Almond Sugar Cookies -- The Ones Margaret Made That Afternoon in Linda's Kitchen

I turn thirty-seven in two weeks. I've been thinking about what that number means to me, which is not a thing I usually do with birthdays. I think the difference this year is that I can see something like a pattern from here that I couldn't see when I was younger: the years have been building something rather than just accumulating. The ranch is mine in the way it wasn't before. The writing is a real thing in the world. The farrier work has become the kind of practice that develops a person over time, each year's cases adding to the year before's cases. The therapy has been doing what it's supposed to do. The question that's been live since September 2021 — what do I want in a relationship — is more available to me now than it was. I haven't met anyone. But I'm not afraid of the possibility in the way I was. That's progress.

Drove to Salina this week. Second visit to Derek's grave. I hadn't planned it — I was in the truck Tuesday after a canceled appointment in Billings and I had three days free and I drove south and kept going. Fourteen hours, same as the first time. The grave was well-kept, with a small arrangement of artificial flowers that I recognized as Linda's style. I stood there for longer than the first visit. I said more. I won't say here what I said. Some conversations don't need a second audience.

Drove to Linda's house. She wasn't expecting me. She opened the door and said: I thought I recognized your truck. We had coffee. Margaret was there, looking well, her hair starting to grow back. We stayed four hours and I drove back the same night. Fourteen hours of highway and the mountains in the rearview and everything feeling aligned in a way it doesn't always.

Margaret had a plate of cookies on the table when I walked in — the almond kind, soft in the middle, the kind that go exactly right with a cup of coffee and four hours of conversation you weren’t expecting to have. I don’t know if she made them herself or if Linda had. It didn’t seem like the thing to ask. I drove fourteen hours back through the mountains thinking about them, and when I got home I made a batch, and they tasted like something I wanted to hold onto.

Almond Sugar Cookies

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 10 minutes | Total Time: 25 minutes | Servings: 36 cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar, plus extra for rolling
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Sliced almonds, for topping (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven. Heat your oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Cream butter and sugar. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and 1 cup of sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Add wet ingredients. Beat in the egg, almond extract, and vanilla extract until fully combined.
4. Combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt.
5. Mix the dough. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, stirring until a soft dough forms. Do not overmix.
6. Shape the cookies. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in granulated sugar to coat. Place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Gently flatten each ball with the bottom of a glass. Press a few sliced almonds into the top of each, if using.
7. Bake. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges are just set and the centers look barely done. They will firm up as they cool — do not overbake.
8. Cool. Let cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 105 | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Carbs: 14g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 55mg