Does Rain Make You Bake?

I’ve been in a baking dry spell lately. I don’t seem to have the time or energy to get myself into the kitchen to do the thing I love most – or second most (eating is first) -baking.  And then the rain hit L.A. It was so cold and dreary I decided to search my favorite food blogs to find an excuse to turn on the oven for warmth.

I’d like to credit my friend Allison of Haute Box for providing the inspiration I needed to get back into the kitchen. After reading her latest post about lemony almond lace cookies I was propelled into a baking frenzy that resulted in a bounty of sweets that satisfied my soul and warmed my belly!

This recipe is simple and sinfully sweet.  It is a terrifically pantry-friendly recipe. I substituted orange zest for lemon zest because I had blood oranges on hand. The juicy, tart blood oranges provide the perfect balance to these rich cookies. I threw in a touch of almond extract to amp up the nutty essence of the cookie. The result is a crispy gossamer-like cookie studded with almonds and citrus notes. So shamelessly buttery, it is the ultimate guilty pleasure.

p.s. I plan on crumbling uneaten cookies onto ice cream and you should do the same. I’m just sayin!

Orange Almond Lace Cookies-

adapted from Haute Box

½ cup raw ground almonds

6 tablespoons salted butter

1/3 cup equals parts granulated sugar and brown sugar

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1/3 cup all purpose flour

pinch of sea salt

zest from one small orange (or blood orange)

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp almond extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium sauce pan, over medium heat, combine the butter, sugar and corn syrup until sugar is dissolved.  Raise the heat and continue stirring, and bring to a boil. Once the mixture boils remove from heat and stir in flour and salt. When that is combined stir in ground almonds, zest, vanilla extract and almond extract.

Using a teaspoon, scoop batter onto lined baking sheet. Do not place a heaping teaspoon full or your cookies will expand into each other – keep each scoop relatively small. Bake cookies for 10 minutes or until light brown.

Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Enjoy!