Molasses-Rye Spice Crackles

These spicy little morsels are addictive. Perfect with a cup of coffee or tea, they are de rigueur on my holiday baking roster, but they are a hit any time of year.

Yields approx 2 dozen small cookies

Ingredients

1 ⅓ cups dark rye flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp sea salt
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
4 TB unsalted butter
2 TB molasses
1 large egg white
¼ cup granulated sugar (for rolling)

Procedure

• Combine the rye flour with the baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt in a bowl. 

• In a food processor, blitz the brown sugar with the butter, molasses, and egg white until blended.

• Add the dry ingredients to the food processor and blitz until blended. 

• Press the mixture together into a ball, wrap in plastic or store in an air-tight container, and refrigerate for at least a few hours.

• Preheat the oven to 375℉. 

• Divide the dough into equal pieces (about 24), then roll the pieces into balls in the palm of your hands.

• Place the granulated sugar into a bowl. Roll them in the sugar.

• Place the cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet.

• Bake for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool.

Neapolitan Roccocò

Neapolitan Roccocò

Yields 24 cookies

In Naples and the surrounding area, roccocò are traditionally baked and eaten on December 8 (feast of the immaculate conception) as part of the Christmas holiday season. They are hard and dry, intended to be dipped into liqueur at the end of the meal. The pisto is a Neapolitan spice blend used in numerous traditional cookies such as mostaccioli. The recipe below makes enough for one batch of roccocò, but you could easily double or triple it so that you have it ready for other recipes.

Ingredients

For the Pisto Spice Mix
12 g cinnamon
2 g black peppercorns
3 g nutmeg
1 g cloves
1 g star anise
1 g coriander seeds
1 packet Paneangeli (vanilla powder)*

Procedure 

Pulverize the spices (except the vanilla) in a spice grinder. Add the vanilla powder to the spice mix and set aside.

For the Dough
350 g  whole almonds (save some for garnish as well)
500 g cake flour
200 g granulated sugar
2 tsp ammonium bicarbonate**
Zest of 1 orange
Zest of 1 lemon
1 TB finely chopped candied orange zest
20 g pisto (see above)
Pinch of fine sea salt
75 g honey
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Procedure

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. 

• Toast the almonds on a baking sheet until fragrant, approximately 8-10 minutes. Do not let them burn. Reserve 24  almonds for the décor, then cut them in half vertically so you have 48 total almond pieces.

• Let the almonds cool, then process the remaining almonds (not the 48 pieces) in a food processor until finely ground. 

• Combine the ground almonds, cake flour, sugar, ammonium bicarbonate, pisto mix, salt, lemon and orange zests, and candied orange zest in food processor. Add the honey and one beaten egg. Pulse until just combined. The dough will be firm but make sure it is homogenous.

• In a small bowl, whisk the remaining egg with a bit of milk or water to make the egg wash, and set aside.

• Divide the dough into 24 balls. Roll the balls into ropes of approximately 3/4-inch diameter, and then join their ends to form rings — the rings should be about 3 inches in diameter.  Place the rings on baking sheets lined with paper or silpat mats, about 1 inch or so apart.

• Gently press the reserved almond halves into the cookies (2 or so per cookie), then brush the rings with the egg wash. 

• Bake the cookies until golden brown, approximately 20-25 minutes. The cookies will harden as they cool.

Chef’s Notes

A note on almonds: You can (and some folks prefer to) use blanched, skinless almonds. I like the darker, more rustic look of the unskinned almonds. Also, they are usually what I have on hand!

*If you cannot find Paneangeli vanilla powder (it's often sold in Italian markets/stores, but is also available online), substitute 1 tsp vanilla extract and add it to the dough with the beaten egg and honey.

**Ammonium bicarbonate is also known as baker’s ammonia. It’s often used in Italian cookies with a crisp and dry texture. Note that it does have a strong ammonia odor, but don’t worry. This will dissipate when the cookies are baked. If you cannot find it (you can order online from baking supply companies) or dislike the odor, substitute an equal amount of baking powder.

Pistachio Macaroons with Chamomile & Candied Orange Zest

Pistachio and orange are one of my favorite flavor combinations, and adding some dried chamomile makes these chewy macaroons next-level delicious. I use my homemade candied orange peel, but you could also use store-bought, or even freshly-grated orange zest. These macaroons are perfect with a cup of tea or coffee as an afternoon pick-me-up.

Makes 24 cookies

INGREDIENTS

200 grams pistachios, plus more for garnish
100 grams almonds or almond flour
225 grams granulated sugar
25 grams candied orange peel strips, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon dried chamomile, plus about 1 teaspoon more for sprinkling
1 teaspoon orange blossom water
2 large egg whites
Powdered sugar, for rolling

PROCEDURE

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Combine the pistachios, almond, and sugar in the food processor and blitz until blended and the pistachios are ground into a fine meal.

3. Add in the orange peel, chamomile, orange blossom water, and egg whites, and pulse until combined/homogenous.

4. Using a small ice cream dasher, scoop out balls of the dough and roll between your hands to shape into balls. Roll the balls in powdered sugar and arrange on parchment lined baking sheets.

5. Press a pistachio into each ball and sprinkle with some additional dried chamomile.

6. Bake for 17 minutes or until lightly golden.

7. Allow to cool slightly on the baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack. Once fully cooled, store in an airtight container for up to a week, or freeze.

Buckweat Almond Sandies with Candied Orange

Makes approximately 24 cookies

Sandies, or sablé, are basically shortbread cookies studded with chopped roasted nuts. The classic is pecan, but here I use almonds. I love working with buckwheat flour, and especially in baked goods (though I like to make the Valtellina classic buckwheat pizzocheri too!). I used a locally grown and stone-milled buckwheat flour from Next Step Produce in Newburgh, Maryland, where I had the pleasure of spending a day with farmer Heinz and his wife Gabrielle. It’s a beautiful, almost white flour, because it is hulled into whole groats to remove its papery black hull. Buckwheat flour that has not had the hull removed would be equally delicious!

I love the addition of cardamom and vanilla in this cookie, but I don’t like to use too much as it can overpower the nutty flavor of the buckwheat and toasted almonds that should truly shine. This recipe is gluten free!

INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 oz whole almonds (skin on)
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1 oz candied orange peel, rough chopped
7 TB unsalted butter, chilled
1 egg yolk
1/8 tsp vanilla extract (just a few drops!)

PROCEDURE

• Heat the oven to 350. Place the almonds on a baking sheet, and toast them in the oven just until golden and fragrant. Allow them to cool completely.

• In a food processor, pulse the almonds until coarsely chopped (you want to see some chunks of almond, so don’t pulse too finely. Alternatively, you can chop with a knife for a more rustic look). Add the buckwheat flour, salt, sugar, cardamom, and pulse. Add the chilled butter and orange peel, and pulse.

• Then add the yok and vanilla, and pulse just until the dough starts to come together.

• Place the dough on a large sheet of parchment paper or wax paper. Roll the dough into a log approximately 1 3/4 - 2 inches in diameter, Roll one end of the paper up and over the dough, and then twist the ends to seal. Place the roll in the fridge to chill and firm up for a few hours, preferably overnight. The dough can also be frozen and stored for 3 months.

• When ready to bake, remove the log from the paper, and cut into 1/4 in slices. Arrange the slices at least 1 inch apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silpat. You may need to divide among two baking sheets.

• Bake for approximately 15 minutes, or until the cookies turn golden, rotating the sheets halfway through the cooking time. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool completely on the baking sheet before removing to an airtight container.