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Italian Almond Cookies

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Italian Almond Cookies are like a shortbread.

Gosh, it’s Tuesday again, already! That must mean Taste of Home Tuesday and this week I’m sharing Italian almond cookies. Each year our school thanks faculty and staff with an appreciation luncheon. This year the theme was Italian, which as you know, is right up my alley. Donations of baked goods were needed so I put on my thinking cap.

 

Initially I thought I’d remake my triple chocolate biscotti but I’ve been in a soft cast with a boot on my right foot for a few weeks and that recipe just wasn’t conducive to me standing for a long period of time. So I went looking for another option and settled upon this cookie. The reviews on the Taste of Home site were all good but many mentioned they lacked taste and weren’t really a sugar cookie, as the original title, Tender Italian Sugar Cookies mentioned. I decided to make a few changes based on those reviews. A few said they lacked flavor and they had used butter shortening. I decided to use a buttery sweet dough emulsion I have on hand along with a traditional flavor, almond. The easiest way I found to ice them was to dip them into the icing then place on a cooling rack with some parchment or waxed paper underneath to catch the drips. Tint the icing any color you’d like. I used blue because it’s one of our school colors.

 

So, let me just say a little something about the emulsion because I’ve never used an emulsion before. It’s used the same way as an extract but it’s different. There is no alcohol in it. It is water based, gluten free and is used at a 1:1 ratio for an extract. You can learn more about it and purchase it here. You can omit it from the recipe and these cookies will be perfectly delicious, just use butter flavor shortening instead of regular to replace the butter flavor.

 

As I hoped this Italian almond cookie was well received by the faculty and staff. It’s always nice to hear when what you’ve made is enjoyed by others.

 

Italian Almond Cookies cooling before being dipped in icing.

Be sure to check out my fellow Taste of Home Volunteer Field Editor, Jolene’s, recipe for fruited mixed greens salad.

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Italian Almond Cookies

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes

Total Time: 18 minutes

Yield: Approximately 3 dozen

Italian Almond Cookies

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup shortening
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 teaspoon butter dough emulsion
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • ICING:
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
  • Food coloring and coarse sugar, optional

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400°.
  2. In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy.
  3. Beat in eggs, butter dough emulsion, almond extract and vanilla extract.
  4. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.
  5. Shape dough into 1-1/2-in. balls. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.
  6. For icing, in a small bowl, combine milk, butter, vanilla and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Tint with food coloring if desired. Dip tops of cookies in icing; allow excess to drip off. Sprinkle with coarse sugar if desired. Place on waxed paper; let stand until set.
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Recipe from Taste of Home, originally called Tender Italian Sugar Cookies

A tender, not too sweet, almond cookie.

Cinnamon Nut Coffee Ring

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Cinnamon nut coffee ring for the breakfast win!I really love making coffee cakes. This is evident by some others I have on this site like overnight nutty coffee cake, fresh blueberry coffee cake, and chocolate coffee pecan coffeecake.  This cinnamon nut coffee ring is a classic but updated with the addition of chocolate. It’s full of nuts, cinnamon and chocolate chips making it perfect for breakfast or dessert. Coffee cakes are the best grab and go breakfast, perfect for a potluck or any brunch gathering. While I dusted the coffee cake with confectioners’ sugar, an easy powdered sugar glaze would also be a nice touch to finish it off.

Cinnamon Nut Coffee Cake is a sweet breakfast treat.

I bake a lot. It’s something I really enjoy. Most of the time things turn out well but every once in a while they don’t. That was the case with this cinnamon nut coffee cake. It’s baked in a tube, or angel food cake, pan. As I was putting the topping on, prior to baking, I was thinking to myself that this is going to be difficult to get out of the pan. Just about the entire time it was baking, and the scent of cinnamon was filling my house, I was thinking about how I was going to get it out of the pan. To be quite honest, I’m still thinking about it. This coffeecake is delicious enough to make again. I think one key is to let it cool more than I did. It only cooled in the pan for 15 minutes so maybe 20 – 25 might work better. I also think a different pan may be key.

You may be asking why would a food blogger include a “fail” picture? Because it makes it real. I’m not a professional, though friends have told me I should go to culinary school and maybe one day. I want my readers to know sometimes I have challenges too. But you can see from the top photo that I still served it, after the disappointment of the fail. It tasted delicious, it was perfectly fine, though not pretty.

