The 13 Days of Christmas Cookies: #8 Chef Aria’s Almond Melt Aways

The 13 Days of Christmas Cookies: #8 Chef Aria's Almond Melt Aways

By John Scroggins and Guest Contributor | December 20, 2018 10:21 pm

Prep Time

Cook Time

Serves

32 people

Welcome to Day 8 of our 13 Days of Christmas Cookies. Today’s recipe for Almond Melt Aways is shared by another dear friend we made this year, Chef Aria Kagan. The very definition of her name perfectly describes her: a striking melodious solo performance. It seems fitting since her father, too, was an artist.

Chef Kagan is an instructor at Brightwater, A Center for the Study of Food in Northwest Arkansas. She’s a Wisconsin native and studied at the Culinary Institute of America and Le Cordon Bleu. She’s also a mother and these Almond Melt Away cookies have passed the ultimate test – her kids love them.

She tell us, “I love these melt aways! My kids adore them, and they’re super quick and easy. Once you smell them coming out of your oven, it’s difficult to wait until they cool to frost and eat! We keep them simple in our house, like little snow balls. You can add your own favorite decorations or color to your frosting to jazz them up.”

Cookies

1 cup (228grams) Kerrygold salted butter, softened
3/4 cup (190 grams) sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon almond extract
2 cups (358 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Frosting

1 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons almond extract
1 tablespoon heavy cream

1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2 Put softened butter and sugar in a bowl. Whip with an electric hand or stand mixer until light and fluffy.
3 Scrape down the bowl and add 1 egg and almond extract.
4 Mix for 30 seconds until egg is incorporated. Scrape the bowl.
5 Add flour and baking powder. Mix until ingredients come together in a shiny ball, about 1 minute.
6 Scoop 1 tablespoons of dough at a time and roll each into a ball. Place them on parchment-lined pan about 1/2-inch apart.
7 Bake for 14 minutes.
8 While baking, mix frosting ingredients together.
9 Once cookies are cooled, top each with about 1/2 teaspoon of frosting.
10 Enjoy with a big warm mug of hot chocolate!