Fearless Kitchen

Recipe: Irish Cream Brownies (Guest Post from Fearless Grill)

Recipe Source: Inspired by the 'Best Brownies' recipe from allrecipies.com at http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/best-brownies/Detail.aspx

One night, Jess looked at me while we were sitting in bed watching TV, and said, 'I want browinies'. 'Too bad', I replied. 'There aren't any.' 'You could make me some', she said. 'I guess I could', I thought. However, I had never made brownies before, and wasn't really sure how. I poked around on the Internet for a little while, and settled on this recipe, since we had all the ingredients on hand and it looked tasty and relatively quick.

Since I hadn't made brownies before, I didn't feel comfortable making a lot of changes to the recipe. One change that I did make was to substitute 3 teaspoons of Bailey's Irish Cream for the teaspoon of vanilla extract called for in the recipe. Since Jess hasn't been able to drink while pregnant, I wanted to give her something with at least a taste of alcohol in it. Also, I decided not to frost the brownies, since I was making these late in the evening, and didn't want to wait for them to cool before we could frost and eat them. If I had made the frosting, I would have also used Bailey's in there, in keeping with the theme. While cooking, I was concerned that the recipe didn't make enough mix, as it looked pretty skimpy while I was adding it to the baking pan, but it ended up rising a bit when it cooked and came out fine.

I think these came out pretty well for my 1^st attempt. They were nice and soft, tasty, and the flavor of the Bailey's came through nicely without being overpowering. Unfortunately, I no longer have the excuse that I don't know how to bake brownies, so I have I feeling I'll be called on to make these again.

Irish Cream Brownies (Makes 9 brownies. Approx. Cost Per Serving Not Available)

Equipment Required

• 8" square baking pan

1/2 cup butter

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

3 teaspoons Bailey's Irish Cream

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour an 8" square baking pan.
2. In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Remove from heat and stir in sugar, eggs, and Bailey's.
3. Beat in the remaining ingredients until batter is smooth. Spread batter into pan.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the brownies comes out clean.
5. Allow to cool down before eating.

Recipe: Afghan Ginger Preserve (Muraba-e-Zanjafeel)

Recipe Source: Saberi, Helen.  Afghan Food & Cookery.  Hippocrene Books, New York, 2000 pp. 206 - 7

This is one more jam that I made for the Christmas Project.  It had a wonderful flavor, and the aroma that filled the air as I was cooking it was indescribable.  Unfortunately, it made precisely two eight-ounce jars.  Two.  That's it.  You can insert a string of expletives of your choice here if you like.  That's too bad, because this was a really delicious jam that would have warmed a lot of people this past holiday season.  I only made one change, and that was to omit the nuts. 

Muraba-e-Zanjafeel (makes 2 8-oz jars; approx. cost per serving not available)

12 ounces fresh ginger, peeled and grated

2 cups sugar

1 cup water

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Equipment:

• Saucepan
• Large stockpot
• 2 8-oz home canning jars, with lids and bands
• Boiling water canner
• Ladle

1. Prepare your canning equipment.  Put the jars, lids and bands into the stockpot, cover with water and heat to 180 degrees.  Maintain heat at 180 degrees for at least 10 minutes.  Fill the boiling water canner with water and heat to 180 degrees. 
2. Put the ginger in the saucepan and add 1 cup of water.
3. Bring the water to a boil, then boil gently until the ginger is softened. 
4. Add the sugar and cardamom.  Bring to a boil over high heat.
5. Just before the mixture starts to set, add the lemon juice.
6. Boil a few moments until set, then ladle into the jars.
7. Process 30 minutes in a boiling water canner.
8. Cool, label and store. 

Recipe: Fresh Fig Tart

Recipe Source: Orsini, Fr. Giuseppe.  Italian Baking Secrets.  St. Martin's Press, New York, 2007 p. 140

I know I've mentioned this tart before, possibly in the Chestnut Tart post.  I really wanted to make it in the fall, but I was unable to find fresh figs locally.  At any rate, while I was making the fig jam, my husband happened to be talking to a friend of ours and it turns out that she really, really likes figs.  Who knew?  Anyway, I filed that information away in my mental storage system (which looks like a tornado hit it, trust me) and moved on.  Well, one week I knew that there was a possibility of entertaining this friend and her husband.  While I was doing the food shopping, I noticed fresh figs.  They were even a reasonable price!  I bought them up, brought them home and decided I was going to make the tart. 

