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1
Place racks in top and lower thirds of oven and preheat to 350u00b0F. Place almonds on a baking sheet on lower rack and toast until fragrant, 8 to 10 minutes, shaking pan a few times. Transfer to a bowl to cool to room temperature. Turn oven off.
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2
Place 1/4 cup almonds in food processor and process until finely ground; transfer to a small bowl. Coarsely chop remaining nuts and place in a separate small bowl.
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3
Place butter, sugar and almond extract in same food processor (no need to rinse) and blend until light, about 2 minutes, scraping down sides halfway through. Add flour, salt and ground almonds and pulse until just combined. Divide dough into 2 portions. Pat into 2 6-inch flat squares, roughly 3/8-inch thick. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until firm.
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4
Preheat oven to 300u00b0F. Line 2 large, rimmed baking sheets with parchment. Let dough rest at room temperature until pliable enough to roll. Roll out a square of dough between 2 sheets of lightly floured waxed paper to 1/8-inch thickness. Use a sharp knife to cut dough into 2-inch squares. Transfer to baking sheets, leaving about 1/2 inch between each. Repeat with remaining dough. Combine scraps, reroll once and cut. If dough becomes too soft to roll, refrigerate briefly.
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5
Bake cookies until light golden, 35 to 40 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes on baking sheets on wire racks, then transfer cookies to racks to cool completely. When cookies are cool, set up 2 baking sheets lined with parchment. Put 1/2 of chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high for 30 seconds; stir. Continue to heat and stir in 15-second increments until chocolate has melted. Add remaining chocolate and allow it to sit at room temperature, stirring occasionally, until completely smooth. Dip 1/2 of each cookie in chocolate. Sprinkle with reserved chopped almonds and place on baking sheets to set.
