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Lace Cookies

(recipe, Gourmet Editors)


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Introduction

In 1957, Gourmet published even fewer cookie recipes than it had the year before — a total of five. Most were dainty treats for grown-ups, such as these little numbers, made with almonds instead of the more usual oatmeal. They appeared as the final flavor in a lavish post-theater menu that began with rich lobster omelets, went on to an exotic salad of romaine lettuce and pineapple, and concluded with a fresh peach compote. Crisp and elegant, with a haunting almond flavor, they make a perfect little tidbit at the end of a meal.

Ingredients

  1. 3 Tbsp. butter, softened
  2. 1 cup brown sugar
  3. 4 Tbsp. flour
  4. 1 egg, beaten
  5. 1 cup ground almonds
  6. ½ tsp. almond extract
  7. 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Steps

  1. Cream the butter with the brown sugar and beat in the flour, egg, almonds, and almond and vanilla extracts.
  2. Drop the dough by teaspoonfuls 3 inches apart on a buttered cookie sheet.
  3. Bake the cookies in a moderately hot oven (375 degrees) for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until they are crisp. Remove the cookies from the pan immediately and cool them on a rack.

Note

Be sure to give the cookies a lot of room on the baking sheet; they will spread. Culinate editor's note: Despite what the recipe says, you'll need to let these cookies cool for a few minutes on the pans before removing them to a rack to finish cooling. Otherwise, the cookies will squish up as you try to remove them from the hot pans.