Unfortunately I was less than enthusiastic about the way it turned out.  The thing is, the only change that I made (besides using Fearless Sweet Shortcrust Pastry) was to use almond extract in place of vanilla.  That shouldn't have made the custard set up so quickly.  I think that my objection is only to the visual appearance of the tart, but since it didn't turn out the way I intended I was never going to be happy with it anyway.  My guests were quite pleased with it, or at least they said they were, and my husband also enjoyed it. 

Fig Tart (serves 8; approx. cost per serving $0.90/serving)

1 recipe Fearless Sweet Shortcrust Pastry

1 1/2 cups milk

1 1/2 teaspoons honey

1 teaspoon almond extract

7 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 egg

1 egg yolk

12 fresh figs, washed and roughly chopped

Equipment: 

• Aluminum foil
• Pie weights (I use dried beans.)
• Saucepan
• Bowl
• Tart pan with removable bottom

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Press the pastry into the tart pan, making sure to get it up the sides nicely. 
3. Cover the crust with foil and fill with the pie weights.  Bake blind 30 minutes or until done. 
4. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
5. Bring the milk, honey and almond extract to a boil in the saucepan.  Immediately reduce heat to a simmer and simmer 5 minutes.
6. Let cool 10 minutes.  Whisk in the sugar, cornstarch, egg and egg yolk. 
7. Return to medium heat, whisking constantly, and bring back to a boil.
8. Reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes, whisking constantly to avoid scrambling.
9. Remove and cool in the refrigerator 1/2 hour.
10. Add the chopped figs.  Chill 1 hour.
11. Pour the fig mixture into the tart casing.  Smooth it out as best you can.
12. This tart should be cut and served at room temperature. 

Recipe: Apple Lemon Marmalade

Recipe Source: Gardon, Anne.  Preserving for All Seasons.  Firefly Books, Willowdale, 1999 p. 100

This is another of the preserves I made for the Christmas Project.  Personally, I'm not all that into marmalade.  I'm not sure why, but I just never developed a taste for it.  I know that I am very much in the minority in this.  My father-in-law, for example, is a huge fan of marmalade.  I can remember him extolling the virtues of marmalade very early in my relationship with him.  When I was planning which preserves I would make, I decided that I would include some marmalade just for him.  Well, not just for him.  I should have said "with him in mind," because plenty of other people got marmalade!

Anyway, I made only one significant change to the original.  I substituted rosemary for the mint.  My husband is allergic to mint, so I won't put mint in anything that he might ever be exposed to lest he help himself and get sick.  I substituted rosemary - a flavor that I personally prefer to mint anyway - and I left the leaves in the jam to enhance the flavor. 

Apple Lemon Marmalade (makes 14 8-oz jars; approx. cost per serving not available)

4 lemons

3 cups water

3 pounds apples

6 cups sugar

6 rosemary sprigs, leaves only

Equipment:

• 14 8-oz home canning jars, with lids and bands
• Large stockpot
• Boiling water canner
• Large saucepan
• Large bowl
• Ladle

1. Halve the lemons and slice them thinly.  Remove the pits.
2. Put the lemons into the large bowl, cover with the water, and let stand overnight.
3. Transfer the contents of the bowl to the large saucepan and bring to a boil. 
4. Boil until the lemon peel is tender, about 10 minutes. 
5. Meanwhile, prepare your equipment.  Put the jars, lids and bands into the stockpot and cover with water.  Heat to 180 degrees and maintain at 180 degrees for at least 10 minutes.  Fill the boiling water canner with water and heat to 180 degrees.
6. Peel and core the apples, then slice thinly.
7. Add the apples, sugar and rosemary to the lemon and water in the saucepan.  Bring to a boil.
8. Reduce heat and cook until thickened, about 30 minutes. 
9. Ladle the marmalade mixture into the warm jars.
10. Process 30 minutes in the boiling water canner. 
11. Cool, label and store. 

Recipe: Sugar Cookie Cutouts

Recipe Source (cookies): Martha Stewart Living staff.  "Christmas Cookies."  Martha Stewart Livingno. 193, December 2009 pp. 164 and 225 - 6.  Find the original recipe online here. 

