Wednesday, December 2, 2009

December 3rd-Auntie Zola's Chocolate Almond Cookies
















I do not remember the first cookie I ever ate, but I hope it was this one! Hard to pick a favorite cookie, so I am going to pick a few as we move along in the month. When I tested these cookies, they surprised me. Buttery, delicate and the chocolate garnish did it for me! Even Marley the dog snuck one off the table.





























Auntie Zola's Chocolate Almond Cookies
Makes 6 dozen

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups finely chopped blanched almonds

For Decoration:

6 ounces semisweet chocolate
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon dark rum
Finely chopped blanched almonds for garnish

1. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolk and vanilla, then the flour, salt, and finely chopped almonds, mix well.

2. Shape dough in to rolls, each 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap rolls in parchment or wax paper and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours. Preheat the oven to 350 and line baking sheets with parchment paper. With a sharp knife, cut the dough into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Place 1 to 2 inches apart on baking sheets and bake for 8-10 minutes until lightly browned. Cool on a rack.

3. In the top of a double boiler, melt the chocolate and butter for the topping. Add the dark rum and stir until smooth. Dip an edge of each cookie into the chocolate, then dip into fine ground almonds. Cool on parchment paper until chocolate hardens.

















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