Rosemary, Almond and Parmesan Cocktail Cookies

ACTIVE: 30 MIN
TOTAL TIME: 2 HRS
SERVINGS: Makes about 5 dozen bite-size cookies

MAKE-AHEAD
VEGETARIAN

To bring out the flavor of the rosemary in these barely sweet cookies, Dorie Greenspan first rubs the leaves with granulated sugar—a technique she learned from renowned French pastry chef Pierre Hermé.

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1/2 cup slivered almonds
2 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large egg yolks, beaten
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 sticks cold unsalted butter, diced
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (1 ounce)

Preheat the oven to 350°. Spread the almonds in a pie plate and toast for about 10 minutes, until golden. Turn off the oven and let the almonds cool.
In a bowl, rub the sugar with the rosemary until moist and aromatic. In a food processor, combine the rosemary sugar with the almonds, flour, cheese and salt and pulse until the almonds are coarsely chopped. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add the egg yolks and pulse until large clumps of dough form.
Transfer the dough to a work surface and knead gently until it just comes together. Divide the dough in half and press each piece into a disk. Roll out each disk between 2 sheets of wax paper to about 1/4 inch thick. Slide the wax paper–covered disks onto a baking sheet and freeze for at least 1 hour, until very firm.
Preheat the oven to 350° and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Working with one piece of dough at a time, peel off the top sheet of wax paper. Using a 1 1/2-inch round cookie cutter, stamp out cookies as close together as possible. Arrange the cookies about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake the cookies for about 20 minutes, until lightly golden; shift the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 3 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make Ahead The rolled-out frozen cookie dough can be wrapped in plastic and kept frozen for 2 weeks. The baked cookies can be kept in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Suggested Pairing

Crisp, citrusy Prosecco: NV Nino Franco Rustico Prosécco di Valdobbiadene.