Almond Butter Sandwich Cookies With Rhubarb Jam Food

ALMOND TARTS

Steps:

• For the shells: Pulse together the granulated sugar, flour and salt in a food processor to combine. Add the butter and continue to pulse until mealy. Add the egg yolks (reserve the egg whites for the filling) and pulse until the dough comes together. Press the dough into a disc, then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour, or up to overnight.
• To mold the shells, grease a muffin tin with nonstick spray. Roll out the dough on a floured surface to 1/4-inch-thick, dusting with more flour as needed. Cut out 3-inch circles and press them into the muffin cups so that the dough comes all the way up the sides. (No worries if the dough tears; just patch it up with additional dough.) Freeze the shells for 15 minutes.
• For the filling: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Combine the almond meal, granulated sugar, salt, and butter, either by blending it in the food processor (no need to clean it out after making the dough, you can just use it immediately for this step), or by stirring it together in a large bowl (I find it's easiest to get in there with my hands). Add the almond extract, egg and the reserved egg whites from the shells, and continue to blend/stir until smooth and combined.
• Fill the frozen shells with the filling so that it comes up about 1/4-inch from the top. Bake until the tops and edges are lightly browned; begin checking for doneness at 30 minutes. Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then use a small offset spatula or a knife to remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
• For the glaze: If making the glaze with heavy cream, combine the powdered sugar, heavy cream and almond extract in a bowl until smooth. Add additional powdered sugar or liquid to thicken it up or thin it out so that you get the consistency of a thick glue.
• To make the glaze with the raspberries, place the raspberries in a fine-mesh sieve and give them a rinse. Place the sieve over a bowl and use a stiff rubber spatula or wooden spoon to smash them through the sieve into the bowl until you're just left with seeds in the sieve. Be sure to scrape the underside of the sieve to get the stuff that's sticking to it. (You should be left with about 2 tablespoons seedless puree. If it's a tiny bit more or a tiny bit less, that's fine.) Add the powdered sugar and almond extract and mix to make a thick glaze. If it's too thick, add a few drops of water to thin it out, and if it's too thin, add a few more spoonfuls of powdered sugar. It should be the consistency of a thick glue.
• Spread the glaze over the cooled tarts and decorate with sprinkles, almonds and anything else you'd like! These will keep for several days at room temperature or in the fridge.

ALMOND-SHORTBREAD SANDWICH COOKIES

Steps:

• Cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread almonds in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until noticeably darkened and fragrant, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack; let cool completely.
• Pulse almonds in a food processor until finely ground. Measure 1 1/2 cups almonds into a medium bowl; set remainder aside. Add flour and salt to bowl; whisk to combine.
• In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter with confectioners' sugar until smooth and well combined. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla. Gradually add almond-flour mixture, beating until dough just comes together (do not overmix). Turn dough out onto a work surface and divide in half. Shape each half into a 12-inch log (about 1 3/4 inches in diameter); wrap each log in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
• Measure 1/2 cup reserved almonds onto a sheet of parchment; roll each log in nuts to coat. Cut logs into 1/4-inch-thick slices, discarding ends. Transfer slices to parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are slightly browned, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheets to wire racks; let cool completely.
• Filling: Pulse remaining 3 cups reserved almonds and salt in a food processor on low speed, scraping down sides frequently. Mixture will look dry but continue pulsing until it reaches a smooth, spreadable consistency, 15 to 20 minutes.
• In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together 1 cup almond butter (reserve remaining 1/2 cup for another use), confectioners' sugar, and butter until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip.
• Pipe a small amount of filling onto bottoms of half the cookies, then sandwich with remaining cookies. Filled cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

CHEWY ALMOND BUTTER COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Beat shortening, almond butter, brown sugar, and white sugar in a bowl until smooth. Combine hot water, baking soda, and salt together in another bowl; stir into almond butter mixture until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla extract; beat until blended. Gradually stir in flour until dough is just blended.
• Roll the dough into walnut-sized balls and place 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Press and flatten balls with a fork to create a crosshatch pattern.
• Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, 8 to 12 minutes.

