Hot Cookie - the Archive

Chocolate and crunch. The frosting is glossy, then dries to a satin finish. Remember those candied orange peels I made for the Cornetti? They come in handy for the Florentines. This recipe starts with cream, sugar and butter heated on the stovetop in a saucepan. The flavorings come next--almonds and the orange peel. A small amount of flour makes a stiff but moist batter from which to drop teaspoonfuls. The dropped globs get flattened by an offset spatula dipped in water. That way they bake flat into crisps that can be frosted with melted chocolate. Dough hot from the pan. Technique Note: Be sure to dip the offset spatula into cold water each time you spread the dough, which is very sticky. These are fairly easy to make, even with the frosting step. The frosting is glossy when melted and first spread on the cookies, and turns dull like flat paint when refrigerated to set the chocolate. The notes recommend semi-sweet chocolate, and I concur. I tried unsweetened and bittersw...

First, the texture. These crescent-shaped darlings came closest to the crisp-outside, soft-inside of the almond cookies I've been craving. The difference with these is their distinct orange flavor, from chopped, candied orange peel, and the cup of white cornmeal that adds a gritty crunch to each bite. Cornetti, dusted with powdered sugar. These firm, hearty cookies, with a ground almond base, are my first real almond cookie success. They are not the same as any cookie I tasted in Italy; I have yet to duplicate those bakery cookies. These stand on their own, apart from the rest, and they are every bit as good. After one minute in boiling water, almonds are ready to have skins removed. Blanching almonds. Orange peels simmering in sugar syrup. The bad news is the labor required, especially if you begin with almonds that have their skins. Although an easy process of blanching in hot water allows the skins to be removed for an all-white dough, by the time I was done, ...