I’m baaaackk!!!!!! And about time, too J. How long has it been, a month? Two? Whew, that is the longest I’ve stayed away from my blog and my readers (I hope there are still at least a few of you guys left J)
I didn’t actually plan a blog-cation or anything, I just got really busy with preparations for my brother’s wedding, and then Ramadan and Eid. The wedding’s next month, so I’m likely to get busier, but I’ll try to feed the blog as frequently as I can.
Talking about feeding, how about some nice little cookies? This month’s Baking Partners Challenge is about world cookies; we were given recipes of various global delicacies, of which I selected Chinese Almond Cookies. Apparently, they were originally made with lard, since butter wasn’t that abundant in China
What you’ll need: (for approx. 18 cookies)
1 ¼ cups of all purpose flour
¾ tsp of baking powder
85 g unsalted butter, softened
3/8 cup caster sugar
¼ cup almonds
A pinch of salt
¼ tsp almond extract
1 small egg
1 small egg white lightly beaten (I actually forgot to use this)
18-20 whole almonds, blanched
What you’re going to do:
1. Finely grind the ¼ cup unblanched almonds. Sift together the flour and baking powder in a medium bowl and set aside.
2. Cream the butter with an electric mixer until pale yellow, about two minutes.
3. Add sugar, ground almonds, salt and almond extract. Cream on medium speed until it is smooth and lump free, for about one minute.
4. Add egg and beat on low speed for 30 seconds or until fully incorporated.
5. Remove small handfuls of dough from the mixer and plop them down the middle of a sheet of parchment paper, creating a log about 2 inches wide and twelve inches long. Fold the parchment over creating a sausage. The dough will be a little sticky here. Chill for at least one hour in the fridge or 10 minutes in the freezer.
6. Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
7. When the dough has chilled, open the parchment. Using a knife, cut the log into 18-20 equal parts.
8. Take a cut portion of dough in your palm and roll it into a ball. Place the balls two inches apart on the prepared baking sheets, flattening them slightly as you place them. Use a ½ tsp measuring spoon to make slight depressions on the surface of each cookie.
9. Brush each cookie lightly with beaten egg white [I forgot this L] and press a whole blanched almond into the center of the depression you made on each cookie.
9. Chill the baking sheet in the freezer for 10 minutes. Then bake each sheet for 10 minutes. Then turn the baking sheet around and bake for a further 8-10 minutes, until golden brown around the edges.
10. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and carefully slide the parchment directly on to a work surface. Let it cool for about 10 minutes and then take out the cookies and allow to cool to room temperature on a wire rack.
There you go!! Really simple and yummy cookies, perfect for tea!! I shared these with our neighbors and they loved them!! But these need to be stored in an airtight container or the fridge, since they tend to go soft quickly.
So, how’s that for a comeback post? I have been shopping a bit lately, so be prepared for some haul posts J. I think I’ll have to wait till after next Eid for my shopping ban, Insha’ Allah!!!
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| Check out what other Baking Partners have made this month here! |
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