The title really says it all, so this body just explains why I'm asking (in case it inspires frame challenges or useful comments). I grew up in the 1970s in a small, Pennsylvania farming community with some (but not a lot) of Amish and Pennsylvania Dutch influence. I am an utter novice at baking.
The cutout Christmas sugar cookies I had back then had a unique flavor and texture I haven't had since. I won't try to describe it. But I know it wasn't just one person's recipe. I had those cookies at school parties, Scout meetings, and who knows where else for years. Then, some time in the 1980s, I realized I hadn't had them for years. And I haven't had anything like them since. The were basically rolled and cutout sugar cookies; soft, not especially buttery, and less than a quarter inch thick. I don't think they had a lot of leavening. There were on the dense side and not bready or cakey.
I've been looking for recipes that might have that "special something" (other than common sugar cookie ingredients). Almond extract is definitely part of the flavor, but somethig is missing. The closest I've found is lightly toasted almond flour. That's getting closer to what I remember, but I'm not there yet.
So before I start experimenting with different almond flour recipes, I want to check that I'm not "baking" up the wrong tree. Almond flour seems kind of specialized. I had certainly never heard of it as a kid. And for a town where tacos, bagels, and even rice were seen as "exotic," I wonder if it was even available in common grocery stores of that era.
Was it? I understand the answer might vary with location and the size of the town. I understand it was probably available at niche stores in metropolitan areas. So the question could be rephrased, "Was it readily available all over the place where only the smallest stores probably wouldn't have had it?"
