Chocolate Almond Crinkle Cookies

I remember, growing up, hoping there was some minor business (a check to cash, something to deposit or withdraw) at our local bank Saturday morning. Any other morning, they had the crusty lollipops in the straw bowl they kept near the deposit slips.

But Saturday mornings, they had doughnuts and/or doughnut holes.

I was definitely that kid that sneakily said "Don't you have something to do at the bank, Dad????" at 8:30 on a Saturday morning, hoping we could go early and snag the treats.

Experimenting with my dad's lightbox...kind of cool to have a solid black background!

How does this relate to the cookies shown in these pictures? Well, these cookies are rolled in not just powdered sugar but also granulated sugar. I'm not sure why, but I'm sure my 7 year old self would be all over it.

They're also fudgy and chocolatey, without being as dense and greasy as a brownie or extra chocolaty cookie sometimes is. The dough is different from your standard cookie dough because ground almonds are a substantial addition to the dry team (flour, baking soda, salt).

And, rather than being creamed with butter, the eggs are whipped into a frenzy with some sugar until the whole thing is pale and thick. Melted chocolate, a small gob of butter, and some coffee or liquor finish off the whole shebang, transforming it into a chocolate cloud.

It is worth noting, however, that this is not a one-bowl kind of recipe. There's the food processor (to break down the almonds), a stand mixer (to beat the crap out of the eggs), and then a double boiler (to melt the chocolate, but I said "ENOUGH!" and went with a microwaveable bowl instead). Let it be known that these steps are worth it, and the end product is delicious!

After 1 bite, it's all over...

Chocolate Almond Crinkle Cookies
Yield: 25 cookies (note: the original recipe said it made 40. Apparently I make big cookies...but no one ever complained about that!)

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoons brewed coffee (or reconstituted from espresso powder, which is what I used) or liquor (Grand Marnier or dark rum would work)
• 1 cup (125 g) almonds, toasted
• 1/2 cup (70 g) all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 large eggs, room temperature (this is apparently important...to do it quickly, put the eggs in a bowl with warmish tap water for 5-10 minutes, then change it and let it sit for another 5-10 minutes)
• 1/3 cup (65 g) sugar, plus more for coating
• powdered sugar for coating

Method:

1. Melt chocolate, butter, and coffee/liquor together in a microwave-safe bowl, stirring and checking every 30 seconds. Set aside to cool.
2. Process almonds, flour, baking powder, and salt in a food processor until they are as finely ground as possible.
3. Whip eggs and 1/3 cup sugar in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment on high for approximately 5 minutes, or until a distinct ribbon forms when you lift up the beater. 
4. Gently fold in the chocolate mixture to the egg mixture with a rubber spatula. Next, fold in the almond-flour mixture. Chill dough for 1-2 hours, until firm (dough can be chilled for up to 5 days for frozen for up to a month).
5. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare baking sheets with parchment, silicone, or greased foil. 
6. Pour some granulated sugar into a bowl, then sift some powdered sugar into another bowl. Scoop 1-inch balls of dough and roll in your hands. Roll in the granulated sugar first, then the powdered sugar and place 2 inches apart on baking sheet. 
7. Bake for approximately 12-14 minutes, or until cookies are just starting to firm up at the edges but still very soft in the middle. Let cool on baking sheets until cooled enough to transfer to wire racks.

via Ready for Dessert, by David Lebovitz

Cherry Chocolate Almond Cookie Bars

As the title states, these are bar cookies with cherries, chocolate, and almonds. A winning combination.

The base is a buttery shortbread with chopped dried cherries mixed into it. Then, when the bars come out of the oven, you immediately scatter chocolate chips over the hot cookie slab, wait a couple of minutes for them to melt, then spread to coat. A final shower of chopped, toasted almonds puts the cherry on top.

wait, but the cherry is on the bottom...

Anyway, the point is that these are dead simple, even though they look and taste fancy!

They also stay fresh, since they're just shortbread, for over a week in an airtight container, and are quite sturdy, so they would be a great cookie to send in the mail. I'm looking at you, holiday season!

