Buttery French Croq-Tele

Source: New York Times, Wed. Dec. 17, 2008

Ingredients

• ¾ cups Blanched Almonds or Hazelnuts, lightly toasted/cooled to room temperature
• ½ cup Sugar
• ½ teaspoon Kosher or Flaky Sea Salt (regular salt, use ⅜ tsp)
• 1 cup Flour
• 7 Cold Unsalted Butter, cut into ½ inch pieces

Method

1. Position 2 oven racks in top third and bottom third of oven. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a food processor, grind nuts, sugar and salt to a fine meal. In a mixer, beat flour and butter together on low speed until texture is sandy.

3. Add nut mixture and mix on low until dough starts to form small lumps; keep mixing until dough just holds together when pinched between fingers. Do not use wet fingers; the cookies will collapse.

4. Pinch off about a tsp of dough and place in palm of your hand. With tips of fingers, pinch and press dough together until cookie has a flat bottom and pointed top, like a rough pyramid. Cookies need not be perfectly smooth or equal size. Place on parchment about 1 inch apart.

5. Bake about 15 minutes, rotating cookie sheets halfway through. Cookies should be turning golden brown on edges. Cool on sheets 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks and cool completely before storing in airtight containers up to 1 week.

Notes

One should refresh one’s memory about the actual shape of a pyramid, otherwise you might do a “Helen” and end up with the “wonton” shape. Small pyramids taste best, crispy throughout.