Nuts and salt are appropriate flavors for a bloody Saturday boxing match. I found this recipe from a New York Times article last year. It’s an elegant bar treat served somewhere in France. We’ll watch a fortunate soul receive millions of dollars with blood dripping out of his nose. I will sympathize with his agony by eating a few of these salty sweets. What a bloody joy.

Almond Salty Butter Cookies

Recipe from the New York Times.

Ingredients
3/4 cup blanched almonds or hazelnuts, lightly toasted and cooled to room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. kosher or flaky sea salt (if using fine or table salt, use 3/8 teaspoon)
1 cup all-purpose flour
7 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Directions
1. Position 2 oven racks in top third and bottom third of oven. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a food processor, grind nuts, sugar and salt to a fine meal. In a mixer, beat flour and butter together on low speed until texture is sandy. Add nut mixture and mix on low until dough starts to form small lumps; keep mixing until dough just holds together when pinched between fingers. If the mixture is too dry, add a teaspoon of butter. Do not hold the dough with wet fingers, for the cookies will collapse.

3. Pinch off about a teaspoon of dough and place in palm of your hand. With tips of fingers, pinch and press dough together until cookie has a flat bottom and pointed top, like a rough pyramid. Cookies need not be perfectly smooth or equal size. Place on parchment about 1 inch apart.

Salted Almond Cookies before baking in the oven.

4. Bake about 15 minutes, rotating cookie sheets halfway through. Cookies should be turning golden brown on edges. Cool on sheets 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks and cool completely before storing in airtight containers up to 1 week.

Yield: About 2 dozen cookies.