[P.S. I burned some of the almonds I was toasting for these bars. wah wah. I also pretty majorly burned half of the granola I made earlier this week, so here's hoping I don't burn the next recipe (or undercook it, which I often seem to do too)...there's such a narrow window of success, and when it's not quite as obvious as a cake tester or browning, it's hard to know when something is done!]

This weekend is simply gorgeous in Chicago--sunny and warm with a cool breeze by the lake--so we went up to the Chicago Botanic Gardens on our bikes. It's so lovely there and they've got an amazing collection. I always love the rose garden, since the smells are as varied as the flowers themselves!

And a shout out to my mom, who is showing some of her plants at the Bromeliad show happening this weekend! If you're in the area and have some free time, I'd highly recommend going by and seeing the wonderful plants on show. They partner with the Cactus and Succulent society, so there is a lot to see, and all of them really unique!

Enjoy the day!

Cherry Chocolate Almond Cookie Bars

Yield: about 20 bars

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 ounces) flour
• 3/4 cup (5 1/2 ounces) superfine sugar, or sugar processed in a food processor for 30 seconds
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened, cut into half inch pieces
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 of an 8 ounce package) cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup dried cherries, chopped*
• 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cups toasted, chopped almonds (or any other nut you like!)

Method: 

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line an 18x12 inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment, or foil sprayed with nonstick spray.
2. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, briefly combine the flour, sugar, cherries, and salt at low speed, just to mix well. Add the butter one piece at a time with the mixer running, slowly incorporating it into the dry ingredients. Keep mixing until the dough holds together when squeezed and looks crumbly. 
3. Add vanilla and cream cheese and mix on low speed until the mixture just starts to come together in large clumps. Knead a few times in the bowl to finish mixing, then turn onto your prepared baking sheet and press into an even layer.
4. Bake bars for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately upon removing the pan from the oven, sprinkle with the chocolate chips and let sit for 3 minutes to let the chocolate melt. 
5. Spread the melted chocolate evenly over the surface of the bars, then top with the almonds (or nut of your choice). Let cool completely before cutting into diamonds.

Cookies keep well in an airtight container for a week or longer.

Adapted ever so slightly from Baking Illustrated.

*Buyer beware: Craisins has a cherry dried fruit product that would seem to be dried cherries, but it's actually dried cranberries flavored with cherry juice. The dried cherries I got were from Sunmaid, and there wasn't quite a full cup in the bag but it was totally fine!

Cocoa Candied Almonds

This story starts at costco, as all good stories do. They were out of the roasted, salted almonds in the two pound box, so...
My dad bought the 3 pound bag of raw almonds.

Figuring we could bake with them, or roast them ourselves, or whatnot.

This is dangerous. We ate more than a pound in probably 2 weeks, and there are 3 of us. And I'm sure I ate more than a third of that, too.

They're sweet and salty, crunchy, a treat but still a snack, and eminently grabbable on a pass through the kitchen.

All it takes is a little bit of aggressive whipping of egg whites and sugar to make the crunchy meringue that will shield the nuts in a protective, chocolaty armor. Cocoa powder adds that somethin'-somethin' and mm mm good factor. Joy adds a hint of cayenne, which you can do, but we don't eat spicy things at home so I added a bit of cinnamon instead.

So run to your nearest bulk nuts seller (ewwwww) and make these in your kitchen today. They will last longer than cookies, but not that much longer. They will sustain the 3pm hunger crash. They will satisfy the chocolate cravings.

[You know they say that if you're craving chocolate, your body really wants the fat from the cocoa butter, and that you can "satisfy" that craving with peanut butter? Um, I think these are an even better option.]

These almonds make a great World Cup snack, too!

