Spanish Almond Cookie (Polvorones)

Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Grind almonds in a food processor.

In a large mixing bowl, cut the vegetable shortening into the granulated and powdered sugars.

Add the ground almonds, almond extract, and cinnamon. Mix to combine.

Mix in flour one cup at a time (mixture will seem dry or crumbly). You may want to use your hand to mix together the dough as you add the last cup of flour to fully incorporate it into the dough mixture. 

Some recipes call for an egg yolk to add moisture and to bind the dough a bit, but it is optional. This is the point to add the yolk if you decide to use it—simply beat an egg yolk and mix it ​into the dough.

Refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours. Once your dough is chilled, divide the dough into four portions.

Using a portion of the dough at a time, roll or form a rope 1- to 1 1/2-inches wide.

Lay the rope on a cutting board and flatten the rope slightly. Slice the rope diagonally to make diamond-shaped cookies.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes on an ungreased cookie sheet. Allow them to cool on the cookie sheet for 5 to 10 minutes.

Again, these cookies will be very crumbly so once they cool slightly, carefully remove them using a spatula.