Liquorice almond cookies
Biscotti alla Liquirizia.
I would eat liquorice on anything, so these liquorice almond cookies are a hit. Try them with cappuccino in the morning, with tea in the afternoon and as a pre-dinner snack with cream cheese and smoked salmon.
Liquorice is sweet, salty and bitter at the same time. A mysterious, intense taste like aniseed and fennel only stronger and with an added sweetness that makes it perfect for candy, ice cream and cookies, that can be used with savoury food too.
These liquorice almond cookies were inspired by an Amarelli recipe from Rossano in Calabria. I’ve added almonds to make them more crunchy and baking powder for extra puff. The cookies are so delicious, I even reduce the amount of added sugar to a minimum and use them for antipasti. Try them, for instance, as a base for canapés with smoked salmon and cream cheese or crab meat salad.
Ingredients
100 g cane sugar
2 tsp liquorice powder
A pinch of salt
1 tsp baking powder
200 g flour
100 g ground almonds
100 g butter
1 egg
Preparation
Mix cane sugar, liquorice powder, baking powder, salt, ground almonds, and flour in a big bowl.
Crumble the butter into the dry ingredients, add the egg and press all ingredients together to make a firm dough. (Don’t knead the dough more than necessary)
Shape a roll of dough, wrap it in cling film and put it i the freezer for a couple of hours.
Remove the cling film and cut the dough in 5 mm thin, even slizes.
Place the liquiórice almond cookies on a baking sheet and bake at 170 C /338 F for 10 minutes, depending on the oven and the thickness of the cookies.
Leave the cookies to cool on a wirerack, before transferring them to an airtight cookie jar.

Crunchy liquorice almond cookies.
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