We make no secret of our love of frangipane, a creamy spread of ground almonds, butter, and eggs that can be baked into cakes, pies, and practically anything else you can think of. Frangipane is one of the most common and popular fillings for croissants, so we took inspiration from that epic combo to create these Almond Frangipane Cookies with the same flavors but in a fraction of the time and a lot less effort. A sprinkle of sliced almonds on top provides just enough crunchy contrast to the soft and chewy cookie base.
Almond Frangipane Cookies
Makes about 18 large cookies
Ingredients
- 2¼ cups (281 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (96 grams) blanched almond flour
- ¾ teaspoon (3.75 grams) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (1.5 grams) kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon (1.25 grams) baking soda
- 1¼ cups (275 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar*
- 1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- ¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs (100 grams)
- 2 teaspoons (8 grams) vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon (4 grams) almond extract
- 1½ cups (170 grams) sliced almonds
- Garnish: confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
- In another medium bowl, whisk together brown sugar, melted butter, and granulated sugar until well combined. Whisk in eggs and extracts until smooth. Stir in flour mixture until just combined and no dry streaks remain. (Dough will seem soft.)
- In a small bowl, place almonds.
- Using a 3-tablespoon spring-loaded scoop, scoop dough (about 60 grams each) directly into almonds. Roll dough in almonds, gently pressing to adhere, making sure to pack almonds on as much as possible. Place on prepared pan. Refrigerate until firm, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Place dough balls 2 inches apart on prepared pans.
- Bake, one pan at a time, until edges are set and golden brown, 17 to 20 minutes. Let cool on pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and let cool completely on a wire rack. Garnish with confectioners’ sugar, if desired. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Notes
*We used C&H® Light Brown Sugar.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
My family has declared this to be one of the best cookies they have had! Brought these to a friend’s dinner party and left with an empty platter and multiple requests for the recipe.
These are light, slightly sweet and chewy with plenty of almonds. The sugar dusting should not be skipped as it adds just that over the top finish!
Can we substitute oats flour for all- purpose flour to make it gluten free ?
Thanks.
Hi Dhun,
To make these cookies gluten-free, you can sub the all-purpose flour 1-for-1 with gluten-free flour. Happy baking!
Dear Test Kitchen Team:
Can this dough be frozen at any point of the preparation? These cookies deserve 10 stars. Thank you.
Regards,
Mj
Hi MJ,
We are so glad you love them! In step 5, you can freeze the dough instead of refrigerating. The cookies can bake from frozen; they may just take a minute or two more to fully bake. Use the same doneness qualifiers that are listed in the recipe when baking them. Happy baking!
So I made a big batch of frangipane a couple of days ago for a Gallette des Rois. I knew it was too much but I only had a frozen block of butter. So today I took the leftover frangipane and did some mathematical calculations to figure out what I had to add to it to make your cookies. Delicious! Thank you.
This is a delicious recipe. Using a 3 Tbsp scoop, I think they are a bit too large, 4 ” diameter. I will make them next time with a 2 Tbsp. The flavor is fantastic, and the directions are done very well and easy to follow.
This was a a great recipe. After reading one of the comments, I opted to make a smaller cookies, about 1-1/2 tablespoons, and baked for 17 minutes. I would have preferred them to be a little chewier. The next time, I’ll bake for 15 minutes, then cool on pan for 10 minutes. I hope this will result in a chewier cookie.
What is and where would I find blanched almond flour?
Hi Donna,
A blanched almond means that the skin was removed from the almond. You should be able to find it in your local stores, but if you can not, you should also be able to order it online. Hope this helps and happy baking!
So delicious! I froze most of them after making the dough balls, and they baked just as well as the ones never frozen.
I made the dough balls smaller (30g) than the recipe called for and they turned out a good size.
I ran out of sliced almonds halfway through so I put a piece of cherry on top and they were possibly even better. Might mix some into the dough next time
Baked these today – fantastic cookie! Will add them to my Christmas cookie bake list.
I got the recipe from the Bake from Scratch magazine. Went online to find recipe to send link to friend in Tallahassee.
Amazing cookie! My new favorite.
Made them smaller using 1 and 1/2 tablespoon cookie scoop. Gave as Christmas gifts and recvd rave reviews.