Chocolate-almond little cookies

Nice recipe. All you need is chocolate, almonds, egg and sugar. And some spices: cloves and cinnamon.

The result is...Italian. Kind of like soft amaretti. Beautiful. The cloves, although I added maybe one fifth of the recommended amount, give a nice bite. I'm having some with my tea right now, a calming combination.

I wanted to make some cereal cookies I saw on the Italian show yesterday, but the site didn't cooperate. So I went to my favorite site and put in as key words "biscottini ai cereali" and these came up. I liked the idea of making little bowls, something new.

The cookies are airy from the egg whites, very light weight. Crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside. The oven temperature has a major effect on how they turn out. These in the back of the oven were taller and harder, the ones in front were flatter and softer. I didn't rotate the baking sheet, maybe I'll do it next time.

Because I will make these again. They make nice gift, with the cloves, perfect for the season.


Recipe adapted from Giallo Zafferano

ingredients
120 g (4.2 oz) dark chocolate
120 g (4/5 cup) whole almonds
120 g (1/2 cup and 2 Tablespoons) sugar
1 egg white
pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cloves blended

directions
Preheat the oven to 130 C/265 F.

Using a food processor, blend the chocolate and then the almonds till fine. I should have blended more. Add cinnamon and cloves. Combine it all.

In a bowl, using an electric mixer, whisk the egg white with a pinch of salt  till soft peaks. My mixer will not take one egg white so I whisked two egg whites and then used half. Add sugar, one tablespoon at the time to the egg white (1 egg white). Whisk for a minute.

Add the egg mix to the chocolate mix. Combine it together with a spoon. The batter should be somewhat hard.

Form about 1 inch (2.5 cm) bowls with your hands using warm water to keep your hands clean. Don't use too much water, because cookies need to keep their shape. I think I overdid it.

Place your bowls on the parchment paper on the baking sheet. You should have about 20. Put into the hot oven for 30 minutes, till crust forms and cracks. Take them out, transfer on the cooling rack. Let cool a bit and enjoy!