ground almonds to the flour for a more intense nutty flavor