ALMOND BUTTER COOKIES (SANDWICHED WITH JAM)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine ground almonds and sugar. Blend in butter. Add dry ingredients. Add water and blend well. Shape into a flattened ball. Wrap in parchment and chill at least 1/2 hour. Roll out onto lightly floured board until approximately 1/4-inch thick. Cut into desired shapes, and place on parchment covered baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake until golden brown. Cool. Sandwich with strained or seedless jam (raspberry is great!) or chocolate ganache.;

JELLY DOUGHNUTS WITH STRAWBERRY-RHUBARB JAM

Steps:

• Line 2 or 3 baking sheets with parchment paper and then spray with nonstick spray. Dust lightly with bread flour.
• Crumble the fresh yeast into the bowl of an electric mixer, or sprinkle in the dry yeast. In a small saucepan, warm the milk until it is no longer chilled and is just barely lukewarm, about 105 degrees F. Pour the milk over the yeast and whisk to dissolve. Add 1 1/2 cups of the pastry flour to the milk and whisk 2 or 3 times to just barely incorporate. Sprinkle the rest of the pastry flour over the mixture to cover the top. Do not mix this any further. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap so that it is airtight, and place in a slightly warm place until the top layer of flour has cracked noticeably, about 4 minutes.
• Meanwhile, remove the vanilla bean seeds by scraping the length of the bean with the back of a knife. Place the seeds in a saucepan with the butter and melt together over low heat. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and salt. Add the vanilla-butter mixture and quickly whisk into the eggs. Pour the egg-butter mixture into the mixing bowl with the flour. Mix on low speed for a few seconds to incorporate the flour, and then increase the speed to medium and mix for 1 minute. Add the 3/4 cup of bread flour and mix on low for a few seconds, then on medium for 2 minutes. The batter will be lumpy and quite sticky. Transfer to a large greased bowl and cover completely with plastic wrap so it is airtight. Return the bowl to the warm spot and let rise until it doubles in size, about 2 hours.
• Once it has risen, sprinkle 1/4 cup of bread flour over the surface. With your hands, gently tuck the sides of the dough under itself to deflate it. Cover the bowl again and let the dough rise until it has doubled in size again, about 45 minutes.
• You will need a significant amount of bread flour to coat your work surface. Choose a surface that is cool to the touch. Sprinkle a thin blanket of flour over it, and using a pastry scraper, pour 1/3 of the dough over the flour. Then sprinkle the surface of the batter with more bread flour. With the palm of your hand, gently press the dough down to about 1/2-inch thick. Dip the end of a 1 1/2-inch round cutter in flour and begin to cut the doughnuts out. Rather than picking them up with your fingers, use the cutter to push the doughnut off the end of the counter and on to the palm of your hand. Or try using a small spatula dipped in flour to lift the doughnut off the counter, being careful to keep the round shape. Then gently place the doughnuts on the floured baking sheets. Repeat until you have cut all the doughnuts. Wrap the baking sheets with plastic and refrigerate the doughnuts as you work. (Bring to room temperature before frying).
• To fry, add enough oil to come halfway up the sides of a large saucepan and heat to 350 degrees F.
• Carefully drop the doughnuts into the oil, about 6 at a time, making sure you do not overfill the pot. Fry the doughnuts until they are golden on both sides, about 3 minutes total. Drain on paper towels, and then toss into a bowl of sugar to coat. Fill doughnuts with Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam, if desired.
• Place the sugar and the vanilla bean seeds in a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add enough water to moisten all of the sugar (about 1/4 cup). Be sure to brush down the sides of the pot with a pastry brush to remove any stray sugar granules. Cook the sugar over high heat until it caramelizes and turns golden, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the rhubarb and the wine. Cook, stirring, over high heat, until the rhubarb softens and becomes a pulp; be careful; the mixture will splatter.
• Add 1/3 of the strawberries to the pot and stir quickly into the rhubarb pulp, working over high heat. Cook until the berries turn into jam and the liquid has mostly evaporated from the pot, about 8 minutes. Add another 1/3 of the berries and quickly stir until just softened. Add the last batch of berries, turn off the heat, and stir gently. Allow the jam to sit undisturbed about 10 minutes. If using to fill the doughnuts, refrigerate the jam so it sets up and filling is easier. Keep refrigerated.

EASY ALMOND BUTTER COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Mix all-purpose flour, almonds, butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and almond extract in a large bowl until well blended.
• Roll the dough into walnut-sized balls and place 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets.
• Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes.