There was a state fair in my area recently. I honestly love the fair! My grandparents were both big fans too, and they would take me every year. After they passed away, I tried to keep the tradition alive by going as often as I could. The best part of the state fair, you ask? Well, the rodeo, of course! The next best part? That would certainly have to be the crazy food they have at the fair. There are definitely other parts that are fun too, but those are my two favorites.
This year, I finally decided to act on my interest in entering a home arts contest. It has always sounded fun to enter a baked good into the competition and see what the results were. The state fair in my area has many categories for entering (along with a ton of very specific rules), so I reviewed them for a while before picking the cookies category to enter.
I chose one of my family’s favorites – chocolate almond cookies. They are a delicious chocolate chip cookie, but they have a bit more personality with sliced almonds and two different kinds of chocolate chips. I have adapted and changed the recipe over the years, and it is finally just right. My husband and daughter love them!
The day came to make the cookies, which turned out amazing! I packaged them up carefully, drove to the fair, waiting in the long line of cars trying to get to the fair for far too long, and stressed out along the way. I kept reminding myself how much I had wanted to do this for years.
I finally made it to the correct location to submit the cookies. I was shocked to see how many people were there. One lady next to me was entering at least ten different kinds of cookies. As a mere amateur, I had thought we could only enter one batch! I also noticed that I was one of the few people who wasn’t a grandmother. A grandmother’s cooking is seriously the best, and let me tell you, many of the entries I was seeing looked fantastic.
When the results were in, I did not win. Yes, it would have made for a great underdog story… winning any kind of ribbon on my very first attempt at a food competition. But, that was not to be. The cookies I lost to looked delicious! Even if the results were not in my favor, I am super proud of my attempt this year and of the cookies I entered. I may just enter something (or more) next year… stay tuned!
Though they are not state fair award-winning, I still think the cookies are worth sharing. They are yummy and straightforward to make (no room temperature butter, for example). They are also really customizable – you could change the type of nuts or chocolate chips, or even the extract flavors if you wanted! They really are great!
Chocolate Almond Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter, cold and cut into small cubes
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp almond extract
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ heaping tsp cornstarch
- 3/8 tsp salt
- 3/8 tsp baking soda
- ⅓ heaping cup milk chocolate chips
- ⅓ heaping cup white chocolate chips
- ½ cup sliced almonds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 410° and spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray. Set the cookie sheet aside.
- In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix the butter, sugar, and brown sugar until they are well blended.
- Add the eggs, vanilla extract, and almond extract and mix well.
- Next, add the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda. Mix until the dough is just coming together.
- Gently mix in the two types of chocolate chips and the almonds, trying not to overmix the dough.
- Use a cookie scoop to spoon cookies onto the prepared cookie sheet. Place cookies at least one inch apart, as they will expand while baking.
- Bake the cookies for 8 to 9 minutes, or until they are just beginning to turn golden brown on the edges.
