Cinnamon Almond Cream Food

CINNAMON-ALMOND MELT-AWAYS

Steps:

• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 350˚. Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and bake on the lower rack until toasted and lightly browned on the inside, 15 to 18 minutes. Let cool completely, then pulse in a food processor until very finely ground (do not grind to a paste). Add the all-purpose flour, rice flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and the salt. Pulse until combined.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Beat the butter and 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla until combined. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the flour mixture. Turn out the dough onto a large sheet of plastic wrap, flatten into a rectangle and wrap. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
• Roll out the dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap into an 8-by-9-inch rectangle (about 1/3 inch thick). If the dough starts to crack around the edges, pinch it back together with your fingers. Peel off the plastic wrap. With a short side facing you, slice the dough lengthwise into eight 1-inch-wide strips, then slice the strips crosswise into 1 1/2-inch rectangles (48 total; if the dough becomes too soft, refrigerate 15 minutes). Arrange the rectangles 1 inch apart on the prepared pans.
• Bake, switching the pans halfway through, until the cookies are set around the edges, 16 to 20 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on the pans.
• Meanwhile, whisk the remaining 1 cup confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a shallow bowl. Gently toss the warm cookies in the sugar mixture to coat, then transfer to racks to cool completely. Toss the cooled cookies in the sugar mixture again.

SUGARED CINNAMON ALMONDS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
• Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly spray with vegetable oil.
• In a large bowl combine sugar and cinnamon.
• In another large bowl beat egg white until slightly frothy. Stir in vanilla and salt.
• Add almonds to egg mixture and toss to coat.
• Then pour almonds into cinnamon sugar mixture and toss to coat.
• Spread sugar coated almonds on lined baking sheet.
• Bake 25 minutes; stir after 10 minutes.
• Let cool and remove from pan with slotted spoon.

CINNAMON-ROASTED ALMONDS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Lightly grease a 10x15 inch jellyroll pan.
• Lightly beat the egg white; add water, and beat until frothy but not stiff. Add the nuts, and stir until well coated. Mix the sugar, salt, and cinnamon, and sprinkle over the nuts. Toss to coat, and spread evenly on the prepared pan.
• Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven, stirring occasionally, until golden. Allow to cool, then store nuts in airtight containers.

CINNAMON TOASTED ALMONDS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat egg whites until frothy; beat in vanilla. Add almonds; stir gently to coat. Combine the sugars, salt and cinnamon; add to nut mixture and stir gently to coat. , Spread evenly in 2 greased 15x10x1-in. baking pans. Bake at 300° for 25-30 minutes or until almonds are crisp, stirring once. Cool. Store in an airtight container.

CINNAMON ALMOND DARK CHOCOLATE MONKEY BREAD WITH CREAM CHEESE DRIZZLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• On a floured surface, unroll each tube of dough and separate along the perforations. Mound 1 teaspoon of the almond filling in the center of a dough triangle, top with 2 teaspoons chocolate chips and fold the sides over to make a package. Roll it in your hand to seal. Repeat with the rest of the dough, almond filling and chocolate chips.
• Brush a liberal amount of butter all over the inside of a 12-inch Bundt pan.
• Mix together the granulated sugar, cinnamon and salt in a shallow bowl. Dip each dough ball in melted butter, then roll in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place in the prepared pan. Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until golden brown, an additional 10 to 15 minutes; let cool slightly.
• While still warm, take a knife or offset spatula and carefully separate the sides of the cake from the pan. Turn it over and turn out onto a serving dish. Drizzle with the Cream Cheese Drizzle and sprinkle with crushed almonds.
• Whisk together the confectioners' sugar, cream cheese, almond extract and 2 tablespoons milk in a bowl until very smooth. If the mixture needs to be looser, add an additional 1 tablespoon milk.

CINNAMON SUGAR ALMONDS

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat, and stir constantly until the water has evaporated and the nuts are covered in a totally dry coating, roughly 15 minutes. Transfer almonds to a plate lined with wax paper and allow to cool.

CINNAMON-ALMOND CREAM

Steps:

• In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light. Add eggs one at a time. Beat until incorporated. Add almond flour; beat until combined. Add all-purpose flour and cinnamon; beat until combined. Cinnamon-almond cream may be made up to 3 days in advance and stored, covered, in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before using.