Frangipane Filling

• 1 egg, medium to large
• 2/3 cup (145 g) granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp (30 g) butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 3/4 tsp rum can replace with vanilla extract if needed
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1 1/2 cups (150 g) almond flour

Almond Cookie Dough

• 16 tbsp (2 sticks or 226 g) butter, plus 2 tbsp, divided
• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (63 g) powdered or icing sugar, plus more for dusting
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 3 cups (375 g) AP flour, can be substituted with a gf cup for cup flour blend, see Notes
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt

Frangipane Filling, can be made in advance, even the day before.

1. In a medium to large bowl, whisk the egg and the sugar till smooth. Whisk in the butter, rum, and almond extract. The add the almond flour in 1/4 cup increments, blending well with a wooden spoon. It will get stiffer with each addition. Once combined and smooth, transfer to a container with a lid and store in the fridge till needed. Chill for at least 2 hours.

Almond Cookie Dough

1. Place the butter in a small sauce pan and set over medium heat. Let is simmer, going through all the stages of foaming, till it has a beautiful nutty fragrance, and the milk solids have browned on the bottom of the pan, about 7-8 minutes, depending on the size of pan you are using. Set aside to cool slightly.
2. In a large bowl place the egg, granulated sugar, and 1/2 cup powdered or icing sugar, and whisk till smooth. Slowly add in the cooled down butter and whisk till evenly incorporated. Add in the almond extract.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt with a whisk.
4. Using a measuring cup, add the flour mixture in increments to the egg mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula till combined. Keep doing so till all the flour is incorporated. It will become thick and rather crumbly.
5. Turn the cookie dough onto a smooth surface and use your hands to smooth the dough. Roll into a long log. Cover with a damp tea towel so that it doesn't dry out while you work on the next step.

Assemble

1. Have a baking sheet lined with parchment ready. An extra one is handy as well. Place the sliced almonds in a shallow dish or bowl.
2. Take the frangipane filling and roll into equal balls. You can make either 14 or 16 balls. This a rich cookie, so 16 cookies is great option. Once formed, you can work on the cookie dough.
3. Use a knife or bench scraper to divide the dough log in half. Divide each half into seven or eight sections, depending on how many frangipane balls you created.
4. Continue to cover the portion of dough that you aren't yet using with the damp tea towel.
5. Take one section of the cookie dough and use the warmth of your hands to roll it into a ball. Then push down on the ball in your palm and spread it out as wide as you can get. It may crumble at the edges, but just push back in place.
6. Take one ball of the frangipane filling and place it in the middle of the cookie dough. Fold the dough around the filling ball, getting the edges to meet. Roll again, to smooth out the cookie dough. Place onto the prepared lined baking sheet. Continue with all the dough and the frangipane balls till all the cookies are formed.
7. Preheat the oven to 350F. Take the remaining 2 tbsp of butter and melt in a small sauce pan. It doesn't need to be hot and totally liquid, just easy enough to brush on the cookies.
8. Use your palm to gently push down on each cookie ball to flatten slightly. Using a pastry brush to lightly dampen a cookie with the butter. Sprinkle with the sliced almonds. If some don't seem to stick, just stick them in gently. Repeat with all the cookies. Don't be stingy with the sliced almonds. If you have room, and some almonds leftover, add them evenly to the cookies.
9. Once the oven is warmed through, place 7 (or 8) cookies onto one lined baking sheet. If you have two sheets, then prepare them both with the cookies.
10. Bake on the centre rack, till golden brown and fragrant, between 18-25 minutes depending on the size of the cookies and your oven.
11. At the 7 minute mark, check the cookies to see if they are starting to soften and spread. Help them along with a gentle push down on the cookie tops with your hand or a spatula. At the 15 minute mark, check again, and give the baking sheet(s) some good taps on the rack to force the cookies down again. If baking with two baking sheets or a full sized sheet, rotate half way through as well for even baking.
12. Once the almonds and the dough are golden, transfer the baking sheets to cooling racks. Let the cookies cool completely before transferring directly to the cooling racks. Once they are totally cooled, dust with icing sugar.
13. These will keep for three to four days in a sealed container on the counter.