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Cinnamon Nut Coffee Ring

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Yield: 15 servings

Cinnamon Nut Coffee Ring

Ingredients

  • Cake
  • 5 tablespoons butter
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • Confectioners' Sugar for serving
  • Filling:
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts)
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 3 tablespoons butter, melted

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 or 10-inch angel food cake pan with baking spray (with flour) and set aside.
  2. To make the cake:
  3. In a medium mixing bowl, beat together butter, oil and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs,one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the salt, cinnamon and vanilla and beat until incorporated.
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and baking soda.
  5. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture alternately with the sour cream, mixing on low speed just until blended.
  6. For the filling:
  7. In a small bowl, combine the filling ingredients until moisten with butter.
  8. Spoon half of the cake batter into prepared 9 or 10-inch tube pan. Smooth the batter and sprinkle 2/3 of the filling over the batter. Top with remaining batter and sprinkle with remaining filling.
  9. Bake cake for 45 to 55 minutes, until a tester comes out clean. A smaller pan will require a bit longer cooking time. Remove cake from the oven and cool 15 to 20 minutes and remove from pan to wire rack to cool completely.
  10. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar before serving.
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Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour Baking Companion Cookbook

Shared at Weekend Potluck


Cinnamon nut coffee ring can be breakfast or dessert.

Dried Cherry and Almond Scones

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Dried cherry almond scones are a delicious addition to a brunch table.Can you believe it’s almost Easter? Already! These dried cherry and almond scones would be an easy and delicious addition to your brunch table.

Although I have other scone recipes on the blog, this recipe is actually the first one I ever made. I was never really a scone fan until I made this recipe. This recipe is a bit more moist than a traditional scone recipe. I think that because they are more on the moist side they were a hit with my family. The almond drizzle really makes the scone. I’ve made these for friends on a few occasions and they have always been well received.

Typically scone recipes only make a few, about six or eight. If you’re thinking of serving them on a brunch buffet you may want to consider offering a selection. Apple cinnamon scones with salted caramel drizzle and strawberry scones with lemon glaze would also be nice to offer guests. If you wind up with leftovers, they are easily warmed in a low oven. I’m sure you could warm them in a microwave but that’s not my preferred way.

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Dried Cherry and Almond Scones

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Yield: 8 wedges

Dried Cherry and Almond Scones

Ingredients

  • ½ cup dried cherries
  • About 1 cup boiling water
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ cup butter, cut into cubes
  • 1 teaspoon finely shredded orange peel, or zest
  • 1 egg yolk, beaten
  • 1 (8-ounce) carton sour cream
  • 1/2 cup sliced almonds, for topping
  • For the glaze:
  • 1 cup sifted powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon milk, plus extra
  • ¼ teaspoon almond extract

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Coarsely chop the cherries, then place in a small bowl. Pour enough boiling water over dried cherries to cover. Let stand for 5 minutes, then drain water well.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Using a pastry blender or fork, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add drained cherries and orange zest, tossing to coat. Make a well in the center and set aside. In another small mixing bowl, combine the egg yolk and sour cream. Add mixture all at once to dry ingredients. Using a fork, stir until combined. Mixture may seem dry.
  4. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Quickly knead dough by folding and gently pressing for 10 to 12 strokes or until dough is nearly smooth. Pat or lightly roll dough into a 7-inch circle. Cut into 8 to 12 wedges. Arrange wedges 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Top each wedge with sliced almonds, gently pressing into the dough.
  5. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes, or until light brown. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
  6. Make the glaze: Combine all glaze ingredients. Stir in enough additional orange juice, 1 teaspoon at a time, until glaze is drizzling consistency.
  7. Drizzle warm scones with almond glaze. Serve warm.
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Shared at Weekend Potluck.

Friday Easter Week Recipes

Dried cherry and almond scones are a delicious addition to a brunch table.

Individual Warm Chocolate Truffle Cakes

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Individual warm chocolate truffle cakes are perfect for any occasion.I love individual desserts for a few reasons. First, it’s always fun to get your very own dessert. Second, it’s portion control and third, there are no tempting leftovers. These individual warm chocolate truffle cakes are rich and delicious but not too heavy to indulge in after a meal. That makes them ideal for dessert after a holiday meal like Easter.

These individual warm chocolate truffle cakes are really a chocolate lover’s dream come true and if you like truffles, you will definitely enjoy this dessert. It’s a fairly dense cake but moist with a melt in your mouth texture.

