“Don’t make a mistake you can’t fix.” Advice I gave to my children on more than one occasion. I also said things like, “Trust your instincts” and “Don’t forget to write a thank you note.” It’s all good intentioned, but kids will do what kids will do. Mine weren’t perfect which brings to mind a day when William broke a school rule. Suffice to say, it was a doozy of a mistake, but to his credit, he owned it. He faced it like a man, suffered the consequences and in time WE all got over it. Maybe, Italian almond cookies were involved in the conversation.
Unlike the night he died the school mistake was fixable. As parents we hope all the good stuff sinks in and that they will heed our advice and grow to be good solid citizens. The kind of people who are hard working, caring and respectful. The kind of people others enjoy having around and make us better people. It’s just sad when they are not around long enough.
It’s also sad when people publish recipes that don’t work. I swear they don’t test them. The recipe I started with is called “Bird’s Nest Cookies”. You know the kind. Make an indentation in the center of the puffy dough and fill it with jam or chocolate. Well check out the before and after of baking a few.
So, I guess I should follow my own advice, as these cookies were a mistake. Luckily, I was able to fix them by trusting my baking instincts. I ended up with something more delicious than I could have imagined. These italian almond cookies are buttery and crispy on the outside, but have a moist, crunchy chew on the inside. It’s a sweet, almondee, delightful texture that also makes the perfect ice cream sandwich. Bake for at least 17 minutes if you prefer a crispier cookie.
Italian Salted Almond Cookies
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: Makes 3 dozen cookies. 1x
Description
Crispy, salted cookie great for making ice cream sandwiches
Ingredients
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
½ cup almond flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
¼ cup ricotta cheese
1-cup sugar
1 egg
½ teaspoon almond extract
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup chopped almonds
finishing salt of your choice
Instructions
- Heat oven 350F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Sift flour, almond flour, baking soda and salt into a small bowl; set aside.
- In large mixing bowl, beat butter, ricotta cheese and sugar until well blended. Add egg and extracts; blend well.
- Add flour mixture and beat on low speed until dry ingredients are fully mixed in.
- Using a small cookie scoop, drop dough onto prepared baking sheets, 2-inches apart (remember these cookies spread).
- Top with a pinch of almonds and a sprinkle of finishing salt.
- Bake 15 to 17 minutes or until golden brown.
- Transfer cookies on parchment paper to cooling racks. Cool completely.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: cookies
- Method: baking
Keywords: almond cookie, Italian, dessert, snack, ricotta, ice cream sandwich cookie
I am making these for my daughter and her friend to have while they watch the Oscar red carpet tonight. She said they looked awesome.
I also love the picture of Will. It reminded me of Aidan. He was only able to get in his last season of lacrosse because his cast luckily came off early. It was a great season and it produced one of our favorite pictures of him. He would have liked these cookies too!
In his final lacrosse season in the very first game William tore his ACL and meniscus. It was a devastating blow, but once again he took it like a man and supported his team from the sidelines. I would love to see a photo of Aidan. I hope you all will enjoy the Oscar party and let me know how you all liked the cookies.
No one could’ve been more of a model citizen than William. You and Bill did a phenomenal job raising your kids.
Thanks! Yes, they turned out to be good people as are yours.