The story goes that almond cookies were a favorite of St. Francis of Assisi. His mother would make batches of them during his childhood, and upon his deathbed, he requested these treats.
There are as many recipes for Italian almond cookies as there are bakers, I think. I found this one, unattributed, on Facebook, and added some information in the directions that might help you as you bake. Enjoy them on this feast of St. Francis, or any day!
Almond Cookies
Makes 4 dozen
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs, beaten
1 tsp almond extract
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
8 oz sliced almonds
2 3/4 cup flour
Preheat oven to 350. Prepare a baking sheet by covering with Silpat or parchment paper.
Cream together sugars, eggs, and almond extract. Add remaining ingredients. I wound up using my hands to mix the dough together at this point. The dough will be very dry and crumbly, and it helped to use dampened hands to shape the cookies.
Shape dough into balls, about 1 tbsp each.
Bake 12 minutes, then leave to cool on pan at least 5 minutes.
Copyright 2021 Barb Szyszkiewicz
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