Make this dessert not only for Easter, but it’s perfect for Valentine’s Day, Mother’ Day or a small birthday celebration. I just lightly dusted them with confectioners’ sugar but you could top them them with fresh berries and whipped cream was well.

Other recipes on the blog with individual servings include this delicious apple crisp, these chicken pot pies, swiss and asparagus tarts, and individual skillet chocolate chip cookies.

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Individual Warm Chocolate Truffle Cakes

Prep Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 3 hours

Yield: 4 individual servings

Individual Warm Chocolate Truffle Cakes

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
  • 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar, plus more for dusting
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Confectioners' sugar for dusting

Instructions

  1. In a small saucepan combine chocolate and butter over medium-low heat. Cook until melted, whisking constantly. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
  2. In a medium bowl combine sugar, cornstarch and salt. In a separate bowl whisk together eggs, yolks and vanilla.
  3. Add egg mixture to sugar mixture whisking to combine.
  4. Stir chocolate mixture into egg mixture. Refrigerate mixture 2 hours.
  5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 4 (6 ounce) ramekins with nonstick cooking spray, dust with sugar. Spoon approximately 1/2 cup batter into each ramekin.
  6. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before dusting with confectioners' sugar.
  7. Serve immediately.
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Easter Week Recipes

Wednesday Easter Week Recipes


Individual warm chocolate truffle cakes are perfect for any occasion.

Bunny Cinnamon Rolls

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Bunny Cinnamon Rolls are a cute Easter or springtime treat.Easter will be here before we know it. I love doing fun and special things for my family, even though my boys are teenagers now. Sometimes people ask me why I do these things when I only have boys. Like boys can’t be made to feel special too. Do I think my boys think I go overboard a bit? Probably. Do I care? Nope. Do I think they secretly enjoy fun and silly things even last teenagers? Absolutely!

So I’ll continue to make special breakfasts, like these bunny cinnamon rolls, for holidays, special occasions and just because. Not only because they are cute but they are also so very easy. I’ll continue making fun treats like patriotic cupcakes, pretzel shamrocks and white chocolate Valentine bark as well as coming up with more to share.  I found out the hard way that you must use the Grands variety of cinnamon rolls. The regular ones do not unroll, no matter how much you try. Trust me on this one.

Bunny cinnamon rolls ready for the oven.Now, when you make these bunny cinnamon rolls you will loose some of the cinnamon when you unroll them. Not to worry, just press it back onto the dough. I baked these a bit longer than the time on the package so be sure to keep an eye on them if they need more time. Once they are out of the oven ice them individually and decorate so the icing doesn’t begin to harden. If that happens the colored sugar and chocolate chips won’t stick.

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Bunny Cinnamon Rolls

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 7 bunny rolls, 1 regular roll

Bunny Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients

  • 2 packages of Grands cinnamon rolls (I used Pillsbury)
  • Pink decorator sugar
  • Chocolate chips for eyes

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven 350 degrees F. Grease rimmed baking sheet with butter and set aside.
  2. Take eight of the rolls and place on buttered baking sheet. You will be making 7 bunnies and one plain roll.
  3. Unroll remaning cinnamon rolls. Fold in half and cut at fold, then cut in half. You now have 4 pieces for ears.
  4. Fold each piece in half to make ears for each round cinnamon roll. Gently press them into the round roll.
  5. Bake at 16 - 22 minutes or until golden.
  6. Remove from oven.
  7. Stir icing and spread on round "face" and ears. Place 2 chocolate chips upside down, so flat part is showing. for eyes. Sprinkle pink decorator sugar on ears. Repeat with remaining rolls.
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Bunny Cinnamon Rolls are a cute Easter or springtime treat.

easter-week-easter-recipes-2018w-680x396Monday Easter Week Recipes

Also shared at Weekend Potluck

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Ellen Folkman and Family Around The Table 2010-2018. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of material contained within this blog, either photographs or written copy, without express and written permission from this blog's author (Ellen Folkman) and/or owner (Ellen Folkman) is strictly PROHIBITED. Excerpts and links may be used, provided full and clear credit is given to Ellen Folkman and Family Around The Table with appropriate and specific direction to the original content via a link. Please do not publish recipes in their entirety. Happy to share if you let me know you've used a link. If unauthorized content is found on the world wide web, owner of copyrights (Ellen Folkman and Family Around The Table) will take appropriate action under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).
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