Laura's Answer to Proust's Madeleine

Oh, how I've hated not being able to blog this past week! I've wanted to write about David Lean's 1948 version of "Oliver Twist," about Blossom Dearie's voice, about my Sammy Davis Jr. epiphany, the nickel-sized frog that jumped in my shoe for a ride last week, why I can't stand Picasso, why I love "Six Feet Under." Instead of writing about any of that, I've been snowed under with time-sensitive, must-do, much less inspiring writing that had to be done. So until I make a space in my day for more concentrated thought, I thought I'd share something unexpected and delicious with you. So, how about my favorite cookie recipe?

Proust's Remembrance of Things Past is famously based on memories evoked by madeleines, those lemony, shell-shaped spongecakes. (People call them cookies, but they really aren't.) I quite enjoy a good madeleine, though I find them a bit trickier to make than they should be, and while they can be sublime, they can also be dull and rubbery if not done right. They're time-consuming and fussy, need to be baked in special pans that are difficult to remove them from and hard to clean, and half the time they come out disappointing.

I much prefer the perfect crumb, slightly salty sweetness, and intoxicating almond aroma of my favorite almond cookie recipe. I've probably made over a hundred types of cookies in my lifetime, but these get more consistent raves than any other I make, and they're perhaps the easiest cookies I make as well. Simple as they are, they're a little different from the average cookie and they feel more sophisticated despite their simplicity. I think of them as the little black dress of cookies.

My almond cookies are simple to make, delicious, popular across age and cultural divides, inexpensive, the recipe makes a ton, and they even freeze well (double bagged in Ziploc freezer bags). What's not to like?

I'll write more very soon. I promise. Cross my heart. Until then, have a cookie.

ALMOND COOKIES

3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups shortening
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon almond extract
Blanched almonds (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Sift flour with sugar, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Mix in shortening and knead thoroughly for several minutes. Combine egg and almond extract; mix well into flour mixture. Roll a tablespoon of dough into a ball, place on ungreased baking sheet, repeate a zillion times. (I line baking sheets with parchment paper; it makes cleaning up so fast.) To make these look more like the tasty almond-flavored tea cookies I used to love at the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park when I was a child, make a depression in the top of each cookie with your thumb. A blanched almond may be pressed into the center of each. (If you just roll these into balls and bake them just like that, they come out great, too.) Bake for 14 to 18 minutes. Makes six dozen.