Almond Meltaways Cookies

Light and buttery, these Almond Meltaways Cookies are a melt in your mouth shortbread type cookie with a sweet delicious almond glaze on top. These are soft almond flavored sugar cookies that will be a welcome addition to any holiday cookie exchange or cookie tray this year.

If you’re looking for a new cookie recipe to dress up your Christmas cookie plate this year, you’re going to want to bake up a batch of these meltaway cookies right away. This soft butter almond cookie is light, fragrant, and ever so tasty with a soft buttery center and lightly crisp edges.

But don’t stop at the holidays, these easy almond extract cookies are great any time of year!

This cookie recipe comes to me from the lovely Michaela at An Affair from the Heart for our 2022 Holiday Cookie Exchange.

We appreciate your support

Please let me know if you have any questions about this recipe. I read all the comments myself and I try to help as soon as I can. I have readers from all levels of comfort and experience in the kitchen on my site, and I’ve tried to answer some of your questions already in the post. But if I’ve missed anything, please feel free to leave a comment and ask.

Freaky Friday

Welcome to this holiday cookie exchange edition of Freaky Friday!

What’s going on here? Well, Freaky Friday is an old-fashioned blog hop that I like to participate in from time to time. We do it just for fun!

If you “hop” around all the blogs participating you’ll get some great cookie exchange recipes!

And, I get to share this wonderful recipe for Almond cookies from An Affair from the Heart. This recipe makes the perfect sweet little cookie for any event or party!

Not only do I get to make a recipe from An Affair from the Heart this time around, but this event is hosted by the very same wonderful lady!

See all of our 2022 Freaky Friday Holiday Cookie Exchange Recipes

1. An Affair from the Heart – Scotcheroo Pinwheels
2. Best Cookie Recipes – Christmas Magic Bars
3. Family Around the Table – Snickerdoodle Bars
4. Feast + West – Lemon Drop Cookies
5. The Foodie Affair – Christmas Oreo Balls
6. Fresh April Flours – Hot Cocoa Cookies
7. Hostess at Heart – Chocolate Bark
8. Kathryn’s Kitchen Blog – Cookies and Cream Cookie Recipe
9. The Speckled Palate – Snowball Cookies
10. Sue Bee Homemaker – Italian Lemon Ricotta Cookies 
11. Take Two Tapas – Avalanche Cookies 
12. The Wimpy Vegetarian – Easy Christmas Butter Cookies

An Affair from the Heart

I’ve known Michaela for many years, and am always so happy to participate in her events. Please do stop by her blog and check out her tasty food.

I know we “met” on Facebook, but for the life of me I can’t remember for sure if it was in a food group or because of some foodie party that was going on.

She has become very special to me over the years, truly, one of my dear friends. Someone who I know I could go to if I ever needed someone, and someone who I would do anything I could for.

But, enough of the sappy friendship stuff. Take a look at her blog, you’ll find all sorts of simple and delicious recipes to share with your family.

She shares tried and true recipes that use simple ingredients, that you might happen to have right in your own kitchen.

She says that she feels that memories are made in the heart of the home, the kitchen. And I completely agree. Whether we’re cooking or eating, memories as well as the connections and bonds we create, even with those we’ve only met online, are some of the most wonderful and precious things.

I had a hard time deciding what to make for today’s event, since she has so many great cookie and candy recipes what would be perfect for a cookie exchange. I narrowed it down to a few top choices: Cowboy Cookies, Pecan Caramel Bark, Nanaimo bars, or of course these Almond Melt Aways Cookies.

Pro tips on how to make the best cookies

I’m providing tips and tricks to get the best cookies you can.

But please be sure to scroll down to the printable recipe card below for the full ingredient amounts and instructions.

Dry ingredients

All-purpose flour: Make sure to measure the flour correctly. Use the spoon and sweep method, where you spoon the flour lightly into the measuring cup, and then level it off with the back of a knife to get the most accurate measurement.

Baking powder: As always, I highly recommend the use of {affiliate link} aluminum free baking powder. Baking powder with aluminum has a metallic off taste that can interfere with the delicate almond flavor.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt, set dry ingredients aside.

Wet ingredients

In a stand mixer, with a hand mixer, or with a sturdy fork, cream together the butter, sugar, egg and almond extract.

Almond extract: make sure you use is a {affiliate link} pure almond extract, and not artificial extract. The flavor will just be so much better.

Mix it up

Slowly add in the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, and mix until just smooth.

Don’t over mix the dough. If the dough seems a bit crumbly, that’s fine. It will come together in your hands as you form the balls of dough.

Refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes to make it easier to work with.

Form the cookies

To form cookies, use a {affiliate link} cookie dough scoop, roll the dough into balls about the size of walnuts or tablespoon fulls, place the dough ball on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.

Press to flatten the dough ball to about ¼ to ½-inch thick with the bottom of a glass that’s been dipped in granulated sugar. The sugar will help the dough not stick to the bottom of the glass. You can also use the palm of your hand to flatten the if desired.

I highly recommend using {affiliate link} air bake cookie sheets to bake these cookies, and any other cookies. There’s a pocket of air between two layers of metal, and that air insulation prevents the top sheet from overheating which prevents the cookies from burning.

If you notice your dough getting warm and difficult to work with, you can stick it back in the fridge anytime to firm it back up.

Bake it up

Bake for 8 minutes. Don’t cook too long. They barely get golden on just the edges. Over baked cookies will be dry and crumbly.

Once they’re out of the oven, the cookies will set up as they rest on the baking sheet.

Be sure to only use cool (not hot from the oven) baking sheets for each batch of cookies that goes in the oven. And I like to form the cookies on the baking sheets and place the whole baking sheet in the fridge to cool while the first batch of cookies is baking in the oven.

Cool the cookies & ice them

Place the cookie sheet on a wire rack and allow them to cool about 5 minutes before removing the cookies from the cookie sheet to directly to the wire cooling rack. I like to pull the parchment paper off the cookie sheet and place it with the cookies still on it on the wire rack

Cool on a wire rack while you prepare the glaze.

For the glaze, mix together the glaze ingredients, and frost or drizzle the glaze on the cookies. Glaze will set while cookies cool completely.

You can also sprinkle with sliced almonds for a pretty appearance, and so people know what flavor to expect.

Want more baking tips? I have some great baking tips that you’ll love! And feel free to leave suggestions for other tips you like!

More great cookie recipes

Want more great cookie recipes? And who doesn’t!?!?

Be sure to check out my Lime meltaways, Jubilee Jumbles, Dulce de Leche Sea Salt Cookies, Snickerdoodles, and Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies.

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