Fiction-Food Café: Kurabiye Tea Biscuits

I love me some graphic novels, and the adventuresome Delilah Dirk series by Tony Cliff published through First Second Books is one of my favorites! Because there is much tea (Delilah's companion Mister Selim is a masterful blender of the teas) and many of the adventures take place in Turkey and surrounding areas, I decided to make my own, Delilah Dirk-inspired adaptation of the traditional Turkish tea biscuits called kurabiye (or qurabiya and various other names depending on country).
When I researched recipes and information on kurabiye there were different ways to go about making them, and this is the way that I came up with that works for me. The feedback I received was very positive so.... I hope you get Delilah-vibes when you make and eat these! Feel free to top them with other chopped nuts or dried fruits, and add spices of your choice to the dry ingredients if you'd like. :)

Kurabiye Tea Biscuits

Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Butter, room temperature
1/3 Sugar
1 tsp. Fresh Orange Zest (optional)
1 Cup Almond Flour
2/3 Cup All-Purpose Flour
1/4 tsp. Baking Powder
1/4 tsp. Salt
Chopped Pistachios
Chopped Crazins (dried cranberries, Pomegranate flavored if you can find them)

Directions:
Pre-heat your oven to ~340ºF. Line a large baking tray with a Silpat or parchment paper. Cream the butter & sugar until pale & fluffy. Add in the optional orange zest & mix until combined.

In a separate bowl whisk together the almond flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, & salt. Gradually add the dry mixture into the butter/sugar mixture & beat until completely combined.

Form the dough into balls, about 1 Tbsp. of dough each, & place them about 1 1/2" apart on the tray. If you'd like to make larger biscuits to place over your teacup (with is one way they are traditionally served), use about 2 Tbsp-worth of dough for each, depending on the width of your teacup. Put any remaining dough in the fridge until you're ready to bake it. Press your thumb into each dough ball & then press chopped crazins & pistachios into the depression.

Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the bottoms are lightly brown. Remove from the oven & let the biscuits sit on the tray for a few minutes & then transfer them carefully to a cooling rack (make sure the biscuit is fully on the spatula when you're moving it!). Let cool completely & enjoy with your favorite tea!