Skip to main content
Epicurious
Gourmet

Chocolate Almond Shortbread

3.8

(11)

Image may contain Food Meal Dish Dessert Confectionery Sweets Plant and Cake
Chocolate Almond ShortbreadMikkel Vang

These crumbly cookies are extremely easy to make, and they improve with time. We recommend baking them a couple of days ahead — if you can resist the temptation to eat them immediately.

Cooks' note:

Cookies can be made 5 days ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature.

Recipe information

  • Total Time

    1 hr

  • Yield

    Makes 32 cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup blanched whole almonds (3 oz)
1 cup all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons superfine granulated sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Confectioners sugar for dusting

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Pulse almonds with flour, granulated sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, and salt in a food processor until very finely chopped. Add butter and pulse just until a dough forms.

    Step 2

    Press dough evenly into an ungreased 9-inch square baking pan with your fingers. Cut dough into 16 squares with a sharp knife, then cut squares diagonally to make a total of 32 triangles.

    Step 3

    Bake until cookies are dry to the touch, 15 to 17 minutes. Transfer pan to a rack and run a thin knife around edge of pan to loosen cookies while hot. Recut hot cookies into triangles, then cool completely in pan. Dust with confectioners sugar just before serving.

TagsCookieDessertAlmondNutCocoaSnackQuickEasyMake AheadBakingFood ProcessorGourmet
Read More
Rye, Cranberry, and Dark Chocolate Cookies
This cookie is an unintended “celebrity.” It’s one of very few cookies that customers ask for specifically upon arrival at Mokonuts.
Palets Bretons
Palets bretons are oversize cookies that feature butter, and because they’re from Brittany, they’re traditionally made with beurre salé, salted butter.
Brown Butter Miso Mochi Blondies
You can find butter mochi on practically every corner in Hawaii—it’s that ubiquitous because, well, it’s that good. For my version, I’ve browned the butter for a layer of toasted nutty flavor and added miso, which balances out the sweetness with its signature umami.
Peppermint Black-and-White Cookies
A riff on the New York classic black-and-white cookie, featuring refreshing peppermint extract and a sprinkle of festive crushed candy canes.
Île Flottante
Originally called omelette à la neige (snow omelet) in reference to the fluffy snow-like appearance of the meringue, île flottante (floating island) has a lengthy history that dates back to the 17th century.
Masala Tea Creme Pies
A simple sandwich cookie made with black tea, fresh ginger, and ground cardamom that tastes just like a cup of milky chai.
Sofrito Bolognese
An ex-boyfriend’s mom—who emigrated from Colombia—made the best meat sauce—she would fry sofrito for the base and simply add cooked ground beef, sazón, and jarred tomato sauce. My version is a bit more bougie—it calls for caramelized tomato paste and white wine—but the result is just as good.
Hot Chocolate Cookies
A swirl of marshmallow fluff melts into the tops of these hot chocolate cookies while a pinch of cinnamon imparts the taste of a wintry mug of warm Nesquik.