Recipe Source (icing): Darling, Jennifer Dorland.  Cookies for Christmas.  Meredith Publishing, Des Moines, 1999 p. 114

If there is a single type of cookie associated with Christmas, this would be it.  The simple sugar cookie cutout is the basic template for Christmas cookies.  This is what I remember making with my mom when we were kids.  She always made the cookies themselves, although we sometimes got to cut out the shapes, and we always decorated them.  Sometimes we got wild and elaborate with the decorations, and sometimes we didn't.  In my head, the elaborate decorations were always beautiful and never, ever tacky or overdone. 

These obviously had to be a part of our extended family tree-decorating party this year, and out of all the recipes I found for them the one from this month's Martha Stewart Livinglooked the most usable.  I did have to use a different icing recipe, though.  You see, I simply couldn't find meringue powder anywhere.  I did find powdered egg whites, but decided that I did not know enough about meringue powder to make my own.  I decided to use the icing from the Almond Sweets cookies I posted a couple of weeks ago, using vanilla instead of almond extract and doubling the recipe.  I also took the expedient of asking my husband for help with the decorating.  While in my youth my ability to decorate cookies beautifully was unparalleled, even by the greatest artists in the country, there would be no such rose-colored glasses to look back on my work now!  This is a task that John enjoys, so leaving it to him seemed like a win all around. 

Sugar Cookie Cutouts (makes 48 cookies, approx. $0.09/cookie)

4 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 ounces butter, softened

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 quantities icing from Almond Sweets recipe, substituting vanilla extract for almond extract if everyone you know is sick of almond flavored everything.  (Heathens.)

Equipment:

• Baking sheets lined with foil
• Mixing bowl
• Cookie cutters
• Plastic zip-top bags
• Rolling pin
• Stand mixer
• Wire racks
• Offset spatula

1. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in the mixing bowl.
2. Beat the butter and sugar together in the bowl of the stand mixer on medium speed until fluffy.
3. Add the eggs and vanilla to the butter mixture.
4. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add in the flour mixture.
5. Divide the dough into two balls.  Place them in zip-top plastic bags and chill at least 1 hour, or preferably overnight.
6. When you're ready to proceed, preheat your oven to 325. 
7. Break off a chunk of dough and roll it out to just under 1/4" thick.  You may want to flour your work surface; I didn't find it necessary.
8. Cut out cookies into the desired shapes.  I found the offset spatula to be very helpful in transferring them to the baking sheets as well as for decorating.
9. Bake 15 - 18 minutes, rotating once, until the edges are golden.  Allow to cool on the wire racks. 
10. Repeat as necessary until you've used as much dough as possible.  It is perfectly fine to re-roll scraps.
11. Spread the cookies with a thin layer of icing.  You can get more elaborate if you would like, using sprinkles and little candies and gel-type writing icing, but those additions did not figure into the cost per serving. 
12. Eat. 

Recipe: Shortbreads Dipped in Chocolate

Recipe Source (shortbreads): Malgieri, Nick.  Cookies Unlimited.  HarperCollins Publishers, 2000 pp. 104 - 5. 

I'm not entirely sure why Christmas, as a holiday, is so firmly associated with cookies.  I don't much care why either.  Cookies are certainly an important part of my Christmas memories.  I remember baking them with my mom and sister every year.  They're a part of my future Christmases too, because I fully intend to carry on the cookie baking tradition with my own daughter.  And they're a part of my Christmas present, because let me tell you any season where you can get away with making tons of cookies and distributing them to everyone you know and eating them whenever the spirit moves you is certainly a gift in my book! 

This past weekend was a busy one, and a very special one for me and my family.  My friends threw me a wonderful baby shower, which was much more fun than baby showers usually are.  Both my family (parents, sister and aunt) and my husband's family (parents) came to town for the occasion.  This rarely happens.  In fact, I don't think that our families had gotten together since our wedding five and a half years ago, since John's family comes from New Jersey and mine lives in Upstate New York.  Anyway, we thought it would be nice to decorate the Christmas tree together as a family.  We ate together and we decorated together, and it was a very nice event indeed. 

I originally planned to have five different types of cookie on the table.  After all, if you can't go overboard at Christmas, when can you go overboard?  Unfortunately, I only managed to get through two.  (If anyone out there reading this is considering pregnancy, you should be warned that the metabolic drain is just staggering.  Especially in the third trimester.)  This was one of the two cookies, and I promised my mother in law that I would try to post the recipe by Tuesday.  I made no changes to the original cookie recipe.  The chocolate glaze, however, is original.  Essentially, I wanted chocolate, so I was going to get chocolate.  The rosewater was a spur of the moment addition, prompted by my love of rosewater.  The flavor didn't come through all that strongly. 

