Quaresimali Chocolate Alphabet Cookies Recipes

QUARESMALI TWICE BAKED COOKIE OR BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Toast whole almonds for about 6- 8 minutes.
• Remove and cool.
• Put aside 2 cups of the almonds.
• To the remainder one cup of almonds chop very fine.
• Add the honey to the chopped almonds and mix well.
• Add the brown and white sugar and stir in well.
• In a large bowl beat the two eggs and beat in the soft butter or solid soft margarine.
• Add in the honey/nut/sugar mixture and beat well.
• Add in the dry ingredients and the 2 cups of almonds that were set aside.
• Combine all well and make a stiff dough.
• Divide the dough into two pieces.
• On parchment lined cookie sheets place each and make two logs about 12 inches by 4 inches, flatten slightly.
• Keep 4 inches between logs.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Brush both logs with the egg wash.
• Bake in preheated oven for 20- 25 minutes, until firm and beginning just to show cracks.
• Remove each log to a wire rack.
• Cool 10 minutes.
• Slice into slices with serrated knife.
• Place back onto parchment lined sheet.
• Bake for 8 minutes.
• Remove and turn slices over.
• Bake another and final 8 minutes, until toasty and golden.
• Remove to wire rack and cool completely.
• Store airtight tin container.
• Will keep month or so at room temperature.

QUARESIMALI (CHOCOLATE ALPHABET COOKIES)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300° F.
• In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat egg whites and salt until foamy. Add superfine sugar slowly, beating until stiff, but not dry, peaks are formed. Sift powdered sugar and cocoa over beaten eggs and use a spatula to combine ingredients well. Don't worry about deflating the mixture. Sift flour over the mixture, again using a spatula to combine ingredients.
• Transfer mixture to a pastry bag equipped with a number 10 tip. (You may substitute a large plastic sandwich bag and snip a 1/4-inch diameter hole off of its corner.) Pipe 2-inch letters of the alphabet onto parchment paper or, preferably, a nonstick baking mat. You can put them close together, because they won't spread. Bake for 12 minutes. If you use parchment paper, then remove the cookies from the paper the moment they come out of the oven. In any case, remove them with a spatula while still warm.