Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, using a handheld electric whisk on medium speed, mix together the butter, stevia, almond extract, and egg. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. The mixture won't be smooth at this point, and that's okay.
Gradually mix in the almond flour, ½ cup at a time, until well-blended. Then mix in the salt and baking soda. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
Using a 2-tablespoon scoop, drop mounds of the dough, two inches apart, onto the prepared cookie sheet. Gently flatten and shape the mounds with your hand, as shown in the video below.
Top each cookie with an almond. Gently press it into the dough.
Bake the cookies until lightly browned. Depending on how hot your oven runs, this can take 12 to 20 minutes.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 20 minutes before enjoying them.
Video
Notes
You can use ⅓ to ½ cups of sugar or any granulated sweetener instead of stevia.
Using blanched almond flour rather than a coarse almond meal is important. It should be a super fine grind.
It's best to measure almond flour by weight. Don't pack it into the measuring cups if you measure it by volume. It should be loosely packed.
Cooling the cookies completely on the baking sheet will allow them to set. If you try to lift them off the baking sheet when still warm, they'll be soft and crumbly.
The almond extract ingredients should be water, alcohol, and bitter almond oil. It's an integral part of the recipe and should not be omitted or substituted.
I prefer using a handheld mixer to a stand mixer in this recipe because of the relatively low volume of ingredients.
Storage: Once completely cooled, these cookies can be kept at room temperature, in an airtight container, for up to four days. It's best to freeze them in a single layer in freezer bags for longer storage. They soften a little while stored and become more cake-like, but they are still delicious.