Sand Dollars

Something terrible happened today.

I had a baking accident.

I had just finished prepping my second pan of cookies, and had just placed it aside to move on to the next, when the karmic spirit of unfulfilled bakelogging promises swept down upon me and hurled my beautifully assembled pan of cookies onto my woefully unmopped kitchen floor.  Not a single cookie survived the mystical onslaught from above.

The scene of the crime.

Thankfully, I was able to pick the cookie carnage (and myself) up off the floor and carry on with my baking.

These cookies look like my favorite sea shell, the sand dollar. I used to spend hours combing the beach for those beautiful, if difficult to find shells with my family. These cookies are much easier to procure (and tastier) than an actual sand dollar.

Sand Dollars

Yield: 48 cookies, less if you drop a dozen unbaked cookies on the floor

• 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup lightly packed brown sugar
• ¾ cup confectioner’s sugar
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup finely crushed almonds

• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 cup sliced almonds

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Line several baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
2. Stir flour, cornmeal, and salt together in a small bowl.  Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, sugars, and vanilla extract together on medium speed for 2 minutes, or until light and fluffy, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula 2 or 3 times during mixing.  
4. Adjust the mixer to low; pour in the flour mixture and stir until just incorporated, about 30 seconds.  Fold in the crushed almonds.  Divide the dough in half.  Wrap one half in plastic wrap, set aside.
5. Roll out the other half of the dough in between two sheets of plastic wrap to a 1/8 inch thickness.  Cut out cookies with 2 inch round cutter.  Place dough rounds onto prepared baking sheets about an inch apart.  Reroll scraps, cut out more cookies.  Repeat with remaining dough round.
6. Whisk egg and water together in a small bowl. Lightly brush egg wash on to tops of cookies with a pastry brush.  Arrange five almond slices in a flower patter in the center of each cookie.  Brush cookies again with the egg wash.
7. Bake cookies until they are golden brown, about 15 minutes.  Cool completely on baking sheets on wire racks.  Store cookies in an airtight container for 3-4 days.

Tags: Could pass for healthy, Shaped Cookie

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