Pain d’Amande
from Flo Baker's Sweet Miniatures: The Art of Making Bite-Size Desserts

"This traditional Belgian cookie, known as almond bread (pain d’amande), is a favorite from my catering baking business in the early 1970s. The raw sugar’s light golden color and distinctly old-fashioned flavor, similar to that of turbinado-style sugar, gives this cookie its unique taste, texture, and appearance. A slow baking develops a crispy texture and toasty flavor. Though the dough is pale in color, it becomes honey-colored and delicious when baked." Flo Baker

I love anything super-crisp so naturally, this is one of my all-time favorite cookies. They go with anything, from a bowl of ice cream to a steaming cup of coffee.

Be sure to bake them on parchment paper since if you use a silicone mat, they won’t get as crispy. And the other tip is not to let the sugar melt in the butter; the big crystals add a wonderful crunch to these delightfully-delicious cookies. -David Bovitz (who posted the recipe on his web site)

https://www.pardonyourfrench.com/ web site has a recipe that is almost the same except she (Audrey Le Goff):

• adds 1/4 tsp. grated nutmeg and 1/4 tsp salt.
• She also uses 1 cup (85g) whole almonds (unblanched) and 1/3 cup (30g) almonds slices in place of the 1 cup sliced almonds used in this recipe. The picture of her cookies shows larger pieces of almonds than the picture here does, but I would think using whole almonds would make it difficult to slice thinly. Perhaps, a mix of almond slivers and sliced almonds would be better.
• One last difference is that she uses 1 1/3 cups (295g) packed brown sugar in place of the coarse crystal golden sugar. She found that using brown sugar gave more depth of flavor, although she believes crystal sugar makes for an even crunchier cookie.
• Audrey bakes hers for 10 minutes, then flips them and bakes for 8-10 minutes more until crisp-looking and golden.

8 tablespoons (115g) butter, salted or unsalted, cubed
1 1/3 cups (300g) coarse crystal golden sugar (see Note*) [1 1/3 cups (295g) packed brown sugar - per Pardon Your French]
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
[1/4 tsp. grated nutmeg - per Pardon Your French]
1/3 cup (80ml) water
2 1/3 cups (325g) flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
[1/4 tsp salt - per Pardon Your French]
1 cup (85g) sliced almonds, blanched or unblanched [1 cup (85g) whole almonds (unblanched) and 1/3 cup (30g) almonds slices - per Pardon Your French]

*Note: Large-crystal golden sugar is available in specialty food stores, natural food stores, or online.

1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat with the sugar, cinnamon, and water. Stir until the butter just melts but don’t allow to boil: most of the sugar should not be dissolved.

2. Remove from heat and stir in the flour, baking soda, and almonds until well mixed.

3. Line a 9-inch (23cm) loaf pan with plastic wrap and press the dough into the pan so the top is smooth. Chill until firm.

4. To bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 325º (160ºC.)

5. Using a very sharp chef’s knife, [cut the dough in half, then] slice the dough crosswise, as thin as possible, into rectangles. If you can get them as thin as a coin, all the better. The thinner they are, the more delicate and crisp they’ll be.

6. Space the cookies on parchment lined baking sheets and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the cookies feel slightly firm and the undersides are golden brown. Flip the cookies over and bake an additional 10-15 minutes, until the cookies are crisp and deep golden-brown on top. The baking times depend on how thin you cut the cookies.

Cool completely, then store in an airtight bin until ready to serve.

Storage: Once baked, the cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to three days. The dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to four days, or frozen for up to two months, if well-wrapped.

80-90 cookies