these almond cakes are, hands down, the cookie that is most requested by my friends and family. They are based on Marion Cunningham's Almond Butter Cake, which she bakes as an 8" cake. I love to make these bite sized, as it improves the ratio of the crisp exterior to chewy interior. I have played around with these a lot: I'll sometimes use lemon zest and a drop of lemon oil rather than the almond. They're also delicious if you brown the butter thoroughly before continuing with the recipe. But you can't go wrong with the original either!

ingredients

3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup all purpose white flour

butter for greasing the pans or non-stick spray

to top the cakes
4 ounces slivered almonds
2 tablespoons sugar

method

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Grease the pan/s. See note below.
3. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium low heat.
4. While butter in melting, add sugar to medium mixing bowl.
5. Add the melted butter to the sugar and, using a wooden spoon, stir until smooth.
6. Crack the eggs into the butter/sugar mixture, and stir until combined and the mixture looks slightly creamy.
7. Add the almond and vanilla extracts and stir.
8. Add the flour and salt. Stir briskly to integrate the flour.
9. Scoop mixture into the pan/s, spreading batter so that it's even.
10. Sprinkle slivered almonds on top, then sprinkle with reserved sugar.
11. Bake at 350 degrees until slightly golden.
12. Cool in pans about 10 minutes and then remove from pans to cooling rack.

Note: I use mini-muffin tins and bake each batch (24 at a time) for about 14 minutes. I grease them well before adding in the batter. The original recipe calls for batter to be baked in an 8" x 2" round cake tin. If you bake the batter this way, make sure to grease the tin, then bake for about 35-45 minutes. Use a toothpick to check cake is done--it will come out mostly clean with a few crumbs attached. Let cool a bit longer in the pan--say 20 minutes, before removing from tin.

These cakes keep well stored in an airtight container at room temperature. They will last about 3-4 days this way. They freeze really well too--just wrap in plastic wrap and then in foil and pop in the freezer.  Store up to two months. Allow to that at room temperature overnight before serving.