Polvorones (almond cookies)

I had been meaning to make these cookies since months ago after I came across Pioneer Woman`s post on  Mexican wedding cookies called Polvorones. The cookies and the ingredients just reminded me of a widely known cookie in Indonesia called Putri Salju or Snow White. Yes, that princess. I guess the icing sugar sort of represents the snow flakes, but I`m clueless on how the princess idea came in. Anyway, I was 97% sure that the Snow White cookies were somehow an adaptation of Polvorones and I was really excited to try it out.  I finally made them today, although I ended up slightly modifying a recipe from Seasaltwithfood.

Let`s start with the preparation.

Soften unsalted butter at room temperature. 

If you have almond flour or ground almond, lucky you because you can skip this step. But if you don`t, toast raw almond in oven at 150 C for 15 mins, stir occasionally during toasting, let it cool, and grind it.

Same like almonds, toast flour at 150 C for 20 mins, stir occasionally during toasting, and let it cool. 

Almonds and flour are done, so we can start cooking now.

Cream the softened butter and sugar.

Whisk in ground almond.

Slowly fold in the toasted flour until it turns into dough. 

Like this. 

All recipes I found describing the dough to have a very crumbly consistency. At the beginning, my dough was actually rather moist than crumbly making me thinking that I might need to add some flour. But I kept continuing the work and after a few minutes, the dough did turn drier and very crumbly. It was indeed so crumbly that it was quite tricky to roll out the dough. But I know you`ll manage it, because I did.

Place a portion of the dough on the counter or working board, press it tightly with your hands, and  roll it out very gently with a rolling pin to make a 1-cm thick dough. Just a little push with the rolling pin will easily crack open the dough. So, go easy with the rolling. If, though, the dough cracks open, pull it back together with your hand and reroll it. 

Bake them in preheated oven at 150 C for 20 minutes.

Welcome to my wedding, sweeties!

But I think a light dusting with icing sugar will make them look even more gorgeous. 

Note: The cookies are already sweet themselves, but the addition of the icing sugar really makes a difference here. If you don`t mind with the extra calories, go for it, but I hope you do it in moderation.

And I have to hide these away from my Winnie the Pooh because he loves to grab the cookie jar late at night. 

So, what about the Polvorones and the Snow White stuff? I honestly think that they`re the same cookies. The buttery  texture with the good crunch and nuttiness of the almond are just heavenly. And the sugar dusting makes it a perfect sweet marriage indeed.

Happy Sunday!

P.S. My waist line!!

Ingredients:
Adapted from Seasaltwithfood

Makes about 35 cookies (5-cm in diameter, 1-cm thick)

200 g unsalted butter

100 g sugar

130 g ground almond

220 g flour

1 tsp vanilla oil

Icing sugar for dusting

Bake at 150 C for 20 mins