One more note before I get to the recipe.  As Mr. Malgieri notes in hisintroductory notes, the butter you use here is important.  These are shortbreads.  The quality of the butter essentially is the flavor of your cookie.  Ordinarily, while I don't personally use some of the faux butter products (like margarine or that 50-50 butter and canola oil spread), I wouldn't tell you so firmly not to use them yourselves, because you need to do what you need to do.  In this case, though, I'm going to say to make sure you use real, proper, unsalted butter.  It's Christmas, splurge a little.  It will have a very pronounced effect on your finished product. 

Shortbreads Dipped in Chocolate (makes 36 cookies; approx. $0.16/cookie)

3 1/2 sticks butter, divided

2/3 cup sugar

3 1/4 cups flour

2 tablespoons soy milk if necessary (you can use regular milk, I used soy because that's what we had on hand.)

8 ounces dark chocolate chunks

1 tablespoon rosewater

Equipment:

• Cookie sheets lined with foil
• Double boiler (I use a metal bowl set over a regular saucepan of simmering water.)
• Stand mixer with the paddle attachment
• Rolling pin
• Cookie cutters

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
2. Combine the sugar and 2 1/2 sticks of butter in the stand mixer and beat until fluffy on medium speed.
3. Fold in the flour with clean hands.  I'm not kidding, I thought it looked a little odd myself but it really did work better this way.
4. I found that the dough was too dry to stick together and added a couple tablespoons of milk to the dough.  Your results may vary.
5. Roll out a small amount of dough on a clean work surface.  The original recommended a floured work surface, but honestly I found that I didn't need the extra flour.  Roll the dough to about 3/8". 
6. Use the cookie cutters to cut out shapes from the dough.  Repeat until all the dough is used up.  It is just fine to re-incorporate and re-roll scraps - why waste all that dough? 
7. Bake 15 - 20 minutes, or until a very pale gold. 
8. Cool on wire racks.  Do not be tempted to proceed until the cookies are cool.  They will crumble into dust. 
9. When the cookies are cool, melt the remaining 1 stick of butter and the dark chocolate chunks in the double boiler, stirring constantly. 
10. Remove from heat and add approx. 1 tablespoon rosewater.  Mix well.
11. Dip part of each cookie into the chocolate glaze and let dry before serving. 

Recipe: Cinnamon Buns

Recipe Source: The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion.  Countryman Press, Woodstock, 2003 pp. 217-8.

I'm not sure why I like cinnamon buns so much.  They certainly weren't a normal part of my childhood.  I remember a cinnamon bun store in the mall, but it's not as if I went there often.  Somehow, somewhere in between moving away from home and now I decided that cinnamon buns were a very good thing indeed.  They had become comforting and delicious.  I had been craving them for a while, and decided to finally give in and make them.  (This decision was aided by my husband, who upon hearing of my intention to eventually make cinnamon buns asked me, "Are the cinnamon buns ready yet?" every five minutes for several days.) 

It's a pity that they were not worth the wait.  At least, I didn't think so.  To my tastes the pastries were much drier than they ought to have been, much harder.  Furthermore, despite my having doubled the amount of cinnamon in the filling, most of the flavor was sugar.  To me, these were a grave disappointment.  My husband, on the other hand, really liked them.  He actually preferred the hard texture to the softer, chewier cinnamon buns I like.  As you can tell from the second photo, Minette seconded his opinion.  So take what I've said about them with a grain of salt - everyone has their own tastes. 

Cinnamon Buns (makes 12; approx. $0.30/serving)

14 3/4 ounces flour

2 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 1/4 ounces sugar

2 tablespoons nonfat dry milk

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 egg, plus enough lukewarm water to make 1 cup

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons soft butter

1/4 cup softened butter

5 1/4 ounces sugar mixed with 2 tablespoons cinnamon

3 tablespoons heavy cream

4 ounces confectioner's sugar

Equipment:

• Stand mixer
• Bowl
• Rolling pin
• Baking sheets

1. Combine the first 1 1/4 ounce sugar with the egg and water mixture and the yeast.  Let stand until frothy, at least 5 minutes.
2. Combine the proofed yeast with the flour, nonfat milk, salt, vanilla and 1 ounce softened butter.  Knead until a soft, smooth dough is formed in the stand mixer.  Cover and let rise 1 1/2 hours; it should just about double in size. 
3. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and roll into a rectangle. 
4. Spread the next 2 ounces of softened butter over the dough, leaving about 1" uncovered on the side closest to you. 
5. Combine the sugar and the cinnamon, then sprinkle over the butter. 
6. Roll the dough into a log. 
7. Cut the log in half, then cut each half into six equal pieces. 
8. Arrange the pieces on the baking sheets.  Cover and let rise 45 minutes or so, until very puffy.
9. Preheat your oven to 350.
10. Bake 20 - 25 minutes, until golden. 
11. Let cool.
12. Combine the confectioner's sugar and cream.  Frost the cinnamon buns. 
13. Devour. 

