With their signature nutty flavor and extra sweetness from toffee bits, these Almond Cookies are a crispy delight. This easy cookie recipe bakes in under 15 minutes and leaves your kitchen smelling like the festive season—any time of year! You don’t even have to refrigerate the dough, so you get instant gratification.
Crispy Almond Sugar Cookies With Toffee Bits
I’ve upgraded the classic chewy almond cookies into a crispy, toffee-filled, almost shortbread cookie. Instead of using sliced almonds, I prefer the coarser texture of chopping whole almonds, that way you get unexpected sizes and texture while the melted toffee bits add extra sweetness to each bite.
By using both oil and butter along with cream of tartar, the texture becomes delightfully crispy.
The final touch for this recipe for almond cookies is to roll them in granulated sugar for a touch of sweetness. The texture is similar to a pecan sandie, buttery and crispy at the same time.
While almonds aren’t grown in the South, they like a dry climate, my Grandparents lived in California with an almond tree in their backyard. That’s right! Almonds grow on trees. They would always send us their homegrown almonds, so it was impossible not to fall in love with their subtle flavor.
Almonds have an almost buttery flavor, which makes them so versatile! Just look at the nuts aisle at the grocery store and you’ll see all the sweet, salty, sour, and umami variations that people come up with. That’s what makes them so fun to add to homemade cookie recipes.
Why You’ll Love Almond Butter Cookies
- Easy Recipe – Don’t let the ingredient list intimidate you, these cookies take no time at all to make and bake.
- Not Too Sweet – The almonds and whole wheat flour help mellow out any sweetness—especially if you don’t roll them in extra sugar.
- Great to Share – These cookies are sturdy enough to ship or take to a cookie exchange.
Ingredients For Almond Sugar Cookies
Pantry Items – Sugar, powdered sugar, butter, all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda, salt, and cream of tartar. You can leave out the whole wheat flour and use just all-purpose flour.
Wet Ingredients – Canola oil and eggs act as a binder for these cookies. Almond extract gives a little bit of oomph to the finished product.
Texture – Raw almonds and Heath bar (or other toffee bits) give a nice crunch.
How To Make Crispy Cookies
Step One: Prep
Chop the almonds into uneven pieces.
Step Two: Cream Butter
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine butter, oil, sugar, and powdered sugar. Beat until well blended. It will not be light and fluffy due to the oil. Add almond extract and eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.
Step Three: Create cookie dough
In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together both flours, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Add to the butter mixture and beat until combined. Add almonds and heath bar bits and mix until combined.
Step Four: Roll in sugar
Place ½ cup sugar in a small bowl. Use a large ice cream scoop or ¼ cup measuring scoop to form into balls. Roll the balls in the sugar lightly coating them and place on the prepared cookie sheet at least 2 inches apart. Use the bottom of a glass to press down the dough.
Step Five: Bake Cookies
Bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly brown on top. Let sit on the baking sheet for 1 minute before removing to a wire rack to cool.
If entertaining, try a making a cookie platter with variety of cookies with different textures like soft strawberry cookies, frosted pumpkin cookies, and peanut butter sandwich cookies.
Tips and Tricks For Delicious Almond Cookies
- Always leave room on the baking sheet. Place cookie dough balls in a single layer with enough space between each for them to spread out without touching. That way you get nice crispy edges.
- Use room temperature ingredients. When all the ingredients are at the same temperature, they mix together better, leading to a better-tasting and more uniform cookie.
- Never overmix! Always mix dough until just combined to avoid tough baked goods!
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Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup butter room temperature (2 sticks)
- 1 cup canola oil
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 3 ½ all purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups almonds coarsely chopped
- 8 oz package Heath Bar bits
- sugar for dipping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine butter, oil, sugar and powdered sugar. Beat until well blended. Add almond extract and eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together both flours, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt. Add to the butter mixture and beat until combined. Add almonds and heath bar bits and mix until combined.
- Place ½ cup sugar in a small bowl. Use a large ice cream scoop or ¼ cup measuring scoop to form into balls. Roll the balls in the sugar lightly coating them and place on the prepared cookie sheet at least 2 inches apart. Use the bottom of a glass to press down the dough.
- Baked for 12-15 minutes until lightly brown on top. Let sit on the baking sheet for 1 minute before removing to a wire rack to cool.
Notes
- Always leave room on the baking sheet. Place cookie dough balls in a single layer with enough space between each for them to spread out without touching. That way you get nice crispy edges.
- Use room temperature ingredients. When all the ingredients are at the same temperature, they mix together better, leading to a better-tasting and more uniform cookie.
- Never overmix! Always mix dough until just combined to avoid tough baked goods!
