German Almond Icebox Cookies (2024)

Amazon Associates Disclosure We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Almond Icebox Cookies are soft and addictive. Not too sweet with just a hint of cinnamon. Store in the refrigerator and simply slice and bake anytime you want fresh baked cookies. Great for lunch boxes, afternoon tea, and anytime snacks.

I make these old-fashioned German cookies all the time. Everyone loves them because they are soft, aren’t too sweet, and go perfectly with coffee, tea, hot chocolate, or a glass of milk.

An added bonus is that once you have dough in the refrigerator fresh cookies are just minutes away. Just slice and bake as many as you want! This dough holds up well for a week in the refrigerator.

Ingredients

Instructions

Dough

Melt the butter and lard (or shortening) using a small saucepan set over low heat, or a microwave.

Cut some parchment or waxed paper about 12-inches long and set aside. You will need this for forming and wrapping the cookie dough.

Add the white sugar and the brown sugar to a large mixing bowl. (Photo 1)

Add the melted butter mixture to the bowl (Photo 2) and mix on low speed until there are no dry areas of sugar left.

Add the eggs and mix well. (Photo 3)

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, and baking soda.

Add the flour to the wet mixture (Photo 4) and stir just until combined. (Photo 5) Don’t over mix.

Add the slivered almonds (Photo 6) and mix just until the almonds are evenly distributed. You may need to stir these in using a wooden spoon, or your clean hands.

Divide the dough into two equal halves and place one half on each piece of parchment or wax paper you cut earlier. (Photo 7)

Gently pat the dough into logs. I like mine to be more square so I pat mine into a rectangle that’s roughly 2-inches high and 3-inches wide. (Photo 8)

Wrap the dough in the paper you used for forming (Photo 9) and place it into the refrigerator for at least 4 hours and up to one week. You want the dough to be firm before attempting to slice it.

Baking

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Remove half of the dough from the refrigerator, unwrap, and cut into slices 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. (Photo 10)

Place cookies at least 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. The cookies will spread during baking. (Photo 11)

Bake in the preheated 350ºF oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are beginning to brown and tops no longer look wet. Thicker cookies will take longer than thin cookies.

Remove from cookie sheet and place on a cooling rack to finish cooling. (Photo 12)

Tips for Success

If using unsalted butter, add 1/4 teaspoon of salt for every cup of butter.

Lard can be substituted with shortening. You could also use all butter, but the cookies will not be as soft.

Lard is made with pork so don’t use lard if vegetarians or people who avoid pork products in their diets.

Do not overmix the cookie dough. Overmixing will cause the cookies to be tough.

Thicker cookies will be softer.

Leave at least 2 inches between the cookies when baking, they will spread a bit.

If baking more than one sheet of cookies at a time, rotate the cookie sheets by switching the racks.

Only bake until the edges of the cookies have turned light brown to maintain a soft cookie. The thicker ones will need longer in the oven.

Allow the cookies to sit on a cookie sheet for a minute before removing to a cooling rack.

Storing Baked Cookies

These can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container. It’s best to eat these within 3 days. If your cookies have gone past 3 days, try heating them in the microwave for 5 to seconds.

You can also freeze them. When I do this I double bag them in freezer baggies. You can pack them into lunch boxes while still frozen and they will be thawed and soft when you open your lunch.

Storing Cookie Dough

You can store formed dough in the refrigerator for up to a week. Keep the dough wrapped in wax or parchment paper and place it into an airtight container so it doesn’t pick up any other flavors from the refrigerator.

The formed dough can be stored in the freezer, wrapped tightly, and placed into an airtight container for up to 3 months. Allow the dough to thaw in the refrigerator before attempting to slice and bake.

You can also pre-slice the cookies before placing them in the freezer. You will want to freeze them on parchment or wax paper individually first. Once they’re frozen

MORE EASY COOKIE RECIPES YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS

Cut-Out Sugar Cookies

Chocolate Cake Cookie Bars

Italian Ricotta Cookies

Italian Wedding Cookies

FOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND SHARE THIS RECIPE

SIGN UP FOR NOTIFICATIONS AND NEVER MISS A NEW UPDATE