Chocolate almond spice cookies

One day I felt like baking, but didn't want to run to the store to buy any ingredients. I found this recipe for chocolate spice cookies, and I had just enough chocolate in the house to make a half batch.

The great thing about this recipe is that it's made entirely in the food processor, which means less dishes to wash. The dough is flavored with ground almonds, cocoa powder, bittersweet chocolate and allspice.

This is a slice and bake cookie, so the rolls of dough need to chill for a while before they're ready to bake. I added a sliced almond to the top of each cookie to make them more attractive.

I really liked the cookies - the cocoa and chocolate contribute a rich, complex flavor, and the allspice makes these unique. I put half of the dough in the freezer for another day, so I'll be baking these the next time I need another chocolate fix.

Almond jam bars

I'm still trying to use up almonds over here. I am happy to report that I am down to the bottom of the can, I only have about a cup left. These almond jam bars helped to make a dent in my supply.

The dough for these bar cookies is very simple; it's a standard flour-butter-sugar combination with the addition of cinnamon and sliced almonds.

Half of the dough is pressed into the bottom of a pan. I lined the pan with foil to make for easier removal of the bars. A layer of jam goes on top of the dough. I went with a mixed berry jam, but you can use whatever type you have on hand.

The other half of the dough is gently pressed on top of the jam to form the top layer. The bars are then baked until golden brown.

I loved these bars - they're not the most unique creation I've ever made, but they were quite delicious and so simple to make.

Chocolate almond macaroons

I’ve mentioned a few times that I’m trying to use up a 3 pound can of sliced almonds. Even after this recipe, I’m only halfway through the can! Luckily I have a long list of almond recipes to try, it’s just a matter of finding the time to make them.

To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much with this one. The recipe caught my eye because it had a short ingredient list, didn’t require any grocery shopping, and made a fairly small yield (I wasn’t in the mood to bake 6 dozen cookies). It’s simply ground almonds mixed into a chocolate meringue.

The original recipe calls for making very small cookies, then sandwiching them together with chocolate. I decided to make my cookies a little bigger, using a tablespoon of dough rather than a teaspoon, and adding another few minutes to the bake time.

I was definitely surprised when I tasted these – they were really, really good. The outsides were crispy, and the insides were moist and fudgy. Even though there’s not much fat in recipe, the cookies tasted very rich and decadent from the cocoa powder. In fact, I thought making cookie sandwiches would be overkill, so instead I just drizzled some melted chocolate over the top.

I will definitely be making these again, probably sooner rather than later.

Pignoli cookies

When I was a kid, I was always intrigued by those brightly colored marzipan fruits. People would tell me that they were for decoration; that they looked much better than they actually tasted. When I finally got my hands on some, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I love marzipan - I've been a fan ever since.

These days, I don't eat many marzipan fruits, but I do have a weakness for cookies made with almond paste. Now, marzipan and almond paste are not the same thing - generally speaking, marzipan contains more sugar than almond paste. However, the flavors are quite similar. I was bringing dessert over to someone's house and decided to make something with the tube of almond paste sitting in my pantry. I flipped through a few cookbooks and settled on a recipe for pignoli cookies from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook. The recipe looked like my favorite almond paste cookies with a fun twist - the balls of dough are rolled in pine nuts before baking.

I really like pine nuts, but my husband? Not so much. Our conversation went like this:

Me: I'm making cookies. You're not going to like them.

Him: Cookies? How could I not like cookies?

Me: (flips through cookbook, holds up the picture)

Him: Pine nuts? You're making pine nut cookies? Why don't you just make sawdust cookies? Or perhaps some cookies that contain gravel?

Yeah. He doesn't like pine nuts. So, in the spirit of compromise, I rolled half the cookies in pine nuts, and half in pearl sugar.

These cookies were really good, and very simple to make. There was a big difference between the cookies rolled in pine nuts and the ones rolled in pearl sugar, but I liked them both.

Pignoli cookies

Makes about 18 cookies

Adapted from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook

7 ounces almond paste

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup confectioner's sugar, plus more for dusting

2 large egg whites

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3 T all purpose flour

a pinch of kosher salt

1 cup pine nuts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, with racks in the center and lower third. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

Crumble the almond paste in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat the almond paste and both sugars on medium speed for about 2 minutes, or until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the egg whites and vanilla; beat on medium speed until a smooth paste forms, about 4 minutes. Add the flour and salt; beat until combined, about 2 minutes. The dough will be very soft and tacky.

Spread pine nuts in a single layer on a plate. Scoop out a tablespoon of dough; using dampened fingers, drop the dough onto the pine nuts, coating one side. Transfer rounds, coated side up to the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Repeat with remaining dough.

Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges of cookies and pine nuts have turned golden brown, about 15-17 minutes. Transfer cookies on parchment to a wire rack to cool completely. Using an offset spatula, carefully loosen the cookies from the parchment. Dust cookies with confectioner's sugar. Cookies can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Chocolate toffee cookies

Ok, so my intention was to make this recipe as directed, but my plans changed a little. I went to Trader Joe's to pick up a block of chocolate for the cookies, but I didn't feel like making a trip to another grocery store to pick up heath bars. Instead, I bought a tub of english toffee at Trader Joe's. Also, I made the batter the night before, but I wasn't sure if the chunks of toffee would hold up in the batter overnight, so rather than mixing them into the dough, I pressed them onto the tops of the cookies before they went into the oven. I also omitted the walnuts and used a small cookie dough scoop instead of the 1/4 cup measure that the recipe calls for. But my overall concept is the same....right? Sort of?

These cookies are so good. They have a crisp crust with a brownie-like interior. They're positively addicting, I think it's impossible to eat just one.

Nutella cookies

I felt like making cookies, but I didn't want to go out and buy any special ingredients. I remember seeing these cookies on Everyday Italian a while back, and I just happened to have nutella in the house. These cookies came together very quickly. I didn't have hershey kisses, so I omitted those. Also, I used a white sanding sugar instead of the orange sugar in the recipe. The cookies were very good, but they really didn't taste like nutella. They did taste like a chocolate sugar cookie, and since I happen to love sugar cookies, that was good enough for me!