Seriously Good Soft Almond Butter Cookies

These almond butter cookies have two parts to their "seriously good" name description.

Part 1: Self-explanatory. Eat one and you'll believe me. 

Part 2: They are made with whole-wheat pastry flour, organic and all natural almond butter, and organic and         

raw sugars. With all the healthiness going on in these-- yes, they still are so delicious you may be tricked into   

feeling guiltier than you should when you take a bite (or eat 4 cookies in a row). Don't believe me? Please refer to the brief instructions in part 1. 

The recipe for these cookies was actually created "on the fly" on this last Sunday evening. My fiancé had a sweet tooth and wanted to go out for ice cream or to the store to hunt for something indulgent. I was feeling lazy and unmotivated to leave the house with him. As a result, I told him I would bake some cookies. Upon exclaiming this, I considered my options based on the ingredients I had at his house, drafted up a recipe and-- viola! Seriously Good Soft Almond Butter Cookies were born. 

Seriously Good Soft Almond Butter Cookies

makes about 1 1/2 dozen cookies

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup organic and natural almond butter

1/2 cup organic white cane sugar

1/4 cup organic brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

1 large egg

1 tbsp hazelnut liquor 

1 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour (make sure it is pastry flour)

1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

about 1/2 cup raw sugar for rolling cookie dough in

1. Use a mixer to cream the butter, almond butter, white sugar, brown sugar, and honey until smooth. Add the egg and hazelnut liquor and continue to mix on medium speed until the mixture is well combined, smooth, and "fluffy".

2. In another medium sized bowl, sift and mix the whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Slowly add these dry ingredients into the butter mixture in thirds. Make sure you add each sequential third just after the former is mixed in and does not appear "dry"-- don't over mix the ingredients. Once finished, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 45 minutes. 

3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. While the oven is heating up, prepare 2 baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper. Use a spoon to scoop some cookie dough and roll it into a 1" ball. Place the ball of dough into the raw sugar and gently roll it around to coat all sides. Place the sugar coated dough onto the prepared baking sheet; repeat with the rest of the cookies. Be sure to leave about 1 1/2 inches of space in between each cookie. Use a fork to gently press down on the cookies to lightly flatten and create a criss-cross pattern (it was hardly noticeable on most of my cookies; if you want a strong pattern be sure to press down more). Bake the cookies on the middle rack of the oven for 8-10 minutes or when they are golden brown and slightly darker around the edges.  Remove from the oven, allow to cool for 1-2 minutes, and transfer to a cooling rack.