Recipe: Chestnut Tart

I was trying to think of nice, seasonal dishes to make for a recent Sunday dinner, and I found a delicious-looking recipe for a fig tart.  Doesn't that just sound delightful?  Unfortunately, figs appear to be kind of like quinces.  I can't find them on the South Shore.  Getting them would require a trip north to Lexington, to Wilson Farms, and there was no way on Earth that I was going to go anywhere near such an establishment on a weekend.  So I had to come up with another dessert, when I remembered something I purchased a very long time ago: a can of sweetened chestnut puree.  I'd forgotten about it when the shelves inside the cabinet it was in collapsed on it.  The can was fine, but up until now digging it out from under the pile of debris was not worth the effort. 

The rest of the recipe came together pretty easily.  The ricotta just seemed natural - I'd purchased it with the intention of using it for the figs, or possibly for a plain old ricotta pie, but combining it with the chestnut would give it a deeper body and fill out the crust.  The egg whites were likewise there to give it some structure, and were left over from the yolks in the pastry.  The cream filled out the filling a little bit more and slackened the other ingredients enough to make them spreadable.  The allspice was a whim.  Finally, the pastry dough was the Fearless Sweet Shortcrust pastry, with vanilla instead of the almond extract. 

The results were very well received.  It looked a little bit like a traditional pumpkin pie, to be quite honest, but the taste was much more chestnut.  Leftovers (it was kind of rich, I guess) kept for several days in the refrigerator with no diminution of taste. 

Chestnut Tart (serves 8; approx. 1.49/serving)

1 recipe Fearless Sweet Shortcrust Pastry

1 17-oz can sweetened chestnut puree

1/2 cup part-skim ricotta

2 egg whites

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 cup heavy cream

Equipment:

• Bowl
• Aluminum foil
• Pie weights (I use dried beans.  Rice also works well.  If you really want to spend the money on ceramic weights, though, go right on ahead.)
• Tart pan with removable bottom

1. Preheat your oven to 425.
2. Press the pastry dough into the tart pan, being sure to fill out the sides nicely. 
3. Dock the dough a few times.  Line it with aluminum foil, fill the foil with the pie weights, and bake 10 - 15 minutes.
4. Remove from the oven.  Remove the foil and weights from the crust.
5. Meanwhile, combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl and mix very thoroughly.
6. Spread the filling out evenly in the crust case. 
7. Bake 20 - 30 minutes, or until the center is set. 
8. Let cool, then serve. 

Recipe: Pumpkin Jam (Muraba-e-Kadu)

Recipe Source: Saberi, Helen.  Afghan Food & Cookery.  Hippocrene Books, New York, 2000 p. 267

I saw this recipe in the jams and preserves section of my Afghan cookbook, and it appealed to me.  It was different.  It really stood out.  I knew that it would make a very pretty jar of jam, and I've never seen pumpkin jam on the shelves of my local grocery store.  It would be just perfect for the Christmas gift baskets I've been preparing.  I stood in the kitchen making this one soggy Saturday.  I had just peeled the pumpkin when my husband came in.  He saw the pumpkin.  He ran over, grabbed a steak knife from the block, and began carving.  Never mind that Halloween was long since past; for us, every day is Halloween anyway.  I took pictures.  I took pictures of the jam jar too, but these are cuter and more interesting. 

Anyway, this really does make a very interesting jam.  I love the color, and the flavor is very interesting.  I misread my own notes on my grocery list and had to make up for some of the oranges with lemon peel and orange juice, but I'm still pretty happy with how it came out. 

