Triple Chocolate Almond Cookies

 
Christmas is just around the corner and there are parties and celebrations everywhere.  Of course, it’s also the time of the year we love to indulge in some wonderful cookies, lots of cookies, that is.  My mother-in-law signed up to attend a cookie exchange party and she asked me to help her bake up 7 dozens cookies!  Oh yes, 7 dozens, it was already a cut down from 10 dozens since some people couldn’t attend after all.  I’m happy and honored that my mother-in-law thought of me as soon as she knows she have to bake up some cookies to bring to the party.  :)




It was fun to make these cookies, packaged them, and taste tested them along the way!  The whole house smelled wonderful and it felt much more like home with the sweet smell of chocolate and cookies coming out of the oven!  The best part is, I got to enjoy some extra ones.  The picture below is the raw cookie dough waiting to be baked from the “assembly line" of my kitchen!



Ta-dah..…now they’re cooling off on the rack.  They’ll all jump into the beautiful holiday take-out boxes (or my tummy) soon!



These Triple Chocolate Almond Cookies are really wonderful.  They are crunchy outside and a little bit chewy inside.  They have great chocolate and almond flavor in every bite.  The almonds give it a nice nutty flavor and extra crunch.  Everyone loves them.  I’ve brought them to many different parties before and people always asked me for the recipe after they’ve tried them.  It’s really impossible to have just one!  Luckily, each batch makes 48 cookies so there are plenty to share and to indulge together.  Hope you all will make some and share with your family this holiday season. 



Sorry, just can’t help but bite into one when I was shooting these pictures.  They are too delicious!  :P  Guess I’ll be (happily) gaining weight this holiday season.



Happy Holidays everyone.  Hope you’ll all have a wonderful time with your family and love ones.

Triple Chocolate Almond Cookies: Printable Recipe

Makes 48 cookies

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) salted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 cup firmly packed dark or light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon instant coffee
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup sliced almonds

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars on medium high speed until light and fluffy.  Add the egg, vanilla and instant coffee.   With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture and continue mixing until just combined.

Add the chocolates and almonds, mix until combined. Using two tablespoons or a small ice cream scoop, drop the dough two inches apart on sheet pans lined with parchment paper.  Bake for 15 minutes.

Cool the cookies on the cookie sheets over a wire rack. The cookies should be very soft when they are just out of the oven. They will firm up as they cool.

By the way, I just submitted this recipe @ Kitchen Corner's December Cook Off.  If you're interested to learn more about the Cook Off, here's the link and there will be voting later on.