I got to a point in December where I couldn't even look at another Christmas cookie, much less write about one, but I don't want to neglect these buttery almond numbers completely, and unlike, say, the ginger cookies, I don't think these are particularly season-specific.

What they are is meltingly tender, with contrast in the form of the small almond chunks. They have a delicacy to them that suggests Earl Gray tea and the afternoon, and at our Boxing Day brunch we found they were just the thing to serve warm from the oven along with endless pots of tea, to nibble away at while playing our new Hot Chip album and hearing about what Max has been up to in Cambridge.

Buttery almond cookies
1 C butter
1 C powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1.75 C flour
1/2 cup chopped almonds (without skins)
1 egg yolk

Cream the butter with the sugar, and when light and fluffy, beat in the egg yolk and the vanilla. By hand, work in the flour and almonds and nuts. Chill the dough for at least one hour in the fridge (we had ours in there for more than a day). Use a spoon to form round bowls (about .75 inches in diameter) and place on an ungreased cookie sheet, ideally on a silicon mat. Bake at 350 F for about 25 minutes or until golden brown at the edges.