RECIPE: Almond horns sound arrival of holiday cookies
Almond paste cookies are a holiday staple among the many Italian, Jewish, Polish and German bakeries in upstate New York, where I was raised.
I have long been a fan of almond paste cookies in every form because almond plays well with a lot of other flavors. That leaves a lot of room for customization and innovation. At any holiday cookie tasting, I crave something surprising, and almonds are a perfect tableau for such experimenting. Almonds and chocolate? Check. How about almonds and fruit? Check. Almonds and spice? Triple check.
Almond paste cookies are also categorically easy to assemble, and will always look stunning and professional in a holiday cookie swap.
To prove just how simple and rewarding an almond paste cookie can be, I’ve dialed up my favorite Jewish bakery cookie — the almond horn, or Mandelhörnchen, as it’s known in German.
These cookies, even when dipped in chocolate, come together in less than an hour, leaving you lots of time to dream up variations.
- 12 ounces (340 grams) almond paste, cut into pieces
- 3/4 cup (142 grams) sugar
- 1/2 cup (50 grams) fine almond flour
- 1 egg white
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup (90 grams) untoasted, sliced almonds
- 8 ounces (227 grams) quality chocolate (at least 60% cacao), cut into large pieces
- Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Combine almond paste, sugar and fine almond flour in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat 2-3 minutes, until the mixture resembles wet sand.
- Add egg white and almond extract. Mix 2 minutes, until the dough is tacky, but uniform.
- Place sliced almonds into a medium bowl. Using a medium cookie scoop or an ice cream scooper, scoop dough and place in the bowl of almonds. Gently press each scoop into the almonds until the nuts coat all sides of the dough.
- Applying firm pressure, roll each dough ball into a 4- to 6-inch log, and gently bend the log into a horn — properly shaped, the cookie should resemble a horseshoe.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper until cookies are golden brown. Allow to cool completely.
- Melt a little more than half of the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over simmering water, stirring constantly.
- Remove the chocolate from the heat. Add the remaining chocolate and stir 5-7 minutes until all the chocolate is melted.
- Dip both tips of the cookies into chocolate and allow to cool completely. Makes 1 dozen cookies.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per cookie: 316 calories (percent of calories from fat, 46), 5 grams protein, 40 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 17 grams total fat (4 grams saturated), no cholesterol, 9 milligrams sodium.Sign up for the AJC Food and Dining Newsletter
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