When my neighbor Shelly said she needed some help for Passover baking, I was ready to help. Our Hamantaschen for Purim were so much fun, and I am always excited to learn something new (and give it my own twist later).
Since Passover food does not allow for any flour (Shelly tells me there is lots of discussion around the rules of this topic which I am certainly not qualified to explain, but from what I understand, the general principle is that you are not allowed to use flour from grains or seed. Please check with your rabbi, or Jewish grandmother on the details) we prepared for this cooking session simply by looking for easy recipes ("nothing too complicated" said Shelly, and I completely agree as I find that sweet goods disappear fast in a house, and too much time spent creating them takes away from the enjoyment - at least for me, still I have lots of respect for people who can spend hours in the kitchen making mille feuille or pretty cakes, I just prefer to eat them).
Shelly said her amaretti were very easy to make and I am always up for creating something more than just a recipe, so we nailed it down as the "tradition" option. During my research, I noticed that "haroseth truffles" were everywhere this year (at least in the media), so we thought we would also give that a try when we were baking the amaretti. The ingredients were easy to gather, and the work was minimal.
We set to work on a late morning, first with the Amaretti [this part is for the food-curious: "amaretto" is the singular of "amaretti" which means "almond flavored." Some of you might be familiar with "Amaretto" which is a sweet, almond-flavored liqueur generally from Italy. Amaretti can also refer to almond macaroons made from marzipan or almond paste, or like it is in this case, simply almond cookies]
Almond macaroons are one of my favorite sweet indulgences, and I never knew they were so easy to make. Once we added ground almonds, sugar, egg whites, and the hazelnut liquor (recipe to follow) to a food processor and buzzed it for about 30 seconds we were done! Well, we had to put spoonfuls of it on a baking sheet and place in the oven, but still, we were done in less than 10 minutes (plus baking time) which is absolutely wonderful (note to self: always keep almonds at hand, and any time you have extra egg whites, make amaretti!)
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| Shelly ready to put the amaretti to the oven |
During the baking time, we washed the food processor bowl, and then placed the ingredients for Haroseth in the bowl (recipe to follow), and buzzed for another 20 seconds or so to have our "dough." By the time we made little balls of haroseth and rolled them in coconut flakes, our amaretti were baked and we were ready to make coffee.
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| Haroseth truffles rolled in coconut flakes |
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| Amaretti baking in the oven |
This could make a very good activity for kids or simply friends/family coming together to create good memories. I could hardly believe that we were done with two kinds of Passover sweets in less than 30 minutes, and already enjoying the results of our labor!
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| Shelly with the first tray of amaretti |
Whatever notions Jewish cooking might have out there, for me, it's been nothing but a pleasant experience so far, mostly thanks to Shelly. I am a big believer that when food is combined with tradition and love, the outcome is always a bit more than a bite to eat, somehow it finds a way to your heart and makes it feel warm and fuzzy... How does one say "enjoy" or "bon appetit" in Hebrew or Yiddish?
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AMARETTI RECIPE (adopted from vanillagarlic.com via simplyrecipes.com)
Note: To keep this recipe kosher we used kosher hazelnut liqueur (see pictures at the very end) instead of vanilla and almond extracts. You can adjust the ingredients based on your restrictions. The above mentioned Amaretto liqueur would be a nice substitute for non-kosher palates, or you can use apple juice for a non-alcoholic option.
2 1/2 cups almond flour (or 3 1/4 cups almonds)
1 1/4 cups of sugar
3 egg whites (we used large eggs)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Optional: dried fruits or nuts to decorate
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
If using almonds, grind them in the food processor until fine. If using almond flour, place it in the processor. Add the sugar and grind for about 20-30 seconds until the mixture is well blended and fine. Add vanilla/almond extracts (or the kosher wine/liqueur), pulse for a few seconds, then add the egg whites one at a time, process until smooth (do not over-blend it as it makes the cookies hard).
Place tablespoons of the dough on the parchment paper and if you like, top with pieces of dried fruit or nuts (pinenuts are traditional in Italy.) If you like the cookies to be more uniform or fancier you can use a pastry bag.
For chewy cookies bake for about 25 minutes, until the tops are slightly brown but the cookies are still soft to the touch. For crunchy cookies, bake about 30-35 minutes, keeping in mind that the cookies will get crunchier as they sit in the winter in dry air conditions, and will go softer in humid conditions.
If you like, once they are cooler, you can make little sandwich cookies by attaching the bottoms of two cookies together with jam.
HAROSETH TRUFFLES RECIPE (adopted from The New York Times)
1 cup coarsely chopped pitted dates
1 cup coarsely chopped dried apricots
1/4 cup dried cherries
1-2 chopped up dried fig
1/4 cup raw sliced almonds
1/2 cup raw pistachios
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon pomegranate juice or liqueur of your choice (we used Kosher plum brandy see photo at the end)
Optional: roast the nuts in the oven or in a dry skillet until fragrant before starting the recipe, and let them cool down.
Combine the dates, apricots, cherries, almonds, and pistachios in the bowl of a processor and pulse until coarsely combined (not not overdo this step otherwise the ingredients will not absorb the liquid proportionately). In a small bowl mix the pomegranate juice or the liqueur with the cinnamon, and add to the dried fruit mixture and process until the mixture forms a smooth and sticky paste. If the paste is not sticking together, add more liquid one teaspoon at a time (this depends on the moisture in the dry fruits).
Spread the coconut flakes on a plate, and put some water in a small finger bowl. Moisten your fingers, and roll half tablespoon size of the dough in your hands, then roll them in the coconut plate. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Optional: You can roll the truffles in cocoa, melted chocolate or crushed nuts to create a variety.
Important tip: You really need to chop the larger dried fruits into smaller pieces, otherwise they do stay in big chunks since we do not pulverize everything for long. I find that the best way to chop dried fruits is by scissors, preferably moistened with cooking oil or water.
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| Hazelnut Liqueur we used for the Amaretti |
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| Kosher Plum Brandy we used for Haroseth Truffles |
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