Lemon Buttermilk Cookies with Almond

After cleaning out the fridge and wiping all the shelves down, I found I had some buttermilk that needed using up. I mentioned so on twitter and Maria instantly had a recommendation for me. A really, really good one at that - Buttermilk Cookies!

Early in our marriage I teased Eric for his lack of the childhood experience of eating raw cookie dough. Having grown up sampling from the mixing bowl myself, I never thought twice about what I was doing. Eventually, Eric gave into my teasing and the one (and only) time he sampled some of the cookie dough for himself he got sick. Never again since then have I eaten raw dough...until this weekend. They smelled so good that I honestly just couldn't help myself. And thankfully, I did not get sick. These cookies were lick the bowl good! How many of you love to sample from the mixing bowl?

At first my intention was only to adapt the recipe by sprinkling the almonds on top - to make a pretty cookie even prettier. At second thought I decided to replace the vanilla in the cookies with almond extract and make the glaze a lemon-almond flavor. The cookie was complex in flavor, but neither the lemon or the almond overpowered their counterpart. They're so fluffy that it was easy to eat just a couple too many.

Lemon Buttermilk Cookies with Almond
adapted from Gourmet

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
• 2/3 cup well-shaken buttermilk
• sliced almonds, for garnish

For the glaze

• 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
• 3 tablespoons well-shaken buttermilk
• 1/4 teaspoon pure lemon extract
• 1/4 teaspoon pure lemon extract

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Butter 2 large baking sheets.

Whisk together flour, zest, baking soda, and salt. Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in almond extract. Mix in flour mixture and buttermilk alternately in batches at low speed, beginning and ending with flour mixture, until smooth.

Drop level tablespoons of dough about 1 1/2 inches apart onto baking sheets. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, until cookies are puffed and edges are golden, 12 to 15 minutes per batch. Cool cookies on sheets 1 minute, then transfer cookies to racks.

Whisk together all glaze ingredients and brush onto tops of cooled cookies. Sprinkle with almond slices. Let stand until cookies are completely cooled and glaze is set.