Almond Crackle Cookies

Only three ingredients!  That's it!  This is a recipe to keep forever because of its ease of preparation, simple ingredient list, and crunch-a-li-cious cookie with remarkable looks and taste.  For welterweight ingredients, the end result is a KO!  End of discussion.

Repeat after me, "Sliced almonds, granulated sugar, and an egg."  That is all you need to know.

Notes

1.  I used a rounded teaspoon of batter for each cookie.

2.  Since the batter separates, I re-stirred before scooping for the next cookie.

3.  I used two baking sheets.  After I was finished placing the batter on one, I immediately placed it into the preheated oven.  Then I started to prepare the second cookie sheet and slid it into the oven.

4.  When the timer went off for the first baking sheet, I reset it for the couple of minutes still necessary for the second sheet to finish.

Almond Crackle Cookies
(mentor recipe)
yield: approximately 20 2-inch cookies

1 large egg
6 tablespoons granulated sugar (75 grams)
1 and 1/4 cups sliced almonds (125 grams)

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 325ºF.  Line a two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat (or a combination).

2.  Have ready your cookie scoop or a teaspoon for measuring consistency.

3.  Whisk the sugar and egg together in a medium bowl until well mixed and thickening.

4.  Add the almonds and continue to mix until the almonds are coated.

5.  Scoop up a teaspoon of the batter and place on parchment, giving the almonds a bit of a pat to flatten a wee bit.  

6.  This batter separates as it stands, so you will need to work quickly.  Or, you will need to re-stir the mixture a little as you are preparing to scoop for the next cookie.

7.  Bake for 20 minutes, rotating pans midway through the baking.

8.  The cookies will look toasty, dry, and crackly on top when they are ready to be removed from the oven.

9.  Let the cookie sheets cool on a rack for 10 minutes.

10. Use a spatula to remove the cookies, or peel the parchment away from the bottoms.

11. My leftovers (I know...can you believe it?) were stored in an airtight container and were fine the next day.

Chewy Trail Bars

Lest you think I am the bearer of alternate realities, let me start by begging for your pardon as I begin writing this post.  After I just finished telling you about my near loathing of dried fruit (last month's post), I return to share a wonderful recipe that features...wait...ready???  Dried Fruit!!  I re-thought featuring this recipe since you would deduce that I am not to be believed; however, perhaps it's on me to figure out exactly when I engage with dried fruit?  Apparently I engage more than I thought.  I think it has something to do with whether or not the fruit loses its soft, gooey chew and individual characteristics and unifies with the cookie/bar to the point where it provides moisture and fruity tang, but not its distinct id.  But perhaps I need to chew on this a bit more...

Kitchenality's goal is to share recipes that reflect great flavor, reliability and relative ease of production.  Yes, I feature my favorites with a heavy hand on the sweet parts.  I hope that this posting and its revisit to dried fruits illustrates that I am not as narrow-minded as I thought 😀

Notes

1.  This recipe is slightly time consuming on the front end due to necessary chopping of many of the ingredients.  Mindfulness will help...

2.  I used salted butter even though the mentor recipe used unsalted.  And I used the extra salt as specified in the recipe.  You decide what your adventure will be.

3.  The package of coconut that I use most often is called desiccated coconut.  The difference is in particle size.  Desiccated is smaller-sized than shredded.  For this post, I used a bit of both since that's what I had on hand.

4.  Nope!  I haven't misspelled desiccated 😀

5.  I resisted chopping whole almonds and use sliced almonds instead.  Do it.

6.  I used a small bit of vegetable spray on the baking pan before inserting the parchment paper so that it would stick.

7.  These bars are delightfully chewy, sweet, tangy, and a bit sticky, and could serve as a snack between meals, a dessert, or alongside your morning yogurt for a more complete meal.  They fit many needs.

Chewy Trail Bars
(yield: 16 bars of 2"x 2" size or tailor to your needs)

2 cups quick cooking oats
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt, optional
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup unsweetened desiccated coconut
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons melted butter (I used salted)
1 tablespoon water

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350ºF.

2.  Line an 8 x 8 inch baking dish with parchment paper.  Allow for some length to overhang two opposite sides.

3.  In a large bowl, combine everything from the oats to the coconut and set to the side.

4.  In a smaller bowl, whisk the corn syrup, honey, vanilla, melted butter, and water together until combined.

5.  Pour wet ingredients over oat mixture.  Using a spoon or your hands mix the ingredients until well combined.

6.  Press into the square baking pan, smoothing the top with a spatula or an offset spatula.

7.  Place into the oven and bake about 30 minutes until the edges are golden.

8.  Remove to a rack and allow to cool completely.

9.  Using the parchment paper overhang, lift the mixture from the pan, and cut into bars.

10. Wrap uneaten bars and store in airtight container.  Chilling in refrigerator is fine; however, allow bars to come to room temperature before eating.