Hmmmm… so what’s better than a good old buttery cookie? A good old buttery nibbly cookie, that’s what. With nuts.

This cookie is a simple variation to classic shortbread, with an extra ingredient- ground almonds or almond meal. You could use pretty much any kind of nut- walnuts, pecans, or macadamia; I settled for almonds because I am a little obsessed with almond meal. And as a result, I usually have some almond meal ready and waiting for baking.

Since I am also of the belief that chocolate chips make everything better, I dotted each cookie with a single chocolate chip prior to baking. A little chocolate makes everything more fun. And classy. And yummy!!

The dough is a little coarser and easier to work with, and the end result is a rich, nibbly cookie flecked with bits of brown almonds. I like keeping the skin on the almonds when I make almond meal, but you can easily use blanched almonds- it will still taste great!

The recipe uses the same 1-2-3 formula, of 1 part sugar : 2 parts butter : 3 parts flour…the only difference being the portion of flour is divided into equal parts all-purpose flour and almond meal.

ALMOND SHORTBREAD (Adapted from Michael Ruhlman’s Ratio.)

INGREDIENTS

• 50 grams sugar
• 100 grams butter
• 75 grams all-purpose flour
• 75 grams almond meal
• Chocolate chips for decoration, as many as required

METHOD

• Preheat oven to 180C.
• In a bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until the sugar is evenly distributed and the mixture turns pale.
• Fold in the flour and almond meal little by little and mix until a uniform dough is formed.
• Shape the dough into a ball, press down into a thick disc, wrap in cling film/plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour.
• Once chilled, roll out the dough on a floured surface OR between two sheets of plastic wrap. Roll to a thickness of about a quarter of an inch thick.
• Cut into shapes using a cookie cutter. Gently press a chocolate chip into the centre of each cookie, then place on a baking tray.
• Bake at 180C for 10-15 minutes; or until the edges turn light golden.
• Cool completely before consuming.