Iranian Almond Cookies Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a medium bowl, mix together the ground walnuts, 3 egg yolks, sugar, cardamom, baking soda and rose water until well blended. Roll teaspoon sized pieces of dough into balls and place onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Cookies should be spaced 2 inches apart. Whisk together the remaining egg yolk and water using a fork. Press a walnut piece into each cookie, then brush with the egg yolk glaze.
• Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden. The cookies will appear soft and undercooked but take heart, they will harden considerably when cooled. Allow them to cool on the baking sheets for at least 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Steps:

• Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Beat together butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, then beat in egg and vanilla. At low speed, mix in flour mixture until a dough just forms. Stir in whole almonds. Divide dough in half. Using a sheet of plastic wrap or wax paper as an aid, form each piece of dough into a log 9 to 9 1/2 inches long (about 1 1/4 inches in diameter). Chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until very firm, at least 4 hours. Freeze 30 minutes to facilitate slicing.
• Preheat oven to 350°F with racks in upper and lower thirds. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut 1 log of dough crosswise into slices less than 1/8 inch thick with a thin sharp knife, rotating log after each slice to help keep round shape. (If dough gets too soft to slice through nuts easily, freeze briefly.) Arrange cookies about 1/2 inch apart on baking sheets.
• Bake cookies, switching position of sheets halfway through, until golden brown all over, 12 to 15 minutes total. Transfer cookies on parchment to racks to cool.
• Repeat with remaining dough (cool baking sheets and line with fresh parchment).