Muraba-e-Kadu (makes 5 8-oz jars; approx. $0.13/oz)

1 small sugar pumpkin, peeled (about 2 lb)

2 oranges

1 cup orange juice

2 tablespoons lemon peel

60 cardamom pods

3 cups plus 6 tablespoons sugar

Equipment:

• 5 8-oz mason jars with lids and bands
• Large saucepan
• Stockpot
• Boiling water canner
• ladle
• Canning tongs
• Bowl

1. Remove the pumpkin seeds and cut the pumpkin into 3/4" pieces.  Put them in the bowl.
2. Add the orange juice and lemon peel.
3. Peel the oranges, then cut the peels into thin strips.  Put the strips in the bowl.
4. Juice the oranges.  Put the juice into the bowl.
5. Get the seeds out of the cardamom pods.  Yes, this is incredibly tedious.  Do it anyway.  Put the seeds into the bowl. 
6. Mix well, cover, and let sit overnight.
7. When you are ready to proceed the next day, bring the mixture to a boil in the saucepan.  Reduce heat and cook until the mixture is "syrupy," which should be at least an hour. 
8. Meanwhile, prepare your jars and canner for canning.  Put the jars, lids and bands in the stock pot and heat to 180 degrees.  Fill the canner with water and bring it to 180 degrees. 
9. When the mixture is ready, ladle it into the warm jars.  Top with the lids, screw on the bands and process 30 minutes in the boiling water canner. 
10. Cool, label and store. 

Recipe: Almond Sweets

Recipe Source: Darling, Jennifer Dorland.  Cookies for Christmas.  Meredith Books, Des Moines, 1999 p. 114.

It's that time of year again.... "Authorities" seem to be of two minds about Christmas cookies.  Some seem to believe that the making of Christmas cookies is an important family tradition that ought to be maintained and cherished in this country.  Others scream shrilly about rising obesity rates, diabetes, celiac disease and how irresponsible it is to encourage people to make things so unhealthy as cookies.  Guess which camp I fall in?  I do remember making Christmas cookies with my mom and my sister and sometimes my mom's friend.  Mom often had a real block about baking, which is no shame on her.  Lots of good cooks have a hard time with baking.  At Christmas time, though, it was like something broke through that block.  There were always cookies.  They were always good.  They were always great.  And we always enjoyed decorating them and helping to make them.  (We never, ever pitched hissy fits about how we'd rather be out with our friends, or reading a book, or doing anything but hanging around with our horrible big/little sister ((depending on who was distinctly not pitching a fit.))) 

These cookies are not part of that tradition.  I do remember them coming to my parents' annual Christmas Eve party, though.  They came on elaborate trays brought from a proper Italian bakery, usually brought by someone's grandma.  I had always assumed that the bakery was their natural point of origin, possibly an original recipe that would be lost when the bakery got devoured by the latest strip mall and big-box store.  My husband recently suggested that perhaps I ought to throw a few Christmas cookie recipes up on the site, so I turned to this book for inspiration. 

These cookies aren't exactly the cookies I remember, but they're pretty darned close.  I did make one change: I used almond extract instead of vanilla for the cookies.  After all, they're called almond sweets, right?  Where the recipe says "cooking oil," I used olive oil.  That's what I keep on hand.  To be honest, I was pretty proud of these.  Maybe someday I'll be the little old Italian grandma bringing these to a party, and someone else's daughter will be inspired to try to find the recipe when she gets older. 

Almond Sweets (makes 60 cookies; approx. $0.04/cookie.  Can't beat that!)

3 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup sifted powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

2 tablespoons milk

Red and green food coloring, if desired

Equipment:

• 2 mixing bowls
• 2 small bowls, if using food coloring
• 1 stand mixer
• 2 baking sheets
• Melon baller

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Lubricate your cookie sheets with whatever you see fit.  I used cooking spray.
3. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl.
4. In the bowl of the stand mixer, combine the eggs, sugar, oil and 1 teaspoon almond extract. 
5. Add in the flour mixture.  Beat well.
6. Use the melon baller to measure out sixty rounded cookies.  Divide them between the two baking sheets. 
7. Bake 12 minutes or until golden.  Allow to cool.  A wire rack is best for this purpose, but you can probably get away without it if you don't already have one.
8. In the second mixing bowl, combine the powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon almond extract and 2 tablespoons milk.  Mix until smooth.
9. If you want to have red and green icing, dole out 1/3 of the mixture into each of the two smaller bowls.  Put enough of the food coloring into each bowl to get your desired shade of red or green.  If you just want white cookies, skip to the next step.
10. When the cookies are cooled, dip the top of each cookie into the icing color of your choice. 
11. Serve!