Almond Croissant Cookies

If you've ever been to Capitola  CA, then you know about Gayle's Bakery.  It's iconic and known by all the locals as THE place to go for incredibly delicious savory and sweet baked pastries, espresso drinks, cakes, and picnic fare.  It's my go-to spot when I go to the beach or even just driving by on Highway 1 - it's worth a stop!  So this past week I stopped there on my way to an appointment and couldn't resist trying one of their Almond Croissant Cookies.  They were so good, with that almondy goodness-like marzipan in the middle.  Naturally I had to find my own recipe and stumbled on this one. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Almond Croissant Cookies

Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 10-12 minutes | Total Time: about 40 minutes | Yield: 24 cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 cups cake flour
• 1 cup unbleached flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 cup sliced almonds

Almond Filling

• 1 cup fine almond flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 Tablespoons beaten egg (about 1/2 an egg)
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons melted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• pinch of sale

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. In a medium bowl, beat the sugars and butter for about 2 minutes until well combined. Add in the egg, egg yolk, and extracts and mix until fluffy.
3. Add in dry ingredients (flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt) until combined and all the flour is incorporated.
4. Make the almond filling by combining melted butter and sugar.  Add in 2 Tablespoons of beaten egg, flour, almond extract and salt.  
5. Form the almond filling into 24 small balls and refrigerate for approx 30 minutes.
6. Scoop out the cookie dough into 24 round balls.  Flatten the ball and place one almond filling ball in the center, and then cover with the dough and roll into a round ball.
7. Roll the top of the dough ball into sliced almonds and place onto a parchment lined cookie sheet.  Slightly flatten the balls of dough.
8. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until lightly golden brown around the edges.  Cool on a baking sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.
9. Dust each cookie with powdered sugar and serve. 

Recipe adapted from: Your Homebased Mom