Cherry Almond Icebox Cookies. Slice-and-bake butter cookies with dried cherries and chopped almonds; chill the dough logs before baking. The formula and timing below are working estimates for a future kitchen trial, not a claim that a batch has been made.
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Cookies that start with a chilled log
Cherry almond icebox cookies take their shape from a firm dough log, not cutout cutters. Chopped dried cherries stud the buttery rounds, while almond extract and chopped almonds give a matching flavor and bite.
The two-log, thirty-six-cookie yield is a proposed working target. Slice thickness and dough temperature can change the actual count and spread.
Choosing fruit and nuts
Use dried cherries rather than fresh fruit, which adds moisture to a dough meant for clean slices. Finely chop large pieces so a knife can move through the log without tearing its edges.
Chop slivered almonds small for the same reason. This is a tree-nut recipe even if the visible almonds seem modest. An almond-free variation would need new flavor and allergen testing.
Ingredients for 36 cookies
| Ingredient | Amount | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Unsalted butter, softened | 1 cup | Dough base. |
| Granulated sugar | 3/4 cup | Cream with butter. |
| Large egg | 1 egg | Dough binder. |
| Almond extract | 1/2 teaspoon | Measure rather than pouring freely. |
| All-purpose flour | 2 1/2 cups | Spoon and level. |
| Baking powder | 1/2 teaspoon | Whisk with flour. |
| Fine salt | 1/2 teaspoon | Whisk with flour. |
| Dried cherries, finely chopped | 3/4 cup | Not fresh cherries. |
| Slivered almonds, chopped | 1/2 cup | Check for coarse pieces before slicing. |
Step-by-step method
- Cream 1 cup softened butter with 3/4 cup sugar until combined and lighter, about three minutes. Beat in one egg and 1/2 tsp almond extract. Whisk 2 1/2 cups flour with 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt, then mix into the butter just until no dry flour remains.
- Fold in 3/4 cup finely chopped dried cherries and 1/2 cup chopped slivered almonds. Divide dough into two portions and shape each into a log about nine inches long and two inches across. Wrap tightly and chill approximately 90 minutes until firm enough to slice cleanly.
- Heat oven to 350°F. Slice each log into about eighteen half-inch rounds, for thirty-six provisional cookies. Arrange on lined sheets with space between them. Bake in approximately three sequential 9–11-minute batches until edges are lightly golden; rotate the pan if needed.
- Cool briefly on the sheets, then transfer to racks and cool about thirty minutes. Note spread, cherry distribution, slice integrity and actual count in a kitchen trial.
Make, chill and slice
Cream butter and sugar, add the egg and measured almond extract, then work in the whisked dry ingredients. Fold fruit and nuts only after the flour has disappeared, rather than beating them to crumbs.
Divide into two even logs and wrap before chilling. A firm log is easier to cut into half-inch rounds; if the slices squash or crumble, note dough temperature and knife action in the trial.
Bake to pale-gold edges
Space the rounds on parchment and bake one sheet at a time at 350°F for an estimated 9–11 minutes. The edge should look lightly golden, not deeply brown. Cool briefly on the sheet to set before transferring.
America's Test Kitchen provides a different cherry-almond slice-and-bake reference. The goal here is an independently measured butter-cookie formula; no published shelf-life claim transfers to this version.
Gift-box and storage notes
Only package cookies once fully cool, or steam can soften them. A rigid tin would protect the shape, but a measured shelf life and shipping behavior have not been established.
These do not replace a raspberry-almond Linzer cookie, which has a sandwich filling and a separate assembly step.
Icebox cookie questions
Can I use fresh cherries?
Not in this measured dough; the extra water would require redesign.
Why chill the logs?
Firm dough slices more cleanly and holds a round shape.
How many slices per log?
About eighteen half-inch rounds from each nine-inch log, subject to the first test.
Further reading and related Chefly recipes: America's Test Kitchen cherry-almond slice-and-bake cookies. These are relevant references and other dishes, not evidence that this proposed formula was tested.
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Cherry Almond Icebox Cookies. Category: Cookies. 36 cookies. Prep approximately 25 minutes; cooking approximately 30 minutes; additional cooling/chilling approximately 120 minutes; total approximately 175 minutes excluding preheat. Not kitchen-tested; nutrition not calculated.
Ingredients: 1 cup Unsalted butter, softened; 3/4 cup Granulated sugar; 1 egg Large egg; 1/2 teaspoon Almond extract; 2 1/2 cups All-purpose flour; 1/2 teaspoon Baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon Fine salt; 3/4 cup Dried cherries, finely chopped; 1/2 cup Slivered almonds, chopped.
Instructions: Cream 1 cup softened butter with 3/4 cup sugar until combined and lighter, about three minutes. Beat in one egg and 1/2 tsp almond extract. Whisk 2 1/2 cups flour with 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt, then mix into the butter just until no dry flour remains. Fold in 3/4 cup finely chopped dried cherries and 1/2 cup chopped slivered almonds. Divide dough into two portions and shape each into a log about nine inches long and two inches across. Wrap tightly and chill approximately 90 minutes until firm enough to slice cleanly. Heat oven to 350°F. Slice each log into about eighteen half-inch rounds, for thirty-six provisional cookies. Arrange on lined sheets with space between them. Bake in approximately three sequential 9–11-minute batches until edges are lightly golden; rotate the pan if needed. Cool briefly on the sheets, then transfer to racks and cool about thirty minutes. Note spread, cherry distribution, slice integrity and actual count in a kitchen trial.
Allergens: Wheat; Egg; Milk; Almonds (tree nuts); Check extract and dried-cherry labels. Review packaged ingredients and cross-contact before serving.
Print
Cherry Almond Icebox Cookies
- Total Time: 175 minutes
- Yield: 36 servings 1x
Description
Two chilled logs sliced into roughly thirty-six cherry-and-almond butter cookies.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup Granulated sugar
- 1 egg Large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon Almond extract
- 2 1/2 cups All-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Fine salt
- 3/4 cup Dried cherries, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup Slivered almonds, chopped
Instructions
- Cream 1 cup softened butter with 3/4 cup sugar until combined and lighter, about three minutes. Beat in one egg and 1/2 tsp almond extract. Whisk 2 1/2 cups flour with 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt, then mix into the butter just until no dry flour remains.
- Fold in 3/4 cup finely chopped dried cherries and 1/2 cup chopped slivered almonds. Divide dough into two portions and shape each into a log about nine inches long and two inches across. Wrap tightly and chill approximately 90 minutes until firm enough to slice cleanly.
- Heat oven to 350°F. Slice each log into about eighteen half-inch rounds, for thirty-six provisional cookies. Arrange on lined sheets with space between them. Bake in approximately three sequential 9–11-minute batches until edges are lightly golden; rotate the pan if needed.
- Cool briefly on the sheets, then transfer to racks and cool about thirty minutes. Note spread, cherry distribution, slice integrity and actual count in a kitchen trial.
Notes
Recipe-development draft; not kitchen-tested. Timing and yield are estimates. Nutrition has not been calculated.
Additional chilling, resting or cooling time: 120 minutes, included in the total.
Untested estimate: 90 minutes of chilling, roughly three 10-minute sequential oven trays, and 30 minutes cooling; preheat excluded.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Chilling, resting or cooling: 120 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Cookies
Nutrition
- Serving Size: One cookie