Spanish Almond Cookies (Polvorones de Almendra)

Gather the ingredients.

Preheat the oven to 250 F.

Spread the flour and the almond meal evenly onto a baking sheet. Toast the mixture in the oven, stirring from time to time, until it is fragrant and very lightly browned. Remove the mixture from the oven and let the flour and almond meal cool completely. 

Place the softened butter in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the powdered sugar and mix on low speed until the butter and sugar are well blended. 

Beat butter-sugar mixture on medium speed until it is soft, light, and fluffy. 

Add the salt, the anise extract, and cinnamon. Mix well. 

Add the toasted and cooled flour-almond mixture gradually, mixing after each addition. The mixture should come together as a crumbly dough. If it is so crumbly that it won't stick together when you squeeze a handful, add another 1 to 2 tablespoons of softened butter.

Wrap the cookie dough in plastic wrap and chill for 30 to 60 minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of about 1 cm or thicker, if desired (some people prefer these cookies 1/2-inch thick or more). 

Cut 3-inch diameter circles of dough and place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. 

Re-roll the dough scraps and cut more cookies until you have used all of the dough.

Bake the cookies for about 15 minutes, or until they start to brown lightly around the edges. Remove from the oven. 

Sprinkle the tops of the cookies generously with powdered sugar while the cookies are still warm. 

Serve and enjoy!