Ingredients
3 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1⁄2 tsp. kosher salt
12 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3⁄4 cup almond paste
2 eggs
1⁄4 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp. kirsch
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Maraschino cherries, to garnish
Preparation
1.Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl; set aside. In a medium bowl, beat butter and sugar on medium-high speed of a mixer until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes; set aside. In a large bowl, beat almond paste on medium-high speed of a mixer until smooth; add 1⁄4 of the butter-sugar mixture and beat until smooth. Add remaining butter-sugar mixture and beat until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, until evenly combined. Add cream, kirsch, and vanilla, and beat until smooth. Add dry ingredients, and beat untiljust combined.
2.Transfer dough to a piping bag fitted with a 1⁄2" star tip, and pipe 2" mounds of dough onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets, spaced 2" apart. Halve maraschino cherries, and place a cherry half over the center of each cookie; chill cookies for 30 minutes.
3.Heat oven to 375°. Bake cookies, rotating baking sheets top to bottom and front to back halfway through cooking, until lightly browned, about 14 minutes. Let cool before serving.
