Nut abundance and holiday cookies

14 years ago

Maybe you are harvesting nuts (and eggs?) or maybe the abundance has a different origin (not from your trees). Does it matter? I am blessed with a nut and chocolate abundance and have been making these. I love them since they have zero cholesterol but they sure do not taste like penance food.

These have no flour and are relatively low fat. The only fat comes from the nuts in any case (OK, maybe the chocolate in the hazelnut and almond versions). The original 'inspiring' recipe was for Syrian Seder cookies (which would not allow flour) and I added the citrus and cardamon flavors.

Pistachio cookies:

1 1/2 cups pistachio - grind or pulverize in a grinder or food processor - I use a Corona grain mill, same I use for corn bread, it works very well for making nut flours. Make sure you get flour or meal, not butter (do not over process in other words)

2 - 3 egg whites. Make into meringue using your favorite technique. A wire whisk works, an electric blender works too. I use a wire whisk.

3/4 to 1 cups regular sugar - less for Euro taste, more for American taste.

6 cardamon pod seeds, ground up or equivalent amount in powder.

grated rind of 2 key or mexican limes. OK, use any fresh lime/lemon you have. I have used Meyers lemon rid and it is also yummy.

Rice wafer paper or any baking edible paper. This is very important. Makes pan clean up very easy too.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Beat egg whites until stiff, mix sugar into egg whites (a little at a time), add ground pistachios, folding them into the meringue. Add cardamon and grated lime rind.

Drop a tbsp at a time in parchment paper or rice paper wafers. Leave enough room around there because they will flatten. I cannot tell you how long these take, 10 to 15 minutes? Watch them often. Some folks like them crispier, others chewier.

Variations:

Hazlenuts. Grind 1 1/2 cups hazelnuts to make hazelnut flour. Make them just like described above, but omit the citrus rind and cardamom. Melt some chocolate in double boiler. After cookies come out of the oven, go all Jackson Pollock and drizzle/spread/pour chocolate on cookie tops. Leave the rice paper there to protect the pan and counter from your art work. When they are cool enough, break them apart and set them in tray/box, they will look very pretty with the chocolate drizzles. They will disappear fast too.

Almonds. Here I have the blue diamond cans (2 of them) with 3 lbs slivered toasted almonds. So make the almond meal again, beat your egg whites and sugar. Bake as directed, on the baking paper. While they cool down, start melting some chocolate in your double boiler. Now 'paint' or drizzle some liquid caramel sauce on top of the cookies. When they are cold, hold the cookies by the paper part and dip into the molten chocolate, until the whole face of the cookie is covered in molten chocolate. Before it hardens, place a few almond slivers decoratively on top of chocolate layer. It looks so pretty!

Note on liquid caramel sauce: I just got this for free, had no idea what to do with it, never knew such product existed. I love it in these almond cookies! However, they are fine without it too.

So what do your folks do with your nut abundance? or chocolate abundance? or both?

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Comments (7)

digdirt2
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
We freeze lots of nuts - works very well. You can also can them for an even longer shelf life.

Lots of holiday cookie recipes right now over on the Cooking forums.

Dave
bejay9_10
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I freeze almond and macadamias - after drying, hulling and shelling in individual small baggies, then place baggies in freeze containers. They are kept "handy" in the upper part of my fridge, and I use them quite often in squash breads, cookies, and granolas.

Hmmm - wonder if pistachio would grow here??? Always looking for edibles to replace my ornamentals now that we are restricted in watering heavily (like thirsty lawns).

I made some cookie bars - a few days ago, and used some toasted pumpkin seeds in them, as my nut supply is dwindling. Not too bad. Very handy to have on hand, because they can be made ahead, rolled into long bars and freeze. Most any basic flour, sugar, shortening type cookie recipe is Ok - as long as enough flour is added.

I made a small batch this a.m., and brushed with a bit of butter on top before baking - kept them softer. They can be sliced in 1/4 in. slices while frozen, baked in a 400 degree oven for about 5 min. or so. I then brushed on some of my surplus orange marmalade when they cooled a bit. (Always looking for a way to use orange marmalade - now down to only about 8 or 9 more jars - whew!).

My grand daughter and I usually make holiday cookies and baskets with jams and/or canned pickles/etc., added for gifts. The Oreo cookie recipe (on side of package) was a great hit last year. Must remind myself to pick up some soon as they seem to disappear from the grocery shelves fast at this time of year.

Bejay
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junelynn
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Bejay...what is the recipe on the side of the Oreo package??? I'm making various cookie doughs to freeze and bake more toward Christmas....
bejay9_10
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
junelynn - that recipe was printed there on the cookies we made last year. I'll see if my daughter has it, as I thought it was on all of the packages.

As I recall, some butter was added to the cookies, then they were put into a mixer (we used my DeLonghi with one of the attachments for mixing heavier batters). The resulting cookie dough as stiff. Then, we rolled the dough into small golf ball size balls. They were covered with melted white chocolate and allowed to harden. The inside stayed soft and creamy while the outside was firm enough to contain it.

I'll try to find that recipe. Hopefully, my grand daughter has it. Sorry, but I thought it was a regular on the oreo cookie package.

Bejay
joy_unspeakable
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Bejay - Is it Oreo balls? (or Oreo truffles)

1 package of oreos, crushed
1 package of cream cheese, softened

Crush oreos in food processor, add softened cream cheese to form a dough. Place dough in fridge or freezer to stiffen a bit.

Roll in walnut sized balls. Dip in melted chocolate almond bark. Place on parchment paper to set up. Drizzle with melted white chocolate almond bark (or vice versa). Store in fridge.

You can also use melted chocolate chips if you do not have almond bark.

Rich and YUMMY!

~ Tracy
bejay9_10
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Tracy - that sounds like it. They are so decadent - but everyone just raved about them. I think we just poured the white melted almond over them - because "someone" forgot to buy the chocolate chips. Loved them.

Bejay
cabrita
Original Author
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Bejay I think pistachios are grown in California, as well as almonds and walnuts. The problem with the pecan is that if we do not get cold enough weather they fall with their husks, instead of opening their husks and then you can harvest the nut. The first year I was here I went around collecting all the little pecans and made a pecan pie. Last year they were lousy. We'll see this year....I wish I could replace that pecan tree with almonds and pistachios....but it is a very large very old tree, and for now the squirrels are very well fed!

There is something else I do with almonds that I like a lot, but I could use some suggestions if anyone here does it as well. I have health issues with dairy milk, and soy milk tastes like chalk in my coffee, so I like almond milk. I have been buying it from Trader Joes, but I figured I could try making it at home as well. The problem is that I cannot get it to completely become 'milk' when I filter it I do get a whole lot of solids to filter out. I do use the almond solids in other things (nut loafs, veggie burgers, soups) but I would like more of the almond to go to the milk if you know what I mean. I have tried a food processor (not very good) and an immersion blender works better, but still not perfect. Any suggestions on a better gadget? or method? What I do is let slivered almonds soak in water overnight, and then blend. Let it sit and use a fine colander or sieve to filter solids out. This works, but I get low yield, it seems like I should be able to get more milk out of a cup of almonds. Oh, the ratio I use is about 1:5 almond:water.

Nut abundance and holiday cookies

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digdirt2

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Nut abundance and holiday cookies

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digdirt2

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joy_unspeakable

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