Equipment Needed
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Food processor (for grinding nuts)
- Mixing bowls
- Plastic wrap
- Rolling pin
- 2-3 inch fluted round cookie cutter
- ½ – 1 inch small shape cutter (for the windows: hearts, stars, circles)
- Baking sheets
- Parchment paper or silicone baking mats
- Fine-mesh sieve (for dusting sugar)
- Small saucepan or microwave-safe bowl
Step-by-Step Instructions
I always start by toasting and grinding my nuts—it’s the step that builds the deepest flavor. Once they’re cool and finely ground, I begin the dough. In my stand mixer bowl, I beat the truly softened butter and ¾ cup of powdered sugar together on medium speed for a full three to four minutes. This isn’t just mixing; this is creaming, and it’s the key to a light, melt-in-your-mouth texture. The mixture should become very pale, fluffy, and almost whipped. Then, I beat in the egg yolk and vanilla until fully incorporated, scraping down the bowl as needed.
In a separate bowl, I whisk together the flour, ground nuts, salt, and that hint of cinnamon. With the mixer on low, I gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, mixing just until the dough begins to clump together and no dry flour remains. I’ve learned the hard way that overmixing here leads to tough cookies. I turn the soft, slightly sticky dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap, pat it into a thick disk, wrap it tightly, and chill it for at least 2 hours, or up to overnight. This chilling is absolutely critical—it firms up the butter so you can roll the dough without it sticking, and it prevents the cookies from spreading into shapeless blobs in the oven.
Once thoroughly chilled, I roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to about ¼-inch thickness. I work with half the dough at a time, keeping the rest chilled. Using my fluted cutter, I cut out as many rounds as possible, placing them on parchment-lined baking sheets. For half of these rounds, I use my small shaped cutter to cut a window out of the center. These will be the cookie tops. I re-roll the scraps once to cut more cookies, knowing the final re-roll might be a bit tougher. I chill the cut-out cookies on the sheets for 15 minutes before baking—this final chill guarantees they hold their sharp, beautiful shape.(See the next page below to continue…)