Cocoa Candied Almonds
Yield: a two week supply for 3 ravenous people

Ingredients:

• about 3 cups raw almonds (I used a bit more, probably 4 cups, and there was PLENTY of meringue for all of them)
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 2 large egg whites
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder (I used dutch process, because guess what? We have a costco thing of that too.)
• a pinch of cayenne or cinnamon, according to your tastes

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. [I forgot to do this step, and they turned out great, so if you don't have time, skip this:] Roast almonds on a baking sheet in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove and let cool while you make the meringue.
3. Put butter in a rimmed baking sheet (lining with foil makes for easy cleanup later) and melt in the oven for 5-7 minutes, making sure that the milk solids don't burn. Remove and set aside.
4. In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or a large mixing bowl and with a hand mixer, whip the egg whites and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt until frothy. With the mixer running, gradually add the sugar. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until white, glossy, and almost at stiff peaks.
5. Add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, cocoa powder, and spice, and mix again (slowly at first) to combine.
6. Add the almonds and stir to coat evenly. Spread in the baking sheet with the melted butter in an even layer. 
7. Bake for 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until the coating has darkened in color and is crisp and dry. Remove and let cool before storing in an airtight container.

Recipe from the Joy the Baker Cookbook (love.)

Galette des Rois

As I write, I am somewhere in the bright, clear, U.S. air, flying to San Francisco to do a tour with my a capella group. I could not be more excited!

The sun is streaming in from the window. The light reflects off the pebbly clouds below like bloggers and journalers everywhere at the end of the year, who fill with resolutions and intents for the new year ahead.

And I made a Galette des Rois, or King Cake, an epiphany tradition in France. Maybe there's an epiphany hidden in the cake...more likely though, there's a monopoly hotel, because I didn't have a dried bean or baby Jesus figurine to hide inside.
What? That doesn't make any sense, does it. Or does it?

Well, traditionally, a bean or figurine is hidden near the crust inside the cake, and the cake is divided into as many pieces as there are people, plus one (the extra piece was kept in case a beggar came to the door for food.) Whoever gets the piece with the bean is King (or Queen) for the day.

This cake is one of my oldest taste memories, too. I lived in France for a year when I was 3, and very distinctly remember the flavor and texture. It's amazing to me that I could still remember after so long, but as such, Galette des Rois has been on my baking bucket list for a while, and I'm glad I finally got around to making it.

I was always disappointed in French class at school when we would get king cake, and every year I hoped I could taste again what I remember so strongly, and every year we got the traditional New Orleans-style king cake. Which is also good, just not what I remember.

Alas, I blab. This cake is kind of a tart, with an almond "frangipane" filling surrounded by a puff pastry crust and sealed at the edges. Mine wasn't entirely sealed, so some filling seeped out, but you know what? It tastes fantastic scraped off the baking sheet with a spoon. It's brushed with egg yolk, which creates a beautiful leathery lacquered sheen, and decorated with a simple pattern drawn in the top crust with a sharp knife.

Galette des Rois
Yield: one galette

Ingredients:

• 125g (about 1 cup) almond meal 
• 125g sugar 
• 125g (about 1 stick) unsalted butter 
• 1 teaspoon rum 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1 teaspoon corn flour (omit if you don't have...I tried cornmeal and it detracted from the smoothness of the frangipane) 
• 2 eggs 

• 1 package (2 sheets) puff pastry (I used Pepperidge Farm) 
• 1 egg yolk 

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
2. Cream almond meal, butter, and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. 
3. Add rum, vanilla extract, and corn flour and mix to combine. 
4. Add the eggs and mix again to combine. 
5. Lay one piece of puff pastry on a baking sheet. Fix cracks with fingers dipped in water. Use a plate (or eyeball) to give and cut form of circle. 
6. Put frangipane on this circle of dough and smooth towards edges. Leave about an inch on all sides to seal. 
7. Cut the other piece of puff pastry to make a circle, then lay it gently on top of the frangipane (do not press down). Seal the edges of the top and bottom with a bit of water and by pressing down with your fingers. 
8. Brush the top of the galette with egg yolk, then cut a pattern in the top. You could do a diamond pattern, like I did, or a flower, or make your own pattern. 
9. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until deep golden brown and puffy. Cool to room temperature or just slightly warm before serving--cut into as many pieces as you have people plus one, and see who's your king for the day! 

Recipe from Mme. Strock, my parent's friend from France.

P.S. You know those corners you cut off to make the galette round? They are awesome with some cinnamon sugar, folded in half and baked for 20 mins at 400. Little cookie/croissant/turnover babies.