Hot Cookie - the Archive

Almonds are real work-horses in gluten-free baking. They are the basis for these rolled out cookies. You don't have to be on a gluten-free diet to like them. They are a stunning blend of the nuts, chocolate and spices (cinnamon and cloves). Bonus is that they roll out easily for cutting into shapes. I didn't find the dough sticky as the recipe suggests. These roll out easily between sheets of wax paper. They do want to sit for 3 hours before baking. They are meant to be crisp! These cookies, originally from Switzerland, have a firm consistency that holds up to handling. Add to these features the subtle spices (cinnamon and cloves) that most people don't combine with chocolate, and these are winners. They remind me of Mexican chocolate used for hot cocoa. The one drawback is that the sugar in these cookies gives a gritty consistency. I would try a superfine sugar next time. Ingredients storage note: The dough gets mixed in a food processor, and because you sta...

Light, airy, with deep spice on the back of the tongue, these are the first cookies from the book to which I could become addicted. Molasses is the star flavor.  But add cinnamon, a rich brown color, and the bear shapes, and nearly everyone asks if they are "gingerbread" cookies. No ginger in them. Use a spatula to transfer cookie to cookie sheet. They are crisper and lighter, thinner (gotta love thinner) than gingerbread you'd use to make houses. In 1944, Gourmet Magazine suggested sending these to soldiers abroad. I could see how they'd hold up to travel, so I sent some to my daughter, at school in Evanston, Illinois. I also shared with my teammates at the Granite Curling Club (where I've been a member for 25+ years), and at a meeting with my research colleagues. They were a hit. Do you detect a strategy to avoid eating them all myself? Brush cookie tops with water and sprinkle on sparkling sugar. My rolling pin got another workout, but this dough, ...