Chinese Almond Cookies

Rather than the usual Christmas Party, the good people I work with came up with a different potluck idea this year. 

Times are hard- budgets have been cut and the usual Christmas Cheer has been scaled back a bit this year.  That didnt’ stop us!

We held a Christmas Cultural Extravaganza this year.  We divided into 7 teams, each with a different theme/culture.  There were foods and recipes from across the globe: Cajun, German, Asian, Polynesian, Southern, Indian, and ‘Bubba Gump’.  Everything was delicious!

My group made the Asian fare.  These are the almond cookies we made.  At first, we followed the recipe from AllRecipes.com.  The cookies were too crumbly, so we added milk to make them easier to form.  Also, we subbed in 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup butter-flavored crisco for the lard.  The resulting cookies were great!  They puffed up into golden almond deliciousness.  We hope you enjoy!

Chinese Almond Cookies

Adapted from Chinese Restaurant Almond Cookies

• 2-3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup butter, cold
• 1/2 cup butter-flavored crisco, cold
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup cold milk
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 48 almonds
• eggwash (1 egg beaten with 1 Tbsp water)

1.  Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. Sift flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl.  Cut in the butter and crisco with a pastry blender or two knives until the mixture resembles course cornmeal.  Add egg, milk, and almond extract.  Mix well.
3. Roll dough into 1-inch balls.  Set them 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Place an almond on top of each cookie and press down to flatten slightly.  Lightly brush the top of each cookie with egg wash.
4. Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until just beginning to brown.  Cool on a rack before serving.

Gingersnap Cookies

Due to an unfortunate accident with the frozen cookie dough, we didn’t get to taste these cookies.  Dr. Marcy assured us this is an excellent recipe so I’m posting it anyway!  Just be sure to pack the dough into a METAL loaf pan (not a glass one) and DON’T set the pan in the door of the freezer.

Gingersnap Cookies
www.elise.com/recipes/archives/000868gingersnap_cookies.php

8 oz. unsalted butter, softened
1-1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1-1/2 large eggs or 2 small eggs
1/3 cup molasses
3 cups all purpose flour
2-1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2-1/2 tsp cinnamon
2-1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground black pepper

1.  Cream butter until soft.  Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy.  Add vanilla and eggs, and beat until well incorporated and smooth.  Add molasses and beat until well mixed.

2.  Sift dry ingredients; add to the molasses mixture, 1/3 at a time.  Mix only until the dry ingredients are incorporated. 

3.  Line a 9″ x 5″ METAL loaf pan with plastic wrap so that it hangs out over the pan.  Press the dough into the bottom of the pan.  Pack it tightly and try to make the top as level as possible.  Cover the dough with plastic wrap and freeze overnight.

4.  Unwrap and remove dough from the pan.  Slice the brick into thin slices, no more than 1/8″ thick.  Place on a parchment lined sheetpan at least 1″ apart.  Bake at 350°F until the edges turn dark brown, about 12 minutes.

For softer cookies, bake a bit less.  For crunchier cookies, bake a bit longer.

You don’t have to make the whole brick at once– just freeze the remaining dough and slice when you’re ready to bake!

Chocolate Dipped Gingerbread Biscotti

I saw this recipe on Allrecipes.com and just had to try it. The recipe was for Gingerbread Biscotti and I made it even better by dipping it in chocolate. It is just perfect for this time of year and would be wonderful in a gift basket to a coffee lover.

I had never made biscotti before. I have to admit that I had some doubts in the beginning, but everything worked out just fine. As long as the biscotti are cut while still warm, the loaf won’t crumble to bits on you.

Here’s the recipe from Allrecipes.com with adapted directions:

Gingerbread Biscotti

1/3 cup vegetable oil (I used Canola)
1 cup white sugar
3 large eggs
1/4 cup molasses
2-1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 Tablespoon ground ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1-1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1. Stir together flours, baking powder and spices. Set aside.
2. Stir together the oil, sugar, eggs and molasses. Whip for about 30 seconds.
3. Slowly add the dry mixture into the wet mixture. A very stiff dough will form. Refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and grease a large cookie sheet (or line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and spray with oil like I did).
5. With well greased hands, remove 1/2 of the chilled dough from the bowl and pat it into a ball. With your hands, lengthen the ball into a roll that is about the width of the cookie sheet. Place on the prepared sheet and pat down to a loaf that is about 1/2 inch thick.
6. Repeat with remaining dough. You should be able to fit both loaves on one baking sheet. If not, just put the rest of the dough back in the refrigerator until you are ready to shape it.
7. Bake the log for 25 minutes. Remove from the pan and let cool about 10 minutes on a wire rack.
8. Place the baked loaf on a cutting board and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices with a very sharp knife. Arrange on cookie sheet, cut sides up. Bake an additional 5 to 7 minutes per side to make the biscotti crunchy (I baked them for 7 minutes).
9. Cool to room temperature before coating with chocolate.

Chocolate Dipping:
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips, divided

1. Place 1 cup of the chocolate chips in a microwave bowl. Microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir well, then microwave an additional 20 seconds. Stir until smooth.

NOTE: I used mini chocolate chips because that was all I had on hand. Regular chocolate chips may take an additional 20 to 40 seconds to melt.

2. Spoon a bit of melted chocolate onto one side of the biscotti and spread into a thin layer using a small spatula or the back of a spoon. Let cool, chocolate side up, on parchment paper.

If you would like, sprinkles, shredded coconut, or chopped nuts could be added while the chocolate was still wet.

I can’t wait to try other Biscotti recipes! I’m having one right now with my morning coffee. Have a great weekend!