ALMOND COOKIES

INGREDIENTS 250g whole almonds (with skin on)

450g flour

200g icing sugar

1/2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

220ml canola oil

1 egg

1 drop of Egg Yellow food colouring

100g whole almonds (with skin on), sliced

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 180 deg C.

2. Line a baking pan with baking paper. Spread the almonds on the pan and roast in the oven for 10 minutes until fragrant. Check occasionally to ensure the almonds do not burn.

3. Remove the pan from the oven and pour the almonds into a blender. Blend till the almonds have a coarse texture. If you prefer a finer bread crumb texture, blend for a few more minutes.

4. Mix the flour, icing sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl with a spoon. Sift the ingredients into a large bowl.

5. Add the canola oil in small amounts to the dry ingredients, so the dough does not get too wet. Use your hands to mix the ingredients to form a ball of dough. If the dough is too wet, add small amounts of flour.

6. With a kitchen scale, measure 6g of dough and roll it into a ball (below). Place the ball of dough on a baking pan lined with baking paper.

7. Repeat the process with the rest of the dough and place the balls evenly on the pan. You will need five lined baking pans. Alternatively, you can roll out the dough into 4mm-thick sheets and use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes.

8. Break the egg into a small bowl and beat in the food colouring. Brush the egg wash on top of each ball of dough. Garnish each ball with one sliced almond.

9. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

10. Leave the cookies to cool on a wire rack (below) and keep in an air-tight container for up to three months.

Makes 150 cookies

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