Pains d'Amande

from ButterYum

makes 100-120 paper thin cookies (an adaptation of a Flo Braker recipe, via David Lebovitz's blog)

113g unsalted butter (4 ounces)

75g water (1/3 cup)

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

a pinch or two of salt

280g Hawaiian raw sugar - see note below (1 1/3 cups)

85g sliced almonds, not slivered (1 cup or 3 ounces)

325g all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda; set aside.

In a medium heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat, combine butter, water, cinnamon, and salt until butter is completely melted without allowing the mixture to boil. Add the sugar and stir until the sugar is not quite completely dissolved (not letting the sugar melt completely adds wonderful texture); again, don't let the mixture boil. Stir in the sliced almonds and remove from the heat. Stir in flour/baking soda mixture and stir until combined. Pack dough into a lightly greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch silicone loaf pan (or a glass or metal cake pan lined with plastic wrap). Chill for at least 4-6 hours until very firm.

Place oven rack in lower third and preheat oven to 325F. Prepare at least 2 sheet pans with parchment or silicone liners. Remove brick of cookie dough from loaf pan and slice cookies as thin as you can get them using a serrated knife, mandolin, or electric meat slicer (1/16-inch thick). Place cookies on cookie sheet pan leaving about 1/4-inch between each cookie. Bake, one sheet at a time, for 8 minutes, remove from oven and carefully turn cookies over, return to the oven and bake for another 4 minutes until they're crisp and honey colored. Remove sheet pan from oven and immediately transfer cookies to a rack to cool completely. Proceed with subsequent batches, always being sure to put unbaked cookies on completely cool sheet pans.

Stack cookies in an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 10 days, although I seriously doubt you'll have any left to store after your friends and family taste them.

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