At this time of the year there are so many beautifully decorated holiday cookies – from traditional gingerbread men to festively iced sugar cookies to snowflake linzer cookies. It’s easy to forget about the humble slice-and-bake cookie but during the busy holiday season, these can be a lifesaver. These almond slices are packed with almonds (of course) and have just enough spice to evoke the tastes and smells of the season. You can keep an unbaked batch waiting in the refrigerator and slice off what you need. In 10 minutes you’ll have fresh hot cookies for your guests (or a treat for yourself).
What’s in a name?
This recipe comes from my mom’s repertoire and was originally called Gwen’s Almond Slices. I never thought to ask her if Gwen was a friend or just happened to be in the recipe’s name. Now that she’s gone, I will never know. A search on the internet revealed only one reference behind a pay wall at Good Housekeeping magazine. Regardless of the source, this is a great cookie to eat on its own, with a scoop of ice cream, or with your afternoon tea.
Perfect for a bake sale, group gifts, or for last-minute guests
This recipe makes almost 7 dozen cookies which is perfect for a bake sale. These almond slices aren’t tiny and your supporters won’t be disappointed with their purchase.
If, like me, you are putting together a number of gifts for co-workers or friends, you can package several cookies along with some hot cocoa packets and a festive holiday mug.
And, as I mentioned earlier, you could keep a batch on hand for unexpected guests. Unbaked cookies will last in the refrigerator for up to a week. You could also freeze the unbaked, unsliced logs and when you are ready to use them, defrost them overnight in the refrigerator. If stored properly, they will keep in the freezer for up to three months.
For the best of both worlds – bake half a batch to enjoy now and freeze half a batch to enjoy later.
Holiday and other modifications
As shared by my mom, the original recipe only uses ground ginger – and they are delicious as is. However, during the holidays I like to bump up the spices by adding cinnamon and cloves.
You may also adjust the crunch and chew of the cookies by how thick you slice them. The original recipe calls for ¼” slices but you could slice the cookies thinner if you desire. If you do, you will need to adjust the bake time to avoid burning them.
Bake A Difference
And don’t forget, during this holiday season, share the cookie love. Post your cookie pictures on social media and tag @OXO and @Cookies4kids and use #OXOGoodCookies. For every cookie post, the good folks at OXO will donate $1 – up to $100,000 – to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer.
Almond Slice Cookies
- Total Time: 4 hours, 25 minutes
- Yield: 84 1x
Description
These easy slice-and-bake cookies are packed with almonds and have just enough spice to evoke the tastes and smells of the season.
Ingredients
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened
1/4 cup light molasses
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups sliced almonds
Optional seasonal spices
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
Instructions
Sift together 2 cups of flour, ground ginger, baking soda, salt, and seasonal spices (optional). Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the molasses, eggs, and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
Add the flour mixture to the butter and sugar mixture and mix until just combined.
Mix in the remaining 2 cups of flour and sliced almonds. If your mixer is struggling, you may do this by hand using a wooden spoon or even just your hands. The dough will be very stiff.
Divide the dough in half. Shape each half into a log roughly 10″ x 3″ x 1″. Wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (or until firm enough to slice).
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Using a serrated knife, cut dough into ¼” slices. Place cookies on the prepared baking sheet, 1″ apart. Bake for 10 minutes, until golden brown. Let the cookies rest on the pan for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
Unbaked, unsliced dough may be kept in the refrigerator for up to a week or in the freezer (stored properly) for up to three months.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Inactive Time: 4 hours
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Cookies
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Calories: 77.53
- Sugar: 5.06 g.
- Sodium: 59.82 mg.
- Fat: 3.67 g.
- Saturated Fat: 1.54 g.
- Carbohydrates: 10.09 g.
- Fiber: 0.50 g.
- Protein: 1.34 g.
- Cholesterol: 10.24 g.
Keywords: ginger, almonds, molasses
This is the same recipe I’ve been using for decades! I got it from my mom and was one of the holiday cookie recipes I put in a “family recipes” binder I made for family members back in the 90’s! (I saved recipes from Mom, Grandmother and even my Stepmother’s Mom and Grandmother)
I am so amused that the 10x3x1″ logs made it into my typed copy since I was definitely copying it over from a handwritten recipe card that abbreviated some of the steps.
Oh, my recipe just calls them “Almond Slice Cookies.”
★★★★★
I love that you also have a family cookbook/binder. Good to know about the name of the recipe. I really don’t know who “Gwen” was but whoever she is, I’m glad we have this recipe in our collection 🙂