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A slab of butter-rich shortbread becomes a batch of cookies after baking. Vanilla and cardamom flavor the dough, while sliced almonds provide a crisp finish.

The dough is intentionally stiff and crumbly. Rather than shaping individual cookies first, it is pressed into a thick rectangle and baked as one slab.

Almonds are added after the first 30 minutes and pressed into the surface before a final 10-minute bake. The slab is sliced only after a brief cooling period.

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter
• 1/2 cup sugar, such as Sucanat, Rapadura, or gur
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 cups spelt flour or unbleached white flour
• 1 tablespoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds

Method

Set the oven to 350°F (180°C). Beat the butter and sugar together, then incorporate the vanilla. Mix flour with cardamom separately and bring it into the butter mixture to make a crumbly dough. On a greased baking sheet, press the dough into a rectangle 1 inch (2 1/2 cm) thick. Bake for 30 minutes; press the almonds onto the surface and return it to the oven for 10 minutes more, until lightly golden. Wait 10 minutes before cutting the slab into squares. Leave the pieces on the sheet until fully cool and crisp. Makes 25–30 cookies.